Why do the pros always peek at their cards?

[MonkeeMan]

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I don't think you're understanding this. There is no tell. Any time they're peeking like this, the hand is already over. How could someone use this against you in subsequent hands if every time you're checking, the hand is already over?

[/ QUOTE ]

Let's say you always show a bluff if your opponent folds. This gives him info on how you play a bluff even tho the hand is over. On later hands he may see this pattern again and read your bluff. This same thing could be true for peeking at bluff hole cards. I said it's a reach, but my point is that you can give tells (information) after a hand is over.

[technologic]

in hellmuth's case, he's thinking

"do they even realize how powerful i am?"

[AcesUp]

In my experience (and this is something I've noticed for years and have spoken to a lot of people bout), players more often look back at their cards before throwing them in (after winning the pot), when they have an especially good hand.

I don't know the exact psychology behind it, but I imagine it's akin to, "Let me appreciate what I have for just another quick second."

Conversely, I've found that players who have just successfully taken down a bluff tend to get rid of their cards more quickly. Again, I don't know the psychology, but I can guess that is the subconcious way (or even concious way) of locking in the win as quickly as possible, knowing your vulnerable.

Just my $.02...


-Aces

[Paul Phillips]

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

[/ QUOTE ]

I have always wondered this myself and never figured it out. However, your question does open the door to one of my favorite poker stories.

I am playing three-handed with ivey and another guy (the other table is four-handed) while we wait for someone to bust so we can come back tomorrow for the live TV table at turning stone. Ivey raises every hand. We fold every hand. Every hand he looks back at his cards before mucking and taking the pot.

Finally after hours of this I say "phil, why the [censored] do you always look back at your cards after we fold like the pussies we are? Are you just admiring the absurd bullshit cards you're using to rob us, or what?"

Phil says (with no delay) "You know what I'm doing? I'm seeing what the other one was."

Now another poker story, the memory of which I don't hold as fondly. It's very late in the 2004 $3K WSOP event and john juanda is (as always) doing the same thing. He re-raises all-in from the big blind and the early position raiser folds pocket tens face-up after a long sweat. Juanda looks back at his cards, looks at me (to his immediate right) and smiles, then goes to fold. He smiled at me because I'd just made a similar comment to the one I made to ivey at turning stone.

All of a sudden another player who wasn't even involved in the hand starts railing angrily that juanda showed me his hand and he demands to see it too. The floor is brought over and it turns into a huge scene. John and I are both absolutely livid because we both know he didn't show me his hand and that he never would, but to my lasting distress, the floor ends up ruling that john has to show his hand, which turns out to be pocket sixes. I come within nanometers of flipping out enough to penalize myself out of the tournament with two tables left, but I am somehow de-steamed enough to avoid it. (Amusingly I end up going to the final table as chip leader thanks to the vicissitudes of poker.)

As a sidenote, the only two people I can think of immediately who always look back at their cards after everyone folds are juanda and ivey. The two people I think are a noticeable cut above EVERYONE else in tournament poker are juanda and ivey. Coincidence? Unknown.

[MicroBob]

nice stories Paul.
very interesting.


I don't know much about your background (I believe you had some sort of issues with the WSOP for a little while but I don't really know the details).
Do you frequently get so steamed that you take penalties (or get close to that point)?


FWIW - I know you and Juanda wouldn't pull something like this and that the other guy was probably just stupidly paranoid....but after he INSISTED that he SWORE that you were shown the cards I wouldn't have too much of a problem just allowing him to see it....
and then making sure that my behaviour was such that it never even came close to looking like you saw the cards.

Obviously you and Juanda meant nothing intentional about your little communication exchange there that didn't involve showing the cards....but I can see how a player on the other side of the table might think 'what the hell is he smiling about?? did he just show him his cards? i want to see them too.'


again - i suspect this other guy probably over-reacted....but given the situation as you described it I can picture how this could EASILY happen...and that situations like this shouldn't be too tough to avoid.


I wasn't there though and am VERY inexperienced at major-tourney poker so I fully confess my ignorance on such issues.

[codewarrior]

For shennanigans.

[djack]

Given this:

[ QUOTE ]

I wasn't there though and am VERY inexperienced at major-tourney poker so I fully confess my ignorance on such issues.

[/ QUOTE ]

...that was a very long post.

[PairTheBoard]

parappa --
"They peek when the other guy folds and they win the pot. This is the one I don't get. "

I think it's a needling move. It's designed to raise the opponents hopes that he'll show his cards, then dashing them when he mucks. It's like he's saying, I'll bet you'd like to see these cards I'm looking at right now wouldn't you. Well you can't. ha ha ha. Messing with the opponent's head.

PairTheBoard