showdown rule in home poker
 

Does the loser have to show his hand if asked? In all casinos and online games I have played you can see all players hole cards if it goes to showdown. Do you play this rule for homegames too?

Re: showdown rule in home poker
 

For us it depends on the quality of the game. If there are a number of people who don't know what's going on, we just have everyone show.

If the players are better, the loser almost never shows. If he was asked by someone who was in the hand, he'd have to...although that has never happened in 9 months of our weekly game.

Seeing the losers cards is all about preventing cheating, so people could get pissy if you ask to see them. But if you suspect something is going on, ask away...then consider if you want to invite that person back.

Re: showdown rule in home poker
 

If the loser was the last to bet and the bet was called then he has to show his cards. Even if the caller has the best hand, you can think of it that the caller paid to see the bettor's hand. Sometimes the bettor will just muck his cards when his bluff is caught, but if someone asks to see his cards he has to show.

-d

Re: showdown rule in home poker
 

Technically correct. However, asking to see losing hole cards just to get information is bad form and at a home game tends to be counterproductive. If you suspect cheating or something, then maybe you can ask.

Otherwise, avoid it. I'd especially try to prevent people knocked out earlier in the hand from steaming and demanding to see the loser's cards.

Re: showdown rule in home poker
 

Good point -- especially at a home game that's supposed to be for fun, you don't want to push someone into showing their cards. I've seen it done numerous times at Casino tournaments, though, because players want that information.

What I'll usually do when I've called someone's bet is to not immediately show my hand. I'll ask them what they have, then I'll only show my hand if I've won. Although if they're acting like they were caught bluffing and are waiting to see my cards so they can muck, I'll just show, especially in a home game.

Re: showdown rule in home poker
 

we do at our homegames

Re: showdown rule in home poker
 

Goods points. If you play in a regular home game this should never be an issue because in a short you will be familar with each player's style and patterns.

Re: showdown rule in home poker
 

As far as I'm concerned - if I'm in the showdown, part of what I've paid for to get to that point is to see the other guy's hand. Bad form or no, I'll get that info every time.

Technically - anyone at a table can ask to see an unshown hand. You will be tossed from a casino for asking too many time to see a hand IF you were not in the showdown. You will never be penalized for asking to see an opponents hand if you were actually in the showdown with him. Your opponent may not like having to show - but if he doesn't want to show he should duck out before getting a chance to win the pot...

Re: showdown rule in home poker
 

"Bad form or no, I'll get that info every time."

Bad idea- how much more info do you need than their hand didn't win? You'll see enough of their hands to get the info you need without being an ass.

Be warned- if you sit at my table and pull that constantly, I'll make you show every hand you have, even if I have to yell from the bathroom.

Re: showdown rule in home poker
 

[ QUOTE ]
Technically - anyone at a table can ask to see an unshown hand. You will be tossed from a casino for asking too many time to see a hand IF you were not in the showdown. You will never be penalized for asking to see an opponents hand if you were actually in the showdown with him. Your opponent may not like having to show - but if he doesn't want to show he should duck out before getting a chance to win the pot...

[/ QUOTE ]

Technically, this rule is designed to prevent cheating, not to give your unattentive weak-tight butt an excuse to see everyone's cards. You do this a few times in my home game and you'll be picking up your teeth.

Re: showdown rule in home poker
 

[ QUOTE ]
For us it depends on the quality of the game. If there are a number of people who don't know what's going on, we just have everyone show.

[/ QUOTE ]
In the home games I play (generally < $10 buy in) pretty much everyone shows, it helps to keep the game low key and fun and reinforces the desire to gamboool. We also let anyone rabbit cam whenever they want as well.

Re: showdown rule in home poker
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Technically - anyone at a table can ask to see an unshown hand. You will be tossed from a casino for asking too many time to see a hand IF you were not in the showdown. You will never be penalized for asking to see an opponents hand if you were actually in the showdown with him. Your opponent may not like having to show - but if he doesn't want to show he should duck out before getting a chance to win the pot...

[/ QUOTE ]

Technically, this rule is designed to prevent cheating, not to give your unattentive weak-tight butt an excuse to see everyone's cards. You do this a few times in my home game and you'll be picking up your teeth.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, I wouldn't smack the dumbass who did this but they sure wouldn't be coming back.

Re: showdown rule in home poker
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Technically - anyone at a table can ask to see an unshown hand. You will be tossed from a casino for asking too many time to see a hand IF you were not in the showdown. You will never be penalized for asking to see an opponents hand if you were actually in the showdown with him. Your opponent may not like having to show - but if he doesn't want to show he should duck out before getting a chance to win the pot...

[/ QUOTE ]

Technically, this rule is designed to prevent cheating, not to give your unattentive weak-tight butt an excuse to see everyone's cards. You do this a few times in my home game and you'll be picking up your teeth.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, I wouldn't smack the dumbass who did this but they sure wouldn't be coming back.

[/ QUOTE ]

I would. I [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] smacking people.

Yes, I have issues

Re: showdown rule in home poker
 

[ QUOTE ]

Technically, this rule is designed to prevent cheating, not to give your unattentive weak-tight butt an excuse to see everyone's cards. You do this a few times in my home game and you'll be picking up your teeth.

[/ QUOTE ]

The reason NOT to show your cards is to deprive others at the table of information - otherwise, you'd just show at every single showdown. (Note the word Show in showdown [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] ).

If I want to know what they had when they called me on the flop, or on the turn - I've a perfectly valid right to that info. Obviously at the end of the hand, they didnt' have a real hand - but I may want to know whether he was chasing a flush or bluffing... In those cases, I've paid to see his hand - and that's why a casino will never penalize me for asking to see it.

I don't think there's any bad form at all in a player who's in a hand at the end asking to see what someone else brought to a showdown - and then decided not to show.

Re: showdown rule in home poker
 

why should the caller have to show at all? in my understanding, the last aggressor has to show first and if the caller is beat, he can choose not to just muck his hand.

Re: showdown rule in home poker
 

If asked - yes. Though you'll get tossed from a casino if you ask too many times when you were not in the showdown yourself. If you are in the showdown and ask - you won't get tossed - though as you can see some here consider it bad form (myself not included).

Re: showdown rule in home poker
 

FYI - not all online casinos give you the ability to see all hands at showdown (Crypto sites for example, do not give you the ability to see mucked hands, even at showdown).

The only time I've asked or had people ask in our home games is when we had the following happen:

Person A bets and is called by Person B.
Person A asks what Person B has, and decides to show only with a winning hand.

We then asked person A to show, because he's angle shooting.

Now if you bet, get called, and muck blind, that's another thing. You've mucked, and if someone not in the hand asks to see your hand, it's shown and can't win. If the other person in the pot asks to see your hand, it's my understanding that this make it live again, but I'm not 100% sure - haven't ever seen that happen.

If the first person has the winning hand, others muck, people are entitled to ask what the hands were, but it's supposed to only be used to catch collusion/cheating.

If someone does it once/twice at our games (which are very friendly/mostly new people), it's ok. If it continues, we explain the purpose of the rule and ask them to say why they think there's something wrong, even if they need to pull the host aside for it. We let them know that it's not ok to do this for information or just to see hands, etc. More often, everyone just shows their hand anyway when they're in a pot, they just like to see what hands people have, and won't remember anything past the two cards in their hand + the board.

Al