looking for your opinion on rules debate

Puteq

Hey guys, i have 2 quick questions here on the rules. me and my mates are not big poker players but we meet twice a year for a game, recently we had two debatable moments that i'd like to run by you and get yer opinion on.

in Texas holdem, 2 guys had a flush each, using 4 of the cards on the table and one of the cards in their hand. normally in regular 5 card poker the flush with the highest card in it wins (if i am correct) but on this occasion one of the lads (whose extra card in his hand was obviously high) declared that in this situation since they each had an extra differentiating card, that it should be used to decide a winner, whereas the other guy (who obviously had a high card in his flush) declared that normal flush rules apply so highest card in the flush wins.whats your thoughts?

second moment was in a regular 5 card hand of poker. firstly let me tell you that we play a rule that when wild cards are in play, whatever you call when you lay your hand down on the table, thats what it is, even if you later realise you could've called something better if you'd used your wild cards better. we all agree on that so no problems there, but my question is about a hand with no wild cards. one of the lads (rather foolishly i admit) called a 3 of a kind when he actually had a house. one of the other guys, who had a better 3 of a kind, declared that the same rule applies when there are no wild cards as when there are - i.e. if you didnt see it when you called it then tough. now i'm not asking your opinions on a person who didnt see a house he had in his hand with no wild cards at play (!), but who should win this hand in your opinions, is there a 'poker rule' on this somewhere?

just curious really, the game is played and all that, but i'd like to write down some kind of rules we can all agree on before our next game. thanks for your help on this.

BigDragon

Welcome

1. Highest 'flushed card' in your hand wins. If we both have flushes but I have the K in my 2 cards and you have the J in yours and we both use the board then I win as my flush is xxxxK and yours is xxxxJ.

2. 'Cards Speak'. The hand wins not what you declare it.

If you muck the hand and then realise, then its dead - tough. If nobody says anything and you dont see it and the cards are mucked then its dead - tough.

GL

Hitchhiker's Guide to...

you can also check out the following link: http://www.ipfpoker.com/poker-rules/40

DeVore

To explain the flush rule further:
If you are holding Ad 3h and your opponent holds Kc 4h and the board finishes with 4 hearts (no straight flushes available), then the K4 hand wins as it has the highest heart. The Ace and King dont play as the hand declared is a *five* card poker hand. If he wants to use his Ace, he has to drop a heart from his selected 5 cards and so cant declare a flush!

If the board came with 5 hearts all higher then a 4, then its a split pot as both players will (presumeably) declare that that are playing the board as anything else will give them a lower flush then their opponent.

The other ruling is pretty clear, "cards speak". If you declare a flush when actually you have a straight flush, aside from being a moron, you will be forced to declare the straight flush. Its the dealers job to point these things out.

DeV.

Puteq

cool thanks for clearing that up for me guys, much appreciated.