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Why showing your cards is not a bad idea at all

Ask any poker player and they will tell you a lot of different views when it comes to showing your hand after a round. Most often than not, you will encounter a lot of discouragement when it comes to showing your hand in a poker table. But you might also encounter people who possess the habit of doing so.

But why show your card? Is there anything advantageous in doing so? The only time that I myself have seen a poker show his card is at a get together poker game. A friend of mine made a bluff so good that he was able to make another friend fold a winning hand. He showed his card just to rub it in. But is this likely to happen in serious poker game?

The Common Idea

The common about showing your card is to disapprove of it. This is because most poker players have gone through a lot just to maintain a mysterious image on the table. It is not good for a poker player’s game to be a bit too well known. Good poker players always find for a lot of surprises under their sleeve to keep this image. That is why they usually keep there hands even those one that they fold to themselves.

At the same time showing your cards after a bluff is thoroughly discouraged for obvious reasons. A bluff is only effective if it is really unexpected and is done convincingly. Showing your cards after the bluff is a very conceited thing to do for a poker player. Aside from this it marks you as a bluffer which may make it difficult for you to do a bluff next time.

The Useful Trick

There are certain scenarios though where showing your card comes handy. During this situation you show your card not to boast and annoy but to play a certain mind game against your opponent. And as a matter of fact you won’t need to show both your cards. Just one card is enough.

You are playing No-limit Texas Hold’Em. And like the good player that you are, you played tight early in the game. On one of the early hands you got an Ace and a Jack off-suit. You bet on your hand. Another player has a King and a Ten also off-suit. The flop came as a King, an Ace and an Eight. You raised on the bet. The other player calls with hesitation. The Turn comes out as a Jack. You already have a two pair. You raise the bet. The other player reads you with a pair of Ace which is almost right. You read him correctly with the pair of king. He folds you win the pot you show the pair of Jack on your hand. What effect has this made on your opponent? That you are not so good a player yourself, gambling on the earlier round. You have set your trap if somebody takes it, you’re on!