Should you show a bluff?

Bluffing someone out of a big pot is one of the most satisfying things in poker and it can be very tempting to show them, and the world, what you have just done, but should you? Most of the time we would say no, but now and then there is a good reason to.

You see, the second you show the bluff you change the dynamic of the game. Now everyone knows you are capable of bluffing and also that you felt the urge to show them, so if you are going to show a bluff, it better be to your benefit for the rest of the game.

A good reason to show a bluff is to put your opponent on tilt, you might frustrate them so much that they start to play badly against you. You might also do it to give yourself a loose table image and make everyone think you are always bluffing. If you do show a bluff, be very aware that you are not going to get away with it so easy the next time, so your strategy here on in should be to play tight. The next time you bet it’s much more likely you will be called or re-raised, so you need to have a big hand, otherwise you are just burning money.

Likewise, not showing a bluff will help you cultivate a tight table image, this time you want your opponent to believe they made a very good fold. By keeping this tight table image, you can get away with big bluffs again, because they assume you have the nuts. You can help this image by choosing to show when you actually do have a big hand.

Most of the best players in the world make things very easy for themselves by simply NEVER showing their hands, whether they are bluffing or not, it makes them very hard to read and most importantly, they don’t give any free information away.

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