SHOW OR MUCK ???

Some sites offer the feature the show your winning hands other than just mucking them. Should you show or muck? Occasionally I will show a bluff to get the people at my table to realize I'm not always a tight player and when I get a good hand I will make the same bets as my bluff and will get calls because they will think I'm bluffing. I will also show a very good hand once in a while if there is a person at the table that wont shut upand saying stuff like "stop playing that garbage" , "I could beat you anyday" "Your lucky I'm not calling I have you beat." It makes me mad when people think they are so good but there really not. More time than not I will muck.

Personally I prefer to muck, especially as I only play online. I don't want to give away anything about my gameplay. Strengths or (one of my many) weaknesses.

If a player wants to see your cards, make them pay for the privelige, no pay, no play! If they call your bluff's then so be it.

i say Muck all the time, Never show, but thats just me, some players show, i dont agree with showing anything,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,buck

I'm with Dogfish and Buck on this one. I prefer never to give any type of information to the enemy. In my opinion even the act of showing, is a tell. But I do so appreciate when others show their strength or bluffs. All info gladly accepted.

Why give away free information ? Just switch on auto-muck so your not tempted.

I like showing my uncalled BB if it's really bad - although pointless - I feel I get raised from the SB with ATC more often afterwards.

In any other case I concur, why give away free info ?

I show in CC games on occasion, because it's a friendlier environment.

When I'm playing strangers online, I almost never show.
When you show, you're not just showing your hand, you're showing the guy exactly how you played that hand on every street up to that point.

When I do show in a non-CC game, it'll be a satellite situation where we're waiting for one or two shorties to bust so the rest of us can get a satellite ticket. I'll show if I have a big hand and "need" to make a bet which could be interpreted as a steal from another big stack. Showing is my way of saying, "I'm not screwing with you, buddy."

I always muck and never show even if it is an option.
I see no reason to show my bluff or my nut hand unless I apsolutly have to.
If I am playing A free tournament with A few friends I might show em A bluff every now and then but that is just maybe.....
If money is on the line then forget about it.......
You have to pay to see.....

I do not show,but i normaly will show 1 or 2 hands if i am a big chip leader at the table and it is deep in the tourny,or on the bubble and i want to dominat he table.i will show them a good hand so i get the image ,i always have a very good hand and not trying to steal.

But other than that no,no,no.


Lazmansa

A lot of players show to set up an image, then they can play the opposite and try to trap opponents. It works better live, I think, because the players are more attentive, the game is more personal. Online is more of a donkfest, especially at the smaller stakes, so it doen't work as well. So muck away!

I like show cards when i do big bluffs with nothing, sometimes its realy helps in next plays on that opponent, becouse he have still in mind that big bluff and he cant get over it But On uncalled rivers or smth like that i prefer to muck, let them try to think about what i got... also on WSOP all profs prefer to dont show others any type of hand, becouse if you show them your hand they already can know how do you will play next time when you will get strong/weak hand.

I tend to play on the tight side and like to maintain that table image. It makes it possible for me to run the occasional bluff. If I find myself on a run of winning hands without showdowns, I'll occasionally show strong pocket cards to reinforce the tight image. I'll never show a bluff except, maybe, when I am about to leave the table.

I'll also occasionally show my cards in the big blind if it folds around to me and if they're really dirt - 72 off, 53 off, etc. I do that for entertainment value.

I have the Auto-Muck feature turned on on every site I play at.

Why give them any idea what your up to?

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

There are few occasions online where you can have any reasonable expectation that giving out free information will have the desired effect.

I must be the only one, cause i show big hands that win early in a tourney/ring game a couple of times(not every time). Personally I believe it sets up the image of me having a TAG-style. then later when i switch gears I can bet the same way with rags, and get folds. It works for me.

I always muck. I don't want to give anything away about my thought process. Anytime a person decides to show instead of muck, it's not a random event. There's a reason why it is being done at that time with that hand. If you're not careful, it can turn into a bit of a tell.

For instance, if I go head to head with a guy a few times and end up folding, and then a little later on he shows a bluff hand instead of mucking, that gives me some info. It tells me he probably had a hand at least once or twice before and is frustrated that I folded. He wants me to think that he is/was just bluffing.

So, that tells me a few things: (1) I did in fact make a good lay down or two in the past; (2) he wants me to loosen up; (3) he's probably going to tighten up or try to trap me. Getting all that information from his show, I realize it is probably a bad idea for me to show. So I just muck.

Of course, if some more advanced play is going on, then it can get more complicated than that. But most people who show in online poker are just trying to get you to believe the opposite of what's really going on. Why give yourself away like that?

-Dave

I usually learned to muck every hand. I have noticed that it helps alot later in the tourneys when players want to review their notes on how u play. any info u give them early they will be able to use against u and determine how u play!

They say that unless u are a very skilled player who can change the way u play constantly then don't give away any information that another player can use against you.

In certain situations I will show my cards, almost always the nuts or a great starting hand.

I don't show bluffs even if I get a walk preflop.
I like the TAG image and find it easier to exploit the the LAG one.

my philosophy has always been to always muck

When I'm playing live with friends I'll ocassionally show. Online I NEVER show.

If your locked in to one table (that is paying total attention to everyones moves) and really want to play some mind games with your opponents use the ability to show some hands to your advantage. There is nothing better than to show a sorry a$$ bluff and then get some beautiful rockets the next hand. When else can you get a tilted player to call you with a marginal hand. The showing of the bluff puts the pressure on some weak players easily.

I use to show all the time.When I had the nuts now I think its better tomuck and keep them guessing. So I always muck now

I always muck online. In fact, I have it set to auto muck. When I play in our weekly friendly home games, though, occasionally I show. When I don't show at those live games, people begin to think I am bluffing more often than I actually am, and I only show good hands if I want to get a tighter image or to avoid hurt feelings that people seem to get when they think I am stealing their blinds.

I mostly automuck don't think it matters much serious players can buy a database on you if you play enough anyway

if i am playing in a live tourny with ppl i have played before i will show every hand i win on non showdown pots. i do this because i want everyone to see im not playing junk cards or bluffing. that way when i get into a pot that someone may question my play, i have respect at the table. most of the ppl i play with are very lag so i almost never ever bluff live. it seems the few times i have tried to bluff i get caught. online it is a little different though. i show sometimes online but not always. and i bluff alot more online cause its easier to get away with if you get good reads on the table.

Keep 'em guess'n! Make 'em pay to see.

I only show the Royal Flush.

I only show when my opponent takes a very long time trying to figure what I have. I kind of like when other people do this to it clears my mind and help me forget about the hand.

I always muck, but i really like it when i fold and the other player shows and shows me i made a good decision or bad decision.

I very,very rarely show my hands...only if they pay to see the showdown...keep 'em guessing I say...less information for them on you also.

I would say never show. let the people think and say what they want. I have shown on occasions but only quads and a royal. I wouldn't show just to prove your not bluffing

I would almost always muck as it will give oppenents infomation about the way you play and could lead them to find ways of beating you. keep details on the ways you play securate to help ensure a succfull game play in poker.

Especially for a novice player, I generally think that the best you can do to keep them guessing is to provide no information at all.

A much more skilled player might be able to manipulate mucks/shows to his advantage.

The only time I show is if somebody is chatting away in the box, obviously a complete idiot who goes on tilt at the flick of a switch and I outbluff him. Otherwise always mucking is a good play.

I'll sometimes show if they go deep into the think tank. but most of the time when the do go into the tank I'll take auto muck of and the end up calling anyway. but i know this isn't a good idea. i know i use this info all the time. i can remember one eg where someone went allin with a marginal hand from MP then showed it when everyone folded. I'm not sure whether they thought it was a good or bad hand all i know a few hands later when they limped i raised from the button and took his chips.i knew he didn't have a good hand because they would shove marginal hands.