<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=468 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>Question of the Day
February 1, 2006
</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=468 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=left>Q: Is there a rule in poker that if you show your hand to one player, you must then show to all at the table? Thanks for your help — it will settle a bet.
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A: We hope your bet was on the "show-all" side of this wager, because that’s the rule (we called the poker rooms at Bellagio and the Wynn, just to be sure).
The common circumstance under which the "show-one show-all" rule tends to come into play is when someone either runs a successful bluff or had a super-strong hand, but the person wasn't called and he/she wants to show his or her neighbor how great it was (either the bluff or the hand). It has to do with people's innate desire to get some recognition for something they did, even though it works not one whit to their benefit.
What then happens is that someone on the other side of the table inevitably and invariably says "show-one show-all," at which point the dealer takes the hand and turns it over for all to see.
According to a poker-aficionado on the </I>LVA</I> staff, demanding to see the hand is a classless move generally made by smug players wishing to prove how knowledgeable they are about the rules. It's considered poor etiquette to ask to see a hand and not something that he condones or recommends.
There’s another reason not to ask to see hands. Often, under this circumstance, the hand was a bluff, where a beginning player ended up folding the winning hand. By saying show-one show-all, the hand is then turned over and the newbie gets upset at losing a pot that he or she would have won. A lot of beginning players leave the game after such a revelation. Sometimes, things are better left unsaid (or unrevealed, if you will) for the benefit of the rest of the table.
Note that if you're the winning player in the pot and the other person throws his hand away and you ask to see it, the rules are different. If you ask to see the hand and it beats yours, you go from a winner to a loser. People make mistakes and fold winning cards sometimes. Our poker-player staffer has seen this happen more than once.
What's behind the show-one show-all rule is the premise that it’s up to players to protect their hands. If you fail to do so, you have no redress if it becomes fouled or if the dealer accidentally kills it. If you drop any cards on the floor, you must still play them, and if you intentionally or accidentally show your hand to another player and are noticed by the dealer or another player, you will be made to show your hand to all. One reason for this rule is to ensure fairness, so that no player has an undue advantage over the rest of the table.
Another rationale behind it is to prevent collusion: A common way to cheat at poker is for two players to squeeze some innocent victim by each continuing to raise, in order to get the guy in the middle to put in more money when one of them has a good hand. The other accomplice may have garbage. Under those circumstances, you’d want to ask to see the hands so you can try to tell if you're getting swindled.
In summary, it's not advisable to ask to see players' mucked cards. It makes you look like an amateur and it invites other people to ask to see your hands. It's the poker equivalent of childish behavior. If you have reason to believe there might be collusion, then a well-timed request is proper, meaning a request where both players are still in the hand at the end and you get to see both of them. (Though it might be better just to leave the game in the first place.)
Also, if you find someone else in the game asking to see your cards frequently, then it's not improper to request the same of that player each time, as well. Turnabout is fair play. Having said that, if a player is asking for hands to be turned over, chances are he or she is a beginning and inexperienced player — someone you want to keep around in the game and not run off.
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February 1, 2006
</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=468 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=left>Q: Is there a rule in poker that if you show your hand to one player, you must then show to all at the table? Thanks for your help — it will settle a bet.
</TD></TR><TR><TD align=left>
A: We hope your bet was on the "show-all" side of this wager, because that’s the rule (we called the poker rooms at Bellagio and the Wynn, just to be sure).
The common circumstance under which the "show-one show-all" rule tends to come into play is when someone either runs a successful bluff or had a super-strong hand, but the person wasn't called and he/she wants to show his or her neighbor how great it was (either the bluff or the hand). It has to do with people's innate desire to get some recognition for something they did, even though it works not one whit to their benefit.
What then happens is that someone on the other side of the table inevitably and invariably says "show-one show-all," at which point the dealer takes the hand and turns it over for all to see.
According to a poker-aficionado on the </I>LVA</I> staff, demanding to see the hand is a classless move generally made by smug players wishing to prove how knowledgeable they are about the rules. It's considered poor etiquette to ask to see a hand and not something that he condones or recommends.
There’s another reason not to ask to see hands. Often, under this circumstance, the hand was a bluff, where a beginning player ended up folding the winning hand. By saying show-one show-all, the hand is then turned over and the newbie gets upset at losing a pot that he or she would have won. A lot of beginning players leave the game after such a revelation. Sometimes, things are better left unsaid (or unrevealed, if you will) for the benefit of the rest of the table.
Note that if you're the winning player in the pot and the other person throws his hand away and you ask to see it, the rules are different. If you ask to see the hand and it beats yours, you go from a winner to a loser. People make mistakes and fold winning cards sometimes. Our poker-player staffer has seen this happen more than once.
What's behind the show-one show-all rule is the premise that it’s up to players to protect their hands. If you fail to do so, you have no redress if it becomes fouled or if the dealer accidentally kills it. If you drop any cards on the floor, you must still play them, and if you intentionally or accidentally show your hand to another player and are noticed by the dealer or another player, you will be made to show your hand to all. One reason for this rule is to ensure fairness, so that no player has an undue advantage over the rest of the table.
Another rationale behind it is to prevent collusion: A common way to cheat at poker is for two players to squeeze some innocent victim by each continuing to raise, in order to get the guy in the middle to put in more money when one of them has a good hand. The other accomplice may have garbage. Under those circumstances, you’d want to ask to see the hands so you can try to tell if you're getting swindled.
In summary, it's not advisable to ask to see players' mucked cards. It makes you look like an amateur and it invites other people to ask to see your hands. It's the poker equivalent of childish behavior. If you have reason to believe there might be collusion, then a well-timed request is proper, meaning a request where both players are still in the hand at the end and you get to see both of them. (Though it might be better just to leave the game in the first place.)
Also, if you find someone else in the game asking to see your cards frequently, then it's not improper to request the same of that player each time, as well. Turnabout is fair play. Having said that, if a player is asking for hands to be turned over, chances are he or she is a beginning and inexperienced player — someone you want to keep around in the game and not run off.
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