A question of ethics (slightly OT)

[Jeff76]

[ QUOTE ]
When he calls (w/ 7s full) and I show, he's spitting mad. I calmly tell him (and am actually backed up by 2 other players) that I told him the literal truth. When I posted this at another site, the reaction ranged from "you're a jerk" to "he had no business asking; feel free to lie outright."

[/ QUOTE ]What did he expect you to do? Tell him your hand? He's mad because he lost and he wants to blame you for it. It's what humans do to soften large dissapointments.

But don't try to justify it to him. It is not necessary and it doesn't make you look good- not that you looking good to him is particualrly important anyway. But if what you are trying to achive is some logical explanation to abate an emotional response, you are doomed to failure. In fact, now you're just giving him a reasonable target. If you did anything that was jerk-like, it was after the hand when you tried to demonstrate how you tricked him by fancy wordplay and a technicality.

Who cares how you interpret the question? You are free to answer how you like (unless the rules where you are playing state that you are not aloud to tell an opponent your hand, which you did not do). Your goal is to get his chips in the middle, and that's what you did. Saying "no" to a straightfoward question about your hand is not angle shooting. If you thought it would get his chips in the middle, then it was a good poker play- nothing more, nothing less.

But seriously, get over the "lying about your cards" thing. It's a game, not a moral issue. Lying is not in my nature- just ask my wife. She gets so frustrated when I can't back up her stories of why we're late to family functions! But in poker I have no problem answering "72" when someone asks me what I have, or answering "yup" when asked if I have a set when I'm bluffing after villan folds. It's a strategic part of the game and not a moral issue at all.

My answer to that question would proably be "do I need one?"