You show me yours, I’ll show you mine
Among the frequently debated topics at the poker table, is whether or not to show your cards at the end of the hand.Poker is a game of information as much as anything else. Remember that when you’re at the tables. If you show your cards, then you are giving people data about what kind of hands that you’ll play. Therefore, make a determination when you sit down as to how much you’re going to
show your cards. Frequently what people will do, is to always play the same way. However, the issue is about showing your various tendencies to other people. Therefore, if you always have the same tendencies, you’re cutting down your opportunities to win.
Most poker pros will talk about the ability to “Switch it up”.
Showing your cards is just one element of this ability.
I used to frequently show my cards. After awhile, I realized that all I was doing was hurting myself by showing off. “Look at me, I’m smarter/gutsier/luckier than you!” The
problem with this kind of behavior is that sooner or later others will catch a card or two, and won’t mind rubbing your nose in it.
Poker ettiquite more or less states that you can only see somebody else’s cards if they show them to you themselves. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t politely ask to
see someone’s cards especially as they’re raking your chips towards their pile.
However, don’t expect to see these cards for nothing. If you already showed your cards, or offered to show your cards on another occasion, you might have a better shot. But don’t forget that even if you made a deal with player A at the table to show
your respective cards, players B through H are still out there, just waiting to see what
kinds of cards you’ll play.
The key is what I said above: Although there’s a certain amount of Data available regarding what kinds of cards people will play, only over time and with experience can you turn that Data into useful Information. But, there is one strong caveat to throwing in your cards unshown when you THINK that you’ve been beat. Frequently people will overlook a flush or a straight, even a second
pair and concentrate only on the highest pair. Only if you are 100% sure that you’ve been beaten by what you CONFIRM has been the declared hand by the winner should you muck your cards unshown. Otherwise, it won’t hurt to show them, and have the
dealer make the final determination.Therefore, especially when you’re beginning, show your cards only at the showdown.
Don’t do the cutesy thing showing only 1 card. Over time, you’ll find that you can affect people’s impressions of you by showing or not on a given hand. But that’s the subject of another column.
And, when people ask you what you had, it doesn’t hurt to have a pre-programmed response. I frequently say: “Something I thought worth pursuing.” Other people will say “A full house”; “A Straight Flush”; “The Nuts”; “The usual, just a 2-7 off suit.” Just
remember that people will always try to get information from you, even though you might think that they’re just being friendly or concerned. That’s why it always pays to be prepared for just about any question at the tables. For some questions, it might pay to answer the way that Ann Landers suggested: “Why ever would you want to know that?”