Show One Show All

[GreggPath]

This is a question about cash games, which I believe have different rules in this situation.

Players A and B go to show down. Player A bets, Player B calls. Player A (who is sitting next to Player B) shows his cards to Player B only. Player B sees he is beat so he throws his cards in the muck. Player A tosses his cards face down to the muck, but not in muck. Do any players other than B have a right to ask to see that hand?

In my situation, I was the Player "C" (already folded pre-river) asking to see Player A's hand. He took offense and told me he showed them to all and I should have paid attention (it's besides the point, but that was untrue... but even so, does the rule change? Shouldn't a winning hand be tabled face up, rather than just shown?). After the hand, he was telling Player B what had happened (Player B hadn't been paying attention to my request) and Player B said to A, "He thought you were cheating?" That wasn't my reason for my request (I was looking for information based on his style of play), but I know there is the rule about a player being able to ask a loser to show his hand even when not normally being allowed to if it is thought there is collusion.. but I don't believe that rule applies here since Player A had an obligation to show his hand.

Thoughts?

[Dave Miller]

In most poker rooms, (edit: for cash games) there is no obligation to table the winning hand. Usually this happens when a player is bluffing, makes a bet and is then called. The first player surrenders and mucks his hand. The other player is the only player with live cards, so he wins with no obligation to show.

That's not what happened here.

In the situation you've described, the winning player MUST table his hand, as you suggest, because of the Show One, Show All rule.

[Nick C]

 Hello Gregg,

Thought I'd pass this along. It pertains to non-tournament cash games...primarily house games. I'm not familiar with the venue that you conduct your cash games, so I will only say that house games not affiliated with a casino may not be legal if a "rake" or "percentage" of pots is withheld. In other words: No state in the country allows a person to run a poker game as a business.

Speaking as a person who ran poker games many years ago, I will tell you that keeping the players civil, and setting a strict code of conduct, allowed me to run a poker game for many years without incident. Casinos offer a "legal" venue and professional security. If you run a clean, trouble free game, you might be able to continue for a long time. Rules of etiquette are extremely important. House games might allow language that would be unacceptable in a casino environment, for example.  Now that we've established the fact that we are not promoting illegal activity, I will address your original question.

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.
So...based on your example, I would say that you are correct and the winning player should have showed you his hand.

[GreggPath]

FYI, this was a hand at a legal poker hall in New Hampshire.

[Nick C]

Gregg,

The same rule applies for cash games. I'm sorry I assumed you were talking about your game. I remember that you said you were not employed in a casino and you ran your own tournaments. I know that tournament players have been known to converge on cash games once they are eliminated from tournament action. In a nutshell, any player at the table has a right to see a called hand, especially if it were shown to another player.

[Max D]

Agree with both Nick and Dave, and also if you want more around it Robert's rule  has specific wording relating to it.  But as stated before it is a privilege that can be revoked if abused.
5. Any player who has been dealt in may request to see any hand that was eligible to participate in the showdown, 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. Show one, show all. Players are entitled to receive equal access to information about the contents of another player's
hand. After a deal, if cards are shown to another player, every player at the table has a right to see those cards. During
a deal, cards that were shown to an active player who might have a further wagering decision on that betting round must
immediately be shown to all the other players. If the player who saw the cards is not involved in the deal, or cannot use
the information in wagering, the information should be withheld until the betting is over, so it does not affect the normal
outcome of the deal. Cards shown to a person who has no more wagering decisions on that betting round, but might use
the information on a later betting round, should be shown to the other players at the conclusion of that betting round. If
only a portion of the hand has been shown, there is no requirement to show any of the unseen cards. The shown cards
are treated as given in the preceding part of this rule.