Don't know if this is a B&M post or LLSNL post, but mods can move if I guessed wrong.

In a very long session yesterday, I had at least 3 different villains fold to me face up. This was pretty rare before. In every single one of these cases, they were folding the best hand. I find it very curious and might make a good discussion.

After writing out this post, I think the key hand of the session for me was the following:

Table was playing fairly loose and I after a reload I was at about $525. A tighter younger guy with about $450 raised over limpers to $25 and picked up a callers. I called from the button with 86.

Flop ($105): 766

Villain c-bet around $60. Folded to me I raised to about $140. Villain tanked for a bit and reraised. I went all in and stacked him. (He had QQ).

Hand 1: Straddled pot. Villain was this Russian lady who kept talking about how horrible everyone was at the table and offering unsolicited commentary on most of the big pots, mostly about how people should have folded given the action. I had not tangled with her very much since she was relatively tight and the table had a few spewmonkeys that were much more profitable. In one particular hand she was berating the play of a guy who won a huge pot when he did not fold an overpair to a flop raise and substantial turn bet.

Pot was straddled and I completed from the bb. Five handed to a flop of K64. Checked to her in cutoff. She bet $35 into a $50 pot. I bumped it up to $95. UTG folded. She said "What you have a set of 4s?" and folded AK face up. I was pretty shocked that her hand was so strong.

Hand 2: Vs the guy I stacked with 86s. Don't remember the details of the hand, but when I bet or raised with a semi-bluff on the flop he said "If you can play 86, then I guess you can have xx" or whatever hand scared him and folded AJ face up for TPTK.

Hand 3: Villain was a TAG older guy who I played with for almost 12 hours (yes I am a degen). He would play his big hands very aggressively. His PFR range was pretty much TT+, ATs+, ATo and KQs and he would consistently raise to about $30 each time then make a near pot-sized c-bet. He had position on me most of the night. Generally I folded to his c-bets since I was pretty clear on his range. Once in the session when I called a c-bet with a gutshot to a wheel and when the miracle turn card hit, he shoved as expected and I stacked him for about $400. A few hours later we switched tables as the room started winding down and I got better position on him. He raised to $20 (low for him, but someone else at the table had started saying he would stop calling his PFRs) and I called on button with KdJc. Flop came 10 high with 3 diamonds. He bet $45 into the $60 pot. I raised to $115 and he folded QQ face up (no diamond) saying "I know I"m folding the best hand."

First point - never show me what you fold face up. It will make me more likely to try to push you off a hand in the future.

Second point - If you're going to talk strategy at the table, I"m going to use it against you. Sometimes I make friendly comments / eye-rolls with a neighbor I like about the other fishy play at the table. I'm there a long time and I like to have some camaraderie with people and be a little social and we all like to talk poker. I think I need to be cautious here to not give up too much of my game. Although it seems that my comments may help project an image that I am pretty tight and solid, which may be helping to make my bluffs more effective.

Question 1: When people make a big laydown face up, they often say "Could you beat that?" or "What did you have?" or "I put you on ..." What is an effective response in these situations? I usually smile and say something to the effect of "well if you put in $x you can find out" or if they say "I know I folded the best hand" then if I reply I say, "Well then I'm lucky you didn't call" In general I want to stay friendly, but I also want them to keep making the wrong play.

1b: it seems to happen often that one half the table builds a camaraderie and an "us vs them" playful spirit develops. What do you say to your "buddy" when you force a big laydown and they ask "Could you beat that?"

Q2: When is it useful to show the bluff? I never show. I like to keep them guessing and am more concerned about being able to bluff again than being able to induce a bad call when I have it.

Q3: If they make a huge laydown and you are actually ahead, is it good to show and say "Damn, I thought I was gonna get paid!" to get them to fold to future bluffs?

Wrong forum, try BBV, it's that way ----------->.

Dude, it's not a brag. I am legitimately curious what other people think and ideas on when / why it's a good idea to fold face up and how people respond when it happens.