One player to a hand is an important poker rule designed to promote fair play that is universally applied in casino play. It states that all game decisions about the play of each hand must be made by one player without assistance. This means, for example, that a player may not ask for advice from any other player or non-player during the play of the hand, nor should anyone offer such advice. The phrase is often used as a warning to players making what might be perceived as minor violations, such as commenting upon other players' possible hands.
Note that reading properly exposed hands of other players at showdown is not a violation of this rule, since no further decisions can be made. See Cards speak.
Famous quotes containing the words player and/or hand:
“Abused as we abuse it at present, dramatic art is in no sense cathartic; it is merely a form of emotional masturbation.... It is the rarest thing to find a player who has not had his character affected for the worse by the practice of his profession. Nobody can make a habit of self-exhibition, nobody can exploit his personality for the sake of exercising a kind of hypnotic power over others, and remain untouched by the process.”
—Aldous Huxley (1894–1963)
“That big gun in your hand makes you look grown up—you think! I’ll bet you spend hours posing in front of a mirror holding it, trying to look tough!... You scum!”
—Richard Brooks (1912–1992)