Can I see your hand?
 

Wow! I came to this forum and actually got something out of it.

I would appreciate some clarification on rules.

If I understand this correctly, if a player calls a bet on the river, their opponent can ask to see their hand per the rules?

Can any player on the table (even if they were out of the hand) make this request?

What if you are the bettor (bluffing) and are called and the caller immediately flips over his/her cards. You realize your beat. Can the caller ask to see your cards?

Finally, this comes up in our home games quite often. After all the betting is done, by the rules, who has to show their hand first? We always play that the initial bettor on the river must show first. If the river is checked down then the initial bettor on the previous street must show first, etc. Is this correct.

Finally, if it is considered bad ettiquete to ask to see someones hand but legal, why isn't the rule just changed?

Re: Can I see your hand?
 

when you call someones bet at the river, the rule is they MUST show. you paid for the right to see those cards. if they muck them you still win, and most people dont really care, but its technically against the rules, and is pretty childish.

if they flip their cards over, and you realize you are beaten, they, or anyone else at the table that was dealt hole cards that hand can ask to see your hand. this is considered bad form, but definitely legal, and the rule isn't changed because it is designed to help sniff out colluders.

some cardrooms stretcht his rule a bit and come up with stuff like 1 time per hour, must declare a reason, etc.

this is basically to counteract what happens when someone asks to see the cards for no reason, which is, every hand that person is in gets asked to show, which slows everything down dramatically.

Re: Can I see your hand?
 

You didn't specify the reverse case: when someone calls your bet on the river (meaning you are obligated to show first), you show, and they muck their losing hand.

Re: Can I see your hand?
 

Doesn't the caller wait until the bettor shows his cards to decide whether to muck or show the winning hand?

Re: Can I see your hand?
 

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In risposta di:</font><hr />
Doesn't the caller wait until the bettor shows his cards to decide whether to muck or show the winning hand?

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sometimes. sometimes not.


the rules are also different in other countries. for example, in austria, nobody has to show anything. say i bet on the river on a pure bluff, and get called. i say, nice hand and throw my bluff into the muck, no show. the other guy doesn't even have to show what he called with, he just takes the pot.

also, in austria you can get away with just showing one card, like if i had an Ace in my hand, and an Ace on the board, and i bet the river and he calls, i can just flip up my ace, and he'll know he's beaten and muck.

things are different everywhere.



generally in the US you have to show both cards to take a pot. also the bettor on the river is the one to has to show first, and if there's no betting on the river, well then we run into a fork in the road..

some places say the guy who was the last aggressor has to show first. in other words the guy who bet first on the turn, or put the last raise in on the turn. other places say the guy who is first to act on the river has to show first, even if he just checked.


and yes, here in the US if someone calls your bet, you show your winning hand, and they go to muck, you or anyone else at the table can request to see their hand. this rule is to prevent collusion and nothing more. i hate people who use it for info, and i definitely will chuck my cards straight into the muck if i have to.

Re: Can I see your hand?
 

That does seem like a raw deal, thanks for explaining.

Re: Can I see your hand?
 

generally in the US you have to show both cards to take a pot. also the bettor on the river is the one to has to show first, and if there's no betting on the river, well then we run into a fork in the road..


On last clarification....when you say the "bettor on the river" do mean the very first person who bet? For example if there is a raise, is the raiser now the bettor in your explanation or is the bettor still the bettor in your explanation...follow?

And thanks for the clarification, excellent reply.

Re: Can I see your hand?
 

[ QUOTE ]

On last clarification....when you say the "bettor on the river" do mean the very first person who bet? For example if there is a raise, is the raiser now the bettor in your explanation or is the bettor still the bettor in your explanation...follow?


[/ QUOTE ]

I believe it is still the original bettor who should be first to show, followed by the next person who either raised or called.

Re: Can I see your hand?
 

[ QUOTE ]
generally in the US you have to show both cards to take a pot

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This isn't really true. Although this is what the rule says, in practice if your opponent folds or mucks his cards before you act, you can take the pot without showing your cards. For example I have seen people muck their cards based solely on what their opponent announces that they have (even if they are lying or misread their hand) before anyone has turned any cards over. I have seen a lot of angle shooters take advantage of this play and when I see it I will ask the dealer to show down the hand.

Re: Can I see your hand?
 

Wrong. Whoever raised or bet last should show first.