Muck

To muck your hand means to throw it away face down without showing it. “The muck” is also the name for the pile of folded and discarded cards in front of the dealer.

When players muck

• When folding. Every folded hand goes into the muck.
• At showdown. If you can see your hand is beaten, you can muck instead of showing it. You give up any claim to the pot, but your opponents don’t learn what you had.
• After winning without a showdown. If everyone folds to your bet, you don’t have to show your cards. You muck them and take the pot.

Muck rules in live games

• A mucked hand is dead. Once your cards touch the muck, they usually can’t be pulled back out, even if they would have won.
• Cards speak, but only when shown. If you think you’ve lost, turn your cards face up anyway. The dealer reads the hand, and if it wins, the pot is yours. Muck it and you’ve given up the right to win.
• Asking to see a mucked hand. In many card rooms, a player who called on the river can ask to see a hand that was mucked at showdown. House rules vary, and the floor can refuse if the request is abused.
• Who shows first. The last player to bet or raise on the river shows first. Everyone else can then show or muck. See who shows first at showdown.

Online, the software handles all of this. Most sites have an “auto-muck losing hands” setting that throws away hands that can’t win.

Can you muck a winning hand?

Yes, but you lose the pot. Mucking means giving up, even if your cards were best. When in doubt at showdown, show your hand and let the dealer decide.