Showing larger hands to increase strength of contin bet?

This is a move I've been using locally at B&M which I don't think I could strength in online.

Blinds are $3/$5 NL game. I have pocket queens and I raise to $15. One caller, flop comes 73A. He bets, I fold face up. Couple hands later, I have 33, raise, flop comes 269. I'm bet into, I fold and show. He says "wow, you had me". I show these couple of hands just trying to give the incredibly tight image.

Later on, I get heads up with the tighter players and I find my continuation bets into pots OOP seem to get people folding to me more than not. I'm trying to figure out if me showing in these smaller pots questionable folds is a +EV move if it setups me up for a stronger image when I'm continuation betting later on down the line.

Just an idea to think on.

You want to find out what your opponents natural weaknesses are and then try to magnify it and exploit.

If you are against opponents who fold too much then this might be a good way to convince them they are doing the right thing.

If you are against opponents who call too much then you dont want to be doing anything to help them change their ways.

Its +EV if its what you want, but I personally would much rather I got called down by middle pair and weaker Aces when I value bet my AK on and A high flop, or when I hold JJ on a low card flop.

Originally Posted by Pelion

You want to find out what your opponents natural weaknesses are and then try to magnify it and exploit.

If you are against opponents who fold too much then this might be a good way to convince them they are doing the right thing.

If you are against opponents who call too much then you dont want to be doing anything to help them change their ways.

Its +EV if its what you want, but I personally would much rather I got called down by middle pair and weaker Aces when I value bet my AK on and A high flop, or when I hold JJ on a low card flop.

I must say, I'm never folding when I'm behind here (Though I did when I had the 3s, but I honestly thought I was behind).

i think playing like that would be more likely to make better players think that you are weak, so they will play a wider range of hands against you to try and take it from you postflop, and I dont think you want that.

Do you mean

Originally Posted by joshuadzl

I must say, I'm never folding when I'm ahead here (Though I did when I had the 3s, but I honestly thought I was behind).

My point is, if you make them fold more when you have missed, you are also making them fold more when you have hit. Most of the players I play against make the mistake of calling too much. I think you get alot more value by betting to the river with hands that hit than you do by taking small pots with air.

I do make plenty of raises in late position with hands like 33, 67, sometimes even a hand like A3s when im playing players that will fold marginal hands. These are the guys that you want to make fold more. They are starting to give TAG a go but they do it too weakly.

The players that I make the most money from are calling stations and I want them calling with as many bottom pairs and A highs as I can make them call. I dont want them to fold to my cbets, id much rather lose a few flop cbets and then take a stack when I have an actual hand than spend an hour taking 3BB at a time from them.

That is a good point, and come to think of it, the few times I've used this strategy I picked my opponents pretty good. I know the better players at this poker room, and I think if I got involved with the stronger players, they may have been able to see through it.

Usually in live games I play a very tight ABC game. But I'll occasionally execute a nice delayed/big bluff against a good solid player who I know will laydown.

The thing is though, most of your profit in cash game poker is not from rocks, or tags; it's from the loosey gooseys. Although most of them don't pay attention to advertisment and are usually in denial about a hand (chasing too much even against a rock etc), I'd rather portray a loose image in order to get my big hands paid off.

But I'm glad you're using your image to your advantage. One of the most important things in NLHE IMHO.

I don't like this.

I'd rather they pay me off when they hit TP vs my TPTK or overpair or set.

I love getting folds to a missed AK or a weak hand after the flop, but I love even more getting calls with a strong hand.

Anyway, my cbets don't get messed with often enough to worry about them not being profitable, so I'd rather not give out any free information.