Ever Feel Like You're Not Playing With a Full Deck?

The holidays are over and the gifts are put away. It's time to get back to business, I guess! During the winter festivities, I got some very good e-mail inquiries. Of course, regardless of the season, poker games go on and on, like never before. Is this a great time to be in the poker world, or what? Anyway, I recently got a letter from Greg Owen of Grand Blanc, Michigan. He wrote:

Jan,

Thank you for the wonderful insight you give in each and every issue of Card Player magazine.

A couple of weeks ago, I was playing in a satellite tournament that was being hosted by a local poker club, when the following took place:

The satellite had been running for only about 25 minutes and we already had lost one person from our table who had yet to be replaced. So, with eight of us still seated, someone walked by our table and said, "There is a card under your table." We all looked under the table and saw the J. We were in the middle of a hand that was heads up on the turn when the card was discovered under the table. We all started to discuss what should be done, including the dealer. Even the player who had already busted out but was still nearby chimed in. No one could recall having the J in his hand at any time or seeing it on the board. The floor manager was then called over. It was realized that the dealer had not checked the new deck to make sure all the cards were present and that there were no duplicates prior to dealing the first hand. The busted-out player wanted all previous hands to be cancelled due to the deck not being correct from the beginning (no one knew that was the case for sure, but it was not an unreasonable request, and we had been playing for only 25 minutes). After some discussion, the floor manager decided that all previous hands would stand and the current hand would be completed, and then the J would be added to the deck. I was the player who busted out the other person, and didn't believe this was a fair decision. I believe, as the busted-out player did, that all of the chips should have been returned, as it seemed that we had been playing with a faulty deck from the beginning.

What are your thoughts on this?

Again, thanks for all the great insight you give in your columns.

Greg

I reread the letter to be sure I correctly understood the question. Then, it seemed like a total no-brainer to me. For the most part, I agree with the floorman's decision, but I do not think the hand in progress should have been played out. If it is certain that the card on the floor is from that deck, the hand should stop immediately and all chips should be returned to the players involved, including the blinds. The hand should then be redealt. If it is not certain that the deck is fouled, the hand can be completed with the caveat that the cards will be run down at its completion, and if the deck is fouled, the chips will be returned.

The long-standing rule in poker is that a fouled deck cannot play once it is discovered. For example, if two identical cards (rank and suit) appear on the flop, the hand immediately ends and chips are returned. However, if you have knowledge of a bad deck and do not call attention to it immediately, your hand is dead and your chips are not refunded. For example, you hold a card in your hand that appears elsewhere in the hand, and only you have this information. It is your duty as a player in the game to call attention to this right away. Not doing so is unethical and your money would not be refunded.

As for the hands already played in the satellite, they stand – end of discussion. Each player played those hands with the same advantage or disadvantage, and replaying them would open the floodgates to angle shooters in the future. You cannot replay hands; you can only correct an error when it becomes evident and move along from there.

This was a very good question, and it made for some good exchange in our Wednesday Poker Discussion Group. As has been the case for several years now, our group meets nearly every Wednesday at 2 p.m. We have lunch and then talk poker until about 5 p.m. The group had some great input on this decision, and helped to make it even clearer that the long-standing rule about a fouled deck, as well as a hand or hands already played, is a good one. Thanks for the letter, Greg, and for the input, fellow WPDGers. Class dismissed.

As always, please e-mail me with your poker-related questions and comments. I personally will answer each of them. Also, please check out www.cardplayercruises.com for information on upcoming poker cruises and other related events. And watch Card Player for ads about the upcoming Oasis Open, to be held May 5-10, with possible early-bird events May 3-4.