revealing cards before the hand is complete

[LTrace17 0]

I was just looking for clarification of this rule. I always thought if you were involved in a hand that at any time one or both of your hole cards become flipped up on the table the hand was dead, but my friend disagrees. He also tells me that at any time in a hand you can reveal one of your cards to see an opponents reaction and I said you can't do that. And whenever I call him on it he tells me he saw Doyle do it on TV at one time or another which I think is total bull. What's the rule? And who is right? Thanks.

[PMJackson21 0]

I was just looking for clarification of this rule.  I always thought if you were involved in a hand that at any time one or both of your hole cards become flipped up on the table the hand was dead, but my friend disagrees.  He also tells me that at any time in a hand you can reveal one of your cards to see an opponents reaction and I said you can't do that.  And whenever I call him on it he tells me he saw Doyle do it on TV at one time or another which I think is total bull.  What's the rule? And who is right?  Thanks.

Showing one or both of your hole cards is _generally_ allowed in cash games, but the player is subjectable to a penalty if this happens in a tournament, per TDA rules.Patrick

[Razor 0]

I'm pretty sure that revealing any of your cards to the table, while you're still in the hand is considered angling, and is not allowed. Unless of course you're playing in the national heads up challenge.

[dank773 0]

I read an article a while back where Doyle was talking about this. He mentioned that he used to show a card every now and then to get a reaction, but this was back in his old Texas road gambling days, in a casino, if you reveal any of your hole cards, your hand is dead.

[AlphaOmega 0]

Showing your opponents your cards before the hand is over is generally not +EV

[THE_ANDYAA 0]

I think it's ok if the pot is heads up. At least, that's always been my understanding.

[Stylin_Fish 0]

I'm pretty sure in tournaments if you reveal one or both of your cards it is dead.I heard there was a guy in the tournament at the final table and he was in a hand. He held pocket 6s and the other guy had AK. Flop comes K-6-X. I think the betting went that AK bet out, pocket 6s reraised all in and said something and then showed one of the 6s(trying to get a call) and the floor person saw this and the guys hand was dead and the guy with AK got all of the chips. But this casino is a little weird so don't quote me on it.Usually saying something like "I have a pair" is a no-no but I think showing is a dead hand, but again, i'm not even 75% sure about that.

[speedz99 145]

When Doyle showed his card he was in the process of folding, and everyone understood that.

[Stylin_Fish 0]

When Doyle showed his card he was in the process of folding, and everyone understood that.

Yeah, i do that sometimes. If a person goes all in and someone else calls and I'm last to act(all betting will be done), i'll sometimes show my 92 and say something lame like "man, tough decision"

[PMJackson21 0]

I'm pretty sure in tournaments if you reveal one or both of your cards it is dead.I heard there was a guy in the tournament at the final table and he was in a hand.  He held pocket 6s and the other guy had AK.  Flop comes K-6-X.  I think the betting went that AK bet out, pocket 6s reraised all in and  said something and then showed one of the 6s(trying to get a call) and the floor person saw this and the guys hand was dead and the guy with AK got all of the chips.  But this casino is a little weird so don't quote me on it.Usually saying something like "I have a pair" is a no-no but I think showing is a dead hand, but again, i'm not even 75% sure about that.

From the TDA rules:7. A penalty MAY be invoked if a player exposes any card with action pending, if a card(s) goes off the table, if soft-play occurs, or similar incidents take place. Penalties WILL be invoked in cases of abuse, disruptive behavior, or similar incidents. So, the penalty is up to the TD, but the hand is not dead automatically. I suppose a TD could rule the hand dead if he wanted, but I don't think that is the norm.Patrick

[THE_ANDYAA 0]

Maybe it's just cash games then, because when I dealt at this one guy's homegame, he made sure that it was ok if it was heads up, but otherwise if someone showed their hand, then it was dead.

[Stylin_Fish 0]

I'm pretty sure in tournaments if you reveal one or both of your cards it is dead.I heard there was a guy in the tournament at the final table and he was in a hand.  He held pocket 6s and the other guy had AK.  Flop comes K-6-X.  I think the betting went that AK bet out, pocket 6s reraised all in and  said something and then showed one of the 6s(trying to get a call) and the floor person saw this and the guys hand was dead and the guy with AK got all of the chips.  But this casino is a little weird so don't quote me on it.Usually saying something like "I have a pair" is a no-no but I think showing is a dead hand, but again, i'm not even 75% sure about that.

From the TDA rules:7. A penalty MAY be invoked if a player exposes any card with action pending, if a card(s) goes off the table, if soft-play occurs, or similar incidents take place. Penalties WILL be invoked in cases of abuse, disruptive behavior, or similar incidents. So, the penalty is up to the TD, but the hand is not dead automatically. I suppose a TD could rule the hand dead if he wanted, but I don't think that is the norm.Patrick

Well there you go. But I've never heard of "soft play." What is that?

[Kilgore Trout 0]

depends on both the casino and the game (tourny or not), Mirage; never allows it in either game, hand is dead, MGM (and most others) will allow you to show one or both in a ring game without your hand being declared dead.

[gmanshade 0]

2005-09-21 12:55:00Title: Robert Chasen Nails the Flop -- But Everybody Knows ItLog: Robert Chasen raises from under the gun, and once everyone folds, he proudly shows his hand: A-K of diamonds. There was just one problem -- Tex Barch hadn't acted on his hand yet in the big blind. Now that Barch had this valuable information (his opponent's hole cards), he obviously decided to call. Barch had a huge advantage with this knowledge. But the advantage can only go so far. An ace came out on the flop, along with two diamonds. Chasen absolutely nailed the flop with top pair, top kicker, and the nut-flush draw. Barch wisely checked, and then folded to Chasen's bet. *****The above is from today's coverage (cardplayer.com) of the Borgata event. Apparently if you reveal your hole card you can continue playing (at your own peril).

[PMJackson21 0]

When Doyle showed his card he was in the process of folding, and everyone understood that.

His friend was probably referencing Super System, where Doyle talks about using this in cash games. If he saw someone do it in a televised tournament, then it most likely was what you said here.The ability to show one of my cards when mucking both a losing and winning hand is something I've always thought was missing from online poker. The opportunities to put people on tilt would be endless. (Think Annie Duke vs Hellmuth in the ToC)Patrick

[PMJackson21 0]

I'm pretty sure in tournaments if you reveal one or both of your cards it is dead.I heard there was a guy in the tournament at the final table and he was in a hand.  He held pocket 6s and the other guy had AK.  Flop comes K-6-X.  I think the betting went that AK bet out, pocket 6s reraised all in and  said something and then showed one of the 6s(trying to get a call) and the floor person saw this and the guys hand was dead and the guy with AK got all of the chips.  But this casino is a little weird so don't quote me on it.Usually saying something like "I have a pair" is a no-no but I think showing is a dead hand, but again, i'm not even 75% sure about that.

From the TDA rules:7. A penalty MAY be invoked if a player exposes any card with action pending, if a card(s) goes off the table, if soft-play occurs, or similar incidents take place. Penalties WILL be invoked in cases of abuse, disruptive behavior, or similar incidents. So, the penalty is up to the TD, but the hand is not dead automatically. I suppose a TD could rule the hand dead if he wanted, but I don't think that is the norm.Patrick

Well there you go. But I've never heard of "soft play." What is that?

Soft-playing someone would be like if you were in a hand with your friend, and checked down the nuts because you didn't want to take his chips.Patrick

[KappaKid83 0]

I was going to post what gman did, so any thoughts on the ruling of that situation. Maybe it is just casino by casino but I would think that the WPT would adopt a general guide line of rules, like the TDA Rules.JEFF

[PMJackson21 0]

From the TDA rules:7. A penalty MAY be invoked if a player exposes any card with action pending, if a card(s) goes off the table, if soft-play occurs, or similar incidents take place. Penalties WILL be invoked in cases of abuse, disruptive behavior, or similar incidents.  So, the penalty is up to the TD, but the hand is not dead automatically.  I suppose a TD could rule the hand dead if he wanted, but I don't think that is the norm.Patrick

Oops, and this further clarifies:35. A player who exposes his cards during the play may incur a penalty, but will not have his hand killed.Patrick

[WhiskyRiver 0]

I can think of three different casinos I have played at where the rule has been verified in actual play, and everytime if you are heads up, you can show whatever you want.

[BubbleBoy 0]

I was unaware that this a "semi-accepted" process in cash games. I absolutely hate people who flip up their hole cards, that is one of the most annoying things you can do at the table.

[Kilgore Trout 0]

When Doyle showed his card he was in the process of folding, and everyone understood that.

His friend was probably referencing Super System, where Doyle talks about using this in cash games. If he saw someone do it in a televised tournament, then it most likely was what you said here.The ability to show one of my cards when mucking both a losing and winning hand is something I've always thought was missing from online poker. The opportunities to put people on tilt would be endless. (Think Annie Duke vs Hellmuth in the ToC)Patrick

You can fold and show it at Ultimate Bet

[Dustin_Stanley 0]

Bottom line in tournaments it's not allowed....Cash games it can be done but is called unsportsmen like....i do it all the time in cash games players get so pissed at me ....tournaments i don't show my hand...but i tell them to see if i get a reaction ...and beleave it or not i never lie ...i allways tell the truth about my hand ...i beleave bluffing is over rated and only do it VERY RARELY...that's my 2 and half cents....

[rok300 0]

When Doyle showed his card he was in the process of folding, and everyone understood that.

His friend was probably referencing Super System, where Doyle talks about using this in cash games. If he saw someone do it in a televised tournament, then it most likely was what you said here.The ability to show one of my cards when mucking both a losing and winning hand is something I've always thought was missing from online poker. The opportunities to put people on tilt would be endless. (Think Annie Duke vs Hellmuth in the ToC)Patrick

You can fold and show it at Ultimate Bet

Can you really? I wish more online sites (Party and FTP are you listening?) did that. That has always bothered me about online play as showing a laydown can at times be very helpful strategically. It helps you establish a table image. Obviously, if you make a good bluff and win the pot in internet play, you can then show it, but I think it's equally important to be able to do that when you're folding. Like DN has said before, he'll show his holecards at times and he'll know why he's showing them and how he's going to then use that information later.

[na3r0k 0]

I can't see how him showing a card would be a bad thing, i wouldnt complain about it. I mean i know why people do it sometime, they hope to have the person fold and not suck out, but i think it's a pretty dumb strategy.

[rog 0]

I seem to recall a DN blog or cardplayer article where he did this in a tourney. The key is, he was heads up and his opponent was all-in so there was no pending action after his call or fold. Can anyone confirm that I actually read this somewhere? Maybe I dreamed it...