Champion of Poker

Hello,

I oftentimes play at casinos. Well, there’s actually one thing I notice, players there usually show their hand to the player sitting next to them or to other players around. At first, I don’t mind, however, as of now I find such kind of practice not helpful at all, most especially to the player who showed his hand.

Tomorrow, I’ll be going to the casino to play and I don’t know what to do. I’m bothered and I definitely want to do something about the practice I have discovered. However, I don’t want to look as if I’m mingling with the affairs of the room or the casino though I’m not in the position to do that.

In your own opinion, is the practice I’ve come to discover legal and ethical?

And another thing, can you help me with my problem about mucked hands. Right now, I still don’t know when to show my hand. Say we’re actually on the river and then I bet and so you called. I believe I have to show my hand then, but am I right for saying that I don’t have the right to see your hand because I’m the bettor? What’s your thoughts on this? And is it true that all players who called a river are obliged to show their hands at the end, and then a player will reveal his hand and then other players will just muck as they know they can’t win eventually? Any idea?

I hope to hear from you soon.

Thank you so much!

All the best,
Jon Lewis
Jon,

This is not an illegal practice as long as the players are not in the hand. However, you may request the dealer show everyone the hand since they showed the hand to other players.

A player that calls your bet at the end has the right to see your hand. If you muck your hand, they can request it be shown. In showing down hands, the player that makes the last aggressive action should be the one to show his hand first. In the event both players check down the hand, then the player closest to the button must show first.