live etiquette: he hasn't mucked but doesn't want to show 'em

[Sunny Mehta]

IMO when a poker hand is in action, most forms of trickery/dishonesty are not only acceptable but within the spirit of the game (obviously cheating, collusion, angle-shooting, etc. aside).....e.g. - talking to your opponent, lying to your opponent about what you have, joking with your opponent, showing one card heads-up, etc......it's what makes the psychology of live poker fun.....

however, once SHOWDOWN occurs, all bets are off and it is important to practice etiquette and sportsmanship.....if an opponent makes a bet on the river and I call him, it is his job to do something.....mostly, he shows his cards and then I have the option to show a better hand or muck in peace...

if he doesn't want to show his hand, he can verbally (and truthfully) declare it - i.e. "I missed, I have nothing", "Ace high", "one pair".....if I can beat what he declares, I immediately turn my hand over and let him muck in peace....

bottom line is: I want the pot.....I don't want to see his hand.....if he doesn't want to show it, fine, I don't want him to be embarrassed.....I don't care what he has....a good player should know what he has anyway based on how he played the hand and what he did at showdown.....

I absolutely despise the "I Want To See That Hand" rule, and I'm glad to see a lot of the bigger Vegas poker rooms are starting to follow suit in disallowing it.....