Do Cancer Men Play Hard to Get? (An Explanation)

Some zodiac signs love the thrill of the chase when it comes to love. They like playing games and making the opposite sex work for their attention.

So, does a Cancer man fit into this category, or will he be sincere and earnest if he likes you back?

Once you have a better understanding of his zodiac sign’s typical characteristics and behaviors in love, you will know whether or not a Cancer man plays hard to get.

They Act Mysterious

One of a Cancer man’s favorite ways of playing hard to get is to act mysterious. Thanks to his zodiac sign’s guiding heavenly body, he is already naturally quite mysterious and secretive.

Each star sign is ruled by a particular heavenly body, usually a planet, that tells us something important about that sign’s personality.

Cancer is one of only two zodiac signs that doesn’t have a guiding planet, but a different celestial body. Cancer is ruled by the moon, and the moon signifies emotions, sensitivity, mystery, maternity, and femininity.

The moon is almost always partially cloaked in darkness, keeping part of itself hidden by the night sky.

A Cancer man is similarly mysterious, hiding pieces of his story and personality in the shadows, only to reveal them when he’s ready.

Some zodiac signs are very open and forward, so they will show everything about themselves on the first date. They don’t hold anything back and they don’t keep any secrets.

But a Cancer man likes to let a woman get to know him gradually. He wants her to peel back the layers of his personality slowly and savor them.

He will give you just enough information to make you curious and keep you coming back for more, but he won’t let you know everything about him until he feels like he can trust you.

It takes a lot for a Cancer man to open up to a woman fully, so he will probably need to be in a committed relationship with you before he will spill all of his secrets.

He is drawn to a woman who is as mysterious and withholding as he is, so if you are wondering how to make a Cancer man want you, don’t reveal everything about yourself on the first date.

You shouldn’t lie to him because a Cancer man will never open up to someone he thinks he can’t trust.

But when he asks prying questions, just smile enigmatically and change the subject instead of telling him all there is to know about you.

Your Cancer man will want to find out more, so he will ask you on another date so he can keep digging and get to know you better.

Is your Cancer man painfully distant? Rekindle your love.

They Act Less Interested than They Are

Besides having a ruling heavenly body, each zodiac sign is also connected to one of the four natural elements: earth, fire, water, or air. The elements reveal the disposition and emotional nature of the signs.

Cancer is one of the water signs, and water signs are known for being intuitive and emotional.

Water signs are very sensitive to the feelings of others, and sometimes, a Cancer man uses his remarkable sensitivity to emotionally manipulate other people.

A Cancer guy plays hard to get by acting less interested in a woman than he truly is.

He can be very insecure, so this is as much of a way to get her attention as it is a form of self-protection.

Sometimes he can’t control his emotions, so he comes on too strong. Then when he gets rejected, it leaves him heartbroken and teaches him to hide his true feelings from women.

Even a Cancer man madly in love will play it cool if he thinks it will make the girl he likes more interested in him.

If your Cancer man is acting distant, it could be a sign that he likes you and is trying to trick you into chasing him.

Ignoring a Cancer man will only confirm his suspicion that he’s not good enough for you and make him retreat, so don’t ignore him back if you want him to pursue you.

If he likes you and is just playing hard to get, he should stop acting so aloof and distant once you make it obvious that you like him.

But if you give your Cancer crush plenty of attention and he still pushes you away, it’s one of the signs a Cancer man is playing you.

They Try to Make You Fall for Them

Besides acting aloof, another method of manipulation a Cancer man will use when he’s playing hard to get is tricking you into falling for him.

He will find out what you like in a man and make you believe that he’s everything you ever wanted.

This also relates to his insecurity – he thinks he might not be good enough for you as he is, so he tries to act like the guy he thinks you want.

If he acts out of character to make you chase him, it’s one of the signs a Cancer man is falling in love with you.

For example, if he knows you like a guy who is into fitness but he’s a couch potato, he will show up to hang out with you in workout clothes or invite you to go to the gym with him.

Even though he’s not that type of man, he will pretend that he is as a way to make you pursue him.

If he knows you want a guy who makes a lot of money and has a stable career, he will save up for when he’s planning to see you.

When you’re out having drinks with mutual friends, your Cancer guy will make a show of paying for everyone because he thinks that acting like the kind of guy you like will make you chase him.

This magic will make your Cancer man want a relationship with you.

They Try to Make You Jealous

Some zodiac signs are more prone to jealousy than others, and Cancer is a very jealous and possessive zodiac sign.

He assumes that everyone else is as envious as he is, so he might play hard to get by trying to make you jealous.

If a Cancer man stares at you while he’s talking to another woman, he’s making sure that you notice him flirting with someone else.

He will brag about all the girls who have crushes on him or how many phone numbers he got the last time he went out with his friends.

When a Cancer man deliberately tries to make you jealous, it’s a clear sign that he’s playing hard to get.

They Secretly Show Off for You

When a Cancer man has a crush on you, he finds subtle ways to show off for you so that you will want to pursue him.

Instead of morphing into the guy he thinks you want him to be, he puts his unique talents and skills on display in the hopes that you will fall for him.

Your Cancer guy will go out of his way to impress you by creating opportunities to showcase his talents.

For example, if he’s a good singer, he will invite you to join him and his friends at a karaoke bar so he can amaze you with his voice.

He might watch you out of the corner of his eye while he does something impressive, like making the winning shot while you’re playing pool together.

Your Cancer guy may have your mutual friends tell you what an awesome guy he is, or he will brag about how well he’s doing at work in front of everyone in the hopes that you overhear him.

If he looks for covert ways to impress you, it’s one of the signs a Cancer man is flirting with you and wants you to chase him.

The simple secrets you can use to seduce and keep your Cancer man (they work like magic)

They Try to Take Charge

Each sign has one of three modalities: cardinal, fixed, or mutable. The modalities tell us how the signs move through the world and approach obstacles.

Cancer is one of the cardinal signs, and cardinal signs are known for being dominant and action-oriented. They tackle problems directly instead of waiting for them to go away, and they are natural leaders.

Having the moon as his guiding planet gives a Cancer man naturally feminine energy, which makes him insecure about his masculinity. He tends to overcompensate by acting like a macho alpha male.

He plays hard to get by being dominant and controlling because he thinks he can force you into liking and chasing him.

If he acts bossy and hypermasculine around you, it’s one of the signs a Cancer man has feelings for you and he’s playing hard to get.

He’s trying to make you see him as a big, tough guy so that you will chase after him. He wants you to think that he could get any woman he wants, so you will have to pursue him.