Q : I have the winning hand in Hold'em...

At a live cash game where I'm the FISH at the table, I'm the First one to have to show my hand and everyone else to follow just mucks their cards to the dealer.
I ask the dealer if I can see the loser's cards and the whole table went on tilt!
Why can't I see these cards ? I paid just the same as everyone else and would like to see these cards... I need the info on what they are willing to go to the show down with. Why is this considered to be so RUDE ?
These people all pay together at this Cardroom( the floor boss told me so), are on a first name basis with each other and the floor boss openly told the dealer "He is new and asked for you to keep a eye out for him". Anyway I came out a winner after 2 hours of play and I want to go back soon to swim in this Shark Tank again. One guy next to me told me two at this table are semi-pro or pro... meaning they make their living playing Hold'em.
This was the best Rush I have ever had. Thank You All For helping My Game To Mature here at Cards Chat.
Thank You for your reply ahead of time,
FeralMitch

Technically you're allowed to, it's just sort of an unwritten rule that you don't ask to see the cards. It's been considered rude for a while, that's just the etiquette. I mean, you wouldn't want to show your hand in that situation, would you?

Yeah it's considered rude to ask to see mucked cards, however each card room has different rules as to whether they will show the mucked cards or not.

Just do this...if you 'paid to see them' that typically means you called a bet. You do not have to show 1st. Most savvy players will wait to show their hand if they think they may be beat or if you are willing to just flip them over. When they ask, 'What ya got?' just reply, 'I called you, what do you have?' they then must show or muck. If they throw their hand straight in the muck, the dealer should start pushing chips your way and you probably do not have to show either. I wouldn't. The other player may bitch (which he is now in violation of this 'not showing a mucked hand' etiquette rule), but he mucked and his hand is dead, you were the last hand standing so you win. Let him cry.

The game is about incomplete information and players learn to steal as much info as they can when they can. Learn the tricks and only show when you HAVE to (or want to).

Cheers

^ this. I guess it's considered being ingracious or rubbing salt into the wound. The reaction you got from the players in your game is common.

The more important thing is deciding what we want to do now that we know this. If for some reason you think it would be to your advantage to put someone on tilt maybe you want to ask to see their cards. But if you just want to keep everyone happy, smiling and playing (which is often the case in live games where there aren't another 40 tables just waiting for you to sit down like there are online) it's probably best to let them just muck their hand and move on.