I think the showdown is fine but in certain situations as this affects the image you give on the table! It's obvious that if every time you make a bulff and letters samples as much as possible is to get paid with anything because they know you're a liar! Very different is involved in a big pot and win the hand before the river and show you had a great pair that will make your opponents have a picture of you that do you play with good cards!
I was told never to show yeah you can get tricky and get in the villains head. But it is still -EV showing off free information unless you're in a pool full of fish. Sharks will eat you alive all day. Just make them pay heavily to see yours and use whatever information they give you for free.😎
I typically show on two different occasions.
1. Show a bluff as long as it's on the river and I've taken at least half of their chips.
This can include semi bluffs and weak hands like 3rd pair.
2. Show after they mucked a big pot, and you have a huge hand.
A) use this show to let the table know I'm not bulling them, so I can get enough respect to bully them later on.
B) usually only show if you know the other player(s) had a good hand and had trouble laying it down, or if you double up your stack on the river without going to a showdown.
I might do this once or twice in a tourney if the situation arises.
1. Show a bluff as long as it's on the river and I've taken at least half of their chips.
This can include semi bluffs and weak hands like 3rd pair.
2. Show after they mucked a big pot, and you have a huge hand.
A) use this show to let the table know I'm not bulling them, so I can get enough respect to bully them later on.
B) usually only show if you know the other player(s) had a good hand and had trouble laying it down, or if you double up your stack on the river without going to a showdown.
I might do this once or twice in a tourney if the situation arises.
For instance, you might wanna show your hand if you're trying to establish yourself as a player who always hasn't. That way later on you will be able to get a bluff off easier. Especially if you're playing with a bunch of players that like to limp in, and call a lot. They are hard to bluff against.
Showing your hand once in a while can be a good thing. If it's versus someone who you can tell would tilt easily, showing a bluff here and there can be good; however, be careful of what the others on the table now know about your image.
Live or online, I think you should only do it willingly to serve a distinct purpose (tilt a guy by showing a bluff). IOW, hardly ever. I never do. Tilting someone in an MTT for example, can seriously backfire on you. I think it has more success in cash games, maybe.
I almost never do it as any suave player can really use it to gain valuable insight into your game play. Still, I see some players make the following mistake; they call every street and then fold. Then they feel silly for doing so and they show the laydown they just made.
Critical error, if you ask me. Especially if you just showed that you will fold a big hand - this really says "go ahead and bluff me on dangerous boards, I'll let you!" Yet, they just cannot stand being thought of as a weak player...guess what? That is a tell as well! Says you care as much or more about what other players think of your play than the hand you are in or if you can beat them, frankly (You are a vanity player who fears risking the hero calls). Amazing what you can pick up isn't it?
As for misdirection, well, I think it's like using a baseball bat to swat a fly in an MTT; weaker players might fall for it, but do you think if they are weak already they will understand? No. And better players know what you are doing and can still use it against you. Deliberate misdirection is also a tell; says you think you are a smart player and enjoy deploying a fancy strategy now for use later. The better player will just wait for an opportunity to allow you to do so and you will fancy play yourself right over to the rail.
I almost never do it as any suave player can really use it to gain valuable insight into your game play. Still, I see some players make the following mistake; they call every street and then fold. Then they feel silly for doing so and they show the laydown they just made.
Critical error, if you ask me. Especially if you just showed that you will fold a big hand - this really says "go ahead and bluff me on dangerous boards, I'll let you!" Yet, they just cannot stand being thought of as a weak player...guess what? That is a tell as well! Says you care as much or more about what other players think of your play than the hand you are in or if you can beat them, frankly (You are a vanity player who fears risking the hero calls). Amazing what you can pick up isn't it?
As for misdirection, well, I think it's like using a baseball bat to swat a fly in an MTT; weaker players might fall for it, but do you think if they are weak already they will understand? No. And better players know what you are doing and can still use it against you. Deliberate misdirection is also a tell; says you think you are a smart player and enjoy deploying a fancy strategy now for use later. The better player will just wait for an opportunity to allow you to do so and you will fancy play yourself right over to the rail.
Nylan said:
Very good point; in which case, it might actually do more harm than good. If they see only one and think you are a loon based off of that, they might call with a horrible hand and suck out when they otherwise would have folded.
Michael Paler said:
You want this scenario though, each and every time. If they suck out, they suck out. You got your chips in good, they got them in bad, and this is what we need to strive for. I may curse when someone sucks out, but per the fundamental theory of poker, I've accomplished the goal of forcing the other player to commit an error.
As a general rule if you are a new player I would never show. Each time you show you give the opponents understanding of how you play a hand. Good players will pick up on how you play hands and give you a disadvantage. I would only show hands when you have a specific reason to show them. Show hands to setup future hands. Generally I just keep my hands on muck unless I am at a final table or something like this where your image will play into future hands.
