Show vs Muck

[ChipWinged]

Do you show your cards in live poker if you've lost (or if others fold)? I understand muck is best variant cause opponents won't know your bluff but if you have flexible style - is it important? You can show bluff and next same situation you can have slow play. Also I know fun siuations when you show cards because it's epic hand What do you think?

 

[maezma]

I think sometimes it's good to show a bluff that works well for you if you do not have a tendency to do it. It's a good way to confuse opponents about the style of play you have. Varying the way you play different hands is also another good option to make reading your strategy difficult.

Regards.

 

[whitesmoke420]

I agree its good to switch it up and show once in a great while. I don't notice very many players doing that and always mucking instead. Showing a good bluff can make players angry and tend to make rash choices in the heat of the moment but also showing a strong hand after a good battle may discourage a player from a possible winning hand later.

 

[SPANKYSN]

I used to believe in the "never show" group until I won a hand with a full house Queens over 9s in a cash game with an hourly high hand bonus. To qualify for the bonus, you must use both hole cards and have at least a full house, and the hand must GO TO THE RIVER...so if your opponent folds at showdown, you can still get the bonus...the thing is, you have to show it....oooops; didn't show and lost $300 bonus. Now I am careful to table a good hand, because it may be a winning hand if your opponent calls out their hand incorrectly.

 

[AngelBLR_Poker]

I show folded cards only, when to fold a strong hand or bluffing with a very low-cards

 

[vwpokernut]

If I win with my favorite hand, Jack Douey, I def show to put the player on tilt

 

[xy23]

I believe strategic showing of certain hands/ bluffs works. Like the person before me mentioned, it does put the other player on tilt. If you decide to show a hand, know that that player will know how you play certain hands like the one you've shown and which hands you play in position. Your range becomes much more defined.

 

[Binraker]

I rarely show my hands coz of the free information argument. I often want to show my bluffs for the reasons people before me have said but usually the people I play against aren’t gonna adapt based on what I show so I decide not to.

 

[Iryna Stryzheuskaya]

I never show my cards. Why give opponents more information about my game?

 

[normie]

I never show my cards. Why give opponents more information about my game?

I agree, why give free info? The best hands in poker are those hands won without a showdown.

 

[ChipWinged]

I never show my cards. Why give opponents more information about my game?

I'm agree also. But I was interested in question: could you get more profit if you show incorrect information about your game? If you did it, you can play your normal style game but opponent will think you play like when you show cards. Mind games

This topic relevants to live poker more than online but also these moves can be used by you in online too. Moreover I have my example: I was catched with bluff and then in next hand I got straight on flop. I started bet agressively and opponents thought I was bluffing. It was surprise

 

[paulezzz]

Do you show your cards in live poker if you've lost (or if others fold)? I understand muck is best variant cause opponents won't know your bluff but if you have flexible style - is it important? You can show bluff and next same situation you can have slow play. Also I know fun siuations when you show cards because it's epic hand What do you think?

I would never show my cards. Not live and also not online. Because you always give your opponents free info on how you play. just don't do it

 

[ACEWOLF56]

I NEEEEEEVER show. But I have to admit; there are certain hands that I just wish I had the option switched on.

 

[ChipWinged]

I would never show my cards. Not live and also not online. Because you always give your opponents free info on how you play. just don't do it

Yes, you're quite right! But read my post above yours, what do you think about it?

 

[paulezzz]

Re

it seems that it worked out for you I can totaly understand that in typical situations in live poker these emotions can occur by people. Even online I have to admit that I had loses to players showing their weak hands after bluffing you away. But mostly this works with emotional and new players. Good players can however take advantage of it and steal just bluffing chips at the right moment when they actualy have a hand.

 

[TonyTwoCheeks]

I'm playing in a home game where I've gone card dead for a few weeks. I'm not going to start limping J8o just to see flops. It's a quick way to burn through your stack. There were a few hands where I should have been paid off but my tight image allowed the opponent to make an exploitable fold.

My remedy for this is to 3-bet big with 27s on the button, get all folds, and show it. After that I could go back to playing my normal range and get paid off.

Giving information away is not the problem. The problem is playing so static and rigid that your opponents use the information given in a useful way against you. Poker is about strategy and adaptability. Stay two steps ahead of your opponent!

 

[domfudao]

I hate muck when i win a hand and opponents in showdown muck.

 

[JJP]

I think this tends to be personality dependent. Showing cards definitely worked for Jamie Gold at the wsop. I being a quieter player, have always just stuck to the rule of the less information I give out the better off I am so I don't show anything.


It is interesting to hear everyone else's opinions and I may have to steal a couple of these ideas and see how they work for me. I found this discussion really interesting

 

[Aca0012]

I rarely show cards, almost never, because it's a bad move sometimes. We should not show our opponent how we play. It depends on the situation, but I do not like to show the maps, and that's my recommendation to others.

 

[martycaridi]

I agree with TonyTwoCheeks. Pull the outrageous bluff and show when it pays off. Gotta keep’em honest!

 

[GGrinder]

i showed a set of jacks at the weekend after raising pf and bet flop

pot was only 50$ or so

mainly did just to show i wasnt penny pinching but i wouldnt recommend doing it alot

 

[ironduke11]

I think its only profitable to show if you want to put someone on tilt or you want to continue to intimidate

for example if people are consistently folding to you on a final table
you may want to occasionally show them big hands that they avoided

 

[andsws]

I show my cards in rare cases, I just dont want to reveal too much info about my game play

 

[ChipWinged]

I suppose the common answer of topic's community is that show cards isn't good for giving advantage for opponents. I can't be against this position because it's right but there is another question: is it a part of ABC Poker if you don't use this "show cards manipulation"? Do you think it's absolutely useless or it's just hard to use?

 

[GoSplat678]

when to show your cards

It is decidedly best policy to only show your hands when you absolutely have to, the less information you give away the better. However sometimes you need to show a bluff or a strong hand here and there to make a table image or change an image you have. For instance Today I was playing a single table SnG I started out very tight I think I played 2 hands in the first 40 both of those were very strong and flopped monster draws which I knocked people out with. This set my table image as a very strong player in their eyes and I quit getting any action If I was in the hand it would fold around. It was getting annoying I wasn't getting any action at all this set me up to bluff. I raised a decent 5x raise preflop got called finally and went to the flop I was pretty sure if I bet unless they had a/k on the flop or better everyone would fold. So I pushed the pot +3 blinds after the flop holding a lowly 5/3 off I turned it over and set the whole table on tilt. game was over 15 hands later.