Showing Your Hand
You have just won a pot without a showdown. Your bet on the river got your opponent to fold. Should you show your cards?
The answer most of the time is a resounding NO! You don’t want to give your opponent any free information about your play; you want them to wonder if they made the right play. However, there are a couple of reasons you might want to show your hand.
You might want to show a bluff, if your table image is very tight. Sometimes it will pay later when you have a big hand but only if your opponents actually think you are capable of bluffing. Also showing a bluff can sometimes tilt your opponent into making bad plays against you.
On the other side of the coin, showing a monster hand will sometimes keep a weak player from coming after your later when you are bluffing. The sight of that huge full boat will make them feel good about their fold but they will also remember it next time they are trying to make a decision about calling you down on a later hand. “Man, the last time we were in this situation, he had a full house….”
Also, showing a hand can change your image. Suppose you have been raising every single time you come into a pot. Finally, you limp in one hand and when you bet on the flop everyone folds. You might want to show that hand to give a false signal of the type of hand you might limp with. Just remember next time you get that hand, you need to raise. Don’t give false information unless it really is false.
However, the bottomline answer is that most of the time you should not show your cards, if you don’t have to. Make them pay to see how you play.
-This is Beginner’s Poker Blog Post #74
