Showdown

Also known as: the showdown, going to showdown, SD

The end of a hand where remaining players reveal their cards and the best five-card hand wins the pot.

Showdown is the conclusion of a hand that reaches the river with two or more players still in: cards are turned face-up and the best five-card poker hand takes the pot, split equally on a tie. Under the "cards speak" rule the dealer reads each tabled hand at its true value regardless of how the player announces it — but a hand pushed into the muck is dead and cannot win, so always table, don't toss.

Show order follows the last betting action. If there was a bet and call on the river, the last aggressor (the caller's target) shows first; checked-through rivers show in order from the first active seat left of the button. A player who can't beat what's already tabled may muck in turn rather than reveal, conceding the pot. At an all-in, all live hands are flipped immediately on the relevant street and play runs out face-up.

Strategically, "getting to showdown" frames a whole class of decisions: realizing your equity cheaply with a medium-strength hand by checking down (pot control), versus betting for value or denying equity realization. Showdown also feeds the read game — every revealed hand is free data on a villain's range and tendencies, worth logging. The flip side is showdown-value hands you should bluff with instead, since they can only win by improving or at showdown.