Why do the pros always peek at their cards?

[parappa]

They seem to do it before they fold and after the other guy folds. They already know what they have. What gives?

[DyessMan89]

Its a cue for someone in the audience to bring them popsicles.

[/Norman Chad]

They normally don't look at their hole cards until the action is actually on them. Sometimes they may just want to have another look.

nate

[MoreWineII]

Sometimes they change if you look at them two or three times.

[imported_Dozer]

I always do it just to memorize what I had as I watch the action go on.

[nuclear500]

Apparently all the replies didn't understand your post.


I have no idea why they look at their cards after they've won the hand. Perhaps its to induce someone to believe they were bluffing - at least thats what I've thought of it.

Perhaps its to double check their cards and ingrain how they played them.

[m bozeman]

They probably hold the ace of spades, the prettiest card in the deck, and can't stop looking at it over and over.

[KJL]

I think they do it before they fold, just to make sure they didn't mis-read their cards or if they had a good starting hand they tend to keep looking at them cause they can't believe they are going to fold it.

[parappa]

[ QUOTE ]
Apparently all the replies didn't understand your post.


I have no idea why they look at their cards after they've won the hand. Perhaps its to induce someone to believe they were bluffing - at least thats what I've thought of it.

Perhaps its to double check their cards and ingrain how they played them.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, I might not've been clear enough in my original post.

I understand the purpose of waiting until it's your turn to look in the first place. As you say, I'm talking about when:

They peek just before they fold (I suppose this one's easy, to simply make sure you're not folding a winner or misremembering); or

They peek when the other guy folds and they win the pot. This is the one I don't get. I can see showing your cards to the camera, but they always look. My only thought is that it might be some kind of balance play so that other players can't tell when they're bluffing in some other spot, but I don't see how it works if that's the case.

[flo]

Natewilson gave a good answer: they don't look at their cards until the action is on them. Maybe they want to pick up tells when the other players look at their cards and bet.