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  • Your Poker Questions Answered: “What if My Opponent Shows His Cards?

Your Poker Questions Answered: “What if My Opponent Shows His Cards?

You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers. PokerListings is going to answer some of the more basic poker questions you might have in a new ongoing weekly feature. These questions are mostly going to be of the new player variety so no question is too simple.

The following questions were collected from various places including our poker strategy section, Quora, Yahoo! Answers and other places online. Today we’ll take a look at revealing your hands, TV poker and what it means to get “counterfeited” in poker. Feel free to drop questions in the comments section below and we’ll answer them next week.

CroppedImage 650 320 NWM 6661 Leif Force and Julian Powell Show Cards

Your Poker Questions - Answered

TVHighRoller
TV poker is heavily edited.

Q: When I’m watching poker on TV the players seem to get so many good hands. Do they rig the deck?

A: You’re witnessing the beauty of editing. Editors chop hundreds of hands from televised poker to make things more interesting. No one wants to see the player in the big blind get another walk. TV poker is heavily edited. Another note when it comes to televised poker: You’re almost never watching live poker. WSOP does a great job of making every hand seem like its happening in the moment. Like the Benger-Kassouf Main Event hand in 2016. But there’s actually a months-long gap between filming and when episodes air.

Q: Heads-up I pushed all-in and the other player turned over his cards without saying anything? Is this considered a fold? I mucked as I thought he folded. He said he turned them over for a reaction???

A: First off, exposing cards does not indicate action. However, players with the nuts (the best possible hand) will frequently flip over their hand immediately in order to avoid putting their opponent through unnecessary torture. In these situation it’s very clear what their action will be based on their holdings. Even so, don’t be afraid of simply asking your opponent what he or she is doing in situations like this.

Rolf Slotboom
Rolf Slotboom

Bigger question: Will there ever be another Rolf Slotboom?

Is it shady for you opponent to try and get a reaction out of you like that? Maybe - but maybe not according to widely accepted rules. In some games you are allowed to reveal your hand in these heads-up all-in situations. It’s also worth noting that in tournaments you’re generally not allowed to expose your cards ever but they are much more lenient in cash games. It sounds minor but it’s actually worth making some house rules to avoid these kinds of conflicts.

Q: Will there ever be another poker boom?

A: There’s no “correct” answer to this question and anything we say will be pretty subjective. That said it’s unlikely there will ever be a poker boom quite like the early 2000s when real money online poker caught fire so quickly that governments couldn’t move fast enough to regulate it. The sudden influx of new players also created likely the best, softest games in the history of poker. There is so much poker strategy and information out there these days it seems doubly unlikely that will happen. Despite that, there's a good chance of more US states legalizing online poker. We've already seen Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey make changes. But if New York or California were to legalize the game it would likely create a mini-boom. Meanwhile South America is currently in the midst of its boom that has many poker enthusiasts very excited. Finally Asia remains the great white whale of the online poker industry but it seems unlikely China will loosen regulations any time soon.

Check out deez nuts!
Don't check the nuts.

Q: My friends and I are playing poker. The board is 4-4-3-10-10. I have 7-3. My friend has J-6. Who wins the hand?

A: Your friend. This one tends to get most people confused. Your two-pair has been beaten (in poker terms “counterfeited”) by the board. You have two-pair with fours and treys but the board is now two pair with fours and tens. All that matters is who has the better kicker. Don't check the nuts. In this case your friend has the better kicker to make 10-10-4-4-J. Your best hand is technically 10-10-4-4-7.

Q: I’m trying to learn how to play No-Limit Hold’em online but someone told me they were going to report me for collusion after I checked the river in a hand.

A: There’s a good chance you checked the best possible hand on the river with no more action to go. It looks iffy to seasoned players because you theoretically might be playing soft against someone. Don’t worry about it though. Everyone makes mistakes and the other player was likely just tilted about something else.

Q: I play low-stakes online poker and cashed out winnings a couple months ago ($2300). Since then, no matter what hand I have, my opponent catches the one card he needs on the river to beat me. This has been going on for at least 8 weeks.

A: Sad to say but this is just variance. There’s a good chance you were running pretty well before (congrats on the cash out!) but it appears luck has caught up to you. If you’re really concerned, record detailed hand histories for a year and take a close look at them. In time it all evens out. Check out the sample size section of Eight Biases that Are Making You Worse at Poker to learn more. It’s VERY common to feel this way, if it makes you feel any better.

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jay
2023-02-09 17:07:01

hi there
HERE’s the FLIP : 7-J-K-2-J

MY HAND : 7-K
my opponent : 8-K

I was told i lost the hand . Can someone explain to me why I lost here?
what I don’t get is why the 7 is irrelevant there

john McNaught
2022-06-01 03:38:57

near the end of a tournament 3 players left. first to act goes all in – he only has less than the small blind, small blind folds. Which leaves big blind and small stack player. Question is does the low stack ( as I thought ) only get the same number of chips from both small and big blinds as the side pot and big blind takes remaining chips from his and small blind before the hand is then played.

Santiago Gutierrez
2022-04-25 02:33:48

Hey quick question. Just played recently and the board was J-7-6-4-3. My buddy had 5-6 and I had 5-K. Who wins?

Arved Klöhn
2022-04-25 09:41:19

@Santiago: The best hand both of you can make is a straight 7 to 3: 7-6-5-4-3. You do’t use the K in your hand and you buddy doesn’t use the 6. You both split the pot.

Knightarm
2022-01-18 19:59:34

I am in position. 4 players before me place bets. If I go all-in before the flop can I show my cards prior to any of the others placing bets behind me. This is a cash game.

Arved Klöhn
2022-01-19 09:08:19

@Knightarm: No. If there are still people left with chips to bet, you are not allowed to show your hole cards.

Dennis Nelson
2021-12-31 07:33:43

Hi is it proper etiquette for one player at table to root for a friend to win a hand against another player at table in the hand

Arved Klöhn
2021-12-31 11:44:07

If you don’t annoy other players, sure, that’s fine :).

Nader
2021-06-08 07:26:11

I played a cash game in a house which was new place for me, we were five players involved in one hand, three players including me put the last chips in pot (all-in position) at turn card and the last two players still had something remain to bet. After river shown, I became the nut flush and the best possible hand of that board and shown my cards.(%100 winner hand)
Looser players claimed that my hand should be Muck as it shows earlier than the others. I’m not a pro but I am playing cards for more than 40 yrs and never heard that. I need to show them a judgment by some one who knows and had the same experience in a well known casino or poker club. Kindly advise

PokerListings Team
2021-08-09 11:32:54

Hey Nader,

No it is not usually a muck – but final call may depend on the floor manager as there are different house rules.
Usually, the last player to put a bet/raise in is the first to show and so it goes.

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