OK, first to answer some of your questions...
When Player A was showing his hand, was he holding it up so the other player could more easily see it, or merely holding it face up and inch above the table, but not dropping it onto the table?
I.E. If it were in a casino where there are overhead cameras, would the cameras have been able to see the cards?
When Player A was showing his hand, he basically lifted the cards a few inches above the table, and flipped them face up while still holding them. If there were cameras, they would have been able to see them.
HOWEVER, I might also consider if either player is an angle shooter. Not just in this hand, but in general. I.E. How do other players feel about the players involved. Again, it's about keeping it friendly.
Neither player is a known angle shooter.
This situation is a little confusing. First, you say player A shows his hand and then you say he mucks it unidentifiable. If everyone saw the hand Player A should get the pot. If Player B did not see Player A's hand, provided it was not properly tabled, I would award the pot to Player B. Of course, the extra money should be returned to Player A.
Yes, you have it correct. Player A showed, but did not table his hand. Everyone saw it. And then he mucked the cards without tabling. But Nick, you say that if everyone saw Player A's hand, he should get the pot. But in your next paragraph, you say:
If Player A's hand was not properly tabled, how could you possibly award that player the pot?
Seems like you are giving two different answers. His hand was not properly tabled but everyone at the table saw the hand.
Another note: How does a dealer allow any player to muck without protecting the muck/ That's right, protecting the muck from discards hitting the muck.
Bar league so hands are dealt by the button.
Now, on to the results. I'll start off by saying that I was, in fact, Player B. Player A was a brand new player that no one knew. I'm not a regular, but enough people know me, including the TD, and no one has ever accused me of being an angle-shooter.
So, when Player A showed his hand, I saw that he had a pair of aces, just like I did. He had a better kicker, but I took a moment to look at the board to make sure his kicker played. While I was doing this, I must have had a disappointed look on my face because he assumed he won the hand and threw his hand in the muck.
My first reaction was thinking I won the pot because he mucked his hand without tabling it and without being awarded the pot. I verbalized this in some way and someone immediately called the floor. Floor came over and immediately awarded the pot to me because Player A no longer had a live hand. NO ONE at the table agreed with this decision. I tried to stay neutral, except to defend myself. I wasn't trying to make a big deal about it, I actually would've conceded the pot if the floor hadn't been called (yes, I originally said something about me winning the pot, but that was just my gut reaction to the situation). But, once the floor made a decision and some players accused me of angle-shooting (new players who don't know me), I did defend myself and the ruling.
Furthermore, I was given a one-round penalty for not immediately tabling my own hand when all-in (which I don't disagree with).