When I hear the word 'showdown,' I tend to think of two bad hombres with their hands twitching just over their holstered six-shooters in the streets of Laredo.
Fortunately, that sort of thing happens very rarely in your better casino poker rooms these days. If that's where you are when you hear 'showdown,' there's no need to take cover, as you might have done in the Old West — it's just a reference to two or more players who are in a poker hand all the way to the end, at which time a winner must be determined.
At first it may seem ludicrous that there are rules and procedures to such a simple process. Can't everybody just turn their cards face up and be done with it?
Of the 169 possible starting hands in Texas Hold 'Em poker, this one ranks 165th. That's not something to crow about. Face it, you're having a bad day when you see any of these five hands. Poker is a fun game but playing this hand is just asking for a headache. Poker Hand Rankings; Podcast; 10 Tips for Winning. If there is wagering on the final betting round, the last player to take aggressive action by a bet or raise is the first to show the hand.
Well, yes, they could — but they don't. Unfortunately, a substantial percentage of poker players possess a pathological aversion to showing their hands unnecessarily. They'd sooner reveal the nation's nuclear launch codes than their down cards. You can only get these stubborn players to show by making bamboo shoots grow under their fingernails.
The showdown rules and procedures were developed to keep the game from grinding to a halt whenever you've got two such people in the same hand, since in poker we try to avoid actual physical torture. (Psychological torture is just part of the game, of course.)
Showdown Rules
There are two different procedures, depending on whether or not there was betting on the last street.
If there was no betting on the last street, the procedure is blessedly simple. The showdown goes in the same order as all other actions, starting left of the button and proceeding clockwise to the button. The first player still holding live cards turns them face up. Then each subsequent player can, in turn, put his own cards face up, or, if he sees that he is not the winner, just pass them back to the dealer face down.
However, if there was betting on the last street, this all changes. In that situation, the last player to take an aggressive action — defined as either betting or raising — is obligated to reveal his cards first. Then the showdown proceeds around the table clockwise from his position, without regard to where the button is. As in the previous paragraph, each player in turn can choose to show his cards or just muck them.
That's the basics, right there. However, I think it's worth knowing some additional nuances and etiquette.
The Showdown Needn't Be a Standoff
As I said earlier, there are some players who just won't go along with the program. They like to gain an edge by playing a waiting game. If they delay long enough, they figure, everybody else will get nervous or impatient and show first. Then they can keep their cards secret unless they see that they have the winner.
This especially happens when a player has had a bluff called. He's embarrassed to show it, but also doesn't want to just throw his hand away, in case it turns out that he was bluffing with the best hand. (It does happen.) So he just sits there, hoping that you or one of the other players will take the pressure off of him by showing first.
This is terribly rude, as it unnecessarily slows down the game, and makes a tactical advantage out of being willing to be a jerk. Never be one of those guys, and don't let them intimidate you into letting them skip their proper turn to show. The dealer should enforce the standard procedure, but in reality, many dealers care more about getting the hand finished quickly than niceties of procedure. You can, and should, politely ask the dealer to require the players to either show or muck when it's their turn. Don't let the bullies take advantage.
There's No Rule Against Showing Early
There is no prohibition on showing before it's officially your turn. In fact, it's usually best for everybody if all the players still holding live hands when it's time for the showdown just flip them face up immediately — no fuss, no muss. The procedures described above were developed to resolve that potential standoff when nobody volunteers to show first.
Don't Slow Roll at Showdown
If you have the stone-cold nuts, or a very strong hand, and yet you make everybody else show first just because that's what the procedure dictates, you may well come under criticism for 'slow rolling.' That is a social faux pas, even when you're just doing what the rules require. It's considered polite to show your cards quickly — even if it's not yet your turn — when you're holding a hand that you have good reason to believe will be the winner. You can hope that other players will show you the same courtesy when they have the monster.
Where There's a Side Pot
Sometimes there will be a side pot. This happens when one player is all in, but two or more others have more chips and keep betting and raising. The all-in player is eligible to win from each other player only the amount that he put into the pot, so when others keep putting in more chips beyond that, they get kept physically separate — a 'side pot,' because it's literally off to one side of the table.
When that has happened, the dealer will always request to first see the hands that are eligible for the side pot. The reason is to get that pot awarded to whoever has won it before turning to the main pot. If it isn't done in that order, and the all-in player has the best hand, it's too easy for the dealer to make a mistake and push all the chips to the all-in player, including those that aren't rightfully his.
(Fun homework assignment: Watch the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale again and spot the moment when a poker dealer does this procedure incorrectly.)
Who Shows Hand First In Poker Game
If in Doubt, Just Show
Finally, until your derriere has logged a whole lot of hours in a poker chair, it's probably wisest to just always show your cards. Even highly experienced players will occasionally misread the situation and muck the winning hand, and novice players make this mistake a lot. (I've done it at least half a dozen times, realizing soon after my cards were in the muck — and probably a few more that I never realized.)
If you always elect to turn your cards face up at showdown, even if you're sure you hand is a loser, you may give away a little information that you didn't have to, but you'll never risk losing a pot because you misread either your own hand or that of an opponent. This is especially true with two-pair hands, which tend to be really tricky and throw people off.
Keep these pointers in mind, cowboy. And leave the six-shooters at home.
Robert Woolley lives in Asheville, NC. He spent several years in Las Vegas and chronicled his life in poker on the 'Poker Grump' blog.
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Casino Poker for Beginnerslive casino pokerrulesetiquette
Ok recently we have been having a debate at the casino as to who has to show their hand first when betting action is complete. Different places have different rules. The basic rules are: If there is a bet in the last round then it's the person who made the bet (or last bettor) who must show their hand first. If the hand is called. It would then go clockwise from them. Usually, if you have a winning hand you should show it reasonably quickly (if not you could be 'slow rolling'). On that rule everyone basically agrees. The debate comes in when the last round of betting is checked around. Some places say that who ever was the last person to bet, no matter what round that was, is the first to show their hand. Other places say that if there is no action then the person clockwise from the button is first to show their hand. I cant say which is really correct, but I believe very strongly in one. Some of the arguments I have had at the table were as heated as if we were talking about religion or something. So if you disagree with my opinion fee free to share your reasons for the other side.
The first person to show their hand after the last round of betting is checked is the person clockwise from the button. Even if he was not the last person to bet. My reason for this is that I believe that's what the rules say. Every round of action starts at the button and continues around in circles until all bets are matched. Just because a person bet the turn does not mean that they are first to act on the river. Some people say that that only goes for betting. It does not say that in the rules, it says 'to act' and showing your hand is an action. Another hypothetical that can help to disprove the other method is this; What if everyone called the hand and then the entire hand was checked down to the river with no betting, who would be the first to show their hand? Small blind? You would think so, but they were not the last person to bet, actually the big blind was.
If there was no betting on the last street, the procedure is blessedly simple. The showdown goes in the same order as all other actions, starting left of the button and proceeding clockwise to the button. The first player still holding live cards turns them face up. Then each subsequent player can, in turn, put his own cards face up, or, if he sees that he is not the winner, just pass them back to the dealer face down.
However, if there was betting on the last street, this all changes. In that situation, the last player to take an aggressive action — defined as either betting or raising — is obligated to reveal his cards first. Then the showdown proceeds around the table clockwise from his position, without regard to where the button is. As in the previous paragraph, each player in turn can choose to show his cards or just muck them.
That's the basics, right there. However, I think it's worth knowing some additional nuances and etiquette.
The Showdown Needn't Be a Standoff
As I said earlier, there are some players who just won't go along with the program. They like to gain an edge by playing a waiting game. If they delay long enough, they figure, everybody else will get nervous or impatient and show first. Then they can keep their cards secret unless they see that they have the winner.
This especially happens when a player has had a bluff called. He's embarrassed to show it, but also doesn't want to just throw his hand away, in case it turns out that he was bluffing with the best hand. (It does happen.) So he just sits there, hoping that you or one of the other players will take the pressure off of him by showing first.
This is terribly rude, as it unnecessarily slows down the game, and makes a tactical advantage out of being willing to be a jerk. Never be one of those guys, and don't let them intimidate you into letting them skip their proper turn to show. The dealer should enforce the standard procedure, but in reality, many dealers care more about getting the hand finished quickly than niceties of procedure. You can, and should, politely ask the dealer to require the players to either show or muck when it's their turn. Don't let the bullies take advantage.
There's No Rule Against Showing Early
There is no prohibition on showing before it's officially your turn. In fact, it's usually best for everybody if all the players still holding live hands when it's time for the showdown just flip them face up immediately — no fuss, no muss. The procedures described above were developed to resolve that potential standoff when nobody volunteers to show first.
Don't Slow Roll at Showdown
If you have the stone-cold nuts, or a very strong hand, and yet you make everybody else show first just because that's what the procedure dictates, you may well come under criticism for 'slow rolling.' That is a social faux pas, even when you're just doing what the rules require. It's considered polite to show your cards quickly — even if it's not yet your turn — when you're holding a hand that you have good reason to believe will be the winner. You can hope that other players will show you the same courtesy when they have the monster.
Where There's a Side Pot
Sometimes there will be a side pot. This happens when one player is all in, but two or more others have more chips and keep betting and raising. The all-in player is eligible to win from each other player only the amount that he put into the pot, so when others keep putting in more chips beyond that, they get kept physically separate — a 'side pot,' because it's literally off to one side of the table.
When that has happened, the dealer will always request to first see the hands that are eligible for the side pot. The reason is to get that pot awarded to whoever has won it before turning to the main pot. If it isn't done in that order, and the all-in player has the best hand, it's too easy for the dealer to make a mistake and push all the chips to the all-in player, including those that aren't rightfully his.
(Fun homework assignment: Watch the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale again and spot the moment when a poker dealer does this procedure incorrectly.)
Who Shows Hand First In Poker Game
If in Doubt, Just Show
Finally, until your derriere has logged a whole lot of hours in a poker chair, it's probably wisest to just always show your cards. Even highly experienced players will occasionally misread the situation and muck the winning hand, and novice players make this mistake a lot. (I've done it at least half a dozen times, realizing soon after my cards were in the muck — and probably a few more that I never realized.)
If you always elect to turn your cards face up at showdown, even if you're sure you hand is a loser, you may give away a little information that you didn't have to, but you'll never risk losing a pot because you misread either your own hand or that of an opponent. This is especially true with two-pair hands, which tend to be really tricky and throw people off.
Keep these pointers in mind, cowboy. And leave the six-shooters at home.
Robert Woolley lives in Asheville, NC. He spent several years in Las Vegas and chronicled his life in poker on the 'Poker Grump' blog.
Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+!
Tags
Casino Poker for Beginnerslive casino pokerrulesetiquette
Ok recently we have been having a debate at the casino as to who has to show their hand first when betting action is complete. Different places have different rules. The basic rules are: If there is a bet in the last round then it's the person who made the bet (or last bettor) who must show their hand first. If the hand is called. It would then go clockwise from them. Usually, if you have a winning hand you should show it reasonably quickly (if not you could be 'slow rolling'). On that rule everyone basically agrees. The debate comes in when the last round of betting is checked around. Some places say that who ever was the last person to bet, no matter what round that was, is the first to show their hand. Other places say that if there is no action then the person clockwise from the button is first to show their hand. I cant say which is really correct, but I believe very strongly in one. Some of the arguments I have had at the table were as heated as if we were talking about religion or something. So if you disagree with my opinion fee free to share your reasons for the other side.
The first person to show their hand after the last round of betting is checked is the person clockwise from the button. Even if he was not the last person to bet. My reason for this is that I believe that's what the rules say. Every round of action starts at the button and continues around in circles until all bets are matched. Just because a person bet the turn does not mean that they are first to act on the river. Some people say that that only goes for betting. It does not say that in the rules, it says 'to act' and showing your hand is an action. Another hypothetical that can help to disprove the other method is this; What if everyone called the hand and then the entire hand was checked down to the river with no betting, who would be the first to show their hand? Small blind? You would think so, but they were not the last person to bet, actually the big blind was.
Here is another argument for the last bettor to show their poker hand first. I hear people say that its not fair that a person can bet all the way and check the river then not have to show. To that I say, 'not fair' are you telling me that having position in a hand is 'not fair'?? Yes it is an advantage and no it should not be fair. I would love to hear more arguments on this topic, this is kind of like preparing myself for the next debate at the tables.
SLOW ROLLING
Who Shows Hand First In Poker Tournaments
As I had said above some people, who don't know any better, slow roll other players on the show down. Its when a person waits for a period of time long enough that the first person to show their hand begins to think they have won. You then slowly roll over your hand and surprise him that they have lost. The length of time can be different, especially with more players in the hand. Now this is not illegal, but its one of the biggest a** h*** things you can do at a table. Its not like showing a bluff, which may anger someone but it is acceptable. All poker regulars would agree that slow rolling is band by the unwritten rules of poker.
