Show me yours...

Should you ever show your cards? The popular poker pundits say "no" -- you're giving your opponents "free" information. I say, with great certainty: "maybe?" First, to show cards at all, we must repress the strong human desire to humiliate our opponents or demonstrate what fine poker players we are. Even worse, instinct tells us that we want to "put a stop" to observed tendencies in our opponents. Our instincts tell us to stop bluffers from bluffing, slow down aggressive players or loosen up tight players. However, this is exactly wrong. If you have properly characterized your opponent, you actually want to reinforce his tendencies, rather than discourage them. Why? Because you know how to play against an opponent you can characterize. And, you don't know how to play against an opponent whose tendencies you have attempted to change. For example, if you show a bluffer cards that will encourage his bluffing in the future, you can play him with confidence in the future knowing that he will bluff. If you show him cards that discourage bluffing in the future, he may or may not persist in bluffing -- and, you have lost the ability to "play" him with confidence as a bluffer. So my strong "maybe" is that you should show your cards if and only if it will give your opponent reinforcement of his observed tendencies (which you will have the opportunity to exploit later). Remember, sometimes later against a strong player can be a matter of days or even weeks. Against a weak player you'd best monetize your investment in the same session -- they won't remember your cards after their third beer!