The Doyle Brunson Hand

Legendary Poker giant Doyle Brunson is best remembered for a particular hand that was so spectacular for its time, they named it after him. Don’t forget that a televised game, only viewers and the player get to see the cards. At the very first televised Hold’em Poker tournament, Branson won the tournament coming in with an unsuited 5-2. Being a legend and a modest one at that, he knew nothing could be gained by showing his cards to the other players. In other words what your opponents don’t know won’t hurt them.

It’s so much more than being modest or even respectful. It’s also about keeping your play strategies and bluffing techniques to your self. Not showing your hand at the end of play benefits you and your opponents.

There is a rule however, and that is if a player folds during play it is against the rules to show the cards at the table. The obvious reason is that either before or after the flop, players remaining players can get an unfair view of the cards. This gives a clue of cards to come, especially for talented players. Such an action, even if by accident, can get a player expelled from a game and warned about future contact.

Only if you are called should you be obliged to show them. Of course there is the rare occasion when pushing an aggressive player on the tilt. The aggressive player in question would be the one who is a sore loser – we mean like really pissed off sore kind of a loser. You would show your cards on this occasion to push him or her over the edge. Players on the tilt often screw up and stop thinking logically giving you more chances to take the pot. So if you fold or if you win, keep your cards to yourself.