Join Date: Aug 2020
Posts: 1,332
I think (and correct me if I’m wrong) that you want to kill the hand because you think the player folded. However, in the instance you described he did not fold. That is because he is not facing a bet. If player A had bet, then player B throws his cards face down with a forward motion, you would be correct. Player B would not be entitled to grab his cards and call the bet. Since this was at showdown though, player B was not facing a bet. Therefore he cannot fold, but only discard his hand. Before the hand is mucked, which can only be done by the dealer, he can reclaim his cards and table his hand.
I think the confusion comes from using the terms “muck”, “fold”, and “discard” interchangeably. They are not actually interchangeable. Fold means to give up a claim to a pot by failing to call a bet. Discard means to release your cards with a forward motion, usually face down, indicating intent to not show them. A player can fold or discard, and folding is usually accomplished by discarding when facing action. Muck means to mix discarded cards with the muck so as to make them unidentifiable - only the dealer should be doing this.
At showdown, you can’t fold - there is no action. You can discard, as player B did. Folding kills your hand immediately, but discarding does not. Only after the hand is mucked will it be dead.