Mucking in Poker
14/04/09 09:10 Filed in: Poker-Tips | Poker Strategy
Although most adhere to a strict rule to never reveal their cards at the end of a poker hand, many have conflicting opinions regarding mucking as a psychological tool. Even though card showing can sometimes hold its value for this purpose in amateur-level games, it’s a bad plan for any stake level above the lower, familiar rungs of play.
It’s almost never a good idea to muck your hand, no matter how badly you want to share your result with the rest of the table. A situation such as losing with AK on an AK10 flop can be a siren song to show your cards after investing money in the betting action before a loss. Just the same, playing through to the end and mucking your hand will only serve to reveal how smart and/or lucky you were up until the endgame — it won’t bring your lost chips back.
Many players seem to think that showing their pocket after a bad beat serves to establish your reputation as smart competitor and give others a reason to respect your actions but this instinct can be counter-productive. Rather than mucking your hand, allow for the mystery of why you played the way you did. There is almost never a good situation for revealing your actual thinking in a game of poker.
It may seem like an elementary rule to follow but knowing to never muck your cards is one basic habit to keep in mind if you want every possible edge in your game. While it can be incredibly tempting to reveal your bad beat it’s always a good idea to ignore the opportunity and keep your cards close to your chest.
This post is brought to you from the Findabet.co.uk Poker Blog. If you are reading this on a blog other than Findabet.co.uk then the content has been stolen - Poker Tips and Poker Providers
It’s almost never a good idea to muck your hand, no matter how badly you want to share your result with the rest of the table. A situation such as losing with AK on an AK10 flop can be a siren song to show your cards after investing money in the betting action before a loss. Just the same, playing through to the end and mucking your hand will only serve to reveal how smart and/or lucky you were up until the endgame — it won’t bring your lost chips back.
Many players seem to think that showing their pocket after a bad beat serves to establish your reputation as smart competitor and give others a reason to respect your actions but this instinct can be counter-productive. Rather than mucking your hand, allow for the mystery of why you played the way you did. There is almost never a good situation for revealing your actual thinking in a game of poker.
It may seem like an elementary rule to follow but knowing to never muck your cards is one basic habit to keep in mind if you want every possible edge in your game. While it can be incredibly tempting to reveal your bad beat it’s always a good idea to ignore the opportunity and keep your cards close to your chest.
This post is brought to you from the Findabet.co.uk Poker Blog. If you are reading this on a blog other than Findabet.co.uk then the content has been stolen - Poker Tips and Poker Providers
