TDA Rule #37 Showdown
Tournament Director’s Association Rule #37: Showdown
At the end of last round of betting, the player who made the last aggressive action in that betting round must show first. If there was no bet the player to the left of the button shows first and so on clockwise.
This may seem just another etiquette rule but this one causes a lot of ill-tempered players complain. Here is the issue. Many players will muck their hand when they see they are beaten. However, if they called the final bet of the hand or checked down the river, then any player at the table may ask to see their cards. Many professionals will tell you that this is very bad form and that you should only ask to see a players cards if you believe they are guilty of some infraction.
The rule has not been clarified because the members of the Tournament Director’s Association cannot agree on which way the rule should read. So Rule #37 is at best only half a solution and is already on the agenda for the next Tournament Director’s Association meeting.
-this is Beginner’s Poker Blog Post #149
