You raise some thoughtful points.
You are absolutely right. You must treat a marriage like poker and hide your hand at all times
.
Is it my preference to do so. Not really. In the ideal world, I'd live in a fairy tale with a perfect wife, with long hair, who bore me 4 sons and 3 daughters, who extended endless love and support, and never got fat or lazy and gave me whatever I want when I want. But I like the OP is in the dating market in a Western nation. Many of these women are openly encouraged to gold dig men. You might say well don't marry her, but some men want to try to get married and have kids without getting their balls smashed, some of us face religious pressures/reasons to do this or just want to try to have a family without being looted by gold digging women.
Also, do women always show their hand and act 100% transparent to men? Last I checked, most women hide money, hide problems, are secretive about their problems, stash money away, have a jar full of secrets, don't tell you how many dicks she sucked before yours, she had mental problems, she has spending problems and 1000% other problems. When you type into google, "Wife has se" brings has wife has secret
credit card and financial infidelity.
https://www.focusonthefamily.com/marriage/why-isnt-my-wife-the-person-i-thought-she-was/
Women often hold hidden expectations that they have of men, and if you don't meet them, they grow resentful and make your life hell. There is no way to fully predict what they are.
"The participants in the Easterling, et al. study ranged in age from 16 to 72. Three-quarters were female, about the same percentage was heterosexual, and two-thirds were married or in a serious relationship. In online surveys about themselves, their relationships, and their secrets, a majority of participants (60%) admitted to keeping at least one secret from their partners at some point; about 25% said they were currently keeping such a secret...After accounting for sexual orientation, the participants most likely to be keeping secrets were were women, married people..."
https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201406/why-we-keep-secrets-our-partners
Women keep secrets, I believe in
privacy and yes secrecy, men are entitled to have their own financial privacy and secrecy from their wife/girl friend, so long as they take care of their household adequately.
If you disagree with me, and think I am wrong, that is fine. Maybe you live in a country like Iran or Saudi Arabia where women are kept in their place by the society and can't get
rich divorcing men. Women are very good at acting like a Chameleon in the west, they will transform into whatever you want, so they can get married to you to separate you from your money. It is why 80% of divorce is done by women. Once they have extracted as much money as they can, they will try to divorce you in 50% of the cases. So, in that context, marriage is one giant poker game. Don't hate the player my friend, hate the game, as all is fair in love and war.