[jjnidguy]

Hey guys,

This happened to me at the Mirage while I was in Vegas playing in the WSOP, in June.

Was playing a limit game. With no callers before me, I start a bluff on the button with 7-5. SB folds, BB calls. Flop comes A K 7. He checks, and I can tell he doesnt like flop so I bet, he calls after a bit. Turn comes K, he checks I bet, he again hesitantly calls. River is blank, he checks, I bet to try to take it, he calls after some thought.

When the showdown comes, I verbally say "pair of sevens" and flip over at the same time. He mucks his hand and says good hand, but the cards dont actually physically touch the pile of muck, they get like half way there, a few feet from his hand and face down. Then someone says "you couldnt beat 7s?" And he takes a closer look at my hand thats still face up as im raking in the pot and says "oh just two 7s, I thought you said three sevens" then he flips his hand over and shows wired tens. Then the dealer starts shoving the chips to him. And Im like "Ahhh, he mucked his hand, that pots mine". Then he tells me how the hand didnt actually physically touch the muck and its actually still alive for him to flip over.

Now I know that touching the muck is important for it being a dead hand. However, i thought that was when the dealer accidently takes your hand, you are able to save it if you get to it before it touches the muck. In a showdown situation, a hand should be dead as soon as they make an obvious folding gesture or say 'fold'. That sounds kinda loose, but an 'obvious' check motion is binding even if the person didnt intend to check.

How did it turn out? The dealer asked me if i wanted to ask the floor, I was in a good mood and it was low limit and I was just messing around, so I said let him have it, I dont really care, he made a good call, why not.

What do you guys think the rules are in this situation?