Poker rules question: Why is mucking allowed?

[pal=m]

Newbie question I know, but something I've always wondered about nonetheless. When all the cards are out, and a bet is called, why isn't it mandated by the casino that all cards are shown? Why are we allowed to muck our losing hands?

pal

[swede123]

Because unlike a game like Blackjack, poker is a game where deception plays a big part. Once you require everyone to show every hand etc. you lose what's at the heart of the game.

Swede

Quotes from Bob Ciaffone in CardPlayer:

"Before I talk about the rules for showing hands, I would like to discuss poker rules in general. There is no such thing as the official rules of poker. Some rules are universal, some are considered standard even though there are some places that do not use them, and some are so varied that one can only say that a player should be aware of the rules in the area whenever playing in a new cardroom."

"There are two basic schools of thought regarding rules for showing hands. The first is what I call the “traditional school.” The traditional rule in poker is that all hands at the showdown must be shown to the whole table upon request of anyone in the game. Those who wish to retain this rule recognize that it has drawbacks, but believe any rule controlling the showing of hands will have drawbacks. They also believe the new rules used in some places are inadequate to address the situation, so we should stick with what we have, needing the traditional rules to police the game and make the players feel comfortable that there is no collusion taking place.

The other school, which is steadily growing, is what I will call the “revisionist school,” which states that we need to take a fresh look at the situation and realize that it is better to eliminate non-winning hands from being shown. This school believes the showing of non-winning hands is of minimal value in the prevention of cheating (because cheaters can simply muck their hands before the final bet) and adds a great deal of unpleasantness and friction to the atmosphere of playing."

Sorry for such a long post, but I think it helps clarify things.

1. It makes it easier to handle losing.
2. It makes it easier to handle losing.
3. It slows down the game.

[bobbyi]

Being forced to show a losing hand is embarassing for many losing players who don't like having to show the bad hand they foolishly called with and many good players resent having to give away information about their play.