IWTSTH

So now that we're not going to Tunica, I can tackle a few topics which have been long pressing my mind.

I've always been an anti-IWTSTH player. I would like to see the rule abolished, except in extreme cases where collusion is most definitely suspected (The Riverside, lol).

These days, every player from the Internet is shouting, "IWTSTH! IWTSTH!" He thinks because he can request hand histories from most online sites, he has "paid" to see a heads-up hand.

Sometimes these requests are taken so far that:

1) The abuser asked to see an UN-CALLED hand at or before showdown
2) Every pot that goes to showdown is "expected" to be an IWTSTH decision
3) Someone invariably asks to see EVERY live hand at showdown
4) Someone asks the dealer to set a dead hand to the side, so that after the hand is completed he can see it

If you don't know why these are extremely bad cases of IWTSTH abuse, please stay online and play, don't go to a live cardroom. Spare us!!!

Now, I can be the devil's advocate and won't get all of these comments with people whining and crying, "What is so wrong with IWTSTH? I paid for it, it's my right!"

Say I am an online player, born and bred. I learned how to play poker online, I've only played online, and I am 21 years old (haha).

I don't see what the big deal is. After all, I can request any hand history I want, as long as I'm dealt into the game. If it's okay online, why isn't it okay live? Why do people get so angry at me? I just don't get it, it's part of the game, right?

Now that I've played devil's advocate, I'll address the Internet-Felicia's concerns:

1) When you are getting hand histories, are you doing it on the table's time, or on your own?
2) How many hands are you dealt online? Live? If you ask to see every hand at showdown, how many hands are you then being dealt live?
3) People are getting angry at you because you are: a) abusing a rule meant to prevent collusion, b) shooting an angle, c) exhibiting bad etiquette and d) WASTING THE TABLE'S TIME!

So what is being done about this? And why am I happy? Well, many steps are being taken to either totally abolish the IWTSTH rule, or limit it to strictly collusion-only suspicion. Rulebooks are being updated daily, as well as posted rules in a B&M cardroom.

Thank you, there is a god.

Internet players have slowed the live games down so much over the past two years that seeing over 20 hands per hour in a B&M that regularly allows IWTSTH abuse is nearly impossible. We are paying for that time! Go look up hand histories on your own time, leave your petty, anal angles out of it.

It never should have gotten this far, but it did, and I guess I'm glad it took a million, nitty little internet players in order to make cardrooms take a good, hard look at the abuses of IWTSTH.

That is all...

Felicia :)