What does poker's "showdown" mean?

[ProGambler]

The phrase "showdown" in poker refers to the stage of a hand where the remaining players disclose their hole cards and the player with the best five-card poker hand wins the pot.

A showdown takes place if there are still many players in the hand following the final round of betting. To determine who has the best five-card poker hand, each player who is still in the hand must disclose their hole cards, which are the two cards they were dealt at the start of the hand. The pot, which is made up of all the bets placed throughout the hand, is won by the person who has the best hand.

The pot is divided equally between players if they have hands that are of the same rank.

 

[CR7]

During the showdown, there are certain rules that players must follow to ensure that the hand is played out fairly. Players can't reveal their cards until the showdown and they must show both their hole cards in order to be eligible to win the pot. If a player does not reveal both of their cards, they forfeit their claim to the pot.

Another important aspect to consider during the showdown is the order in which players show their cards. The player who made the last bet or raise is the first to reveal their hand, followed by the remaining players in clockwise order around the table.

It's also worth noting that when it comes to the showdown, players don't necessarily have to use both of their hole cards to make up their best five-card hand. In some variations of poker, such as Texas Hold'em, players are free to use any combination of their hole cards and the community cards (cards that are dealt face up in the middle of the table) to make up their best hand.

Overall, the showdown is a critical moment in every poker hand, as it determines who wins the pot and who walks away empty-handed. The player with the best hand after the showdown takes home the winnings and the remaining players must wait for the next hand to try their luck again.

 

[Hasan77]

In the context of poker, a "showdown" refers to the final phase of a hand where all active players reveal their cards to determine the winner. It occurs after all the betting rounds have concluded, and there are still two or more players remaining in the hand. During the showdown, players present their hole cards (the cards dealt face-down to each player) along with any community cards (cards dealt face-up on the table) to determine the best poker hand.