I have two bizarre stories to tell, but first, a little bit of history. Poker has always had to fight for its right to exist legally. The current battles are nothing new. In the early days of California poker, the authorities decided that only draw poker was a game of skill (and therefore legal). All of the early California cardrooms spread nothing but draw. Initially, the most popular game was draw high. It was played with a joker that could be used only as an ace or to complete a straight or flush. In Gardena, the players dealt for themselves. This was the setting for the following tale, which I've heard in several variations over the years.
Late on a busy Friday night, one of the high-stakes tables received a new setup. The cards were cut, but not shuffled. Everyone was dealt his five starting cards, and the pot was opened and raised. Now the spotlight shifts to our hero, a cunning knave, if there ever was one, and the only player who had noticed that a shuffle had not occurred. He had five worthless cards, so he just called the double bet cold. The first player drew three cards and the second drew one. What now? Obviously, draw five! Guess what happened? With only a little luck, five consecutive cards from an unshuffled deck produced a straight flush. There were a few bets after the draw, and our hero dragged a big pot. As the story is usually told, no one even commented on someone calling a double bet cold, drawing five, and ending up with a straight flush, believe it or not.
The second story is absolutely true. I know, because I was one of the two players involved. I was playing heads-up no-limit hold'em against Dustin "Neverwin" Woolf. On the first hand, I was dealt the K
J
. He raised, and I called. The flop came 8
7
6
, in that order. I asked the dealer if the deck had been shuffled. He insisted that it had been. I won't bore you with the betting, but the turn was the 4♥ and the river was the 2
. After I won the pot with my K
J
flush, beating his Q
10
flush, we checked the burn cards: In order, the cards were dealt K
to me and Q
to him, J
to me and 10
to him, 9
burn card, 8
7
6
flop, 5
burn card, 4
turn, 3
burn card, and 2
river. Clearly, the cards, or at least the hearts, had not been shuffled. I felt guilty, even though I'd been the one investigating the deal to verify the lack of a shuffle. No one asked for a ruling, and I'm not sure what it should be, anyway. Possibilities include: The pot stands as played, or it's a misdeal, with all chips returned. I guess some sort of compromise also would be possible.
I wish I had some brilliant conclusion to draw from these stories, but the only points I can make are: First, watch everything that happens at your table. Even if you don't want to take unfair advantage of a situation, you also don't want it taken of you. Second, be thankful for good dealers when you get them, and don't be reluctant to tip and/or thank them when they leave the table. I could launch into a diatribe against pooling tips, but I've done enough for now.
Steve "Zee" Zolotow, aka The Bald Eagle, is a successful games player. He currently devotes most of his time to poker. He can be found at many major tournaments and playing on Full Tilt, as one of its pros. When escaping from poker, he hangs out in his bar, Nice Guy Eddie's on Houston and Avenue A in New York City.
