Exposing a Hand With Action Pending

As someone who writes about decisions so much, it is sometimes surprising to me how misinformed players seem to be on certain rules. Or, I suppose, it could just be a case of players having selective thinking when it comes to a rule that would help them, given the situation.

When I first got involved in poker, it seemed that enforcement of the rules was much more lackadaisical and lenient. In tournaments, when there was no more action, you didn't have to turn your hand faceup. You also could turn your hand faceup when there was still action pending, to get a read or more information. As poker progressed, so did the rules. In fact, the rules progressed so much that in some situations, they became overbearing. One example was in regard to showing a hand while there was still action pending.

Today, most all poker rooms, and major tournaments, use the TDA [Tournament Directors Association] rule, or something similar, that states: "A penalty MAY be invoked if a player exposes any card with action pending." That wasn't always the case. As I mentioned, not that long ago, a player could show his cards with action pending and there would be no consequences. It was done to get more information. At some point, it was decided that not only could a player not show his hand, but that if he did, it would be declared dead. Some tournaments used that rule, but not for long. It was quickly realized that a penalty that severe was too extreme for the situation. There was no logical reason for why a hand should be declared dead. Today, some players still argue that you should be able to show your hand whenever you want to do so - that it is part of the game and a way to gather information. I somewhat agree, which is why I am continually surprised by how many players think a hand should be declared dead the minute it is exposed with action still pending.

I recently ran a tournament in which, on three separate occasions, a player exposed his hand prior to the action being completed. In all three situations, it was heads up, when one player had moved all in and the player who was left to call turned his hand faceup. All three times, I was called to the table, and the player who had moved all in wanted the hand of the other player to be declared dead. Not coincidentally, all three times, that player had the worst hand. In two of the three situations, I gave the offending player a penalty, but the other player demanded that the hands be ruled dead, despite there being no rule that would make them dead.

So, here it is in black and white: If a player exposes his hand before the action is completed, that player may receive a penalty, up to and including being disqualified from the tournament. But, his hand should never be declared dead.

Another tournament director asked me what I would do if a player continually exposed his cards before the action was completed. The answer was simple: A penalty would be given, up to and including disqualification from the tournament.

On a completely unrelated note, I have been having discussions with Matt Savage about re-entry tournaments. The idea is that a player can enter a tournament, go broke, and then re-enter up to a certain point in time. Without going into any more detail, I would like to receive responses from players about this idea. In a general sense, do you think it would be OK to allow a player to re-enter a tournament? I will write more about it in my next column. E-mail me at [email protected].

Mike O'Malley is a consultant for www.PartyGaming.com, and can be reached at [email protected]. His website is updated regularly at www.rzitup.com.