...in that LIVE game 2 weeks ago, since i play mostly online, i won a huge pot in a cash game, the opponent started to muck his hand, i started to request to see it, but decided not to, happy with my big pot...
Am sure this has been answered before, but how rude is it to request to see his hand, or can he just throw them in the muck so that they're lost? (i suspect i can request it a time or two, but doing it too much would be being an a__, though legal??)

Thx

Bill,

With the huge influx of new players entering poker these days, the percentage of people who actually understand this rule has dropped off significantly - I'm glad you asked. Though anyone at the table can request to see a called hand, there is only one reason for this rule and that is so that each player can protect themselves against collusion. The rule is not in effect so that a player can learn how another player plays. If you think you were being whipsawed by a partnership for instance, that would be a valid reason for requesting to see a hand. If you can't imagine what he could possibly have to have called that huge raise but can't beat your busted straight draw on the end - that is not a valid reason.

In some of the very largest games if there is a request to see a hand the floorman is called. The floorman will ask how the betting went down and then look at the hand in question. If the betting sequence seems within reasonable parameters for the hand he is looking at he will simply muck the hand and it will not be shown. At the larger limits, typically the house charge is being paid by a time charge and so the house doesn't mind the delay of game - in the smaller games however, at $4 per hand, such a delay would cut into the casino's profits so we probably shouldn't hold our breathe waiting for this in those games.

In days past, asking to see someone's cards was the same as accusing them of cheating. I realize that most of todays newer players don't mean it that way - but I guess it's like an old time honorable businessman who's done all his business on a handshake and his word being told that he now needs to sign the contract... kind of insulting. I wouldn't worry too much about the newer players taking it that way but some of the old timers might stifle a desire to shove the cards somewhere.

TUP

(Stewart Reuben also points out another reason not to ask to see mucked cards: there's a small chance they've misread their hand and are actually winning!)

If Player A and Player B are involved in a hand and as Player A is about to muck on the river, Player C says, "I want to see Player A's hand" the hand is touched to the muck to kill it and then exposed. However, if Player B who would have otherwise won the pot asks to see the hand, Player A's hand is not touched to the muck and remains live.

the reason being detecting Collusion, and not 'seeing how the player plays' i didn't know that...thx TUP
( i was thinking about it, of course, to see how he was playing it)

I treat situations like this situationally...lol. As a student of the game you should do whatever it takes to keep the game running smoothly.

If the guys is nice I would nicely ask to see the hand.
If the guy was a jerk I wouldnt do anything to aggravate him.
If you really want to see the hand there is 100% nothing wrong or unethical to ask to see it. When you call a bet you have a legitimate right to see the hand.

good luck

YDude

All this has gotten me wondering about a hand in a live tourney I played in last week. (Just a freeroll at a bar, as I still have not found any live games in ATL) It was down to two of us. My opponent bet on the end. When I called, he conceded and tossed his cards away. As I was waiting on the chips to come my way, another player who had been knocked out earlier asked to look at my opponents cards out of curiosity. He noticed that this guy had misread his hand. He actually had two pair, beating my top pair. He was awarded the pot.

I was just curious how a real casino would handle this. If i am reading the above posts correctly, his hand was mucked, and the pot was mine regardless. What bugged me was that if he had known he had two pair, I believe I would have picked up on it, and folded my pair. I could tell he knew he was beat, and was making a weak bluff on the end.

(Sorry, I just reread the above posts, and the explanation could not be simpler. My question is redundant.)

Semperfi, yeah you got the short end of the stick on this one. To start with in a casino players not at the table can not request to see a hand, so even if someone asks to see a hand from the rail it doesnt happen, number 2 if the hand hits the muck the hand is dead winner or not.

Thanks Rhound, hope this doesn't come up again soon, they'll really hate me. I've played with these guys twice, and about every 3rd hand i find myself trying to keep the game going semi correctly. bet or raise too small, no blind posted, side pot not correct, etc, etc. i try to keep it jovial but i am sure it drives some of them crazy.