Dealers, The Deal And The Deck

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Caro & Cooke's Rules of Real Poker is not intended to be a "how-to" manual for dealers. However dealers are an integral part of the game, and just as players must follow certain rules so that the game proceeds in an orderly and efficient fashion, players must also be able to rely on the dealers to do what they are supposed to do. The procedures set forth in this Article are deemed to be essential to the game, and shall be treated as Rules. Dealers as well as players shall conduct themselves accordingly.

START OF THE HAND

The previous hand ends with the gathering in of all cards and beginning the scramble or soft shuffle. The next hand begins with the first riffle of the collected deck. Once the riffle has begun the hand must be dealt regardless of intervening circumstances. The only exceptions are a misdeal, which requires a new shuffle, or a situation arising that requires a decision from a floorperson.

THE SHUFFLE AND CUT

After each hand the dealer shall scramble the cards and shall shuffle them at least three times and box them at least once, in either of the following orders: Shuffle/shuffle/box/shuffle or shuffle/box/shuffle/shuffle, then cut. The shuffle shall never begin or end with a box, always with a riffle, and the dealer shall never box twice in a row. To box the cards, the dealer shall pull about ten cards off the top of the deck and set them on the table, continuing four or five times until the entire deck has been re-arranged, always protecting cards from flashing. After the shuffle/box procedure, the dealer then shall place the deck on the table, clearly and obviously release it, and then cut it onto the cover card with one hand.

BASIC DEALER PROCEDURES

Beyond the shuffle, cut and deal the dealer is responsible to maintain the game as quickly and efficiently as possible. The dealer shall make sure that all pre-deal money (blinds and antes) is posted. The dealer shall prompt players to act when it is their turn, and when necessary to act in turn. At the beginning of each betting round the dealer shall announce how many active players are in the hand. The dealer shall make sure the proper amount of money goes into the pot. The dealer shall ensure that all proper procedures are followed, especially regarding showdown and awarding the pot.

BLINDS' OPTION TO RAISE

In games with blinds the dealer shall verbally confirm whether any live blind elects to exercise his option to raise.

SCOOPING BETS

Wagers are not to be pulled into the pot until each betting round is completed. All bets, including blinds, should remain in front of players until betting is completed. If a portion of a made-up blind is dead, it should be moved to the center of the pot after the shuffle and cut but before commencing the deal. If a player splashes the pot the dealer shall verify that the correct number of chips have been placed in the pot and push them back in front of the player who has made the action so that they are clearly distinguishable from the pot and from chips placed in the pot by other players. The dealer shall not scoop until he has verified that each player has placed the proper number of chips in the pot and received proper change from the pot. Players shall never make their own change from the pot or from other players' bets.

PITCH

The dealer shall pitch the cards so that they reach the players. Down cards shall be dealt carefully in such a fashion so that they are not flashed. In stud games the final down card should be dealt so that it is not mixed in with the player's other hole cards. The dealer shall never turn over or roll the deck, never cover the top of the deck with his free hand, and shall always keep it squared.

BURNING

At the conclusion of each betting round except the final betting round, the dealer shall burn a card before proceeding to deal the cards for the next round. Before burning a card the dealer shall lightly tap the table, letting the players know that he is about to deal. This enables players to stop the dealer's action if the betting is incomplete. The dealer shall place each burn card under the prior one. Burn cards are to be placed in the center of the table under the edge of the pot and should be dealt in such a manner that they are not flashed to the players. They are to remain there, separate from the muck, until the pot is pushed to the winning player.

EXPOSED CARDS

A flashed card, a card that is dealt off the table or a card that might reasonably be suspected to have been flashed shall be deemed an exposed card. If a private card is flashed, exposed by the dealer or by a player discarding his hand the exposed card and only the exposed card is to be shown face up in the center of the table and announced by the dealer. A card that is exposed by a player, either intentionally or inadvertently, shall not be replaced. A card pitched by the dealer that is exposed because it strikes a player's hand shall be deemed exposed by the dealer, not by the player. In stud games, exposed cards may or may not play; see Article 6 of Caro & Cooke's Rules. In Hold'em and Draw games the deal of the hand shall be completed, and a new card shall be given to replace the exposed card and then the exposed card is displayed to all players at the table and announced by the dealer. The burn card shall replace the exposed card, and the exposed card shall become the burn card. The only time in poker a player may receive two cards in a row off the deck is when the last downcard dealt to the last player in a Hold'em or Draw game is exposed.

BOXED CARD

A boxed card is considered a piece of tissue paper--a non-existent card. The next card in the deck will be dealt to the player who would have received the boxed card. A boxed card does not constitute a fouled deck. However two or more boxed cards in the deck shall be deemed a fouled deck if it is discovered before substantial action on the first betting round, and the deal shall be considered a misdeal. If the second boxed card is discovered after substantial action on the first betting round, then it too shall be treated as a piece of tissue paper and the hand shall proceed as if that card were not in the deck.

JOKER IN THE DECK

A joker inadvertently included in a game where a joker is not used is considered a piece of tissue paper. A joker received face up (boxed) is replaced by the next card. The top card of the deck replaces a joker received face down after the remaining players have all received their proper cards. (Alternate Rule. A joker in the deck shall constitute a fouled deck in the same way any deck with too many cards would. The alternate rule is actually preferred in games played with a joker or bug in the event there are two jokes in the deck.)

FOULED DECK

The following shall constitute a fouled deck: a deck with too many or too few cards in it; a deck with one or more cards of a different colored back in it; a deck with two cards of same rank and suit in it. When it is discovered that there is a fouled deck, all betting will cease and all money in the pot shall be returned to the players in the hand. If this information is available to only one player and that player attempts to win the pot by initiating action, that player shall forfeit all rights to the pot and all chips in the pot shall be divided among all active players at the time the fouled deck is discovered. If there are no remaining players, then the chips shall be forfeited to all who committed money to the pot. The money in the pot shall be returned to the players who put it in, with the forfeited interest divided equally as if it were a split pot, regardless of how much money any individual player has committed to the pot. In button games the next hand will be played with the button and blinds remaining in the same positions.

DEALING COMMUNITY CARDS EARLY

If the dealer burns and turns community cards before action is complete, the cards shall be returned to the deck and action completed. This shall be so even if only one player who is checking has not acted before the cards are improperly dealt. The procedure for returning the cards to the deck and continuing with the action vary slightly on the flop, turn and river.

MIS-DEALT FLOP.

After the pre-flop betting is correctly completed the mis-dealt flop but not the burn card shall be reshuffled into the deck, and the flop shall be re-dealt with no burn.

MIS-DEALT TURN

After the flop betting is correctly completed, the card which was improperly dealt shall be set aside, and the dealer shall burn and turn, so that the card which would have been the river card becomes the turn card. After the turn betting is completed, the dealer shall then shuffle the improperly dealt card back into the deck, and shall deal a river card without burning. The card that was burned before the improper dealing shall not be included in the shuffle.

MIS-DEALT RIVER

After the turn betting is correctly completed, the dealer shall shuffle the improperly dealt card back into the deck, and then turn a new river card without burning.

FLOP PLACEMENT

In Hold'em games the flop should be in the center of the table with the pot to the side and the burn cards placed under the edge of the pot. Side pots should be situated as close as possible to the players involved in the side pot, and always clearly distinguished from the main pot. Where possible, sidepots should be placed on the opposite side of the flop from the main pot

COUNT THE STUB

The dealer shall count down the deck stub no less than once a half hour, preferably early in his down.

DEALER ANNOUNCEMENTS

The dealer shall always announce the following circumstances to the table: a) when a player is playing behind; b) when a card has been exposed and which card it is--in board games the dealer shall clarify if the card came from a player's hand or from the deck, and that the exposed card will be the burn card; c) action when an all-in bet has been made; d) when a make-up blind is being posted; e) all raises; f) how many players are contesting the pot on each street; g) in stud, the forced bring-in and high hand for purposes of commencing action on each street.

ABSENT PLAYER'S CHIPS

When in the box it is the dealer's responsibility to watch all chips belonging to players absent from the table. Notwithstanding this, each player at the table has an obligation to the integrity of the game and each player shall protect the chips of any absent player. Notwithstanding this rule, as noted in Article 2 of Caro & Cooke's Rules, the house assumes no responsibility for a player's chips or money left on the table.

LAST CARD

The last card of a shuffled deck shall not be used in any game under any circumstances. See Caro & Cooke's Rules relating to particular games for procedures in the event there are not sufficient cards to complete the deal in draw and stud games.

DECK CHANGES AND SET-UPS

If a dealer notices a marred card he shall immediately change decks and call for a set-up. When bringing in a new deck it shall be spread face up and checked to see if all cards are present, then scrambled face up, then scrambled again face down and shuffled no fewer than five times. A player may request a deck change at any time, however a deck shall not be changed until at least two laps of hands have been played since the previous deck change. A player may not request a set-up except for a marred card. (Alternate Rule. A player may request a deck change at any time, however set-ups shall not be replaced more frequently than once per half hour. The alternate rule slows down the game and is discouraged.) Excessive requests for deck changes and set-ups may result in management electing to post a table sign limiting the frequency of deck changes to once per half hour and set-ups to once per hour.

MISDEALS

Misdeals may be called for any irregularity in the initial dealing round, until substantial action has taken place. Once substantial action has taken place, the hand must proceed. The following constitute a misdeal: a) failure to shuffle and/or cut the deck before dealing; b) dealing to the wrong player first; c) failure to deal each player his proper card. (A card initially dealt to the wrong player but not looked at can be moved to its proper owner, however no more than two cards may be pushed back. If more than two cards have to be pushed back it's a misdeal.); d) dealing out a player with money committed to the pot (blinds or antes) or a player on the button. (An absent player other than the above who has expressly asked for a hand but has been dealt around will also cause a misdeal unless all other players have received starting cards.); e) dealing too many cards to a player, except when the last card dealt was due to be the burn card and can be returned to the deck. (If the player looked at the card, it is a misdeal. If the player did not look at the card, it is not a misdeal.); f) dealing too few cards to a player except when that player is due to get the top card of the deck; g) exposing the first or second card dealt; h) the exposure of two or more cards that need to be replaced; i) the presence of more than one boxed card on the initial dealing round; j) the discovery of one or more cards missing from the deck; k) dealing any cards that were supposed to be part of the flop or draw. In the event of a misdeal all the cards shall be returned to the dealer, and the cards scrambled, shuffled, cut and dealt. Note that if a player is dealt in who should not have received a hand, then it is not a mis-deal and the deal stands and that player's hand is dead. l) dealing in a player who hasn't anted or posted (Alternate Rule. A player who hasn't anted or posted has a dead hand, and it shall not be considered a misdeal.)

END OF THE HAND

When all dealing is complete the dealer shall drop the deck so that the cards are spread out, and not set it neatly down in a stack. After the showdown the dealer shall confirm the hand is over and shove the discards into the deck stub. The cards are not to be placed on the top or bottom. The top of the deck should always be retrievable in case of an irregularity in the deal of the final betting round. (Alternate Rule. The top of the deck should never be retrievable, except in draw games, where the remaining stub should be placed on the table so that the top of the deck is retrievable. The alternate rule, which is quite common in California, seems to be related somehow to the integrity of the game, but the main rule is much more practical and preferred.) The dealer to determine that the proper number of cards has been returned shall verify all discarded hands. Players shall discard their hands in such a manner as to facilitate such inspection. In games that use a dealer button the dealer shall push the pot to the winner, then move the button. The soft scramble is the last act of the old hand; the first riffle is the first act of the new hand.

DEALERS AND DECISIONS

If the dealer makes an error which will result in a change in the cards a player would receive (IE dealing before action is completed, improperly turning the flop, etc.) then the floorperson must be called for a decision. If the dealer makes an error which does not affect the card a player is to receive or give any player an advantage (IE forgetting to burn or dealing to the wrong seat) then the dealer shall correct the error in accordance with the rules and a floorperson does not need to be called unless a player objects. In any circumstance where there is any doubt whatsoever, dealers shall not take remedial action or render decisions, but shall call a floorperson to do so.

IMPROPERLY DROPPED DECK

If the deck is dropped b the dealer, whether because the dealer mistakenly believes the hand is over or otherwise, the dealer shall pick the deck back up and continue to use it if at all possible and if the top of the deck can be determined, If the correctness or integrity of the deck is questioned by any player or is otherwise in doubt, then floorperson shall be called and the dealer shall take the unused cards, reshuffle and cut them. Cards known toe discards shall not be included in this re-shuffle, not shall any cards which were burned. Cards which might or might not be part of the discards, but which cannot be determined shall be deemed discards and shall not be reshuffled. After cutting the dealer continue the deal, including all requisite burns.

RESHUFFLES

In any situation in any game requiring a reshuffle, neither discards nor burns shall be included in the reshuffle. If there is any doubt as to whether a card ought be included in the reshuffle, then it shall not be so included.

PLAYER DEALT GAMES

In some jurisdictions center dealers are prohibited and players must deal the games. In these cases all the previous rules apply. In all player dealt games a rotating dealer button shall be used to designate the dealer. Player dealt games shall use two decks. The player to the left of the dealer shall cut. The player to the right of the dealer shall shuffle the deck just dealt. The deck used in the hand will have been shuffled by the player two to the dealer's right. Having three separate persons shuffle, cut and deal reduces the potential for cheating.