I don’t pretend to be a know it all, nor have I played one on TV. But there are times when I know that I am right. Like last Saturday night when playing in my favorite monthly (legal, non-raked) tournament in Southwest Houston. I picked up J-10 under the gun. Having an M of 6.5, I moved all in. It folded to the table captain small blind who called. Not feeling insecure about taking Dan Harrington’s suggestion, I flipped over my hand immediately to conserve time. The dealer proceeded to flop and turn before he heard my request to stop dealing so I could see the other player\’s hand.
My opponent, angry he had to wait to see the river, said, “I don’t have to show my hand.†Wanting to help better the world, I explained it was a basic tournament rule that all-in players when heads-up had to show their hand. Not to mention I’ve played in this tournament for two years — I have always been asked to flip over my hand in this situation, but this “new†guy informed me the rule did not apply to this particular tournament. ??????
After telling him it was not only a standard ruling but indeed it was a house rule as well, he told me I didn’t know what I was talking about. I regretfully became sassy, and asked how could I not know what I was saying if I am barely on the top 100 Women money winners of all time list —in the world?! The argument escalated but ultimately without surprise the room backed me up on the issue.
As it turns out he only plays cash with these guys so it\’s safe to assume he was trying to enforce a cash-game ruling. We didn’t speak much the rest of the tournament but surely in the end we will become fast friends (without calling him Shirley). We both made the final table and we both left without cashing. Sigh.
Friendly game or not, it’s important to state your rules and stick to them. While this may seem trivial, it will help keep the drama low and allow other players to see more hands instead of watching a side show. Jack McClelland stated in the January issue of Card Player: “In the good old days of poker, I used to say “shuffle up and deal.†Now, I give a two-minute speech about all of the things the players “can’t and shouldn’t do.†It’s unfortunate Jack has to do this speech. If you are in the business of making money in Poker, then do your research beforehand. No pun intended.