Hi, I'm in KC...how is STL seating random?

Good point AP Mike...if she is just showing him her hand and their is no conversation about how it should be played....some may not like it but it's not breaking any rules....it will give you two people to read.
Kristan Delgado

Can't Beat Stupid!!!

Your "show one show all" rule is correct but it only applies to the players at the table.  If you show one of them your cards you must show everybody at the end of the hand.

This rule does not apply to spectators.

Maybe it should, I don't really care much one way or another, but at present it's for the people at the table only.

Kristan can shoot me if I'm wrong.......or not...... 

"I was always taught to respect my elders but it keeps getting harder and harder to find one."

That is the question.

I have been on both sides of the fence with looking while being out of the game or others looking at cards in action from the side lines.

Sideline watching from a distance can be done in a nice way. A player who notices their friend/other half watching can naturally show them their cards without saying anything, because he/she knows the person is eager to be a part of the game without being in the game. Interrupting the table talking to a player in live action, "Can I see?" or "Let me look!" is or can be a distraction to all players and changes the feel of the game. Several people swapping cards immediately after they have folded pre-flop because they know each other, is or can be a distraction and changes the feel of the game. It is one thing to look on the sidelines, but alot of moving of the cards by players not in the hand is out of place and turns the game into a "Let Me See" game instead of poker. Live action begins as soon as the dealer deals the first card to the first player - Not as the cards are in the air and not after the players have cards in hand. Anything need be said to a player is courteous to say before cards are dealt. In a real tournament, you wouldn't ordinarily sit at a table knowing everyone.

To Peek or Not to Peek in a friendly surrounding allows us to walk on the invisible line of peekin. It makes the game exceptionally fun to play casually or very unpleasant. Etiquette would give a feeling to Not Peek by the thought of showing improper behavior to interrupt another players' space who may not know you as well as the person you are watching. But friends in a social setting will interact socially. It isn't real money. The cards aren't being shuffled by a machine, there aren't two decks working, and there isn't a steady dealer for a set of hands before a new dealer is in place.

Does it make it right to peek? I can't answer this question. I can only logically try for other options instead of throwing pebbles at a concrete wall. People will look at a player's cards in league because it isn't a money game, but it is frustrating the closer it gets to the final table. Politely suggest they ask their friend or other half if, they will show in the case he/she is knocked out or not participating in live action during the tourney, before the game starts or during a break. Add there isn't a rule against peeking, but it would be a nice courtesy to other players to not peek even though no cheating is involved. It makes it a nicer playground. If it continues, let the poker director know and the poker director would need to handle it. Maybe it should be a rule to not have Peeking when it hits the final table. 

 It is the better choice Not to Peek. Poker players who want to play the game the way it should be played normally don't have others looking at their cards, don't look at others' cards, and don't play out the cards after the hand is over. They are there for the real game in  a fun game participation. They aren't thinking of it being in a social setting.

Well... that is my two cents on the topic, like ya'll wanted to really hear it!  :) 

Toni Montoya