Roberts Rules Of Poker

6:25 PM. Wednesday night. No limit poker at the Venetian.

First hand I raise it up with jack 8 suited. One caller. Flop is 7,9,10. I bet 15. Guy calls. Turn is a small card. I bet 30. He calls again. River is a jack. Not the best card for me. I bet 45. He calls and turns over ace 8. Hit the straight on the river. We chop my pot

Speaking of me, what's especially awesome here is dealer doesn't recognize my straight. Yeah for some reason she sees his 8 but not mine. There's confusion. I still end up with my half of the pot. Nevertheless, afterwards, she warns me that if she had mucked both my cards I wouldn't have gotten my half. I secretly disagree. I think I would have called the floor and gotten my portion but it's easier to just agree with her.

So I say "Yep."

She says "You'd be okay with that?"

I say "I'd be okay with that."

She thinks I'm serious.

6:26 PM. I count my chips and realize that between rake and tip I managed to lose money on that first hand.

6:27 PM. Second hand. I'm in there again, this time with ace suited. I flop the flush draw because it's how I roll. I bet, there's a caller, a raiser, things happen, questions are asked, words are exchanged, promises broken and when dust settles at the Venetian, all of our chips are in the middle.

This kind of hand is exactly why I'm buying in short. So that I can gamble. So that I can play more aggressively. I'm hoping to double up. The worst case scenario is I've established an early loose image.

Unfortunately I go blank, blank, and rebuy for $100.

6:32 PM. Minus 10 with ace 10 suited.

6:44 PM. I raise with queen jack from the cutoff. Button calls. So do blinds. Flop is a decent enough Jack, Ten, rag. I bet 15. Two callers. Turn is another ten. I bet 20. They both call again. An ace comes on the river. I shut down and check. Second player bets 50. Third guy folds. It's back to me. 50 to win 150. I don't think he has an ace. I think he's either got a 10 for trips or he's bluffing a missed draw.

I want to fold but the pot is too big. I convince myself that he would have shown aggression on the turn if he had a 10.

It's a scared call. But it's still a call. I put the $50 out there.

He says "good call" and throws his cards into the muck.

Then it happens.

The dealer looks at me and says "Show me your hand."

"Huh?"

"You gotta show me your hand."

"No I don't."

"Yes. You gotta show me your hand for me to push you the pot."

"No I don't."

"I can't push you the pot without seeing a hand."

"I'm the last player standing. I don't need to show cards. There's no one left in the hand to win the pot besides me."

Silence.

"Who are you going to give the pot to if I fold?""

"I can't push the pot to you without seeing cards."

Doesn't she know this is my favorite thing in poker???

Nothing gives me more joy than calling a river bet and winning the pot without having to show my cards because my opponent has mucked.

"Can we get the floor?" I ask.

The men at my table all looked uncomfortable. A couple of them joked about how the game was friendly before I sat down. I told them I was sorry for the delay but it's not correct poker to make me show my hand. And that I just want to play by the rules.

The supervisor comes over and the dealer explains the story to him.

I told this supervisor that the entire reason I called the river bet was to see my opponents hand but that my opponent mucked and got away from showing his hand. So why should he earn the right to see my hand?

At this point the supervisor amends his ruling to "A player doesn't have to show his cards in this spot unless someone else asks to see it."

So what happens of course? The guy to my left, the same guy who has just mucked his cards after I called his river bluff asks to see my cards.

And even better: the Venetian Supervisor hears this and actually tells me to turn over my cards and show my hand!

I asked him the same question that stumped the dealer. "Where's the pot going to go if I don't show my hand?"

There was no answer.

Then I added "They wouldn't make me show my cards at the Bellagio or the Wynn."

Truth is I probably should have just thrown my cards into the muck to see how it all played out. It would be a better story for you guys. Instead I got impatient and ended the episode by finally showing my cards and claiming the pot. However the whole thing definitely pissed me off. So I decided to be real careful. I immediately stood up and grabbed a rack to cash out my chips.

I'm sure I'll go back to that room. The action is too good to stay away. I certainly won't let one bad dealer and an inexperienced floor man ruin the Venetian for me but on this particular evening it was real easy to go find another casino to pay my rake. Specifically, one that lets me muck my cards and still win at the end of hands.

And so I left.