06-12-06, LearnTexasHoldem:

Required To Show Both Cards

Question: Playing on the final table in a tournament, I held a K, 3 (no one raised my big blind). The flop came K, 2, J. I raised and everyone folded. Someone asked me to show my cards so I showed only the King.

Two guys at the table insisted I had to show the second card. That's my question. If the hand is over and everyone has folded and I opt to show just one card, do I have to show the second card if requested?

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If so, is it bad etiquette for someone to ask to see the second card in this situation (I saw Annie Duke heads up with Hellmuth and she showed only her low card after he folded. I figured if he didn't bitch about it, it must not be a rule.

Thanks

Question 2: My apologies if this question has already been asked and responded to but I didn't notice it on your site. When you are heads up and player A goes all in on the "turn" and player B calls the all-in and flips his cards over, does the initial all-in player A have to turn his cards over right then and there or can he wait until the river card has been turned? I realize that player A will have to show his cards to win the pot or if asked by player B after the river card.

Thanks in advance.

Answer:

In your example hand, you aren't required to show any cards. And just because you opted to reveal one, doesn't mean you have to show the other. To add to this, there is a rule that states all players should be privy to the same info, meaning if you revealed the King to one player, the rest would have a legitimate beef until you showed them too.

In hands where there is a showdown, you do have to show both cards to collect the pot, even if one card is sufficient for the win. For example, if you have AK and the flop is AAA45, you still have to show the King to take the pot.

Next, there is a rule that states if there is a showdown, and a player at the table requests to see a hand, he is entitled to. This is an old rule to prevent collusion. For example, if you were in a hand and one player bet and another raised and then reraised, forcing you out, you can ask to see both hands (if it has a showdown). You can't abuse this rule though, for example saying, "let me see all that guy's hands from now on!" There is a clause to the rule that says something to the effect of, it can't be used to persecute another player.

Lastly, as for etiquette, yes players usually take offense to being asked to reveal their cards.

Answer 2: No, neither player is required to show their hand face up on the table, unless for the reasons you listed. On TV and on the Internet, all-in hands are show face up, but in real play, that usually isn't the case. Most of the time the losing player will just quietly muck his hand, without showing it to anyone else.

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