All To The Good

I start the “rules of poker” series with a talk on the showdown of cards. The “showdown” is: “the final act of determining the winner of the pot after all betting has been completed”, or the revealing of a player’s hole cards at the end of a hand. I’ve never seen a rule argued more often or as aggressively as this one…. so let’s put it to rest. It could get bumpy. Buckle up.

The Argument

Only the person that was “called” must show his cards (and the person with the winning hand).

The Rule

All players that call to the showdown must show their cards if asked.

Reference

Section 3.1.8.5 (in the USPA rulebook):

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.)

Reasons

There’s probably more reasons for this rule than I can think of. Here’s a few:

1. From a business standpoint, a casino wants to speed the game up as to make as much money as possible (the more hands they deal, the more rakes they take). If players were to refuse to show their hand, this would delay the game.
2. Position on the table should not influence who gets to see the cards. A player who bets from a constantly earlier position should not have to show his cards more often than the player to the left of him.
3. Style of play should not influence who gets to see the cards. An aggressive player who gets called often should not be the only one to have to show his cards.
4. To protect against collusion (such as on player consistently raising weak hands when his partner has great hands… in order to trap another player in the middle). Having to show all the cards at the end can reveal possible cheating trends.
5. Its just ridiculous. Like 8 year olds. Show me yours and I’ll show you mine. Dont be embarrased. Be proud of the way you play. Turn em over with a resounding “BAM!” (even if you were full of it).

Hope this article clears some things up, so you can get back to the fun of your home poker game!