ethics, bad manners, or a rule?

I was playing HE last night and a situation came up that I would like some advice on. I was in seat two, a woman on my right in seat one with whom I was chatting with about her real estate career and run in with the government, totally non poker related. I also hold my cards in my right hand....


I was dealt A2 hearts in cutoff, and called. Five players saw the flop. The flop came 2s 7c 2c. The betting went around and I raised, only one caller, seat 10. The turn was a 6d, he checked, I bet, he folded.


I started to throw the hand as the dealer was pushing the pot towards me and I picked my cards up for one final look - again with my right hand only.


As the dealer started to shuffle, players in seats 9 and 10 demanded to know what my cards were as they were of the opinion I showed them to the woman on my right. Players in seats three and four said no I did not flash my hand. Player 10 insisted he wanted to know as I did show my hand to the woman on my right.


I told them what I held to keep peace at the table, but felt that I did not need to do so, as I showed no one my hand. Opinions on whether I should have told my hand or not?


Mike

You should have called for a decision. I doubt you would have had to show.


But why in the world would you need to pick up the cards again when the pot was being pushed to you? The only reason that makes sense is that you were trying to impress your friend.

Well whether you showed her or not by going back to your cards your creating a situation where people think you were showing her. It sounds like thats what you were trying to do show her. If not then why are you going to look at your cards again. And if thats what you were doing they have the right to see it even though you meant no harm if she is allowed to seeit everybody else at the table has a right to see it if they ask.

My policy- and this is probably not the best one is to never give up anything to a jerk. If he genuinely thought that you showed your hand then he is right to ask but if he's just trying to get under your skin, I'd just throw my cards into the muck so he doesn't have a chance to see. Yes I've done this before, some goof demends to see my hand and I just flick 'em right into that muck so that they are gonna be impossible to retrieve. Like I said this probably isn't the best policy but the whole seeing hands thing is just annoying to me and slows down the game.

I agree with you. But by him going back to grab his cards to take anothere look leaves himself open for this. And this also slows the game down. Why is he going back to look again? Did he forget what he had? Is he trying to savor the moment? He is probably either doing it to show his friend or to annoy his opponent I would suspect.

Sometimes looking back after everyone has folded rubs people the blong way. It's as if you didn't know what you had and thus might have bluffed them out.


I once had a guy insist the dealer hold my cards after I folded on the turn and he thought my neighbor had seen them to my neighbor as I was folding. I had pocket 8s and the flop was 5-3-2. I had raised on the flop and there were three opponents. On the turn a 4 hit, the small blind bet, big blind raised and the 3rd guy cold called. I folded and a man not even involved in the pot insisted he wanted to see my cards at the end of the hand. What a maroon.

It's hard to believe that anybody who gets rattled like the players in seats 9 & 10 did are any good. Good players have more disciplined at the table. They wouldn't get upset over something like that.


So what's the harm? They aren't going to be able to use the information for anything. What are they going to learn? That you will call with Axs in the cutoff? That you will bet trips on the flop? Big deal. Everybody does that. There isn't any useful information being given away here. I suppose that they could "learn" that you weren't bluffing. Use that "knowledge" to bluff them later on.


I'd keep the peace and tell them what you had. Perhaps you could add that you're "super lucky that way" just to rattle them some more.


Keeping your hands and the way you play them private is extremely important. But, it's even more important to keep bad players at the table for as long as you're there.

Yeah you make another good point (on such a trivial topic). One of my friends who is an excellent poker player actually said to me once "what do you suppose players have when they look back at their hands after they have already won the pot?". I said "i don't know but more often then not it is probably a big hand", then the kicker is that he said "I've seen you do it too!". Maybe we all have some goofy habits that we don't even notice, but if we don't protect our cards after we already won I guess we open ourselves up to this silliness. Don't give anything away for free is often my policy.

Thanks for the reply's. I don't believe I was as clear as I thought I was, or as guilty as may have been alleged.


I was in seat two. My cards were in front of me. I had to pick them up to toss them over the pot that was being pushed to me. There was no slow down of the game. I picked them up with my right hand, took a last look as I picked up and tossed them to the muck. Now I suppose I could have simply lifted them vertically off the table and tossed them, but I usually want to make sure no one sees my hand. Otherwise I could just toss them face up to the muck?


As for the reason I looked again, I guess I was shocked that those five players that saw the flop didn't appear to have a reasonable overpair pair to see the turn with...2,7,2 on the flop and they fold??? What were they calling on.... Finally as in my original, seats three and four agreed I did not flash my hand.


At any rate, thanks for your input.