To show or not to show...

This thread is talking about the muck button. What do you all suggest would be a good time to show what you were holding, and when to just muck them into the pile? Is there a general rule of thumb about mucking? Mucking etiquette? lol

MUCK MUCK MUCK MUCK s MUCK p MUCK a MUCK m MUCK.
The only time you show your cards is to gain an advantage

Occasionally you might show to improve your table image, but when in doubt, just muck. There's nothing wrong with mucking every time.

I agree with mucking 99 percent of the time. The only time I may consider showing is when you get a run of cards without callers for two or three straight hands. Possibly if someone asks and they have shown in the past out of respect but thats a rare occasion.

For deception you may show hands.Otherwise nothing wrong with mucking.

If I am on a league or something and play with the same people alot, every now and then I will show my cards. But to sit down with people I do not know, never. Keep them guessing. Especially if you are a tight player , and everything they have seen so far in your hand is solid. Make them call to see what you have. Gl at the tables

I never show and always muck. I have thought it is just a good habit to do so.

I rarely show my cards. Only if its for a strategic purpose.

Auto-muck always. Don't give people free information imo.

As most of the first responses here, i too always muck. Curious to know if there are any players out here in CC that DON'T auto-muck and use it to there advantage effectively?

i've thought about showing hole cards to create a certain image. just never got around to finding a way or know how to use it.

I'm in that slim minority that does not auto-muck. Used sparingly, I do it for the opposite effect that fkscreennames mentions. I might show an occasional monster to buy some 'fold insurance' on a bluff or semi-bluff in the future. I would never show even a semi-bluff. I fully understand the purpose, but when someone shows me that, it's like insult to injury, an intentional mindf#%$. I won't do it.

I think it was in Harrington on Hold'em Volume One (amazing series of books it's really helped me improve my game) that I read that if you're aggressive and playing an amount of hands that would make it seem like you're bluffing a lot that it's okay to show up your big hands. It's like saying "hey look I know I'm playing alot of hands but they're actually really good". He said players remember what they see.

I disagree with this part. If someone shows, then that's great, and I'm happy to see their hand. However, I would never show just because someone showed me earlier. Giving out free information is a bad idea, whether you like the person you beat in the pot or you hate them.

i would have to tend to agree with him on this, but somtimes that may also get you some action u dont want with marginal hands.

Yeah, this is what I do, and i was in a tourny the other night and people were ragging me for showing. I was catching many good hands, more than my 20% I shoot for. So i was like, "what would I think if someone was doing this to me and not showing? They were bluffing the $$$$ out of me!" It is early in the tournament, maybe an hour or so, past first break, and I am still trying to maintain a tight table image. This streak of cards is ruining my image! lol, but not to complain too much. I was getting action. But was just afraid respect would be gone in future hands.

In a normal situation I do usually muck. I turn automuck off because it never fails, there will be that one time when you want to show your made hand to everyone to marvel over and you don't get the chance to choose. Thanks for the advice guys. This site is awesome.

That's just what I was talking about - 'fold insurance' for future hands should you need to semi-bluff.

See, I get that too. It's simply goodwill and more fun. And you know they are curious a little. If anything, I think showing not only lends credibility, but people will like you more, and not aim to take you down. I hear all this crap all the time about 'don't give them a bit of information'. This is not gonna 'blow my cover' in any way. You have to be either seriously flattering yourself or insecure of your game to think so. I'll probably catch hell for this.

the only time i show is to get a reaction from them or to give info i want them to have. see if i want to seem weak i will show a small bluff(works better when they call your bluff ) and b like opps i should have bet more. then when i have a huge hand play it the same way but i do bet more. or i will show one or two strong hands to sneak by a few weak ones. for most players this wont always work but when it does i can catch like three at once lol. as a rule players shouldnt show unless the have a motive

i say muck, usually.

What his name says muck, that dave saxaton guy say, you should muck them everytime unless someone calls.

I personally muck all the time. I figure you have to pay to see. LOL

i have auto much winning and losing hands on. Its faster for one, and two, it makes people pay you off to see your cards.

I had to turn auto-muck on because, when multi-tabling, I was getting too many mis-clicks. Plus, if you didn't click "show" or "not show" the window popped up twice, which became a huge pain. (this is on PS, for the record)

But when I did show, I would always show if I got a walk on the BB, and I had a big hand. That was just to reinforce to the SB that he made a good fold, and should do so more often.

Hardly ever.
Almost always muck.
I might sometimes show my hand in a friendly tournament with friends if it's good for the game.

I always muck em unless I'm playing heads up and I want to throw off my opponent. Also, If I'm playing loose and I get a good hand I'll show it off occasionally if the blinds are high.

Like a lot of people, I muck most of my hands. That's quite often the case online, but in a live game where I may have a better feel for how other people are playing and what sort of mood they're in, I may show from time to time so I can take advantage of it at a later point in time, but that's still rare.

live play, i usually show down 2 hands. 4 of a kind, and straight flushes. And thats only if the hand was unraised preflop. (sometimes even if it was)

When I playing in a tournament I rarely show my cards. However my opponents never know if I bluffing or if I am not bluffing. This is important to get advantage in tournaments.

muck muck muck muck!! i never or should i say 1 out of 500k do i tell or show. if you tell they don't believe you anyway.
and i disaggree with showing a bluff, i've gotten back at the ones who pulled that on me. mind you you can bluff once and awhile, but keep them guessing. don't let anyone know it's one of your tools. because with me it's worked against them.

I never show except maybe aa if they all fold but a lot do when they have won a bluff this could work to your advantage the next time u wont be bluffin. lol

Mucking is the RULE, don't be no FOOL!!
Peace,
FLOW

I would say I muck the majority of the time. I agree with everyone, no free information. I think at certain points, in certain tournaments, it is very advantageous to show, but mostly the seed of doubt is a powerful psychological tool.

I never show my hand unless it has been paid to be seen why give free information unless you have played very solid poker and won a big hand off a stone cold bulff and thats a very rare thing to do indeed especially in a freeroll at least until late tourney but even still all that will really accomplish in general is to make people mad

Definetely not showing. However, the so called "advertising" people mentioned would be really useful if you are playng solid.

You can also induce tilt by showing bluffs in large pots. This means lots and lots of +EV.

I show only at a time in a tourney when I want to take down pots and I want everyone to fold in the future so that I can take down more pots ...smiling , to build a stacked Tina

People only show their hands if they like showing off...duhh.
Like me for instance, I show off once in a while = /

well I can't resist when I did the right bluff and the guy just folded the hand, and then in 75% of times I show my bluff just to piss them off, but I'm pretty conservative so I use this as an advantage