Here is the scenario. A player bets the river and no one calls. He voluntarily shows the Ace of spades. The question is: should any player at the table have the right to see the other card? If you believe so, explain why?

Assuming you're talking about tournaments here. Either way, of course not.

Of course he has to. Otherwise, how would the table know he doesn't have the other Ace of Spades?

Daniel you are my thought provoking hero <3

In this scenario, I really don't see the necessity to make someone show his other card in a tourney situation. I'm sure most players would be happy to see even one card, and presumably the winner has his own motivations for showing just the one (to put doubt in his opponents minds if he wants them to think he bluffed, to show that he had a legitimate hand, but not to reveal that it was a monster, etc.) After he bets and nobody calls he should feel free to give away as much or as little information as he wishes.

Of COURSE a player should be allowed to show only one of his cards, so long as he gives ALL players at the table the opportunity to see the card.

The only "Show One Show All" that makes sense applies to PLAYERS, NOT CARDS.

meh, if you're that concerned all you have to do is muck one card and show the one you want, ldo

false you will get a penalty

I play live cash games....and I show one card a lot...it brings a different level to the game...a different and more complex thought process.

You should not have to show the second card...in fact - I never do...mainly because I guess no one tries to be an ahole on the table...and make the dealer enforce this rule.

Hey Dan...I always hear you talking about this issue...whats the deal man?...you want to get a petition written up or something?...submit it to Vince Van Patten? lol...but seriously - what do u plan or hope to do about it?...if anything?

ditto

Maybe bring some attention to a ******ed rule in hopes of getting it rescinded.

I am working on getting it fixed and I think I'll be successful.

Glad to hear it. I hate it when tournament rules disallow little psychological/deceptive things like this. Show one/show all when it comes to players in a tournament obv. I can't think of any good reason to disallow this practice. Do you have many well known pros on your side when you take this issue to whatever body you plan to?

I hate this rule, it only exists one place in America that I've seen.

Edit: To clarify, I hate the rule "show one card, show both", which is only enforced at the Bellagio (and I guess elsewhere when Jack is the TD at another casino).

Actually Jack McLelland takes it a step further, it's mind boggling. He actually FORCES the dealer to turn both cards up even when no one asks to see them.

"If this was such a great rule, then why didn't Jack enforce it 10 or 15 years ago when he was in his prime?"

How and who do you plan on presenting this to? I'm assuming you may get it changed at a few places where you are a regular, but it will be awful hard to have the change made universally. GL getting it done, us little guys who have virtually no say appreciate it.

He sounds way worse than any Nazis.

I love Jack, he is a great guy and we've been friends since I started playing and I think he an excellent TD. He is just wrong on this issue and this poll is just one more bit of evidence that people don't want this rule in any cash games or tournaments.

I sincerely hope you are successful on this quest.

It really has to be one of the silliest rules ever (IMO). I suspect that it started as a misinterpretation of the old rule as was applied to players. I certainly never heard of it before tourneys started getting super-popular with TV.

I can see the point to not allowing it in a tourney *while the hand is in progress*...but after the hand it is absurd to not allow it. During a hand, though, it could be used as a way in which someone might choose to softplay a friend - by showing them an Ace, for instance, on a A-9-2 board ("don't bother calling me if you have a nine, good buddy").

The first time a dealer in a live game turned over my *second* card, and I asked him why he did it, he said "Show one, show all". I was dumbstruck, and thought I was dealing with a nitwit (sorry :-) ). Then later, when I saw it had been adopted in the popular tournaments - well, that was just amazing.

If you haven't already done so, why don't you go ahead and ask players who were regulars in the 80's or 90's who also played tournaments if they had ever heard of this rule back then. I almost can't imagine that any of them would affirm its existence at that time. If they don't, then that would help support the theory that this rule was invented by mistake and was somehow adopted by the exploding recent tournament scene.

Well, good luck on your quest;-)

I think if it's in the rules, it's good for the TD to enforce it IMO. That way you don't get into ambiguous situations where the rule is being enforced or not, which can be exploited.

It is, however a stupid rule and should be done away with.

Just watched a rerun of a WPT final table @ Borgata ( I think it was 2004 ) with you Ivey, David W. and Josh A.

You only showed one of your Q's when Josh mucked and it looked like you might have tilted him because he thought he had the best hand when he was actually dominated.

Psychology might not be as important as The Math but it is a major part of the game especially at the higher levels.

Edit to add congrats on that win.

Daniel, who uses this rule?

I do not in any of my tournaments

Daniel, I just watched the replay of your win at the Borgata on the WPT and I have a question. Who was the guy kissing you after your victory-and no this isnt a level, some guy planted a HUGE wet one on him....then he hugged his Mom.