[Jonno P]

The “cards speak” rule exists primarily to protect newer players who may undervalue, or misread the strength of their hand, and to make sure the integrity of the game is upheld.I do not believe you should have let the players split the pot. Regardless of whether you are playing for free or for millions of dollars, the integrity of the game must always be your number one priority. As Tournament Directors at these Pub Poker venues, you have a duty of care to your players to ensure that the games you run are fair, and that the rules are upheld. Although splitting the pot may seem like the fair thing to do for the players, it is NOT the fair thing to do for the game. You should act not only as an enforcer of the rules, but as an educator and ambassador for the game itself. Everybody is quick to call these new Pub Poker players “muppets”, but they are only playing by the rules they have been taught in the venue they are playing.