I played this hand a few weeks ago and I keep thinking about it, wondering if what I did was stupid or smart. I really don't know. So I figured it was worth putting here.

Playing 1/3, 9-handed, I'm in the small blind with K3 suited. It limps around to me three ways (quite typical), I call the extra $2 and BB checks his option. Flop is KKJ. I check, one player bets $15, I call, everyone else folds. Turn is a 2. I check. The player bets $30.

Now, it's worth noting, I hadn't been at the table for long, but this player was a typical OMC type and I didn't see anything other than K-x. The chances of me being ahead of his range here are so low. I just decide to sigh and fold my hand face-up. A few players look surprised, and the old man quickly mucks his hand, without much of a reaction.

I began to think afterwards, what dynamic did I create by doing that? Did I just prove to everyone I'm a massive nit? Was I trying to tilt him? Did I make a good fold? I really don't even know what my logic was.

Even if I did make a good fold, should I have just mucked it? And I know some of you will say "how can you fold trips"... Well, 9-handed with a 3 kicker, unlikely to improve on the river where I will probably have to call a $60 bet - I feel like that's just burning money. There are better spots to be had.

Thoughts?

so you're not at the table very long but you've already labeled someone as an "OMC type"? How did you come to this conclusion?

Look, I shouldn't say this, or admit this, but it's how I feel... most of these old guys at small stakes are pretty easy to read. When they bet, they usually got the best of it. Flawed as my thinking may be, it generally seems to be the case. But technically you are right, I shouldn't be doing this.

Fold pre.

That thinking isn't flawed. I profile the same way. The topic is obv sensitive, but we've had whole threads about default reads.

(My default range for an old dude is wider than a K here though.)

(Edit: I should add that "OMC" and "old dude" are two overlapping personas. Not all old dudes are OMCs, and unless you have reason to apply the stricter persona, you should be assuming old dude ranges.)

Folding a full house faceup is the equivalent of putting a neon sign over your head that says "take shots at me, I'll fold"

FWIW, I rarely show my cards unless I have to.

Edit: Oops, I thought he had K2 and filled up.

Still bad to show what you folded

Generally, if you never show you're not going to make a mistake.

The number one reason that people show is ego. They want to demonstrate to the table that they're so good they're able to make a tight fold, or that they really had a hand and just got outdrawn.

I usually show only if it reinforces mistakes my opponents make (focusing on the player in the hand, not the rest of the table). So, if for some reason I'm bluffing a calling stations and it gets through (probably not a good idea) I may show. I want the calling station to think I'm bluffing and keep calling. Or, if I'm up against a scared money reg type, and I have a strong hand that I bet and he folds, I may show. I think he folds too much and want to reinforce that.

I wouldn't have shown in your circumstance. Mistake OMCs make is that they're too straightforward, and never bluff, so when they bet you can just fold. By showing your hand you're encouraging him to bluff you more and be harder to play against.

I just noticed that you are the same guy who gets needled by old regs for being too tight and well, this move isn't gonna help your image in that regard.

Hahaha I was wondering who would notice that. This was a different session though.

I think I've been a bit lost in general lately so I'm just venting my own confusion/issues in this forum at the moment.

I wouldn't be doing this again, for what it's worth. I just wanted to know what other people thought.

You're misquoting me so I'm not sure what your witty attempt at an emoji is trying to imply there?

Agreed. People already labeled you as a huge nit and now they see you make one of the nittier folds possible. That's not going to help your image and will discourage people even more from giving you action.

Now you could use that to your advantage and get away with way more bluffs than everybody else, but it doesn't sound like you are the guy to do that.

This.

In general, you want to unnecessarily show to reinforce wrong perceptions about you and contradict correct perceptions. If people wrongly perceive you as a nit, showing here is a great move. If people correctly perceive you as a nit, this is terrible.

Okay, "people" is a very broad term right now... There are normally between 10-15 1/3 tables running at this casino and it's not as though I play often enough for anyone from either of these sessions to have recognized me or even spoken about me, so forget the idea that I have any reputation or persona that can be exploited so clearly. These two sessions may as well have been played on opposite sides of the world. Your interpretation is merely confirmation bias based on my limited sample of recent posts here.

Admittedly, I don't come across strongly in this forum, and that's fine. I'm not here to impress anyone, I'm here to show all of my weaknesses and learn from experienced players who know what they're talking about. I don't think it's necessary to say "you aren't capable of [this] or [that]". I mean, sure, based on what I've written here you can interpret things a certain way, but to draw conclusions so quickly is a bit premature in my opinion.

Either way, I take what you're saying on board and "challenge accepted".

You can't really go that wrong if you never show! If I am really good friends with somebody I might occasionally show a card or hand just to keep a friendly vibe going, BUT not very often.

In fairness, when you word it as "getting needled by old regs" it implies (a) ongoing needling by (b) players you know to be regs by way of seeing them regularly. I can't speak for anyone else, but from what you wrote I personally did not guess that the solution to your problem was as simple as leaving the casino and coming back later.

So when you put the extra 2 in pre what were you hoping to flop? Quads? Nut Straight?

When you called 15 were you hoping the turn would be a 3?

This is a dream flop. Raise the turn.

As far as how you folded....I now put pressure on you every hand we are in.

1. Fold preflop; but
2. If you do see this flop, CR flop.
3. Don't show this hand if you fold as in OP.

I wouldn't be so dismissive if I were you.

2+2 posters are in general pretty unobservant. Look at the number of strategy threads that begin with "only been a few orbits so no reads." Look at the number of people who think that because they've been showing down only winners they must have solid reputations. Lots of people make snap but accurate judgements about people they meet. It's a rare skill but one that many poker losers employ to minimize their losses.

If you ask what the buyins are and then buy in the maximum, that's a tell. If you get called to a table in a big room and walk directly there, that's a tell. If you buy in with a wad of crumpled $5 bills, that's a tell. If you arrive at the table at the HJ and decline a hand, and then pull out your cell phone and diddle with it, that's a tell.

Don't be so sure that people don't have an accurate read on you.

I didn't say you are not capable of bluffing. What I said was that your other posts don't make it sound like you are the type of player that takes advantage of a nitty image.

You are totally right that I don't know you or anything about your game. But from being active in various poker communities for around 15 years now, I know that the odds are pretty low that somebody starts two threads like yours if he was super happy about his nitty image because he is able to win a lot by taking advantage of it.

But if you are in fact being able to appear super nitty while bluffing people left and right, good for you. That's impressive.

Don't show and you're not making a mistake. I pretty much never show, they think I'm an absolute rock and I don't want them to see my bluffs unless I have to show.

Assuming you have the appropriate mix of value hands and bluffs, you should unnecessarily show your strongest value hands to skew their perception of you.

Second best is to just not show.

Worst is to preferentially show your bluffs.

The only time I ever show is this: If I have been raising a lot, and I have a big hand I will occasionally show it if everyone folds. This is to reinforce the idea that I am running hot and raising from power.

I don't show bluffs. I think showing bluffs weakens your ability to bluff on future hands. The only reasons to show a bluff are to show off or shame your opponent. If he's bad it just embarrasses him (don't tap the glass.) If he's good, you just gave him valuable information. Either way you just weakened your future bluffs.

I never show losers and I am not sure why you would want to. Maybe to set up future hero calls? That seems a little sketchy to me.

How deep were you? I'm not sure if I missed that or not. You went with your read and that's fine. I seem to remember your previous thread, but if you have such a tight table image then why would a guy double-barrel into you with Jx here? You seem to dispute the image in a post here as well, and that's fine as well.

So back to the hand ... I think the consensus would be that if you are giong to call the Flop that you 'need' to call the Turn as well. I don't necessarily put OMCs on a Kx hand here. They very well could have AJ or QQ as well. BUT they could have JJ as well. I tend to agree with you that better spots may pop up, but trips is a hard hand to make. I think I want to see the River and see if he triple barrels into me and what size before I concede my weak kicker.

As far as your 'real' question .. Do you show? I think with your style that showing could go both ways. It might get players to pressure you more with weaker hands, which is good if you can pull the trigger in what you consider marginal spots. On the other hand you will 'only' get action when they have you crushed or possibly flipping with huge draws.

Putting myself in your shoes I would pay off on the Turn and maybe fold the River while saying "I guess tens are no good." .. and then flash the 3 (by mistake).

I tend to show 'a lot' since I play with mostly regs and I may want to throw them a bone for future action ... or I will show them I read right through them and they don't get chips from me in that spot.

I don't really like showing in 'new' rooms since I am a bit loose and I'd rather not advertise that any quicker than they will find out at showdown anyway. On the contrary, I will show when the deck is hitting me in the face so I can sustain that image a bit longer than the deck may be allowing for!! GL

You shouldn't have been in the pot to begin with. You also shouldn't show your hand unless you're there to have fun too. Then it's OK to show quads or better.