When I play poker in my local town, there is always this idiot who also plays in the same games no matter where I go.

He has this annoying habbit of looking at other players mucked cards. I have told him time and again that it isn`t allowed, but he just won`t listen.
So I`m wondering, what is the correct penalty for doing that?

I think KITN is pretty standard.

But seriously, is this a tournament or cash game? Either way, it is not cool, but penalties in cash games are a little weird.

It`s tournaments only. I don`t mean looking at other players cards when they allow it.
I`m talking about picking up someones cards and looking at them without asking if it is okay.

Tournament:
Warning
10 minutes on the Rail
Ejection

Cash Game:
This would generally be up to whoever is running the game, but I'd generally go with:
Warning
Ejection for the night
Not invited back

Feel free to liberally toss in some KITNs at any point because, really, that's just plain unacceptable.

+1 for KITN.

Encourage dealers to better control the muck, complain to host(s), or take him out back for a beating.

Chances are, this (highly improper) behavior probably irritates other players as well; try to build a consensus with some of the other regs and then unleash a verbal smackdown on this douche.

Go into the woods, dig a hole in the ground, bury him up to his neck, and drizzle honey over his head.

Really, though, I think mariettabull's suggestions are good. There also appears to be a solid majority vote for a kick in the nuts, to which I will add my "Yea."

I've only run into this situation once (small home game tournament), and my cards were the ones exposed. The host didn't say or do anything, so I claimed the right to flip over the offender's folded hole cards once, at my discretion, to make things even. I didn't actually do it (IIRC he busted out shortly thereafter), but I did make my point.

+1 for KITN.

The next game you go to, complain to the host before the game starts. Make sure he knows it's a recurring problem and some type of penalty must be issued.

You are saying all hosts at the various games you play at allow him to keep doing this?? No one else complains, and no action is taken to remedy it when you do? I find this a bit odd to say the least. Who is this guy really? He would not have a long run at our home game I dare say.

I approve all of this.

FTFY

I will get this out of my system, but you have to give me time.

I hope you don't. It's great lolz!

used to play with a guy who did this a lot. When I said "hey, don't do that" he responded with "oh, people don't mind, it's ok, it doesn't matter, don't be a tightass...." eventually he said "any time anyone wants to look at my cards they can".

Eventually he got tired of showing his cards every single hand and things ended up in the right place. I wish the host would have just had the spine to tell him "that's not allowed. Do it again and you're out". I think he would have responded better to that and saved a lot of noise in the end.

I don't think I've ever had a problem with a player breaking rules in my game and then refusing to comply with my instructions not to. I don't know why. Maybe it's just the way I state rules: a straightforward "You can't do that," like I just caught the guy levitating and am reminding him of a law of physics.

I know there's a story behind this - please tell it in the Open Thread.

This is the best way to handle the problem if the host won't put his foot down. Just look at his mucked cards. EVERY. SINGLE. HAND. It seems like a douchey move, but sometimes it's the only way to teach these types of players.

That's an easy one for our home game. My rules posting is sprinkled liberally with statements that boil down to: if you act in a way that ruins other folks' fun, you won't be invited back. Out of >100 folks who've made their way through our home game I can only think of two to whom this has been applied.

Wow, I would have a melt down. Even the most non-savvy players that I know would not attempt this. If the offender would not listen to the voice of reason (that would be me) I would approach the host with the same vigor. If it was a game that I was brand new to I would make some remark that involved games in junior high and then make sure I mixed them in the muck well.

If the threat of doing this does not correct the situation, then this guy may be too clueless or douchey to include in the game.

this . . .

I cannot imagine giving someone two warnings for this offense in a single tournament. The second violation is real defiance requiring intent and willful disregard of the first warning. I would cut one of the first two penalties.

Am I alone in thinking like that?

10 minutes on the rail is a penalty, not a warning. A warning doesn't cost you any chips. A 10 minute penalty usually does.

Eh if it's a tournament the rules are very clear, players are not allowed to see the muck. If it was my tournament, first offense he sits out for a full orbit while continuing to pay whatever blind/ante is in effect, second offense he's ejected and doesn't get his money back.

Cash game we can be more lenient, players can look at mucked cards after all action has closed if it's agreed upon by both the host and the person or persons whos mucked cards the person wants to look at. If he does it without asking, I would give a warning, next offense he's ejected though. Looking at players mucked cards without permission is completely unacceptable. I might make an exception for a really drunk good friend, I make him pay 1BB to every1 at table and tell him it's his last warning.

Alternative option is to just quit inviting the player to your game, if you don't have the balls to put the hammer down on him face-to-face.

I'm afraid my point wasn't clearly expressed. For a player to be serving a ten-minute penalty, he would have already received a warning, meaning he would have needed to display a willful disregard for the rules and defiance of management.

Further, if he had been informed of the penalty for a second violation, then he has consciously opted to pay the cost of violating the rule again in a trade offered by the floor. This isn't the NBA where fouling is used as a strategy.

After ten minutes, that player who has already shown that he is willing to violate the rules even after a warning would be allowed to continue playing. Nope, not in my tournament. Warnings are for accidents and ignorance.

^ I have to say, that makes sense.

I assumed this is a friendly game, with a clueless friend the culprit, so they are going to give him every opportunity to get through his thick skull.

But it is hard to argue with your reasoning, for anyone.