Do You Show the Bluff?

sam1chips

sam1chips

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
Jan 19, 2011
Total posts
800
Chips
0
Okay so if you bluff somebody out of a relatively large hand, do you show your cards? I guess (similar to a lot of things) it can depend of situations and player tendencies and stuff, but im wondering about people's opinions.
 
robertmcpokster

robertmcpokster

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Aug 16, 2008
Total posts
128
Chips
0
i luv showing the bluffs it induces calls in the future and has worked very well for me, i have heard many differnt opinions but i say show it lol
 
G

gazrosenau

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Jun 19, 2012
Total posts
142
Chips
0
myself i tend not to show the bluff unless i know i can get the player to think im bluffing only on him, you can use it to trap a player showing a bluff but as you said it depends on the situation.
 
Last edited:
C

cheaptrix

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Aug 31, 2011
Total posts
310
Chips
0
personally i think your better off never showing a bluff. show a bluff to a reg and you might get more action from him later but seriously, lets face it, you do better at this game when we take it down without a showdown. i hardly ever make a big hand so i'd rather them think i had it everytime they fold.

show a bluff to a fish and they will usually quit... this happened in my live game yesterday when an ignorant reg decided to show his bluff. it was very disappointing to see him leave.
 
Kenzie 96

Kenzie 96

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
May 21, 2005
Total posts
13,666
Awards
9
US
Chips
125
Poker is a game of incomplete information, giving people free information is foolish unless you are very good at what you are doing & most folks are no where near as good as they have deluded themselves into thinking they are.
Or if you prefer, no.
 
Ezekiel162

Ezekiel162

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
Mar 28, 2012
Total posts
788
Awards
1
Chips
5
Poker is a game of incomplete information, giving people free information is foolish unless you are very good at what you are doing & most folks are no where near as good as they have deluded themselves into thinking they are.
Or if you prefer, no.
^^I'm mainly with this... If a player is experienced enough it depends on what they're trying to acheive... A bad point to doing this is if you suddenly hit a bad run (no explanations needed of why, I should think...)
 
P

Poker_play

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Jul 3, 2011
Total posts
249
Chips
0
Villain specific.

Generally, just big pots, early in session. This like everyone said...isn't for everyone. For most its just free info that you shouldnt be giving away. I find it heelps my value bets later in session when I've shown that I can 3barrel bluff with complete air. Some villains tilt like hell when you do that..know them, use it..esp if they still have a good stack remaining.

They always remember that one hand that I 4bet pre and fired on every street with complete air, and make awful decisions based on that. The nits get angry and discuss how awful it was and wa wa wa..and curse luck out when they stack off with some mediocre hand on a wet board that I clearly hit later in the session lol.
 
S

spstevens

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Apr 4, 2011
Total posts
305
Awards
1
Chips
0
Almost never ,let them guess.
 
JDAWG5

JDAWG5

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Nov 14, 2011
Total posts
499
Chips
0
I love seeing my friends faces when then think I am bluffing and I just slide my cards into the muck, and collect the chips.

They HATE it. I usually just say, "I don't know man, I probably had you beat"
 
smerald

smerald

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Jul 24, 2007
Total posts
430
Awards
1
Chips
37
I agree with most people here, there are not too many situations were it would be profitable to give away free information, by showing a bluff. Sometimes letting them guess can be just as effective at throwing them off as showing a bluff.
 
Dreams of Tragedy

Dreams of Tragedy

dreamsoftragedy.com
Silver Level
Joined
Dec 30, 2009
Total posts
1,573
Chips
0
never, i will always keep them guessing!! Never show, Never tell..that how i roll
 
seqas

seqas

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Sep 15, 2010
Total posts
274
Chips
0
i usually never show anything, if i do then its very very rare.
if i played against friends just then i would show some times i guess but thats also some other.

so all in all then i do not show.

would it be good to do some times?
 
Debi

Debi

Forum Admin
Administrator
Joined
Oct 13, 2006
Total posts
74,640
Awards
20
Chips
1,331
Poker is a game of incomplete information, giving people free information is foolish unless you are very good at what you are doing & most folks are no where near as good as they have deluded themselves into thinking they are.
Or if you prefer, no.

Agree
 
Tino11

Tino11

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Total posts
127
Chips
0
Muck em, and when anyone suggests you were bluffing, tell em you had quads every time. Then they start looking at the hand history to see if it were possible/thinking about what you said and that puts them off their game and that increases your edge.
 
MediaBLITZ

MediaBLITZ

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Jan 29, 2011
Total posts
2,206
Chips
0
When I show then it is for reasons other than playing optimal poker (ego, in yo face, etc).

Just last night a guy at the table showed a J3 bluff that he bet huge (totally missed the flop). Ran everyone off and scooped the pot.

Later on another huge bet (all in) - I called with TP - he had J5, which again had totally missed the flop. I am not calling that had he not shown earlier.

Side note: I think I would much rather have them wondering if I am on a heater and hitting everything than wondering, "Is he bluffing, AGAIN? Cause I know he bluffs and this could be one of those times. Maybe I better take some time to really think through the action of this hand."
 
L

LarryT503

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
May 8, 2008
Total posts
375
Chips
0
I rarely show a bluff, and think it unwise to do so unless you are attempting to draw players into a trap of assuming you are a bluffer. In this case you might show a bluff, then be careful not to risk much on future bluffs. Safest strategy: Just keep your cards to yourself!
 
nc_royals

nc_royals

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
Sep 20, 2007
Total posts
701
Chips
0
I never consider myself one of the best at the table so why would I ever want to give Free information to players better than me.
 
S

sagiPOTM

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Mar 22, 2012
Total posts
129
Chips
0
man sometimes i show, sometimes i dont, if i show first time i show always and make them angry and when i feel they tilt then i PWN them :D :D but its also good never to show cards, even if you bluff or you dont so opponent dont know what you are doing ;D
 
L

LaserCats

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Dec 24, 2011
Total posts
162
Chips
0
Pros I know say they only show AA, KK to get respect and thats it. I sometimes show a draw hand if they over bet me huge like their betting me off a big hand. I sdont want them thinking I'm weak - just capable of river flushing them so b careful. I mean that I have gears - so they might not have the right read on me next time as well.
 
MediaBLITZ

MediaBLITZ

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Jan 29, 2011
Total posts
2,206
Chips
0
Pros I know say they only show AA, KK to get respect and thats it. I sometimes show a draw hand if they over bet me huge like their betting me off a big hand. I sdont want them thinking I'm weak - just capable of river flushing them so b careful. I mean that I have gears - so they might not have the right read on me next time as well.

OMG - don't do that. Better for them to think you're weak without any hard evidence than knowing you chase draws (unless they can screw up your pot odds).
 
eberetta1

eberetta1

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Aug 11, 2007
Total posts
2,218
Awards
7
US
Chips
162
I do not show 99% of the time. If I want people to call me more frequently in a tight table during a tournament I would show a weak bluff such as 45suited and not my semi-bluff J10suited that hit high pair. I would then hope it would pay off on a future bet when I have an AA, KK, QQ and hope for a call.
 
fletchdad

fletchdad

Jammin................
Loyaler
Joined
Feb 3, 2010
Total posts
11,706
Awards
2
Chips
122
Since I dont know when it is right to show, I never do.
 
tbdbitl

tbdbitl

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Mar 7, 2008
Total posts
1,048
Awards
1
Chips
0
Never show--bluff or not. Unless it's 3 2 os then you HAVE to show! :D
 
Daniel72

Daniel72

Legend
Bronze Level
Joined
Aug 10, 2010
Total posts
2,284
Awards
2
Chips
18
I never show bluffs or strong hands, but maybe i would on TV :)
 
Top