It is very possible to win a poker hand without anyone seeing your cards and therein lies the dilemma. There are various schools of thought when it comes to whether or not to show your cards after you win a hand. The decision is completely up to you and you have to decide for yourself. Some thoughts on the subject are outlined here to help you decide how you want to handle your own game play.

When you are playing with a great bluffer and they win and you don’t see their cards, it can be exasperating. You might want to know just so you can determine whether or not you got sucked in to a big bluff. This is one reason that some players don’t want to show you their hand, and they aren’t required to.

On the other hand, you might see their hand, find out they were bluffing and think you have them figured out and can win the next hand. Then, you think that they are bluffing when they bet big again and you are suckered again because they weren’t bluffing this time. The point is, if a player is good at bluffing, you aren’t going to be able to figure them out simply because you know get to see what is in their hand after the hand is over.

A lot of the time, whether or not to show, depends on the stakes of the game. Professional players are a lot more aggressive than many of the friendly games that you see and that often is the difference between whether or not someone shows their cards or not. Professional players often have a lot more riding on the online casino sites than a few dollars and friendly games are often just that, friends and so they often show their hands just out of courtesy.

If you play online, you don’t have much choice about whether or not to show to your cards, they are shown after the hands are over. This is so people know everything is legitimate.

At the end of the day it all boils down to your own preference and what you want to do with your own cards and how you want to play your game. If you are afraid it will ruin your bluff, you don’t have to show your cards; however, if you think it will further your bluffing, you can show them and up your bluffing skills.