Poker 101

I have just returned from another Card Player Cruises poker trip, and as always, we all had a ball! There was plenty of poker action, as well as discussion about some of the differing rulings that you will get when you travel to play. On the cruises, commonly accepted rules are used, yet decisions may differ from one occurrence of a situation to another. All rulings that we make when confronted with an error by a player or a dealer or a misunderstanding among those in the game are based on intent, and therefore can be somewhat flexible. It has always been my opinion that the primary reason to play poker, other than to win money, is to have fun. That having been said, I will tell you about a ruling that was made in a game aboard the Costa Victoria somewhere in the Eastern Caribbean.

Ethics and fairness should be the basis of all rulings, and since there are no standardized rules as of yet, players are used to different rulings from place to place. During a hand of $10-$20 hold'em, a player bet on the river and was promptly called by another player. The bettor mucked his hand and said, "I missed my straight, you win," and the other player, who had called the bet, then mucked his hand and the dealer correctly pushed him the pot. Apparently, another player was not accustomed to seeing a situation such as this – one in which a called hand was not shown in order to win the pot. What had happened here was that the caller won the pot without showing his hand, and that is quite different from a bettor being called and claiming victory without exposing his hand. The ruling was simple, or so I thought: The hand needs to be shown only if a player specifically asks to see it.

Another player in the game who had not been involved in this pot strongly objected. Apparently, the cardroom in which he plays has a rule that the hand must be shown, if not by the player, by the dealer. I had previously played in a cardroom where this was the rule, and I thought it was very odd at the time. And then the issue came up on my own shift! I thought it was a lousy rule when I heard it, and I still think it is. That's my story and I am sticking to it. It is my opinion that having hands in this type of situation arbitrarily shown can be injurious to the game. Players gain information to which they really aren't entitled, and it also can be construed as somewhat of a needle to the player who had bet the hand, attempting to bluff. Sure, anyone at the table could have asked to see the hand, but no one did. Asking to see the hand in this situation is a player's right; however, a player who asks to see hands that needn't be shown will never win a popularity contest in the game. That is not at all to say that it is never correct to ask to see a hand. Usually it is not, however.

There are times when I am playing that I am dying to see a hand that I could ask to see. Generally, however, I refrain from doing so. The only time I will ask to see a hand is when a player has shown his hand to another player. Then, the show one, show all rule comes into effect. Again, you must ask to see the hand, it is not automatic, nor do I think that it should be. Playing in a manner that's consistent with gentlemanly conduct is important to the game, and asking to see a hand is inconsistent with polite conduct. Just because it is allowed doesn't mean that you should do it, unless there is a specific reason at the time. I have received many comments lately about conduct at the table and what should and shouldn't be allowed, and it is my intent to write several columns on this topic. Ethical behavior and a player's responsibility for proper conduct when at the table are very important. I welcome your ethical dilemmas as well as your other poker-related letters. Class dismissed.

Please write to me at [email protected]. I personally will answer all letters. If you have a topic that you would like to see discussed in this column, please let me know.