In a hand of online poker, the ’showdown’ occurs once all the casino cards have been dealt and the remaining players reveal their hole cards, allowing the dealer to determine who has the best hand, and who therefore should be awarded the pot. A player must show both hole cards to be awarded the pot. A hand that has hit the muck (or been folded) is not a live hand, and can not be considered in a showdown.
If a player bets and no one calls his bet, he is awarded the pot without a showdown, and is not required to show his hole cards.
By technical standards, in many online poker games, the players should reveal their hands in order by the person who made the last bet or raise turning their hand over first. In some games, the player who called the final bet then has the option whether or not to reveal his hand, though this may vary depending on the local rules of the game. (Some games require that both hands by all player be shown.)
After the showdown, the player that has been determined to have the best hand gets the money, and the hand is officially over. The ’showdown,’ then, is the official end to a hand of poker.
