Do you show uncalled hands?

I'll do it sometimes. If someone is folding often to my raises (either preflop or on the flop) and I've got a solid hand I'll want them knowing they did the right thing, feeling good about laying down their hand, and thinking that when I raise like that I DO have a hand. But if I'm not getting called enough, I'll show the occasional bluff to encourage more action. It's a fine line, I think.

But most of the time I'll not show, and keep it a mystery. Smile

I tend only to show a great hand, just for show off reasons, like quads, a straight flush or if I flop the nuts. If you show people you give away info about you which may help in the short term, but it won't help over time. Also I get paranoid that if I've shown a good hand with a good raise, what will they think I have / had all those times I raise and didn't show.

Last night I played at a live tournament. I'll give a hand history of a few more on another post. But this hand history matters here.

I was delt [ King of Hearts

,

]

I had big blind (40), everyone limped to me (no one was out of this hand) I raised 200 (big raise considering the blinds) I had 3 ppl in.

Flop came [ King of Diamonds

,

,

]

I raised, I had 2 callers.

The turn brought [ King of Diamonds

,

] [

]

I bet another 200, one guy raised it 2,000 more. I thought for a long time. This guy has shown that he will play Ax, Kx, Qx and sometimes Jx. I figured him for the 5 and folded face up. I showed my cards and said, "I hope this will give you incentive to show yours as well."

He didn't.

Later he went chasing after a lot of stuff and didn't catch anything. He also admited that he threw away bad hands. (example, he threw away 7, T and the flop came 6, 8, 9) He said the poker gods were punishing him for not showing me earlier.

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I almost never show hands. I play pretty tight too so most times I usually don't want to reinforce that fact that I rarely try to bluff/steal. However maybe on the rare occasions when I do steal a pot with nothing I should show to have them change their thinking about me.

I really nailed some guy in a $25 NL ring game the other night. I had AQ and limped in with about 8 other limpers. Flop comes rag rag Q rainbow. I check when it comes to me (i usually always bet) and some more check until someone calls 0.50. so everyone calls the 0.50 including me when another guy raises to $1.00. 3 more people call the $1.00 when it comes to me. I think about it for a few seconds and raise it to $5.00. Everyone folds up like cheap suits except the guy that raised to the $1.00. Now he totally thinks I'm trying to steal the pot he originally was trying to steal.....lol. Anyways he calls and the turn comes with another raggy card. I instantly went all in for my last $20.00 (trying to keep him thinking that I'm still trying to steal) and he thinks about it for a while and calls!!!! Needless to say he didn't hit his King or Jack on the river and I won about $32.00 in that pot. It was soooooo sweet.

I think i'm gonna do a little more checking with hands like that to see how it goes. The key is you have to have limped and you need to be certain u have the better kicker so you can bet with confidence later.

Every now and then I'll show my hand, either a bluff or a solid hand but generally no, I don't show my hands.

I never show a hand, unless i think it will put someone on tilt.

I played in a 1000$ freeroll maybe a month ago. Dude would constantly raise a little every hand and I get 9 2 and go all in with only him left and he folds. I show. Very next hand get QQ and im like hell yeah. Go all in like last hand. Get called and take him out. Those Queens came just at the right time. Besides in tournament bluffs I almost never show.

I only like to show off the nutz!! Twisted Evil

I'll selectively show hands to create a false impression. If I'm playing very tight and aggressive, i'll occasionally go for a cheap bluff and show... or vice versa.

There are very few, very specific times I'll show. Only if it's heads up and only if I'm trying to finish a tourney. So it's really only to try to get my opponent to go on tilt and/or change their opinion of me depending on how I had played up to that point.

Of course, that's only if it's a serious game or a tourney. A friendly home game and I'll show if it's funny or an incredible hand like flopping a boat or bluffing with a Brunson etc.

In a 2 table SnG $20+1 it was down to the final 2 players.

I had Ace of Hearts

I have 16000 to his 11000 blinds are 300/600.

I bet 2k. He calls.

Flop Ace of Clubs

I check(slowplay), he bets 2k, I call.

Turn Ace of Diamonds

I go all in, he thinks for his max time, and says he will fold but would I please show him my hand. So I do. He had QQ.

After that anytime I went all in over top of his raise he folded. Sometimes showing does help.

By the way, this was a very tight player.

I just had an instant that I showed my cards. I rarely show, so I felt a need to share.

1st hand of a freeroll, 3 people go all in with stupid hands.

2nd hand of a freeroll tournament. I was delt KK

Tripped it on the flop, No Ace even came out, no flush, an unlikely straight possibility, I practically held the nuts.

He folded on the river. I showed to prove that I wasn't one of those crazy players who just wants to bet all night to win.

Game #539251370 - Tournament Supermodel - 10/20 No Limit Texas Hold'em - 2004/07/10-13:02:04 (CST)
Table "Supermodel 295" (MTT) -- Seat 3 is the button
Seat 1: Rontech1 (1,500 in chips)
Seat 2: Humphrind (1,500 in chips)
Seat 3: JAZZ10 (4,500 in chips)
Seat 6: keyway (1,500 in chips)
Seat 7: meat ball (1,500 in chips)
Seat 8: gamblin kid (1,500 in chips)
Seat 9: gambler68 (1,500 in chips)
Seat 10: GM2121 (1,480 in chips)
keyway : Post Small Blind (10)
meat ball: Post Big Blind (20)
Dealing...
Dealt to Humphrind [ Kd ]
Dealt to Humphrind [ Kh ]
gamblin kid: Fold
gambler68: Call (20)
GM2121 : Fold
Rontech1: Fold
Humphrind: Raise (80)
JAZZ10 : Fold
keyway : Fold
meat ball: Call (60)
gambler68: Fold
*** FLOP *** : [ 5h 7d Ks ]
meat ball: Check
Humphrind: Bet (150)
meat ball: Call (150)
*** TURN *** : [ 5h 7d Ks ] [ 6d ]
meat ball: Check
Humphrind: Bet (240)
meat ball: Call (240)
*** RIVER *** : [ 5h 7d Ks 6d ] [ Ts ]
meat ball: Check
Humphrind: Bet (600)
meat ball: Fold
*** SUMMARY ***
Pot: 970 | Board: [ 5h 7d Ks 6d Ts ]
Rontech1 didn't bet (folded)
Humphrind bet 1,070, collected 1,570, net +500 (showed hand) [ Kd Kh ] (three of a kind, kings)
JAZZ10 didn't bet (folded)
keyway lost 10 (folded)
meat ball lost 470 (folded)
gamblin kid didn't bet (folded)
gambler68 lost 20 (folded)
GM2121 didn't bet (folded)

Why not let people think you are on the river? You're not worried of getting outdrawn there.

I more show when I steal blinds, if I have a really big hand, and they fold. Since I'm likely to steal a lot of blinds with a lot weaker hands later on.

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Right, but if you didn't show, maybe next time you have a big hand on the river you would get a caller. Let people think you're a maniac until they pay to find out otherwise.

Here's one I just showed. Its been a while since I had.

I'm in the small blind with QJs, and haven't had any playable hands until this one since I've switched tables in a MTT (about 20 minutes ago). BB is 150, and I have 2k in chips.

A guy in middle position min raises preflop, I call, BB calls, everyone else folds.

Flop comes rag rag K.

I check, BB checks, preflop raiser bets 300 into a 900 pot.

I know he's trying to buy it, so I reraise to 900. BB folds, middle position thinks about it, and then folds.

I show, and say "Don't try to bully us small stacks". He jokingly promises not to again.

Wow! Next hand I have with him, I have AQ and raise 3x BB after he already limped in, and he calls.

The flop is 33Q. I bet 3x BB again after he checked, and he raises me. I go all in and he calls with QJ, and I double up with a 7k pot. If I hadn't shown him a bluff earlier, who knows if he would've called.

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Do you show uncalled hands?