I will never show a bluff. When I say bluff I mean a hand where you know you're losing and make a big bet or raise because you know the other guy is weak and will fold a winning hand.
This to me is just bragging and makes you look like a fool. It just shows me that you're so proud of the fact you've made a bluff you obviously don't do it very often. Bluffing is excellent poker. Showing a bluff is poor poker.
What I will occasionally show is weak hands when I'm in shove mode with a short stack. These are not bluffs, they are steals and are a competely different thing as they still have a chance of winning even if they are called.
I do this because I want to open up my oppos calling ranges so that if i do get a weak ace I have a chance of being ahead if I get called. I also do this because I want my oppos to know that I am shoving atc and want a call. I want them to know that my range has widened significantly so they can widen their's as well.
This may sound silly to some but if I'm in shove mode it's because I want a call so that I can double up and have a chance to play a bit again. I don't mind taking a gamble when I'm short and I would rather my oppos open up their range rather than wait for something good which will have me in trouble.
I also find that once I get my double up and pull my range back in that people don't realise. This means that I can reraise with decent hands and have a chance of being called by weaker aces and lower pairs than they would normally need to call for their whole stack.
All they can remember is the idiot who was shoving his chips in and showing 72o who is obviously at it again.
The other ones I will show are where an oppo has made a big fold with a strong hand that I have beat. I like to make him feel good about his fold and let him know that I am not a bully. This might give me a chance to repeat the same betting pattern later when I don't have such a strong hand and hopefully get it through.
level?
Which bit?
The not showing bluffs or showing crap hands wanting a call?
The last bit's comp dependant to be fair. I wouldn't be doing it if I had a lot of money invested but in the £50 - £100 tourneys that I usually play at
DTD I often do this.
Online I never show a thing. Too many good players who know how to use info to their advantage. At
DTD it's just a bit of fun and most won't call anyway. I've just found recently that letting people know that my range has changed once I've hit 10 big blinds works more often than it doesn't.
The idea of shoving light when you are short is because you have FE, to then let your oppo's know you are shoving light defeats the purpose!
Making an oppo feel good about himself is also a bad idea, if they make a sick fold faceup just muck, they will be thinking about the hand for ages rather than thinking about the hands they are playing.
Yeah you're right on the shoving light one. Like I said it's very comp dependant and I do it when I desperately need a double up. Wouldn't be pratting about in a deepstack tourney with more at stake. Consider my wrist slapped.
I like the other one though. Not so much to make him feel good but to let him (and everyone else) know that if I'm reraising big I've got a lot of hand backing it up.
Just to check. All this stuff is classed as metagame? Is that right?
Would you then intend to start raising with weaker hands,if not i don't see the point in doing this.I never understand why people show the nuts when someone else shows there fold the they think is good why confirm it to them therefore making them feel more confident as flushy sames let them sit and stew about it.I personally never show.But i do think think it can be used to your advantage
It depends on the situation. I certainly wouldn't be doing it straight away or too often because that's too obvious. You have to do it against good players who remember and are also capable of making big folds. I might not use it until a few hours later and then only if the right hand comes up.
It would have to be something like a heavy drawing board where I know the oppo has something strong but probably hasn't got the nuts. When he value bets on the end I make a big reraise. This is where you need him to go in to the tank and remember that hand a few hours ago where you did the same thing with the stone cold nuts.
You might not get the opportunity to use it and it may go completely wrong if he has got the nuts. On the other hand it may just help him find that fold and give you a nice big pot that you otherwise wouldn't have won.
It might just help him find the fold that you need.
Conversely of course it might make him fold when you actually want the call which would be bad but I think tournaments are won by making the most of your bad hands rather than relying on your good ones.
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