Poker Dealer Drops Deck of Cards to the Floor: Misdeal or Continue Hand?
I received the following email from a reader recently. I thought I’d share it and my answer with everybody as it is a common issue that arises from time to time. The reader wrote (with slight editing):
This happened in a home tournament: Two players limped and the player in the big blind checked. The dealer stood up to deal the flop, but dropped most of the deck onto the floor. Even cards remaining in the dealer’s hand were exposed, including the bottom card since he somehow managed to also drop the cut card. One of the players stated everybody should retrieve their bets and the hand should be declared a misdeal. Since action took place, I ruled the deck should be reconstructed as best as it could be and the hand should continue. I had the dealer reconstruct the deck, cut the cards once (because the bottom card was revealed ), and then continue with the burn and flop. Was this the correct decision?
Several issues arise in this email. First and foremost, the tournament director was absolutely correct in ruling that this was NOT a misdeal because action had already occurred. In button games (such as hold’em), if two players act on their hands, the tournament director should not rule a misdeal. In this case, every player at the table took action on their hand, including those who folded. So, the “action” rule applies and there can be no misdeal.
I would have liked to have seen a little different solution, though. When the deck is dropped to the extent that cards hit the floor and even the bottom card in the stub is exposed, it’s really not possible to reconstruct the stub with any certainty. A better solution may have been to simply reshuffle the stub and continue. Yes, some players have an issue with “what might have been” if the deck had remained un-fouled, but in the grand scheme of things, assuming proper shuffling procedures, the cards to come are random. Besides, as soon as the dealer cut the deck, the hand was not in the original order even if the dealer had somehow managed to reconstruct the stub perfectly.
This brings us to the next point – why was the dealer standing to flop the cards? My guess is that the tournament was using a rotating deal and the player was sitting at an end seat. Rotating deals on oval tables cause more problems than just about anything I can think of in poker. For more information regarding dealing in home poker tournaments, please take a look at one of my recent articles – Tips to Make Home Poker Tournaments Run Smoothly. Also, look for future articles on dealing and proper dealing procedures. As I say in the article, I believe 90 percent of home poker tournament problems can be avoided or prevented with proper dealing procedures.
Lastly, thanks for the email and keep them coming. This was a great question – one that I’m sure was on the mind of more than one reader.
[thanks to llodyidau and KC via cc]
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I was a little disapointed because I have been unable to find my response that I submitted last month about the “dropped deck”. I would frequently enter a blog and always got a response from Casino Smack. I am really interested in your site because I have a direct interest in all of the subjects that you cover. I have been a certified poker dealer instructor for over 30 years and even though the economy is weak, there is still an interest in poker. I enjoy recieving your emails and look forward to any correspondence from you.
Hi Nick, I’m always interested in your opinions!
The last comment I have from you is found at this post:
http://casinosmack.com/blog/aiof-stands-for-all-in-or-fold-or-how-i-got-kicked-out-of-a-poker-game/
Seeing as how this is a casino blog, spammers tend to target here so perhaps the automatic spam catcher mistakenly erased your post? I personally never delete posts as long as they are respectful and contribute to the discussion.
Your comments are always welcome here Nick.
By the way Nick, what topics would you be interested in for CasinoSmack.com to cover?
I really enjoy commenting on the different situations that dealers face on a daily basis and the decisions made to correct them. I will see if I saved my response to “the dropped deck” story, if I did I will forward it to you. I respect your opinion and I am interested in whether you agree with my suggestions.
I received your email with the comment and I’ve included it as a comment as best I could below – thanks Nick!
That was truly a unique situation, I have to admit. I agree to a certain extent. I had a dealer drop a deck, while dealing stud and reconstructed the deck, finished the deal, but with no further betting. The situation in a flop game could have been handled in a similar fashion and might have been a better solution. The players that did not participate “pre- flop” should not be entitled to any part of the pot, however, I also feel that no further damage should be done to either of the remaining players. Let’s face it, the player that looses the hand, is the one with the best argument. This may be stretching it, but, You may also turn over the players cards and based on their holding, come up with a percentage split! A player holding Jack Queen suited against pocket Queens might be happy to get their bet back. This might not be very practical, but, lets remember, this is a house game and it has been my experience that if the players are happy with the call, deal the next hand.
Nick Ciavarella
Poker Instructor
World Wide Gaming