In Rakewell We Trust

I was playing at Foxwoods on Friday and was in a very inconsequential hand that resulted in an hours long debate.  Unfortunately the debate didn't end with a definitive conclusion so I thought our resident smarty pants, The Poker Grump, could give us his judgement.

I was in the big blind with 2-4 of spades, which coincidentally is The Grump's hand of hands.  Everyone folded to the button, who limped in.  The small blind folded and I, in the big blind, checked.  Flop was two over cards and a 4.  I checked and so did the button.  Turn was a 3 and I decided to bet out...perhaps my pair of fours was good.  Unfortunately, he called.

River was a 10 and I decided I was done with this hand so I checked.  He checked behind me and said "What do you have?".

I was sooo done with this hand.  I casually answered his question saying "A pair of fours." as I turned over the 4.

He replied that he had a pair of tens, having caught his pair on the river.  I thought nothing more of this and threw both cards toward the muck.  Hand over.

The thing is, I never turned my second card over.  Not because I had anything to hide, just because I was done with the hand and thought the whole shebang was over. 

So as the dealer was about to pick up the muck and shuffle, the villian asks the dealer "Can I see her other card?  I paid for it."

"No" said the dealer.

"But I'm entitled to see it!" he said.

Then the dealer intentionally took my two cards and buried them in the muck while he said "The hand is over, it was checked down, you didn't pay for anything.  You don't get to see it."

Now, had they asked me I wouldn't have minded him seeing that particular hand, but no one asked me.

The guy just wouldn't let up and said the dealer didn't know the rules.  The dealer said the player was thinking about cash game rules and this was a tourney.  I didn't have to show him my cards once I gave up and threw them in the muck.

The player said that since I was first to act after we both checked the river, I HAD to show both cards.  Finally the player insisted we get a floor guy over here.  Play stopped while the floor man got a quick recap of the events. 

In the end the floor person sided with the player and said the dealer should've shown him my other hole card.  The dealer started arguing with the floor person, which is something I'd never seen before.  Usually when a floor person makes a ruling, the dealer doesn't disagree.  After the floor person left the dealer mumbled "He doesn't know all the rules, but I do!  There's a four page rule list in the office.  We need a copy here on the floor".

The dealer was so adamant about being right it got me curious to know the true answer.  Of course not curious enough to say, do a little investigative work.  Oh no!  I'm too lazy for that, but curious enough to pose the question to Poker Grump and you readers. 

He doesn't look all that Grumpy does he? 

You'd be smiling like that too if I were rubbing your back.

I think smart is sexy. I like smart people. My cat is really sexy. - Gina Gershon

Play smart.  Or sexy, which is the same. 

Josie