Mon, 09/19/2011 – 07:21 – PokerPages Staff

Whether you are playing poker online at PokerStars, live with friends or in a casino, you are going to end up in a showdown scenario at the end of a hand. Whilst online, many of the rules are followed automatically. There are certain nuances of this part of the game that you should be aware of, to avoid potential embarrassment or annoying your fellow players at a live table.

Getting to a Showdown
If two or more players stand tall after the last round of poker betting, there will need to be a showdown to work out who wins. There are three basic scenarios to a showdown. If only one player remains, winning the hand, this player is not obliged to show his hand. If multiple players remain, the player with the best-ranked hand wins the pot. If the unlikely occurrence of a tie arises, the pot is split between the two players.

Order of Business
To avoid any potential gamesmanship at this point of the game, it is expected that the player who made the last positive action – IE he were the last player to bet or raise – must show his cards first, and the rest follow in a clockwise manner. It is important when playing live to show all of your cards, whether you are winning the hand or not.

PokerSchoolOnline is the internet’s best source for any poker related learning.