showing the cards can be used as a strategy to make the table think you are playing tight, for example you show a 72off from the small blind, A5s from MP2 or k9s from Hijack, show the table that you are a player who only opens cards in position and that doesn't open any two cards, or else if you're high in chips you can call a bet with any two cards and show at the showndown to make the table think you're playing without compromise.
by showing your cards you are passing your information to your opponents.
I've shown my cards a few times, I go here once.
I made a bet 2x the big blind with JJ from UTG+1 position
MP2 - call
CO - call
BB - call
on the flop opens opened AKQ
three a cards above my pair of JJ.
logically I checked
MP2 - check
CO - check
BB - bet half a pot
I gave up the hand and folded.
everyone gave up and folded at the end I showed my pair of JJ cards.
Thanks for your post mate, it is a good point. I’m ignorant when it comes to tournaments but about this subject of showing the cards I have one thing to declare:
When we elect to show our hole cards to our opponents, because we show it to the whole table at once, we are making a psychological mistake, the same mistake of table chatting.
The reason is simple, we want “to show” something to our opponents and there’s no need for it.
We must be humble and have the discipline and bravery of a warrior at the tables, and showing cards demonstrates we are weak, we cannot fully control our thoughts and emotions and we are led by the heat of the moment.
If we are tight or loose, attentive players will notice it in spite of we show the cards or not. Now, some players will take advantage of you just for this single action of showing the cards or table talking.
I’m not saying this the whole truth of the poker universe, but I like to play serious, not for entertainment.
I also care a lot for the psychological side of the game and try to avoid small leaks that may let clear to myself, not others, that I have the need for something beyond the methodology and theory of poker.