Misdeal, Mistake, or Merely Mischief?

I was playing poker recently while at Foxwoods Resort Casino for a World Poker Tour taping. It was the first time I had gotten a chance to play live poker in a long time. I settled in for what I hoped would be great action (it was), comfortable surroundings (they were), great chairs (oh, yes, they were the best!), and a well-run, friendly game. I got most of what I bargained for, but one irritating situation kept arising. What is up in the poker world when anyone at the table can say "misdeal" and all of the other players, acting like little lambs, toss in their cards and get new ones? How did it happen that the inmates began running the asylum? But allow me to digress.



The game I was playing was $30-$60 H.O.E., which is a mixed game with rotations of Texas hold'em, Omaha eight-or-better, and stud eight-or-better. The game changes upon the dealer push, which is every half-hour. In a game at this limit, you would think the players would be a little bit savvy and know some of the basic rules of poker. Inasmuch as this was not the case in this game, I recognized that it was perhaps time to remind some of you of some of the classic poker rules that help to keep things fair and running smoothly.



Today's topic is misdeals, what causes them, and who "calls" them. A misdeal cannot be called by a player. It can be requested and/or inquired about, but a player at the table cannot tell the other players to toss in their cards and start anew. In this particular game, one player would intentionally flip over a card (coincidentally, only when having been dealt a bad first card, and often when in the big blind) and proclaim the hand to be a misdeal. The other players, acting obediently and obligingly, would toss in their cards, and the dealer, without saying anything, would begin the shuffle-and-cut routine anew.



First of all, when a player exposes a card, it is not a misdeal – ever! It is a misdeal only if the dealer either exposes a card or is hindered in some way as to cause exposure. What about the button? What happens if his first card is exposed by the dealer? Would this be a misdeal, since replacing his card with the burn card would, in essence, give the player two cards in a row from the deck? No, this is not a misdeal, either. Many cardrooms have their own rules, of course, but generally accepted practices and principles allow for a misdeal when one of the first two cards off the deck is exposed by the dealer, or there is more than one exposed card in a deal, again caused by the dealer.



If a player insists on "exposing himself," he is not entitled to new cards, and should be cautioned severely by the house that if he continues to do this, he will be forced to spend some free time away from the cardroom! This is cheating. If every time I saw 7-2 in the blind and knew I could get away with causing a misdeal, why wouldn't everyone do it? Also, if you inadvertently expose a card, you can't get it replaced. Whether it is an ace or a deuce, it plays in your hand, and you should learn from the error that caused it to be exposed to be more careful in protecting your hand.



In addition, if there is someone at the table who is "taking charge" by calling misdeals and having the other players follow his lead, what should you do? You definitely should ask the dealer if this is proper protocol. Of course, that would be a rhetorical question, as the dealer likely doesn't know the correct answer. So, what next? Ask for a floorperson's decision. In the meantime, do not discard your hand. Technically, since the house didn't declare a misdeal, the hand is in play. If you are the only one with cards, you would win the pot. If only a few of you have cards, technically, the hand could play out – probably without resistance from many players, as they already had discarded their hands while acting the part of lambs.



If you don't know what is going on, ask. Ask a floorperson or ask the dealer, but please ask. In the meantime, please be part of the solution and don't let the players run the game. Insist that the house do it. That is what you are paying rake for, to get the service and professionalism you deserve. With so many new cardrooms opening (and, hey, isn't that the absolute nuts?), there are many green and undertrained employees working in every aspect of the room. Until they know the rules, keep asking until you get the right answer. Then, please be a good citizen and bring that knowledge with you when you play, and help to educate the other players and staff. In the long run, we all will be better off for it. The players and the house will see more hands dealt per hour, and this, my friends, is a very good thing for both sides. Class dismissed.



As always, please contact me with your poker-related questions and comments: [email protected]. I personally will answer every e-mail I get. For information on cruises and other poker tidbits, please check out the http://www.cardplayercruises.com/ website.