The Rules Guy: How To Conduct Yourself at the Poker Table

Most players learn poker’s explicit rules pretty quickly: the “one-chip rule,” for example, or “verbal declarations are binding.” But not everyone seems to have digested the game’s vast book of unwritten rules, admonitions like “don’t berate other players (particularly bad ones)” or “say ‘nice hand’ even when you mean something entirely different.”

Enter “The Rules Guy.” TRG believes that civility and sportsmanship are never wrong, and that bad behavior (even when you’re simply trying to get an edge) is bad for the game. Have you got a question about how to conduct yourself at the poker table? Email TRG at [email protected].

Show One, Show All: Does Anyone Not Know This?

Dear The Rules Guy:

I want to ask about proper conduct in regard to players showing their cards to a player sitting on either side of them, then throwing them face down on the board without showing the rest of the table.

I find this to be annoying and rude. Others must feel the same because they will ask, as I do, to see the cards. This sometimes leads to sharp words exchanged if the player showing cards feels he is doing nothing wrong.

My philosophy is “show one, show all” and on the rare occasion that I voluntarily show my cards, I show the table. Can you comment on this and also comment on what role, if any, the dealer has in these situations? I don’t know that I have ever heard a dealer say anything to an offending player, but they never hesitate to turn the cards over if they have not gone into the muck.

— Henry

Dear Henry,

There’s one very straightforward answer to your question — which includes, as is so often the case, an explicit rule. But the more interesting issue here concerns the role of the players and the role of the dealer in enforcing the rules.

First, the straightforward part: You are correct in the “show one, show all” idea, but this need not be part of your playing “philosophy.” It’s not simply a courtesy to other players, but a hard-and-fast rule of the game. As Roberts Rules of Poker puts it:
Show one, show all. Players are entitled to receive equal access to information about the contents of another player’s hand. After a deal, if cards are shown to another player, every player at the table has a right to see those cards. During a deal, cards that were shown to an active player who might have a further wagering decision on that betting round must immediately be shown to all the other players. If the player who saw the cards is not involved in the deal, or cannot use the information in wagering, the information should be withheld until the betting is over, so it does not affect the normal outcome of the deal. Cards shown to a person who has no more wagering decisions on that betting round, but might use the information on a later betting round, should be shown to the other players at the conclusion of that betting round. If only a portion of the hand has been shown, there is no requirement to show any of the unseen cards. The shown cards are treated as given in the preceding part of this rule.

— “Showdown: Rule 6” from Roberts Rules of Poker

It’s worth quoting in its entirety because this — bizarrely — comes up so many times. TRG says “bizarrely” because of this line of reasoning:

Many (if not most) players are regulars.

Many (if not most) regulars have some working familiarity with the rules, particularly the rules that come up time and time again, like string betting, acting out of turn, or showing cards.

It follows that many (if not most) of your opponents must know that showing cards to another player is against the rules, especially given the unambiguous nature of this rule. (As with all rules in the poker world, your mileage may vary: Check out your club’s rule book, but TRG will lay odds that it contains some version of the “Show one, show all” rule.)

At first glance, it’s bizarre that you or any other player would ever have to ask about this kind of rule-breaking (or make an assumption that this falls into the realm of etiquette instead of regulation). But consider this rhetorical question: Why do so many regular and experienced players show their cards (breaking the rules) when they rarely make, for example, a string bet, both of which are obvious violations of rules?

Because being called out for a string bet has real consequences. That limits you to a call, potentially a huge negative for your line in a particular hand. Not surprisingly, it’s the rare player who gets called for a string bet more than once or twice in his poker life.

But if someone calls you out for showing your cards, you’ll suffer…what, exactly? Ignominy? A deep shame that will burn into your soul in the wee small hours of the morning? Not bloody likely.

In fact, usually it’s the one who points out the infraction who feels the consequences (as you point out). The player who says “Show one, show all” gets berated by the miscreant for being a “rules nit.” (Poker games do often feel like elementary school; bullies get rewarded while tattletales are berated.)

Now you pose a reasonable question, Henry: What is the role of the dealer in all this? This varies widely from room to room, but dealers are more often neutral than not — they’ll enforce a rule but they might not point out an infraction, particularly a minor one. Which means the onus is often on you as a player.

You don’t have to be confrontational. Saying “Dealer, I believe that was a string bet,” is softer and more genial than yelling “String bet! String bet!” You can say, “Dealer, could you ask seat three not to show his hands to his neighbor?” rather than shouting, “Show one, show all!”

If the miscreant continues to misbehave, you can ask the floor person to take action. You can judge the quality of a card room by the floor’s response. A good floor might start by reminding the entire table, say, not to show cards. If the situation deteriorates, they can take other actions to address the situation, but usually the display of concern will nip the bad behavior in the bud.

Put another way, it’s not that dealers and card rooms are uninterested in enforcing the rules, but that players need to take a degree of responsibility for policing their game. The rules are there to protect the game’s integrity and fairness, so if someone is breaking them in a way that threatens that integrity or fairness, speak up. But always remember, of course, that civility is more effective than venom. You have to give respect in order to get it (and TRG salutes your obvious geniality, Henry). ♠