For me, my "tell" is a slight tremble I get when someone's staring at me while taking a long time to make a decision after I made a large bet. But the good news is, I do it whether I'm value betting or bluffing. When I'm value betting, I'm hoping that they think I'm nervous and call. When I'm bluffing, I'm hoping they think I'm shaking from adrenaline and fold

In certain cases, it might be +EV to show a bluff as a woman. There are still those who try to run us over. Hell, sometimes other women even try to run me over!

If someone thinks I'm weak-tight and specifically targets me with overly aggressive play, I'll sometimes show a re-bluff such as a 4-bet bluff pre-flop or a check-raise turn semi-bluff to send the "I'm not weak-tight so stop picking on me. I'm not going to fold" message.

In the example in the OP, I would never, in a million years, show the bluff. Let the entire table think you have the nuts.

I would say that a majority of the better players that play 1/2, do not bluff that often, but would bluff often [or atleast sometimes] on "good" bluffing spots -- such as: 4 to a flush, one card straight, A river after four low cards, flushdraw on flop hits river, etc. This is because elite players are seldom playing 1/2, and because bluffing in general is not a good way to win at low limits (because players are in general paying off too much.)

In general, showing is usually -EV, but it may be correct to show a bluff because many guys have a big problem with getting bluffed by a girl and it can induce all sorts of extra spazzes, which is what you probably want if you are generally valuebetting.

The first time I played live poker was on a cruise ship and it was LHE and a guy folded to a standard c-bet because he could tell I had a monster because my hands were shaking (I didn't have a monster and I didn't even notice my hands up to that point).

I've never had anyone call a bluff due to my hands shaking but ironically they shake much worse when I'm bluffing.

I don't buy this whole "poker nest" thing. I understand why you would have that urge, but strategically we need to raise this hand, so you need to force yourself to do that.


I don't think women should show bluffs at the poker table. Women being really tight players and not being capable of bluffing is one of the most widespread stereotypes in the poker world. Take advantage of that. If I was a woman I would make sure to make at least one cold 4 bet bluff every single session, you can make people fold all hands except AA which is a really powerful position to be in.


One of my roommates last summer was a pretty blonde girl who played 2/5 at the wynn a lot. I was playing with her one time and she bet the turn on a 4cJc5d9c board and got called. After he called she said" uuummm...can i raise?". The guy in the pot with her looked at her like she was crazy, she potted the blank river, he folded and she flashed me a red card. It was the best use of girl power i have ever seen at the poker table. guys will underestimate you, understand that and profit from it.

Elky once said in an interview that with regard to image it is far more important to understand ones image than to create one. Generally trying to create an image is going result in you not making the best possible decision in each individual hand. If you are trying to cultivate the image of a maniac, you will find yourself in too many spots where you hand has no equity. If you are trying to cultivate the image of a nit you will find yourself folding it spots where calling or raising would have been a more +ev play. Just play the best you can every hand. Every once in a while take some time to reflect on how others probably perceive you at the table, but dont let it effect strategic decisions during the hand.

U should never show unless u have a lot to gain. I only show a bluff to put people on tilt or so that I can just wait for a big hand after that and get action

I tend to agree, but since I'm sometimes tight enough (or perceived as tight enough) to qualify as a super nit, if I'm having trouble getting paid off, then showing an occasional bluff can help me get paid on future hands.

I don't do this often.

I don't recommend showing your cards if you aren't called. If you decide to do so, I think it should be with a specific reason in mind. For example, in the first rounds of a NL tourney, I'm not interested in picking up the blinds and will usually fold on the button if I don't have a hand since risking $125-$150 to pick up $75 from the blinds isn't a great risk/reward. I would rather them remember that I folded on the button so that later in the tourney, it will be easier to steal from late position. Therefore if I get a great hand on the button like K-K, and I raise and they fold, I will usually show the kings so that they think I have a hand when I raise on the button.

I think it is usually wrong to show a bluff because it will tend to get people to call a bit more lightly in the future. People remember bluffs. Bluffing should be one of the most valuable tools in your arsenal so why would you want to make it less effective in the future by showing a bluff? However, if you don't intend to bluff again (not a good idea IMO), that would be a reason to show the bluff.

Basically the only time I ever show is if there is a big fish at the table who is an action junkie and he perceives me as being nitty. I want his action, and I want him to know I'm willing to gamble with him. Yes, I can sit there and steal a few bb's off him with my nitty image for a while, but if he's someone that is certainly going to bust soon to someone at the table, I like to make sure I'm in the running for his entire stack. Otherwise, no. I really never show.

- A few hours into the first time I played live, I was UTG+1, but lost track of the button and thought that it was my turn to be in the bb. I reached for my chips, but before I actually put my chip out there, I realized my mistake and put the chips back in my stack. UTG mucked, I look down at AA and raise... After the hand was over, UTG (a kind, older gentleman who played about 98% vpip), told me that he had folded because he saw me reach for chips before he entered the hand so he knew I had a monster... Cost me two dollars, but it was a cheap way to learn a lesson about "preloading"

- As far as showing cards, I rarely do it, but I with my normal home game crowd, I will occassionally let them choose one card if I know that one card could represent a value hand while the other could signify a bluff. For example, the other day I triple barreled Ad5d on a 6d4d6hTcKc board where my opponent open folded pocket 7s on the river... I let him pick one card, he flipped over the 5 and went on monkey tilt for the rest of the game. So, I agree with the consensus of (a) rarely showing and (b) only doing it for a particular reason.

Its not a tell..