Rule 41 states in part that players whether in the hand or not, may not disclose contents of live or folded hands.
Is it correct to interpret this rule as meaning the player may not disclose contents of live or folded hand "while a hand is in progress", or should it be interpreted as "anytime"?
For example, if player A is about to fold, but before doing so, he shows his neighbor his cards. This, I understand, violates the one-player-to-a-hand rule presumably because, even if his neighbor has already folded, that neighbor is getting information about how player A plays that the other players at the table (and the tournament) are not privy to. According to the rule, players are obligated to protect the other players in the tournament at all times.
As a further example, everyone folds to player A in the small blind. Player A raises, and Player B in the big blind folds. Player A flashes an Ace. Now, I see this all the time, and presumably, no one has an issue with it because the hand is no longer in progress...? But isn't this effectively giving the players at that table an advantage (who can see how Player A plays) over other players at other tables in the tournament, like the example above?
What about this situation then: player A and player B are in a hand, the flop comes down 9-9-4. Player A bets, player B folds. The hand is over, and player C says, "well he couldn't have had a 9 because I folded one". Player D says "me too, I think I had 92o". Are these disclosures permissible under the rule, even though the disclosures are not during a live hand? If this is not permissible, shouldn't the Ace-flashing example also be impermissible? If it is permissible, why wouldn't it be akin to advising other players at the table of Player A's betting strategy?