Do You Show the Bluff?

sam1chips · Jun 21, 2012

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 · Jun 21, 2012

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

gazrosenau · Jun 21, 2012

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.

cheaptrix · Jun 21, 2012

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 · Jun 21, 2012

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 · Jun 21, 2012

Kenzie 96 said:
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...)

Poker_play · Jun 21, 2012

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.

spstevens · Jun 21, 2012

Almost never ,let them guess.

JDAWG5 · Jun 21, 2012

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 · Jun 21, 2012

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 · Jun 22, 2012

never, i will always keep them guessing!! Never show, Never tell..that how i roll

seqas · Jun 22, 2012

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 · Jun 22, 2012

Kenzie 96 said:
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 · Jun 22, 2012

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 · Jun 22, 2012

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."

LarryT503 · Jun 22, 2012

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 · Jun 23, 2012

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.

sagiPOTM · Jun 29, 2012

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

but its also good never to show cards, even if you bluff or you dont so opponent dont know what you are doing ;D

LaserCats · Jun 29, 2012

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 · Jun 29, 2012

LaserCats said:
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 · Jul 15, 2012

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 · Jul 15, 2012

Since I dont know when it is right to show, I never do.

tbdbitl · Jul 15, 2012

Never show--bluff or not. Unless it's 3 2 os then you HAVE to show!

Daniel72 · Jul 15, 2012

I never show bluffs or strong hands, but maybe i would on TV

Do You Show the Bluff?

sam1chips

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gazrosenau

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cheaptrix

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Kenzie 96

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Ezekiel162

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Poker_play

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spstevens

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JDAWG5

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Dreams of Tragedy

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Debi

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MediaBLITZ

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