I believe the incident that was said to be a “mucked” was just a question of intention. Well, if a player never directly said he’d fold or else surrender his cards then he is actually up to play the hand. I guess the simplest and just solution is to consider the player to be in an all in status.

What do you think? Do you have anything in mind?

Thanks!

Warm regards,
Timothy M. Bates
Timothy,

It depends on a couple of factors whether the hand would be allowed to play. If he went to show and the cards hit face down and he is reaching out like “Wait, I meant to show that” then yes he should be allowed. But if it is a case where the dealer pulled his hand in because it looked like he had folded it, then he has no recourse.

Players are required to protect their hand at all times. Now if he had a chip or something on it and the dealer mucked it, then he has recourse.

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.

At a local casino yesterday, I played at a 3/6 limit holdem table. I remember I had K 10 unsuited then. Flop came and was K Q 10, rainbow. At some point, I was confident having my 2 pair because I was the one who started the betting and another thing, no one raised me. Of course, later on, turn came and was an A. Betting came and many players were eliminated, two players were left, me and another guy. Then the river came and was a Jack. On the board then was a A-high straight, unfortunately, no hope for a flush. I placed a bet then and he raised. After few seconds, I called him. Revelation time came and he showed an A and a 10. I didn’t revealed my cards then however pushing them while looking down the common cards. I then said “my best hand is on the table”.

In the end, the pot was given to the other guy because the dealer insisted that my cards were mucked. I don’t totally agree with the dealer yet I believe I can’t do anything more about it.

Any advice or thoughts about what happened?

Thanks a lot!

Mike Lewis
Mike,

In the event that your best five card hand is on the board, you must show your cards to get part of the pot. If you toss your cards into the muck, it is considered a fold. This is such a common occurrence that a rule was written out in tournament rules just for this reason.

For roughly 6 years now, I’ve been playing no limit poker. I haven’t yet encountered a really serious problem but there’s one incident that happened just recently that somehow has troubled me.

On television last week, I got the chance to watch a high-stakes cash game by which two players went all-in. On the board back then was 910J. Player A had KJ while player B had AA. Both players opted not to show cards so nobody has an idea as to who has the chance to win the pot. However, turn came and was A. River followed and eventually affirmed that player B with AA will be the winner. But later on, they agreed to draw the turn and river again and so they had a K. Obviously, player A with KJ has the winning hand. In the end, they just divided the pot.

Can you please explain to me what happened? Why did player B agreed to draw the turn and river again?

Thanks in advance.

Carlson
Carlson,

This is a normal occurrence in a cash game at high stakes. This is known as “running it twice.” The reason that a player would agree to this is because if he happens to win both run, he gets double the money. If the all in player loses both, he must come up with that amount at some point to pay to that player. If they both win one, they chop the pot. In the event the player that was all in somehow sucked out and won two times running it twice, they would win double their money.

Say on the board were A 6 6 7 7. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any hope for a flush. Then two players were in the hand and several bets have appeared. Player A checked and so as player B.
Later, player A threw in his cards while player B turned over king, queen.

Now, I’m wondering should it be a split pot as player B cannot beat the board? Also, if player A can’t beat the board, is he still oblige to show his cards?

I hope to hear from you soon.

Thank you!

Charles Keller
Charles,

If player A and player B showed their hands and both have to play the board, then it is a split pot. If player B showed his hand and player A mucked his hand, then player B is awarded the pot. In the event that both players play the board, both players must show their hold cards in order to receive their portion of the pot.