Sometimes in poker, a player wins a hand without having to show it because no one calls a bet. It is almost always desirable to win a pot unchallenged. Forcing the other player to fold without having to show your cards is an exhilarating feeling.

Some players swear by the principle that one should never show one’s card unless forced to a showdown. And then there are players who believe that showing cards is a strategic tactic for manipulating their opponents’ thinking. Is it ever good to show your cards when not forced to?

There is some sound psychology behind sometimes revealing your cards in situations where it is not necessary. For instance, showing raggy cards you played as a bluff can help create a poker online table image of being loose and reckless. If your opponents believe this about you, then they’re more apt to call when you do bet good hands because they want to stop you from bluffing. So if you win a bluff with bad cards, sometimes showing it can help you win more chips later. It’s even worthwhile to pursue a cheap bluff – one that only entails a few bets – so you can show the bluffing cards even if you lose.

Soemtimes it pays to show you win with big cards with no showdown – for instance, you 5-bet with pocket Kings and everyone folds. By showing your cards, you lead other poker online players to believe that you really have the goods when you bet big and this will enable you to chase people off pots later on the game.

Showing a hand when you don’t have to should be used with the intention to set up plays later in the game.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 26th, 2010 at 10:40 am and is filed under Fun For All, Gaming Hall, Virtual Gambling. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.