Showing Your Cards

Showing your cards after a hand has always been a bit controversial. Typically I do not recommend it as it gives away far too much information. In general if you are able to win a pot with meager holdings you should not show your cards. Why give your opponent the free information telling him that you were bluffing and ultimately arming them with your tactic in a similar hand down the line? Some would suggest that this is show boating and they would be correct in many situations. However, there are times when showing your cards can be a very relevant strategy.

Think about it for a second. Most of the information you get on your opponents is garnered at showdown time. This is when we are able to see the logic or lack thereof of how and why they played a hand a particular way. Sure, it is only one piece of the puzzle but it is an extremely important one. The good players at your table are going to catalog this information for later hands and hope to adjust their strategy and use it against you. You, on the other hand, know what they know. This same thinking can be applied to showing your cards. My thinking on this is that in a short table such as a Single Table Sit n Go or a Final Table you can use showing your cards as a tactic. Again, by understanding your opponents and their tendencies we are able to formulate how they are most likely to react to showing your cards.

Most good players are going to do one of two things. First, they will adjust their strategy to how you have played the hand based on what you showed. Second, they will become aggressive and / or angry by being bluffed out of the pot. The common denominator here is you. What kind of hand are you going to show and what kind of opponent do you think will give you the reaction you are looking for? These are the two questions that you need to ask in order to formulate the most effective use of showing your hand along with the timing of it.

Be smart and understand the situation and you just may be able to manipulate a situation at the table for a big score down the line.