Playing online poker does not really allow you to get into situations where you can accidentally gain knowledge. Unless you collude with another player there is really no way you can know what someone else’s hole cards are...unless you work for Absolute Poker. If you play live, there is always the possibility that whoever is sitting next to you will fail to properly protect their hand when they check to see what they have. If you see what hole cards your opponent has then you have an ethical dilemma. Do you tell them that you can see their cards or keep it to yourself?

This particular situation brings up a few issues. Some people may consider looking at another’s hole cards as cheating. By knowing what someone has you can gain knowledge not only about the strength of their hand but calculate the odds of yours as well. This is clearly an unfair advantage that not everyone has. However, it is not as clear cut as collusion which is clearly against the rules of poker. It is not as if you are actually lifting up the cards to look for yourself. You may accidentally see the cards based on how they hold them or even by the reflection in their sunglasses. Also simply seeing the cards once does not have the same effect as seeing them on every single hand.

When you can see someone’s hand because they are not protecting it properly then you can do the honest thing and tell them. This course of action may lead to them looking at their hole cards more carefully removing the ability of you to see their hand, but it also means you will not go to sleep feeling conflicted about looking at their cards. If you tell them once that you can see their cards and they continue to hold them in such a manner that you can see them, then I would suggest that all bets are off. You did the honorable thing and warned them, you do not have to constantly help someone else out at the poker table. In a game where everyone is looking for an edge, seeing hole cards is a huge advantage. It is up to you to decide what to you want to do.