To Show, or Not to Show

I usually don't show my hand in cash games. I used to, but I think it takes quite an edge off your game, and the frequency with which you show also suggests the frequency with which you bluff. However, in tournaments I think there's considerable value to the occassional show, especially when you may have been bluffed out of a pot. Here's an example I was thinking over this morning:

One of my first live tournaments, last couple of tables, and I have a medium-small stack. I'm in the big blind holding K ♣ Q ♣. Everyone folds and the small blind, who's an aggressive player, raises it to 3x the blind. I call. The flop comes:

J ♦ 7♦ 3♦

He leads out for a pot-sized bet. I have two overcards and my read is that this guy has been playing far-from-premium hands. However, it's pretty late in the tournament and I really don't want to be caught drawing dead to a made flush. He taunts me a little, saying "I have two red cards in the pocket." If I were more experienced, I would have shoved on him here. But instead I fold and show him my KQ. He turns over T ♥ 9♥. Nothing; he just made me lay down a dominating hand, and the whole table saw it.

I'm a little embarrassed but still glad I got out of the hand. I feel better when the next hand is deal:

A ♦A ♣

Now I'm in the small blind and the aggressive player is on the button. He raises and I shove with my now-short stack. He instantly calls and turns over KJo. I show him aces and double through, and we eventually both make the final table.

However, I think if I had mucked my king-queen I wouldn't have got the action on the next hand. The very next hand would be a terrible time to bluff, but a perfect time for a value bet. He's thinking that I'm steaming and trying to make an ego-play at him to take control. His KJ isn't much, but I'm probably pushing with nothing just because I'm on tilt, so he'll call with what's probably the best hand.

Of course, you can't plan to get dealt aces after getting bluffed out. But sometimes showing a hand can set another player up; in this case he's almost sure that I'm taking a shot at him with nothing, trying to bluff him out in return. Lucky for me in this case, but he almost had to call.

Still, in cash games I think it has slightly less value, since the whole element of being short stacked and a hand away from elimination is not particularly relevant.