I agree that I would rather people just fold to me so I only show if they always fold and I get no action with good cards so I might show one of my pot steals but then you should try to have cards the next time.

I rarely show and I only do it when I do something very out of character, like making a huge bluff or limp reraising with 55.

People love to "get back at you" for a move like that. They sit there waiting for you to make a similar move so they can stack you, but guess what? Next time I will have AA.

If I show, I wont make another move like that for quite a while.

I never,never,never ever show voluntarily. The less info my opponents have on me the better.

Ok, that was weird, I just posted in the NL section. I think I have to go lay down now, I'm not feeling so well.

Talking about showing to get action, a few weaks ago I tried this. On each of the 4 tables I joined, I made a pretty big 10BB raise steal in the first 2-3 orbits, on the button or cuttoff, with a junk hand 72 or 63 or something.

I showed the hands and went back to my tight play waiting for a good hand. Well, they got annoyed and I can tell you the tables did get more lively, and I got a bit better action on my hands, but the effect "wears out" if you don't get a playable hand within a few orbits.

I think it's better to do the opposite, show your premium hands so you're able to bluff later.
There's gonna be way more times you could bluff a pot than you would get paid off on a premium hand, and even then you can still get outdrawn.

I personally rarely show. The only times I like to is when I am maybe doing a "catchy monkey" thing on someone. This is just when someone makes a big laydown sometimes I like to show, depending on the player I like them sometimes to know they were right and are playing good (when they are not but its a special player this works on). I want this guy who is prob weak to get in the habit of thinking they are reading me and making great plays. I won't show often, just a few times for him to feel good so I can pound on him later. This works, well for me, especially with premuim hands I am playing pretty orthodox so when I send out the curve ball it will work.

As a side note I think it is important to keep a track of hands you have been forced to show down too for any of these things to be effective. Doesn't work if you have already been caught with your hand in the cookie jar...

Rich

Well shit! Since striker posted here, i figure i might as well also. Actually, all my recent playing has been at the B&M, because im very busy and refuse to buy in online since that'll just mean ill play too much.

I think whether you show or dont has alot to do with your image at the table. I generally have a LAGgy image, so i dont like to show my bluffs because that just reinforces peoples ideas that im always bluffing- and like suhleafs said, i am much more apt to show a premium hand so that way i can bluff more effectively later. I also like to show my drawouts, first because i think people appreciate the 'courtesy show', and secondly and more importantly, i like them to think that im always trying to draw out.

But ultimately, i think the answer to this question is the same as the answer to everything in poker, namely that 'it depends.' If you have been totally luckless/card dead and your opponents mistake that for rockyness, since you havent played a hand in an hour, then you are in a great spot to start bluffing, since no one thinks your capable of it. On the other hand, if youve been mixin it up alot, and have been making marginal plays with marginal holdings / and/or been caught with your pants down on some bad bluffs, then its time to start making hands and getting paid.

As Vorhous says in his book, your ultimate goal should be to act in a way exactly the opposite of your image, and the best players dont actually have a consistent 'image'- the cards and the table cause you to play a certain way naturally, and after a while, its time to switch it up, and theres lots of money to be made in doing it, whether you switch from LAG to TAG or vice-versa.

And yeah like striker said, posting here feels wierd. I feel like i shouldnt be posting where the grownups post without first running a spelling/ grammar check, and making sure i dont say anything asinine. Its just a good thing monk doesnt post here, because i might have to flame him for the rather sordid relations he has with scones and teacups. But seeing as he doesnt post here, I'll let the fact that he's a sick degenerate scone-o-phile slide for now.

I play position at every opportunity, I look for spots to bet and don't want that taken away from me. I don't raise as much as I could in position and would rather try to not inflate the pot and make it "worth fighting over" from a fresh stack as much.

If I am raising it up more than normal, which is something I prefer to do as a larger stack as I don't mind spewing the chips when I miss, showing would be out of the question. I would rather continue taking down 5-10bb pots until someone gets wise all on their own. If I raise it up after being cold decked, I'm hoping that it will thaw soon and because of my recent activity it will naturally lend more action with strong hands. Raising too much naturally gives me action, I would rather have them formulating their own correct or incorrect opinion.

I guess if you rarely bluff showing is fine, but I bluff a lot, showing is out of the question as they may pick up on something that I'm not aware of in my betting.

Mekos makes a good point there. Since I play tight-aggr, there's no point for me to show my good hands. I already play 16% or so, and most of my hands are good. I want to show some weak hands or even blatant steals, so that my play looks more loose/reckless in their eyes than it really is.