I seem to have missed a week. I’m sorry. Been quite busy with books and personal issues.

An incident happened at the table last night in which several players decided I was not a “gentleman.” Here is what happened.

The facts are not in dispute. I raised the turn and bet the river. The player two to my right called. The board was Kc-Jd-6c-Ah-4d. He bet the flop and I called. He bet the turn and I raised. He checked the river, I bet and he called. I turned over my hand, which was Qc-9c. It was a bluff.

He showed his hand to me and the guys to my right and left, saying, in a sing-song way, “You were in trouble.” He then tossed his hand face down toward the muck (He held the Ac-4c). The dealer, who had not seen his hand (not that it mattered), mucked his hand and started to push me the pot. He now protested that he had the best hand and had shown it to several people. The dealer told him she had not seen it, the camera had not seen it, and that she had to push the pot to the live hand.

The floor was called and ruled that I get the pot. So the dealer pushed it to me.

Needless to say, discussion ensued. I said no words during this entire incident, and I took no part in the discussion, though I had my opinion. The opponent thought I should stack the pot separately (in escrow as it were). I did not do this. Two other players (both tourists) felt if I were any kind of gentleman, I would give him the pot. The guy between us opined that it was a terrible ruling because, in his view, if any other player at the table was able to confirm that he held the best hand, he should get the pot.

I stacked the pot and play went on, a bit tense. About a half hour later, I racked up and left because it was time to go.

So was I a mean guy to keep the money? Here is my view, but I realize many will disagree.

First, have lost pots that way before. I have mucked hands that others have seen only to realize I had misread the other guys hand. In fact, a couple of years ago, I called bluff and he showed two red cards at the other side of the table. I assumed it was a flush and mucked. It was ten high. Other people had seen my hand, but I said nothing and watched the pot go away.

I beleive he expected to see a straight based on my raise, and when I turned over my Q-9, it looked to him like Q-10. So he told me I was in trouble as on the flop he had the best hand and the best flush draw. Then he mucked because he thouht he was beat. After mucking, he looked at my face-up hand again and realized that I did not have anything. Understandably, he then beganto protest.

Reading hands, protecting hands, and showing the winning hand face up on the table are part of the game. I do not enjoy winning pots like this, but it was his error and not my action that caused him to lose it. I kept the pot because that was the ruling and it was the right one.

But I can see where people would think a fair minded person would give him the pot (or half or it, or something). You can decide.