Question regarding mucking if you are the raiser on the river in Texas Hold Em?

Question

I would like to know the official ruling:

So this situation happened where one individual raised on the river and was called. He then mucked instead of showing his hand even though he would technically have to show first in a showdown. Can he simply throw away his cards or does he have to show everyone?

Answer 1

the person who shows their cards first, would be the person who would act next.

lets say for example, you act first, and decide to check on the river. my turn, and i decide to raise. you call. then you would have to show your cards. if it has beaten my hand, i can then muck them without showing anyone. if i beat you, i show my cards face up and take my winnings.

im pretty sure the rule is that if you're the first to act, then you're the first to show. correct me if im wrong, thats just how i learnt the game.

Answer 2

It's true that the person who has called him on the river has the right to see the cards, however in practice this would be certainly rude and bordering on unethical in most players eyes.  There is a code of gentlemanly conduct that is observed at card tables and asking to see losing cards definitley does not have a place in it.

Once the caller calls,  the bluffer would say something like, ' you got me, total bluff '  then the caller would say ' kings' (or whatever his hand was) then the bluffer would muck his hand.  The caller exposes his hand and takes the pot.  Demanding to see the cards so you can squeeze extra info outta the guy on top of taking the pot off him is like adding insult to injury and a good way to make table enemies.

Answer 3

No if he was called then mucked he was bluffing and was not under obligation to show hand as he had lost hand anyway...♥

Answer 4

This is actually quite common.  If a player feels he has the best hand he will usually flip it up as soon as the pot is squared away at the river.  To do otherwise is considered "slow rolling" an opponent, and it's one of the rudest things you can do in poker.  If a player is on a bluff and thinks he's beat he'll often wait to ensure that he IS in fact beaten, then muck his hand without showing.  This is legal, but ANY player at the table can then request to see the cards.  This is also legal, but it's even ruder than slow rolling someone.  What the guy did was fine, and it happens all the time.

There's an old story about Benny Binion playing in a game where Binion was horribly slow rolled in a hand and vowed revenge against the guy.  Later in the game the same guy won a monster pot at the showdown and before his opponent could muck his hand Binion announced that he wanted to see the cards.  The guy who lost was kinda spaced out, and it turns out that he actually held the nut straight and was awarded the pot!  He thought he had a loser and was about to muck, but showing it to the table turned him into a winner.  I'm pretty sure it was Binion, although it might have been Brunson or Amarillo Slim.

Answer 5

The official ruling is quite clear.  If someone raised and was called.  While they can muck, the other player in the hand has every right to ask to see the cards.  He did after all pay to see them.

Answer 6

I have expierence flooring WSOP events and dealing even on ESPN WSOP and I will tell you for sure that if a hand is called the player mush show ONLY if asked by the other player in the hand that had called. The dealer is not responsible to turn then up unless asked to. If The cards hit the muck (even a little) then they will not be able to pull the cards out to show them. Because he was the raiser the caller can ask to see the cards before they turn theirs up in order to avoid them mucking them from across the table. Yes the dealer is to ask the raiser to turn theirs up first.

If you see another thing being enforced - call the floor... hopefully they know what they are doing, that 's why I like certain rooms with great dealers and floor persons to ensure the correct rules are enforced. As you see you had a few answers listed that were incorrect. The best thing to do is try to find a good room and get their rule book.

Hope this helps...good luck next time