Why Mucking Your Poker Hand is Always a Good Idea
- Details
- Category: Poker 3.0
- Created on Thursday, 09 June 2011 11:18
- Published on Thursday, 09 June 2011 11:18
- Written by Super User
- Hits: 181
When playing online poker, I have noticed that a fair percentage of players don’t “muck” their hands at the end of each game. At most online poker sites, a player has an option of either showing his hole cards at the end of each game, or mucking (discarding) their cards without the other players at the table being able to see what you were holding in your hand. By not mucking your hand, you’re essentially giving your opponents free information. It can give them an insight as to how you actually play future hands, and as a result, can give them an advantage over you at the table.
Players tend to be much more aggressive in bluffing their hands with a lower cost table. In other words, if playing at a $0.02/0.04 game, players are much more willing to try to bluff with a three-five off-suit hand dealt to them than they would at higher stakes table. However, if they don’t muck that particular hand, they’ve given their opponents the opportunity that they’re willing to bluff with absolutely nothing in their hand, and opponents can alter their betting strategies as a result.
Bluffing is one thing, but if showing cards the cards you’re bluffing with rather than mucking them, future bluffs can be dealt with accordingly, and that player can quickly see his chip stash wilt away.