"I Want to See That Hand"

There is something that has been bothering me for years, so I am going to tell you about it. A rule that is used in almost every poker room allows for any player at a table to be able to ask to see any called hand. My problem is this: I don't like that rule!

I imagine that many years ago, in the smoky backroom of a pool hall, someone decided that the best way to detect collusion in a poker game was to allow any player at the table to ask to see the called hand of any player involved in a showdown. This rule is good for doing exactly what it was designed to do, detect collusion. Because the intent of the rule was clear-cut, it is safe to assume that the rule was passed along from poker game to poker game because players thought it was a good rule.

Eventually, this rule became so common that poker rooms around the world added some form of it to their rulebooks. I would like to think the original rule specified that its intent was to detect collusion, but I might be wrong. Either way, the rule that is in most rulebooks today usually reads: "Any player who has been dealt in may request to see any hand that has been called, even if the opponent's hand or the winning hand has been mucked. However, this is a privilege that may be revoked if abused." Do you see the problem that I do? There is no mention of why the rule is in place.

I have been involved in poker in some form or another for more than 14 years. During that time I have seen the occurrences of someone asking to see another player's hand go from almost never to almost every hand. The reason this has happened is because it has become a generally accepted practice! New players are not aware the rule was designed to detect collusion; most of them honestly believe they have a right to see what cards another person played and use that information for their benefit. The culprit of this shift in rule interpretation is the poker rooms that either don't enforce their current rule or have a rule that doesn't specify its intent.

I would like to see all poker rooms do two things:

Change the rule to read: "Any player who has been dealt in may request to see any hand that has been called, even if the opponent's hand or the winning hand has been mucked. This rule is intended to detect possible collusion, and the requesting player must be able to substantiate the reason for asking to see a hand. However, this is a privilege that may be revoked if abused." I know, this would possibly slow up a game if a player asking to see a hand has to come up with an excuse every time. However, within a short period of time, I think the requests would come to a halt.

In addition to changing the rule, poker rooms should instruct all dealers how to handle the situation of someone asking to see a called hand. A dealer could simply ask: "Are you asking just to see the hand or because you think something is wrong?" I imagine most players would honestly state that they just want to see the hand. This in itself would get players to quit asking just for the sake of wanting to see the cards someone was playing.

I believe that by going back to the original intent of the rule, poker in general would benefit. Poker is not a game that requires all of your secrets to be revealed. Poker today is much improved in comparison to what went on many years ago. This rule was designed for a specific reason, and it should still serve the same purpose it served years ago, and nothing more.

Editor's note: Michael O'Malley can usually be found playing online at partypoker.com as Rzitup. To learn more about him, go to www.rzitup.com.