I'll show you.....

[NYTyler]

So I am sitting at B&M casino the other day and it is heads up with me against an unknown. It's a difficult board, I have top and middle pair, but there is a potential straight out there and there are three hearts. I am thinking seriously of mucking my cards because of the myriad of hands that my opponent could possibly have but there is money in the pot and it is about $100 for me to call. We are on the river and I am feeling like I must be beat. Then all of a sudden he says as I am pondering a call, "I'll show you," right in the middle of my big decision. I immediately feel like he is trying to get me off of my hand. It just made me feel like he was holding squadoosh maybe and he just wanted me to leave. Is this a tell? When someone says something like that to you right in the middle of a tough decision? Last guy who said this to me I called and he had next to nothing. Anyone else had this happen to them several times before in the past? Is this a tell? Should I automatically downgrade someones potential hand as soon as I hear it? Does it mean anything when someone offers to show their cards afterwards? Is it like them asking you to fold?

[Rottersod]

Hard to say if it's a tell or not without more reads on the guy. I tend to believe that if a player sitting right next to me says that and we have been friendly the whole game then he really has the hand. This is YMMV of course but it's true more times than not. OTOH a player sitting across from you, having no real interaction and with the typical low limit my side of the table vs your side mentality, I'd be more likely to put him on the bluff.

[BrookTrout]

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I tend to believe that if a player sitting right next to me says that and we have been friendly the whole game then he really has the hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is an excellent example of why being sociable at a poker table is profitable... Leave the iPods at home!

[ImCrazy]

Yeah, I have noticed this is a pretty good tell, but it is player dependent. Some players will say this with a hand some will be bluffing.

I think at the lower limits I play (1-2nl and 2-5nl) that the majority of players are actually honest when saying this and I will muck more than not and they will show a better hand but like rottersod said YMMV.

[klaching]

when facing a big river call when a player can have the nuts or nothing i like to give the old "will you show me if i fold..." If the player answers yes I mentally snap call, but of course count to 3 before I call. This has worked for the most part because people want to show their bluffs more often than not... obv this is YMMV, and like said earlier if it's a neighbor you've been friending with he may actually just be nice and wanting to show you, so good luck at the tables

[onoble]

This usually means he is not happy with what he thinks you are about to do...

If you had just grabbed chips and looked like you were thinking about calling then he is talking to induce a fold.

If you were about to pitch your cards then he is talking to induce a call.

In my experience though people who are bluffing and the villain is in the middle, rarely talk, they are usually too scared to talk.

Absent a specific read this is usually (but not always) a sign of strength.

[BatsShadow]

Totally player dependent. I've had a crazy lag guy I've never played with before say "I'll show you, I have a huge hand", then show me Aces Up. No idea why. I've had others say I'll show you then not even show.

[slik]

What he says is not nearly as important as how he says it. You should immediately engage in conversation with him to see how comfortable he is once he opens his mouth. FWIW, I've done this with a very strong hand to induce a call before.