Showing your cards

I hear a lot of players say that you should almost never show your cards. I personally don't think that is true. IMO, how you play is dictated by numerous variables and showing your cards at times can be the right move.

Generally I show cards for two reasons.

1. Humor - For example if I'm in the big blind and everyone folds to me and I have aces. Of course I'll show.

or if I make a big hand with crap cards from the BB I show that as well. Like say I have 73 and everyone just calls to me and the flop comes 337.

2. To prove a big hand - I use this tactic infrequently but at times it can prove helpful. If I'm being aggressive and have won a few pots in a row. I may prove at some point that I'm not just betting with crap. Showing your cards in this instance can earn you respect and if people re-raise you shortly after that you can be pretty sure they have a really good hand.


One thing I rarely do is show a bluff though. If I do it would only be very late in a tourney perhaps when you are heads up.

We do the same thing, I'll show if I bluff, have a abig hand, like a boat, I'll also show with aces.

NEVER SHOW YOUR HAND if you don’t have to. If you win the pot because everyone else folded you are under no obligation to show your cards. You don’t want to give away any information about yourself if you don’t have to And player who turn over their cards when they don’t have to are doing just that.

Why show your cards? If you dont you keep them guessing and isnt that a big part of the game?

I used to show my cards, usually to show that I really did have the hand. Now I don't though and I did my first real bluff yesterday and got quite a pot.......I was so excited and laughed to myself.

I had one guy beg me to ask if I had the seven to make a full house after I won the pot. I told him he didn't pay to see my cards. If you want to know what I have, call. Then, he offered me a buck to tell him. I said just a buck? He shut up after that. I never show my cards.

Players (good players i mean) should never show cards if you dont have to. I have a number of reasons for this , hard learned lesson. Good players in a cash game (not online) especially if you play regularly with them will get some good tells from your reactions. Showing AA on the big blind 4 to a table of folds gives everyone at the table an understanding of your reactions when u do look at your cards. Not hard to remember it only happened 1 min ago right ??
You are also giving players a FREE insight into how and when you like to play certain hands, your actions and demenure and style of play when your on a bluff for example. There are just 1 or 2 reasons !!!

Why give away clues to how you play? The only time is when there are 2 or 3 left and it is done to rattle someone. It can be a great tool for mental advantage if used sparingly.

I feel that showing your hand isn't really warranted unless necessary. I DO though, like showing your hand when everyone folds and you really do have it. That way, you lull your opponent into thinking you only play when you win. This is especially useful early on in the game to set yourself up for the lategame bluffs.

I feel it doesnt really help your opponents if you show unless you are playing some sort of expert (which still isnt guarunteed to beat you). The only problem I have with showing online is people always think I am trying to show off if I have a less than decent hand and win. So now I mostly muck if I have the choice.

as a general rule i dont like 2 show my cards if i dont get called .but at a table occasionally by accident(AHEM) i will flip one or two 2 drive um crazy

Showing your Cards is probably the easiest rookie mistake you can avoid.

Did you see the National Heads up Coverage of round 1?

Chan was being run over until he got to see a hand for free.....Things changed quik and Chan advanced to round 2.

Your situations and why you shouldn't show.

You have Aces and everyon folded to your BB. (Can pick up a Tell)
You have Trash and flop a Monster because everyone just limped in. (You will be raised when in the BB from that point on)
Shopwing a Big Hand (Again you are giving away Tells)
Showing a Bluff (No more Bluffing from that point on. You will be called. Heads up is so important to be able to bluff. Give that away and you are Dead Money.)

i agree with most of the posts about not showing your hand.
if they dont call...well then i dont show

if they wanted to see the hand they should have called
it will only work to your advantage in the long run

I have been told and taught by friends and family that there is no reason to show your hand if you don't have to...I guess this confirms it! Thanks for all the posts .... I have been reading all morning and learning a lot : )

If asked i allmost never show if i rasie big and win the pot if i had it i will some times show never if i did not just dependes on the table.

i dont like to show at all if possible dont want to let anyone "think" they know how i play......makes me mad when people think they know me and my plays when they dont!

I very very rarely show my cards.
It can cause some bad feelings
1. Hey dumby, I had you beat easily or
2. You fool I was bluffing.

Either way it can really irratate other players.

You have nothing to gain by showing your cards, and it lets others know more about you. Muck 'em.

everyone has their own style. as for myself, if i have won a few hands in a row, i would probably show one of those hands to prove i am not playin crap and earn some kinda respect from the other players. they say never show cards but thats your choice. sometimes i tend to show a bluff just to see if people would pay attention. that way when i do catch a monster hand people may think your bluffing but instead your just milking away and getting paid for that hand... thats my opinion

i can understand the reasoning behind showing sometimes;
say you're on the button in a tense part of a tourney, and everyone folds around to you, and you bet big
the blinds might be pissed that you could be stealing the blinds and you show your hand to them after to say " im not robbing you, I actually had a good hand "
then say later on, in the same situation you are shortstacked and its time to steal the blinds. You do so successfully, but don't show this time because you had a crappy hand. This time they know that you stole it, and will change the way they play next time.
you need to keep them guessing whether or not you really have a good hand

Like you were saying you show for humour ( AA on the BB and everyone folds to you )
but if you were not to fold, then SB and everyone else will be left guessing whether you had a hand or not
It's all about keeping them guessing...(in my opinion)
at least thats how i play

I only show when I'm playing for fun or when I have a really good hand and no1 calls

If someone plays agressive and after about 5-10 hands show what they have, that means that most of the time they had crappy hands and they are only showing them now to try to trick us

I like to show the bluffs so when I have a good hand they think I am bluffing and stay in the hand.

i have auto muck on always on both of my sites

I've only been playing 2 months should i not show at all

I show my cards to create a table image. If you bluff and people fold - you might show to encourage people to bet against you when you have something. Or if people fold and you had something, you might show so they think it is less likely that you bluff. Or I might show to make myself appear unpredictable.

Does it make much difference? Who knows - but you get a feel for how people are likely to respond around the table so there can never be a hard and fast rule about it all.

It is worthwhile showing your cards if and only if you can put a player with money still available to pull out of his wallet on Tilt.

Honestly showing is never a good idea. Always keep them guessing.

i believe u dont show ur cards then players cetch on the strategy

I will show a piss poor bluff hand like 8/3 once at the table when I feel its right to set up some sucker. It's part of the whole bluffing scene, you want someone to challenge you when you have it good, clean them out, and wait to bluff again. Keep them on their toes and don't let them get a feel for how you bet.

I have been showing to establish that I don't play crappy cards however I'm gonna stop cause when it comes down to it people will call regardless of what "image" you are trying to portray if they have cards they like. They may call just because they don't believe you could have a good hand every time or they actually have a better hand than you and you end up trapping yourself.

I never really show hands unless its on one condition and only once will i do this in a tournament basically, if its early in a tournament and I absolutely know im going to get away with a bluff I will show it to the new people to get them to call with less then premium hands but I will never show winning hands uncalled or bluffs to good players but thats about the only time I will show and sometimes i wont do that but normally i hardly ever do this because 9 out of 10 times you cant bluff in a multi table tournament that isnt to the first break yet. But if you can show it youd be surprised the calls youll get on a big hand.

I try not showing my cards .Its good to keep your opponents guessing.They say when you show a bluff your setting them up 4 the next hand...i dont believe that.I think when ya show a bluff your seeting "yourself"up 4 the next hand.Because you wont be able 2 pull a bluff off since ya allready showed it.

I love when folks show me their cards! When you show me your cards, I can:
1.) reivew the way you bet, raised, and played every street, and I didn't even have to call a bet.
2.) I can confirm or discard every read during every street of that hand, making me more prepared next time.
3.) Anyone want to add to this list?

Bill

Not always sometimes showing a hand could be strategy, i hardly bluff but if i can even take the blinds early in a tourney its kind of funny to show because all the new guys will call your big hands even though you just stole the blinds, but you have to be in perfect position and its extremely rare to get the opportunity but if you can take it then use it, doesnt work for money games though lol. They cant tell and even though you stole the small blind or some dumb stuff like that the wild betters are thinking oh he plays 8 4 off suit i better call his all in with my pair of 9s even though ace king 9 is on the board. Other then that dont do it period.

David Williams (placed second in the 2004 main event) has a great article in the July edition of All In magazine entitled "No Mucking Way."

It is basically information on his style of play and how he seldom shows cards. Seldom doesn't mean never. He gives some specific examples of where he does show cards and how it has worked to his advantage. I tend to not completely agree with some of his article, but he is a pro, and I'm not. One thing he said he does, is when someone lays down a hand, and asks what he has, he may show them the less significant card of the two, like a 3. Leaving the guy thinking, "He raised me with a THREE in his hand?" That example seems like a great way to needle someone without giving away too much. You may have the hand beat or be on a strong draw with a lot of outs and still leave the guy wondering what the hell happened.

One specific example he gave was from the WPT World Championship at the Bellagio. He raised with a 10-7 in early position in an attempt to represent a big hand. The board came K-9-7 giving him bottom pair. He bet out on the pot and got one caller. The turn came A, and this time he bet out again, even bigger. Again, he was called. The river came with a 7 giving him trips, and he bet out even bigger this final round because he had the trips and figured they were good. On this street the other guy folded and Williams showed him the 10. For several minutes he said he could just see the guy wondering what the hell he had. Did he have pocket 10's and jam the pot on every street with a K and an A on the board? Did he have A-10, and if so how did he bet that 3 times into a board of K-9-7? He said the guy just stared at the board, stumped, wondering what the hell he had and how he bet it.

In this instance, I can totally see how showing cards or a card completely did the opposite of give information. He actually confused this guy more by showing him a card than by not showing anything. Had he not shown the guy would have most likely put him on AA, KK, or AK. Instead, the guy was completely stumped.

Having said that, I can count on both hands how many times I have showed cards, but with strategy like that, it makes sense to perform a little misdirection every once in a while.