Never Muck Your Hand - Even if you miss!

I've seen players lose chips (and sometimes cold hard cash) three times this month, because they mucked their hand for no good reason after the river card had been dealt.

Twice I wasn't in the hand, but once I was the lucky recipient of tens of thousands of chips with my 7 high (I missed my draw!)

I was in a cash game (thankfully out of the hand) watching a player throwing plenty of chips into the pot and he had a caller the whole way to the river. Four hearts were on the board and both players checked on the river. A young player, and one who had been making moves all night, claimed he had the flush, and the other player mucked his hand without turning his cards over and the young player simply mucked his hand, without showing, which he was perfectly entitled to do. Did he have the flush? We'll never know! NEVER MUCK YOUR HAND UNTIL YOU HAVE SEEN THAT YOU ARE BEATEN: POKER PLAYERS LIE!!!

I asked the player later if he had the flush and he smiled and said, "I always have the nuts."

A few weeks later in a cash game, two players bet the whole way to the river card. The board was something like Ace, Ace, Queen, Jack, 3 (no flush) and after the 3 hit on the river, a player bet-out. The other player called, and the betting man turned over Ace, Queen - very happy with his full house. The other player mucked his hand in a rage and was clearly pissed-off.

The dealer collected all the cards and re-shuffled, ready to deal the next hand. Another player asked the loser what he had, and he claimed he had Ace, Jack - Very unlucky as he too had a full house but was just pipped to the post by the Aces over Queens.

Unfortunately for the loser, in his anger to muck his hand, he forgot the house jackpot, which is, if your Aces full house is beaten, and both hands are shown after the river, you win £500 from the house! He may have lost a £100 pot when his Aces over Jacks was beaten by Aces over Queens, but he lost £500 for mucking his hand in anger. EVEN WHEN YOU ARE BEATEN - NEVER MUCK YOUR HAND IN ANGER - IF YOU GET A BAD BEAT, SHARE IT!

And finally, a hand I was involved in where a sneaky move won me a huge pot when I had nothing.

I was second to act against Scrooge McDuck and he bet pre-flop, on the flop and on the turn. I was chasing a straight, intending to bluff on the river if I missed. I flat called the whole way and by the time the river card hit, there was about 30,000 chips in the pot. I put Scrooge on two face cards and I was hoping they weren't paired.

When the river hit, I pushed my chips together as if I was about to push all in, and I was amazed (and relieved) when McDuck mucked his hand before I even got the chance to make the bluff! He was first to act and instead of checking his Ace or King high (I'm assuming) - he simply mucked, giving me all the chips and allowing me to muck my 7 high! NEVER MUCK YOUR HAND UNLESS YOU ARE FORCED TO!!!

I don't know if Scrooge McDuck had a face card, but I'm betting he was ahead of my 7!

jT