I just caught an episode of Bart Hanson's Crush Live Poker call-in show that really got my attention. It had nothing to do with strategy, and everything to do with 'good of the game.'
The caller meandered quite a bit, but this is the summary of what happened: in a $1/2 NLHE game in a Florida casino, a new or inexperienced player check/called a river bet. The bettor tabled an ace-high bluff. The caller showed, but didn't table their hand, which was second pair, for the better hand. It seems that they held their cards face-up in their palm, with their palm resting on the felt. Multiple players at the table saw that they had the winner. But then, without tabling his cards, the newbie turned them face-down on the felt.
If you're not familiar with live poker rules, you may not be aware of the magical action of 'tabling' your hand – that is, putting the cards face-up on the table. Unless and until you do that, the hand doesn't 'speak' (to use arcane poker vocabulary).
The new player wasn't aware of this, and assumed that by clearly showing his hand to the table, even from his palm, he would get the pot. And certainly when he plays in the $.25/$.50 game in Nancy's basement on Thursday evenings, showing his cards from his palm is plenty good.
When is the best hand not the best hand?
The dealer ruled that the cards were mucked, and thus the bettor, who had tabled his hand, would be awarded the pot. The good news is that she didn't shove the caller's cards into the muck.
The newbie, and eventually Bart's correspondent, complained, and ultimately the floor was brought over. They asked the table if they had seen the caller's cards, and multiple people said they did. They asked if those two cards sitting over there were his cards. Yes, they are. The floor told the dealer to turn the cards face up, and the caller, who had the best poker hand at showdown after calling a bet (emphasis mine) got the pot.
Good outcome.
I usually like Bart's lines, and I learn from his podcasts. But I didn't like the line he took on this hand. First he leaned into the definition of tabling your hand, and with that, I have no quarrel. Bart and I have both in poker long enough to know the letter of the 'tabling' rule and all the reasons around it.
But then Bart took a weird turn on sixth street, and said that the bettor, who had been bluffing, should have simply shipped the pot over to the caller. This is no way to run a railroad. Look, Bart Hanson would immediately give the pot to the other guy. So would I. But we can't count on all poker players to do the Right Thing, and that's why we have floorpeople.
The floorperson's job is to look after the game.
TDA Rule #1
I know that cash game rooms don't necessarily follow TDA rules. But there's a lot in the TDA rules that is applicable to cash games, and Rule #1 is definitely applicable to all public poker:
1: Floor Decisions. The best interest of the game and fairness are top priorities in decision-making. Unusual circumstances occasionally dictate that common-sense decisions in the interest of fairness take priority over technical rules. Floor decisions are final.
It's not a coincidence that this is TDA Rule #1 – I was at the TDA meeting where this rule was adopted, and everybody agreed it should be the first rule, before anybody becomes too wedded to any subsequent rule.
So what's fair?
Our novice player was not angling. He simply didn't know the subtlety of the 'tabling' rule, and unless you've been around public poker for awhile, there's no particular reason you should know it – this is one of those rules that's rarely enforced in many home games.
I have no quarrel with the dealer wanting to enforce the letter of the rule – that's her job. And she did the right thing by keeping the hand where it could be unquestionably retrieved, and calling the floor. The floor did the right thing by awarding the pot to the caller. The bettor? Meh, he did a good thing by keeping his mouth shut and not arguing that he should get the pot. On the other hand, he could have shortcut the entire problem by saying, "That man has the best hand, and he showed it to the table – he gets the pot."
The WSOP will be here soon
And with it will be thousands of poker players. Some of whom, even those playing in the $10k Main Event, will be far more experienced in home and underground game protocols than they are in those of public poker rooms. They're going to make honest mistakes, but ones which, if the letter of the rule were upheld, would cost them many, perhaps all of, their chips.
I encourage floor people everywhere (both in cash games and tournaments) to think about TDA Rule #1 as you're making your decision. Remember (and I'm quoting Matt Savage, et al here) "The best interest of the game and fairness are top priorities in decision-making." If we want poker to thrive and grow, we must make new and inexperienced players welcome. Taking a pot away from them because they didn't understand the nuance between face-up in their palm and face-up on the table – that's not welcoming.
"But what about anglers?"
Anglers should be tied up and forced to listen to an audio version of a 1954 Encyclopedia Brittanica. But it is square in the floor person's job to recognize the difference between angling and honest mistakes. I'm no floor person, but I've seen plenty of both – they're not that hard to tell apart.
To all my floor friends out there, you have a crucial rule in the smooth operation of this extraordinary world we call poker. One of your most important jobs is to bring new players into the fold, get them settled in their chair, and dealt in. They'll be hooked soon enough. Be patient, be forgiving. Even bend a rule here and there to make sure they don't stomp out the door just when they're getting comfortable.
Thanks, and again, thank you for your service to the game.
