How you can play hands with showdown value

• 30.06.2025 7:48 pm
• Helen
• 0 Comments

There is a large number of players who have no idea on how to recognize a hand that has showdown value. These players concentrate too much on placing bets and raising when they ought to take a showdown line. When a player has a showdown value hand, they only get equity by ensuring they get to showdown and win.

In this case, you should concentrate all your efforts to getting to showdown.

How you can recognize showdown value the minute you see it

A showdown value hand is one that is not strong enough to make value bets, but they have enough strength to make it to the showdown level and ultimately win. In order to make this happen, you need to evaluate which hands have showdown value.

The answer you get depends on the texture of the board, your opponent, the action, and everything else that is included in a game of poker. You should always remember the rule of a showdown value hand, and it is that a showdown value hand that has the capability of wining at showdown, but is too weak to make value bets.

In simpler poker language 'a better hand never folds, and a worse hand never calls' in order to understand better, take a look at this example.

You posses , you make a button raise to $6 as the big blind makes a call

Then comes the flop , your opponent checks and so do you

Then comes the river and again he checks

At this point, you need to look at the probable outcome like, what will happen incase you bet on the river, you need to think what move the opponent is likely to pull, like calling with a worse hand. In the above case, the answer should be no.

Weigh the other option, what will happen incase you decide to check, are your jacks good enough?

Your jacks are most certainly the best hand. You will still have the better hand if your opponent has a pocket pair or a draw that is worse than your own.

In this case, you need to check and go to showdown as betting will be of no value.

You are better placed at showdown with your jacks than in pulling a bluff or value betting.

Here is a much trickier scenario:

You posses , you make a cut off raise to $8 as the big blinds makes a call

Then comes the flop

Your opponent checks as you place a c-bet of $12 before he calls.

There is a turn after which he checks

You need to realize that, during the flop, you made a continuation bet and now your hand does not have showdown value and you are only left with fold equity which you will get by betting.

In order for you to win, you have to make your opponent fold.

Things change after the turn and pulling the barrel bluff will not be of help.

Suddenly, you find that you have an 8 pair, meaning showdown value. This time, you no longer have fold equity on the pot since you have a pair. Do not make a mistake of betting it.

The rare though is the possibility of the player calling with a worse hand because it is not possible for them to fold with a better hand.

In this case, you ought to check with the idea of going for showdown.

Why barreling has no poker sense 

The above case is important as most players would simply find it easier to barrel in turn, but that is not the way to play a game of poker. Barreling at this turn is of no point.

The only possible way you could make money, is if only your opponent decides to fold. Even if they fold, you still had the better hand.

The only time barreling would have proved to be of profit to you is when your opponent would have been really weak and would have to call double streets with draw or maybe fold his jack on the second barrel. These two scenarios are very unlikely.

The only thing that would be accomplished by barreling this turn would be the building on a larger pot and you would be the underdog. After you turn the showdown value hand, your strategy changes as your equity no longer lies on making your opponent fold. This way, your new objective is now getting to showdown to overturn your advantage against your opponents peeled flop range.

Ranging your opponent

Every decision made in poker should revolve around the opponent's hand. The range of your opponent is what will determine your +EV decision will be in all the hands you take part in.

Ranging your opponents is a vague art. You will have to slowly deduct hands from the range until you only have a few most likely hands your opponent has. By doing this, you will be in a better place to play to match up to his range.

For example:

Using the scenario above, when he flop peels, you can range him on jacks, straight draws, flush draws as well as sets of 55-99, overpairs are discounted.

After turning the eight and you are in the middle of making up your mind on whether or not you should bet, you first of all have to consider his call range. In case he folds his draws and proceeds with his 99+, your bet will not be of help as you will already have lost with his calling range.

However, if he makes a call with a worse hand than an eight pair, you can go ahead and bet.

The same case would be when he folds a better hand. In case he has decided to fold his jacks at your 2nd barrel, betting for you would be a good idea as it would have a purpose that it accomplishes.

In between hands like 8s have one problem, there will not be plenty of worse hands than the one you have, therefore, and it would be hard for your opponents to call at the betting turn. In this only the hands that were behind you would fold. This makes betting invaluable.

The best idea in this case, is to make a behind check and expect to play river poker, with the hope that there will be an easy or free showdown.

Keeping your attack in check

There are few questions you ought to ask yourself. Remember that there is a fine line between choosing which one is best between betting for value, bluff betting or forcing a showdown. The first thing you need to do is to range your opponent. Then, ask yourself these questions:

• Where is your source of your equity in the hand?
• Is your opponent expected to call with a worse hand?
• Is he going to decide to fold a better hand?
• Do you stand a chance of winning incase there is a showdown?

The minute you determine where your equity is expected to come from, you are in a better place to act in accordance. It is of to attack, but be sure that you can control it. It will not be of any benefit to you if you play a showdown value hand on attack as well as trying to look for a fold. This is because; you will have to loose a lot of money as compared to trying to get showdowns that are cheap using them.

The only time you should lay on the attack is when you need to force your opponent to fold so that you can win or when you are placing value bets.

If you keep the above in mind, and use it in your playing, you will experience tremendous growth in your in between hands, as well as the middle pair hand types.