Just Poker Talk

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• Why show your Hole Cards?

Is there any reason to ever show your hole cards if you win the pot because nobody calls your bet?

• Show the big bluff to the hated opponent?
• Mis-direct so they think they know your tendencies, then play differently?
• Show the nuts?
• Show you were’nt just stealing?

In your ‘Dead Money’ bloggers poker playing time, I have heard all of the above as a reason to show hole cards. In fact I even play with one close friend who shows his hole cards everytime. If you are like your ‘Dead Money’ blogger, you never show your hole cards. I developed this philosophy a long time ago when I was at a final table of a tournament I eventually ended up winning. Two hands in particular the watchers of the final table saw my hole cards. I instantly regretted that I had let them see the pockets.

1. I decided to bluff, trying to steal, with a pretty weak hand from the button and bet enough to put both blinds All-In. The reaction behind me, by somebody that had seen my hole cards, was seen by the big blind who called with a hand that he should not have called with, something like J-4 off. Of course he had my weak hand dominated and doubled up.
2. Down to heads up and my opponent is all in pre-flop and my read on him, after playing him for a while, was he had a big Ace at least. I peeked at my cards and saw KQ suited. At the time we were pretty close in chips and I decided to muck my cards. The viewers behind me, who had been imbibing somewhat heavily, yelled ‘I can’t believe you didn’t call’.

• Reasons to not Show them 
  • Consider that in Poker one of the most important skills to possess is to be able to ‘read’ other players. If players often show their hole cards they are providing valuable information to their opponents that assists them with their reading skills. Do you really want to help them ‘Put you on a hand’?
  • When you show that bluff to the hated opponent you think you are putting them on ‘Tilt’. Maybe your ‘Tells’ with that big bluff might hurt you later on. Not necessarily with the hated opponent but with other observant players at the table. 
  • That mis-direction rarely works, especially in tournaments because you are not at a table with the same players long enough for it to be effective. Also good players see right through this ploy.
  • How you play should be guarded like a state secret and should not be provided to anybody that doesn’t pay for it. The good players don’t need any free help in reading you.

Being your ‘Dead Money’ blogger, I can’t afford to provide this valuable information (my hole cards) when I don’t have to. I don’t want my opponents to know that I sometimes 3 - bet with 9-4 offsuit or that I  just smooth called with ‘Big Slick’. Plus the additional ‘embarassment factor’ of ‘did he really play that’? When I play a hand I have no business playing.  Nope my cards always go into the muck when I bet and nobody calls. The hole cards also go into the muck in the hopefully rare times I get into a showdown and an opponent shows a hand that I can’t beat. Even when I have that ‘monster’ that suffered a ‘bad beat’ on the river.

Ok, so possibly some of you might disagree with your ‘Dead Money’ blogger, so please vote in the poll and don’t hesitate to blast my poker views with a comment.

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