Asking Dealer to Show Hands

[TheBusiness]

As I am sure you all know, many if not most casino's have a rule that allows players to ask the dealer to show a hand that someone who was involved in a showdown mucked when he discovered it was a losing hand. I do not particularly like this rule, because I think that as a matter of etiquette people should be allowed to muck their hands at any time, even on a showdown, and not be forced to show. However, even though I do not support the rule, I use it sometimes when I want info about a player. I feel justified in doing this because people do it to me when they want info about my plays/hands, and I don't want to be at an informational disadvantage in the game.

1) What do you guys think about this rule in general?
2) Is it bad etiquette to use it when a player is very adamant about not showing his hand and gets upset when you ask the dealer to show it?

[TStoneMBD]

this isnt the right forum. poker theory or brick and mortar is the right one.

however, its been discussed before. its a bad rule, but its the only defense against collusion. i used to ask to see peoples cards now and then for information, and then realized that it is bad etiquette, so i only did it on ocassion. then i found out that its bad etiquette to do it on ocassion and havent asked to see a players hole cards for informational purposes in months. dont ever do it. period.

if other people are being pricks about it and are looking at your hole cards, point it out and say something to them. most people dont realize that its bad etiquette. if they dont care or continue to do it, then ask to see their cards every time they are in a pot. f' em.

[mmcd]

20/40 live game: LAG clown and Loose Passive fish are my opponents. I go hard on the flop against the LAG on a ragged flop on complete air and end up driving the fish out.....I bet the river, LAG raises, I muck, LAG flashes a rivered gutshot or some such nonsense.

Fish: "I wanna see that hand, he raised me out on the flop."

Incompetant dealer: Grabs 2 cards out of the muck that were possibly mine, and turns them up showing whatever garbage hand would have top 2 pair (obviously not my hand).

[tpir90036]

The spirit of the rule is to prevent collusion...there is nothing to stop someone from using it to gain information about a player... but it's bad form and very annoying. If you have a winner it should not be difficult to figure out what someone's hand was given the action. Don't be a nit.

If someone really doesn't want their hand to be shown they would improve their mucking aim so that their cards could not be IDed.

[AviD]

I adhere to the rules of the casino and only show my hand when I have to. I also wait until it is my turn to showdown a hand, waiting to see who shows theirs first and if mine is beat, quietly send it to the muck. I got accused of slow rolling yesterday where I had the best hand but wasn't convinced until everyone else showed. The guy promptly apologized when the table corrected him, and I assured him that I wasn't slow rolling.

If someone asks the dealer to see my hand, I'll just tell them what it was because the dealer is going to show it anyway (unless it is in the muck already, in which case...I don't say a word).

What annoys me more is how many times people ask me what I had with no showdown or call. My most common answer is "pocket 2s, GOOD!" to give them a friendly hint to stop asking me!

[TStoneMBD]

i could have a royal flush, and i wont show it until everyone turns their hands up in order.

[na4bart]

I dislike the rule, but it is a fact of life that many will use it. Usually when someone is pissed about something during the hand. Bad etiquette? Yeah. Can also on occasion cause one to lose the pot when the dealer neglects to kill the hand before exposing it. Has happened to me and I wasn't sure who I wanted to strangle, the dealer or the player who asked to see the hand.

[BigSkiRace]

I also used to do it alot at the lower limits 3/6 and 5/10 I don't do it in 10/20 and would'nt dare do it at the 20/40. I honeslty think there might be a brawl If some one was to ask to see cards in the 20/40 at Turning Stone, esp if you asked to see the wrong persons cards.

[na4bart]

LOL

[TStoneMBD]

yah i asked to see someones cards a week or 2 ago because i thought there was some non-legit stuff going on during the hand of which i wont mention here. the player shot me a glance and almost wanted to take me outside. i explained to him why it is that i wanted to see his cards and he was probably more insulted by my reasoning which only made things worse, lol.