Deal Me In or Out?

I have spent many hours playing poker with Mark Gregorich, and have great respect for his playing skills, his integrity, and his value system. Mark is the E. F. Hutton of poker … when he speaks, I listen. Mark and I have discussed writing a "point, counterpoint" type of column together, but there is one big problem: We generally agree on issues. However, while playing at the same table recently, we finally found a poker-related topic on which we don't see eye to eye, thus, this column.

Deal Everyone In! (By Mark Gregorich)

A frequent topic of conversation and disagreement in my regular Omaha eight-or-better game centers around whether a player who has posted both blinds should be dealt in a hand when he is not physically present at the table. To me, the answer appears obvious for several reasons, which will be discussed in this column. Deal all players who have paid the blinds a hand, whether they are seated or not.

One reason to deal in all players who have posted their blinds is to speed up the game. When a player without a missed blind button is absent from the table, the dealer generally pauses in midstream, cranes his neck, and searches for the missing player, not wishing to inadvertently exclude him from the hand. This action in itself more than makes up for the extra time required to deal cards to empty chairs.

Another highly valid reason to deal everyone in is to avoid unnecessary arguments and ill will, which habitually occur as a result of a player scrambling back to the table, only to find that he has been dealt out. Statements such as, "I asked you to deal me in before I ran to the bathroom," and "Why didn't you deal me in?" are common. Occasionally a player will be extremely miffed when he has requested a hand and has not received one (coincidentally, there seems to be a correlation between being miffed and being stuck), and will overreact, generally in the form of making less than complimentary remarks to the dealer. This type of behavior can, in turn, alter the mood of an entire poker game.

While the two previous reasons are enough to institute the "deal everyone in" rule, the most logical basis for the rule pertains to the nature of antes in a poker game. When playing stud, all players who ante receive a hand. The same should be true in flop games, in which antes are posted in the form of blinds. Once a player has fulfilled his blind obligations, he is entitled to a round of hands until it is his turn to post a blind again. Just because a player has no money in the pot doesn't mean he hasn't paid for the hand. Failing to deal in an absent player who has posted the blinds is essentially the equivalent of not dealing in a player in stud who has anted.

Don't Deal Me In! (By Linda Johnson)

There are many reasons why I don't think players should be dealt in if they are absent from the table. I disagree with Mark that dealing everyone in speeds up the game. Sometimes dealers forget to deal players in, which makes it a misdeal. Having to reshuffle and deal again definitely slows down the game. Also, dealing in an absent player is an imposition upon neighboring players, who now must discard the missing player's hand in addition to playing their own cards.

The "deal everyone in" rule enables players to pull shots. For instance, if you look at your hand and don't like it, you can choose to point out that someone wasn't dealt in, resulting in a misdeal. If you like your hand, you can decide not to mention the fact that the absent player didn't receive a hand. Why have a rule that permits players to shoot an angle?

Another reason not to deal an absent player in is to avoid arguments and ill will, which can occur if a dealer forgets to deal someone in. If the "deal everyone in" rule is not in effect, a player who has been dealt out for not being in his seat has no reason to get angry at the dealer for simply following the policy.

The main reason I don't think an absent player should be dealt in is that he could accidentally see other players' cards while returning to the table. Whether we try to or not, at times we have all been able to see our neighbor's cards when returning from a short break or a phone call. After all, they don't know we are walking up behind them. It isn't fair to be able to return to a live hand when there is a chance that you have been able to see other cards during the same hand.

Mark, I respect you, but we're going to have to agree to disagree on this issue. I believe that if you want to play poker, you should be in your seat when it is time to deal the cards!

I enjoyed debating this topic with Mark. If there are issues that you think would make for a good point, counterpoint column, please contact me by E-mail: [email protected], or via snail mail to the Card Player office.

Now, let's play poker!

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