Every Rose Has Its Thorn...

[liladypokerpro]

Do you show your hands or play by an easily readable routine?

What is your worst poker habit and how has it affected your game?

[stoffmakers]

i dont mind showing my hands, as long as im switching it up and it keeps ppl guessing. one of my fav moves once was raising it up with aces pre, got 2 callers, flop comes A85 with 3 spades, i bet and got 1 caller, turn was a red 7, i bet they folded and asked what i had. so i looked at one, then looked at the other and only showed 1 ace hehe. worst habit is goin on tilt. good song btw.

[Fictive]

I never show my hands. Well, that's a lie. I did show once in a live tournament, fairly late in it. I was in the BB, got dealt rockets and everyone folded to me. Damn table was full of blind thiefs, but no-one made a move on me that time, so I just tossed the aces face up in the middle of the table.

I definetely don't play a game that is readable, I mix it a lot, and my post flop bets/raises don't vary in size much either if I have the goods or not.

I guess my worst habit might be that I'm overly aggressive at times. I get an idea in my mind what the other guy has, and I just pressure him. Most of the time I, luckily, seem to be right,but when I'm not, it gets fairly expensive.

[liladypokerpro]

See this is interesting...I don't make a habit of showing my hands, but when I first sit down at a cash table online, I like to test the waters...it helps me to determine who will chase and who will fold. I develop a quick reputation as a very tight player during the first few hands won. I will show either one or both cards, and most times after doing this, people will play more cautiously. But it's not the cautious ones I like...it's the ones who don't pay attention that pay me off big.

But don't get me wrong, I only show 3 or 4 hands and my reputation is pretty much sold. Once that happens, it becomes easy to either win with a lesser hand, or even completely bluff people out of a pot. Just last night using this method I tripled up on a .50/1.00 table in a matter of about an hour and a half. This is not to say that once people think I'm tight I play loose or bluff a lot...ohhhhh no. That would be silly. I simply pick and choose the right situations according to the reads I've made on certain players.

I most especially love the ones who call you down no matter what, just on the whim that you might be bluffing...one of these types is one reason I tripled up so fast last night LOL Knowing when to bluff or even to attempt it, is a key thing to learn. Just don't make a habit of it.

This is why I tell people it is a good idea to switch up your game. Once you get a good run at the table, and have developed a good amount of money and solid reads, you don't necessarily have to have the best hand to win. Just be smart, have good timing, get reads on the other players, and use a good strategy that works for you.

Granted, I do not always use this method to gain my reputation, but at tables where I deem it the best course of action, it most often times turns out to benefit me.

[Fictive]

Yeah, I definetely see how there can be an advantage in showing your cards at appropriate times. It's kinda risky though, I think you definetely have to have nack for being able to turn that to your favor later on. I don't think I possess that, so better just muck. It's different when playing with friends on a weekend for fun and throwing back a few beers, then it's just fine. I've done that, and tried to use it later to my advantage, but with no luck. For example, I've tried to give a certain impression of my play, then playing a hand the same way with garbage or vice versa thinking along the lines of "i showed before, this is a similar situation, same betting..." Where the hell did my chips go?!?!? It's definetely another great part of poker and a skill that some have, some don't.

[Vito_Nuccio]

I never show my cards online, I have auto muck selected. The only reason to ever show is to put someone on tilt, but that play is overrated. Why give out any information on your play. If they want to see, they can pay. Even if I get a royal flush I could care less if people know it happened, if no one calls, my cards go into the muck.

[stoffmakers]

vito, showing your cards could be a great way to build an image tho. like if u raise on the button and show down a monster early on, then itll be a lot easier to raise on the button afterwards and get respect. just try not to get caught lol.

[ttthomas]

I think some of my worst habits come when I have money in the pot. For instance, I get in a lot of trouble defending blinds, also when I pre-flop raise, even just to steal, I cant seem to get off the hand once it is apparent that the other person has something. I always hope that they can be bluffed once I am in the pot because I like to play tricky and aggressive but it seems that a lot of people are willing to call a lot of money for a showdown even when their hand is mediocre. Although, sometimes it pays off because I get the chance to bet huge hands and get paid off. And although I hate to admit it, getting called down on a triple barrel bluff sucks every time.

[LyndaNova]

Originally Posted by Vito_Nuccio I never show my cards online, I have auto muck selected. The only reason to ever show is to put someone on tilt, but that play is overrated. Why give out any information on your play. If they want to see, they can pay. Even if I get a royal flush I could care less if people know it happened, if no one calls, my cards go into the muck.

VITO is the MAN! I totally agree with you, Vito.
If players want to see my hands, they must PAY UP! Heheh.

[emoneypitt]

Originally Posted by stoffmakers vito, showing your cards could be a great way to build an image tho. like if u raise on the button and show down a monster early on, then itll be a lot easier to raise on the button afterwards and get respect. just try not to get caught lol.

I've found that a problem in doing this though is that if you are just showing monsters, people are going to be very reluctant to call your raises preflop in the future and give you any action. I bluff occasionally myself. Sometimes, I even like to get caught and lose a little to make people think I am a poor player. More often than not, it pays off down the road

[Wyte22]

My worst poker habit is overdoing the aggression in full ring games lol

I sometimes go into them with a heads up mindset, and when I am right...I AM REALLY RIGHT, like 3-5x startings chips right within 20 minutes. but when I am wrong, I'm the donk out of the first hand.

Getting better but still like a crackhead looking for a fix at 9player tables!