Rule 17: Asking to See a Hand
Example 1: Players Alice, Bobby, and Charlie remain. There is no betting on the river and no player is all-in. At showdown Alice mucks her cards face down and they are pushed into the muck by the dealer. Bobby tables his hand, showing trips. Charlie pushes his cards forward face-down. Bobby may ask to see Charlie’s hand because Bobby has tabled his cards. However, Bobby’s request is at TD’s discretion; Bobby has no inalienable right to see it because there was no bet on the river thus he did not “pay to see Charlie’s hand.” Neither Alice nor Charlie may ask to see a competitors hand because they have neither tabled their cards nor retained them.
Example 2: Players Alice, Bobby, Charlie and Daniel remain. On the river Alice bets 1000, Bobby calls, Charlie raises to 5000, and Daniel, Alice and Bobby all call. No player is all-in. Bobby tables his hand, showing trips. Daniel instantly discards face down and the dealer kills his hand into the muck. Charlie begins to push his cards forward face-down. Both Alice and Bobby have an inalienable right to see Charlie’s hand on request because 1) they paid to see it as Charlie was the last aggressor on the river and 2) both Alice and Bobby retain their cards. Daniel (who also called Charlie) relinquished his right to see Charlie’s hand when he discarded without tabling. All other requests in this situation are at TD’s discretion, such as Bobby asking to see Alice’s cards (the cards of another caller).
