Intentional Exposing

[Dante1126]

I'm TD for a local poker league. Unfortunately, most of my players have no reguard for etiquette and would rather showboat and dismiss most technical rules.

Recently, I made a 'controversial' ruling when it was down to four players left and three where involved in a hand. The short stack had pushed pf, and the big stack pushed after post flop. While awaiting the 3rd players decion, the big stack intentional exposed his cards to her revealing TPNK.

I immediately ruled his hand dead.

He then attempts to pull his chips back, to which I inform him they stay in there because that was his bet (minus what the 3rd player couldn't cover.) Essentially all hell breaks lose with some players yelling at me that I'm wrong and a player at any time has a right to show his cards, and others arguing the opposite.

One player insists that in watching ESPN's WSOP coverage he saw a player expose his pocket J's preflop in order to discourage any callers and nothing happened to him.

So two questions: 1) Have any of you seen a situation like this and how was it ruled? and 2) Have any of you seen the TV clip he's referring to?

My understanding is that if cards are exposed INTENTIONALLY in a TOURNEMENT becuase it affects the outcome of other players you cannot expose your cards. At the very least its a penalty, but the TD does have discretion to rule the hand dead. Cash games are different, and although poor etiquette, players may show their cards intentionally before betting is done if they so choose.

[0evg0]

quit.

[SinPies]

The title of this thread promises something it does not deliver.

[Dante1126]

Where you expecting a picture of Clonie Gowen flashing?

[TheBlueMonster]

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Where you expecting a picture of Clonie Gowen flashing?

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lame attempt at sarcasm...I picture you saying this with some sort of foreign accent a la Borat

[Dante1126]

No, I just wasn't sure what he meant. Sorry if its off topic as Rich said; but I thought it was a legitimate question and I was curious about other 2+2ers thoughts. There's not a rules specific board, so where else would I post it?

[RichC.]

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The title of this thread promises something it does not deliver.

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Too much time in OOT.

As for the ruling, you are correct in what you decided. If three are in a hand and the first two push all in, the third can flip one and ask if they are any good, well at least in a cash game I saw this very thing happen. Floor ruled it was OK for the third guy to flip and still decide if he was going to call or not. In your case, a person pushed in and then showed, thus influencing the decisions of other players yet to act, that hand is dead and any chips that are not covered by follow on players can be pulled back, but everything else stays in the pot.