Showing Cards/Mucking Rules

[tonymaclennan]

Sorry if this sounds a dumb question but I usually play online poker and when a player mucks check the HH to see what they called with!

I am playing live tonight and want to know the rules on showing.

For example, if I reach show down and its a stone cold bluff can I muck instantly and give the pot to the player. Or like, if I show and a player says I have him beat can I demand to see the cards he is mucking..


Thanks

 

[Genso Hikki]

If you are called, you should show your hand first in the showdown. However, I've noticed a lot of the players I play with live are so eager to show their hands that they flip their cards over as soon as they call me and their chips get in the pot. If I'm bluffing or have the losing hand I muck my cards as fast as I can. I figure it's their fault for not making me show first when they call me and once the cards are in the muck, they're gone.

But if I call a player on the river, I ALWAYS make them show first.

 

[zachvac]

Not positive if this is how it is, but the way we play live is that to win the pot, the person with last action (bet or raise) has to show. If the other person shows first, they can muck, or if it was a stone cold bluff, they have the board or something, they can muck without seeing the other hand. They risk mucking the best hand or mucking when it's a chop, but they are allowed to do that. Not sure about in casinos and such, and if it's a home game, it's anyone's guess.

The one question I have, is if the river is checked down. 2 possibilities.

1. Absolutely no action, just some calls of the blinds PF and checks all the way through
2. action on flop and/or turn, no action on river.

In #2, does the person last to act on the turn (and if no action on turn the river) have to show first? And how does it work in #1? Thanks.

 

[Genso Hikki]

From Robert's Rules of Poker:

ROBERTS RULES OF POKER

THE SHOWDOWN
1. A player must show all cards in the hand face-up on the table to win any part of the pot.
2. Cards speak (cards read for themselves). The dealer assists in reading hands, but players are responsible for holding onto their cards until the winner is declared. Although verbal declarations as to the contents of a hand are not binding, deliberately miscalling a hand with the intent of causing another player to discard a winning hand is unethical and may result in forfeiture of the pot. (For more information on miscalling a hand see “Section 11 - Lowball,” Rule 15 and Rule 16.)
3. Any player, dealer, or floorperson who sees an incorrect amount of chips put into the pot, or an error about to be made in awarding a pot, has an ethical obligation to point out the error. Please help us keep mistakes of this nature to a minimum.
4. All losing hands will be killed by the dealer before a pot is awarded.
5. Any player who has been dealt in may request to see any hand that has been called, even if the opponent's hand or the winning hand has been mucked. However, this is a privilege that may be revoked if abused. If a player other than the pot winner asks to see a hand that has been folded, that hand is dead. If the winning player asks to see a losing player’s hand, both hands are live, and the best hand wins.
6. If you show cards to an active player during a deal, any player at the table has the right to see those exposed cards. Cards shown during or after a deal to a player not in the pot should be shown to all players when the deal is finished.
7. If everyone checks (or is all-in) on the final betting round, the player who acted first is the first to show the hand. If there is wagering on the final betting round, the last player to take aggressive action by a bet or raise is the first to show the hand. In order to speed up the game, a player holding a probable winner is encouraged to show the hand without delay. If there is a side pot, players involved in the side pot should show their hands before anyone who is all-in for only the main pot.

 

[vanZyl]

Do you HAVE to show your cards?

Sorry this may sound stupid but had this situation last night and I would like to know the RULES.

Player A (p), B (w), and C (l) playing. A - check, B - all in, C - fold, A - call.

1) Who opens cards first if river still needs to be dealt. Dealer / A / B / Both Players
(My answer - Dealer)

2) MUST player A show his cards?
(My answer - No, his choice)

3) May player A muck his cards?
(My answer - Yes, his choice)

 

[2NaCl]

Sorry this may sound stupid but had this situation last night and I would like to know the RULES.

Player A (p), B (w), and C (l) playing. A - check, B - all in, C - fold, A - call.

1) Who opens cards first if river still needs to be dealt. Dealer / A / B / Both Players
(My answer - Dealer)

2) MUST player A show his cards?
(My answer - No, his choice)

3) May player A muck his cards?
(My answer - Yes, his choice)

How deep into the forums did you get buddy? You just unburied a 9 year old post :laugh:

In reply to your question here are the rules to showdown (which varies from house to house):

The last player that made an aggressive action (bet or raise) must show first. If no aggressive action occurred on the final betting round, it would be the last aggressive action from the round of betting before that, and so on. If no aggressive action occurred on the final round of betting, the player to the left of the dealer/button must show first. In any case, after the first person shows, the onus to show (or muck) proceeds clockwise around the table.

 

[tculler]

Hey guys, we had this come up and I couldn't find a good answer. 2 players left, Rivers been dealt. Player A pushes all-in
Player B flips his cards, but says he's still contemplating.
Can you do this if it's showdown, and Player A has no moves left? Or is showing your hand an automatic muck?
Thanks!

 

[OzExorcist]

Hey guys, we had this come up and I couldn't find a good answer. 2 players left, Rivers been dealt. Player A pushes all-in
Player B flips his cards, but says he's still contemplating.
Can you do this if it's showdown, and Player A has no moves left? Or is showing your hand an automatic muck?
Thanks!

Rules on this can vary from room to room, and may also depend on whether it's a tournament or a cash game.


What it's definitely not is an automatic muck, in any format of the game. The hand should still be live (unless they player has done something like thrown the cards face-up into the muck to indicate they're folding... but that's not what you're saying happened here).


In some rooms (especially in cash games) the action you've described is perfectly fine and legal, Player B has done nothing wrong. Absolute worst case they might get a sit-out penalty in a tournament if the rules specifically forbid showing cards during a live hand.

 

[tculler]

In what other situation can you expose your cards?

 

[audacity]

Showing your cards after the hand

I read and hear - never ever show what you had, because you are giving up information.

But let's look at what value there might be in intentionally controlling what information other players get to see...

I like to show when I had it - especially if they folded to me...

By consistently doing this, all players eventually only ever see me showing win after win after win after win - so I like to show my wins, to build what I'll call bluff equity hahahaha...

Now I shouldn't use the term equity -because I never get fully what people mean using that term, in fact, most poker terms are just abstract and foreign to me and I STILL make final table a LOT - just thinking and feeling... Sure I donk out of some tournaments... but me ? I like to USE that ability to PUSH information out to the other players, and namely - information that ONLY ever shows I would have won.

This way I believe most players when in doubt will go 'damn, they've had it 100% of the time they've shown, eh - they likely have it again' And you just KNOW they get a little queasy when I do NOT show after pushing on a showdown heh.... I can see it now 'what ? hey - they didn't show - oh my god, it was a BLUFF'...

so I say - show when it shows you as strong.

Any thoughts?

I'm just adding the sheep icon because it looks fun.:sheep:

 

[vov4ik]

I sometimes show what I had, but it happens very rarely when there are a lot of chips on the bank or there is a lot of money in the cash game on the table and the players fold the cards - or when the player poured a lot for me but then was afraid to open my cards for a large number of chips or needed was opened for a large amount of money then I show him my cards!

 

[kceow2981]

At showdown I believe it's the most recent raiser on the river that needs to show first. If nobody raised on the river then it's either whoever last raised (like on the turn) OR its whoever is out of position shows first. I don't remember which

 

[phantomjiujitsu]

I have always been a little unclear on the rules also. This thread brings some of the truth to light for me. Thanks

 

[Shady24]

In a Tournament, at showdown, does a winning hand have to show? Ie, player UTG bets, is called by button. UTG the mucks. Does button have to show? I know in cash game he wouldn't have to, just unsure in tournaments.
Thanks.