{"id":2525244,"date":"2023-10-26T17:16:29","date_gmt":"2023-10-26T17:16:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/?p=2525244"},"modified":"2025-12-29T12:52:52","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T12:52:52","slug":"five-sixth-street-mistakes-youre-making","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/five-sixth-street-mistakes-youre-making\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Sixth Street Mistakes You\u2019re Making"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cHold it, Lee \u2013 how can I make a mistake on a street that doesn\u2019t even exist?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Au contraire<\/em>, my poker buddy. Firstly, ever since there has been a seven-card stud<\/a>, there have been sixth (and seventh) streets. But neither you nor I want me to write about the seven-card stud strategy, so we can set that aside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, thanks to the inimitable Tommy Angelo and his equally inimitable book Elements of Poker, flop games have had a sixth street since, well, at least 2007. When the betting stops, Sixth Street starts. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how it works: we\u2019re on the river (aka \u201cfifth street\u201d). <\/strong>You bet I call. You turn your hand up, I say, \u201cGood hand,\u201d and muck my cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boom<\/em>, we\u2019re on Sixth Street. Unlike previous streets in the game, there is no specified order of action by any of the players. Any player can take a sixth street action at any time. Unfortunately, this just gives us many opportunities to make errors. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cThat was when I knew I had made my first mistake\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\u2013Lyle Lovett<\/em><\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t

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  1. Showing your cards when a better hand has been tabled<\/a>
  2. Showing your cards as you fold<\/a>
  3. Showing your cards when they fold<\/a>
  4. Not showing your cards in turn<\/a>
  5. Discussing strategy at the table<\/a>
  6. Not watching and listening for information<\/a>
  7. You can gain huge edges on sixth street<\/a><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\n\n

    Showing your cards when a better hand has been tabled<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    In the example above, the moment you table the winning hand, I have an opportunity to make a classic sixth street error: showing my cards<\/em>. You showed first \u2013 that\u2019s how the game works. So if your hand beats mine, I can slide mine into the muck unseen, which is exactly how it should get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But I bet you occasionally show what you had, even after being shown the winning hand. Because\u2026 honestly, I don\u2019t know why<\/em>. To get pity from the table because your kicker was one pip too small? Seriously \u2013 pity at the poker table? Tell me another one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Maybe you\u2019re showing how light you called, to indicate you felt they were bluffing. Why are you telling them that? It\u2019s not anybody\u2019s business except yours why you decided to make a call. Anything you share beyond that is giving away free information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We play a game of imperfect information \u2013 don\u2019t perfect your opponents\u2019 information.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Side note: if you\u2019re new to the game, or are playing PLO<\/a>, it\u2019s fine to table cards you aren\u2019t required to show. That way you can\u2019t overlook the best hand. We\u2019ve all done that at least once, and I\u2019ve done it multiple times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Showdown<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    When your opponent shows the better hand, you are better off just mucking your cards.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Showing your cards as you fold<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    This error is perhaps more egregious since it is usually used in circumstances where you\u2019re folding a good hand. <\/strong>You 4-bet preflop<\/a> with QQ, but your opponent 5-bet shoves on you. You fold your queens face-up to show them and\/or the table and\/or the cocktail server <\/strong>what a great player you are and how\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019m sorry, I have no idea where I\u2019m going with the sentence above, because I have no clue what you\u2019re hoping to accomplish. Are you trying <\/strong>to show your opponent that they\u2019re far too predictable and that you know<\/em> that your QQ is never good in that spot? Why in the world would you tell them that you\u2019re that sure? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you show your opponents that you\u2019re capable of making big folds, they\u2019ll give you ample opportunity to practice that skill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    \u201cThe rule is this: you spot a man\u2019s tell, you don\u2019t say a #$@&*#& word.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\u2013Mike McDermott<\/em><\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    Mike was, of course, absolutely correct. If you know for a fact that your opponent always has KK or better, great \u2013 slide the queens into the muck face-down. And don\u2019t say a word about why you did it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Showing your cards when they<\/em> fold<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    One of the true privileges of not being called is that you don\u2019t have to show your cards. So bask in that privilege. Because I promise you, your opponents really<\/em> want to know if you have it or not. It\u2019s eating at them. What could be better than leaving them dangling? If you show them that you had it or didn\u2019t, they know<\/em>. They\u2019re happy that they know. They\u2019re settled and content when you could have left them confused and angst-ridden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Which one is better for your bottom line?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Also, it\u2019s possible that you have a live poker tell<\/a> \u2013 perhaps involving Oreos \u2013 that your opponent has picked up. Maybe they don\u2019t know what they should associate with that tell, but they know you\u2019re doing something a little \u201coff.\u201d If you don\u2019t show your cards, then they don\u2019t know what the hell means. But if you show, then they do<\/em> know what the tell means, and in the future, they\u2019ll be able to know what you have. This is the worst thing imaginable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Now, I know that some of you are going to draw up into a professorial tone and say, \u201cWell, I like to show them because then they get confused, and it makes them do what I want.\u201d I grant that there are players who can do this. Who can, with perfectly curated frequencies, show cards that cause their opponents to zig when they should zag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    However, I\u2019m not in that class of player, and I doubt you are either. I predict you\u2019re doing it for any number of silly (mostly ego-driven) reasons, and the \u201cI\u2019m Johnny Moss\u2019s grandson\u201d narrative is just a cover for those silly reasons. But if you are<\/em> Johnny Moss\u2019s grandson, then good for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"It<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Read one of the highest regarded articles on the PokerCoaching.com blog: The Bankroll Bible<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Not showing your cards in turn<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    You bet on the river, and your opponent calls. You were bluffing, so you know there\u2019s no chance you\u2019re good. You fire your cards into the muck face-down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I get it. We are all trained from an early age not to lie. As we get older, we discover that everybody<\/em> lies, and it\u2019s merely a question of whether you get away with it. When you\u2019re caught bluffing<\/a>, not only are you violating the age-five rule of not lying, but you\u2019re also violating the age-thirty-five rule of not getting caught. So there\u2019s a powerful emotional inclination to just muck your cards unshown to mitigate the shame of getting caught bluffing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Do not do muck face down. Instead, roll your cards in turn. There are important reasons to show your cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. You want to know what your opponent is called. If you muck face-down, you\u2019ll never know what they had. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. You want your opponents to remember<\/em> your bluffs. Turn your cards up shamelessly and joke about it, if you like, by saying, \u201cQueen-high any good?\u201d <\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Sometimes you\u2019ll assume you\u2019re beaten, and you\u2019ll be wrong because hero calls happen. Someone might call you with pocket fives, hoping you have pocket fours, and when you shamelessly roll your pocket sixes, they say, \u201cThat\u2019s good.\u201d Had you mucked face down, you would have lost that pot.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Discussing strategy at the table<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Poker players love to talk about poker strategy. And that\u2019s wonderful \u2013 it\u2019s how we get better at the game. So here we are, a bunch of poker players sitting around a poker table, generating a constant stream of hands and situations.  What a great opportunity to discuss strategy! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Only one problem: all those nice people at the table with you \u2013 they\u2019re trying to take your money<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Look, I\u2019m sure that when the WNBA coaches have their annual coaches conference, they all talk strategy. They can\u2019t help it<\/em>. These are women who have devoted their lives to basketball. So when the birds of this feather get together, they\u2019re going to talk about little else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      But during the game<\/em>, they share nothing with the opposing coach. In fact, they are doing everything they can to hide their tactics from the coach across the court. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      As it should be with you. And I\u2019ve got great news: we have the equivalent of the WNBA coaches conference, except that it goes 24\/7, 365 days a year. It\u2019s called the PokerCoaching Discord<\/a>. You can come and discuss strategy all you wish. This will scratch your itch to discuss hands, spots, and strategy, with people who want to help you, rather than scratching it at the table with people who want to break you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"Jonathan<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      While poker may be a social game, it is in your best interest to not discuss strategy at the table.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Not watching and listening for information<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Poker players are mostly terrible<\/em> at sixth street play. They are fonts of information about how they play, what they\u2019re thinking, all of it. So, to exploit all those Sixth Street errors, all you have to do is pay attention<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Yet, few of us do that well. We\u2019re too tied up reading our phones. Or, worse, discussing exactly why we put the #4 seat on a flush. You will be shocked at how much information is flowing around the table during sixth street. I\u2019ll let Tommy Angelo sum it up:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n

      \u201cSixth street is when players let their guard down, as if all of a sudden it\u2019s safe to reveal classified secrets to the enemy. It\u2019s like they don\u2019t even know the war is still going on.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\u2013Tommy Angelo<\/em><\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

      During the sixth street, keep your mouth shut but your eyes and ears open. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Warning: During the sixth street, when your opponents tell you what they had, don\u2019t believe it. If they show their cards, that\u2019s hard data that you can use. But if they say what they had and don\u2019t show, they\u2019re often lying (just like you do). Look, during the hand, we\u2019re all hiding information and lying to each other in every imaginable way. Why should it be any different on Sixth Street?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n

      \u201cIf a player says what they had, but doesn\u2019t show their cards, it\u2019s all <\/em>???\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\u2013Lee Jones<\/em><\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

      Sixth Street can wind around town and extend far into the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      You play a big pot against one of the regulars at your casino. On the river, they bet, and you fold. A week later, you bump into each other at the casino\u2019s sushi bar. They say, \u201cRemember that big hand we played last week? The flop was K-T-6 two-tone, and you folded on the river?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Yes, you remember the hand, but you keep your mouth shut, and you let this future opponent and profit source reveal their soul. \u201cI had AJs. I flopped a flush draw with the gut shot. I was thinking that because you didn\u2019t 3-bet preflop<\/a> that you had \u2026\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      ???<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      When he\u2019s done with sixth street, you ask, \u201cHow\u2019s the sushi?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      You can gain huge edges on sixth street<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      If you play Sixth Street well, and your opponents play it poorly, as most poker players are wont to do, you can profit enormously. Just don\u2019t make the sixth street mistakes in your poker hands<\/a> that they make:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      1. Showing your cards when a better hand has been tabled<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. Showing your cards when they fold<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. Not showing your cards when you\u2019re caught bluffing<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      4. Discussing strategy at the table<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      5. Not watching and listening for information<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Eyes and ears open, mouth shut. Easy game.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        \u201cHold it, Lee \u2013 how can I make a mistake on a street that doesn\u2019t even exist?\u201d Au contraire, my poker buddy. Firstly, ever since there has been a seven-card stud, there have been sixth […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":205,"featured_media":2525280,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[877,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2525244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-poker-basics","category-poker-strategy"],"acf":{"peak_live_date":null},"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/PC-Blog_5-Sixth-Street-Mistakes-Youre-Making.png",1280,720,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/PC-Blog_5-Sixth-Street-Mistakes-Youre-Making-373x210.png",373,210,true],"medium":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/PC-Blog_5-Sixth-Street-Mistakes-Youre-Making-746x420.png",746,420,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/PC-Blog_5-Sixth-Street-Mistakes-Youre-Making-768x432.png",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/PC-Blog_5-Sixth-Street-Mistakes-Youre-Making-1024x576.png",1024,576,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/PC-Blog_5-Sixth-Street-Mistakes-Youre-Making.png",1280,720,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/PC-Blog_5-Sixth-Street-Mistakes-Youre-Making.png",1280,720,false],"author_image":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/PC-Blog_5-Sixth-Street-Mistakes-Youre-Making-100x100.png",100,100,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Lee Jones","author_link":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/author\/jonesleehgmail-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"\u201cHold it, Lee \u2013 how can I make a mistake on a street that doesn\u2019t even exist?\u201d Au contraire, my poker buddy. 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