Poker Dealer Rules
Bets With Oversized Chips
One of the general rules you can use to help you manage the blinds is to remember that, in a tourney, a player can never miss the big blind. If there are only 3 players left, and the dealer gets eliminated, then the button is placed after putting the big blind in the right place. Below you will find the 2019 version of the Poker TDA Rules, Recommended Procedures and Illustration Addendum in English. For a downloadable copy in either MS Word or PDF format, and for foreign language translations visit our rules page. POKER TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS ASSN. 2019 Rules Version 1.0, Sept 17, 2019 Longform Version Includes: Recommended Procedures &Continue Reading.
In limit games, a bet with an oversized chip will be deemed to be a call if the player does not announce a raise. In no-limit, an oversized chip before the flop is a call; after the flop, an oversized chip by the initial bettor put in the pot will constitute the size of the bet.
Limit to Number of Raises
In limit events, there is usually a limit to the number of raises, usually the limit is 3 raises. Sometimes, when the hand only has 2 players left, then there is unlimited raising. If it is no-limit then there is never a limit to the number of raises.
Cards Speak
The value of a hand is what the cards show, not what the player announces - although a player deliberately and repetitively miscalling his hand with the intention of fooling other players can be penalized.
Verbal declarations stand
If a player verbally announces a move, then he will be required to play according to his verbal declarations - even if he hasn't moved his chips.
String Bets
String bets are not allowed. When raising, a player must either put the amount of the raise out in one motion or state the raise amount. If the raise is unannounced then the raise must be made in one motion. If the raise is announced but no amount is announced (“I raise”) then the amount of the raise must be in one motion. If both the raise and the amount are announced (“I raise 800”) then the player can make several motions to put chips into the pot since there is no question about the details.
If the last bet on the table was 200, and a player states 'I raise 600', then this means that the player is raising BY 600, not TO 600. In other words, he is betting 800.
Table Stakes
Only the amount of chips the player has at the start of a hand is the amount available to wager. A player may not dip into his pocket for additional money during the hand. A player may put cash (or his wallet) into his stack before the start of the hand and have “cash play” as long as the house has a rule that cash plays.
Deck Changes
In most games, players are not allowed to ask for deck changes. There is rarely a legitimate reason to ask for a deck change. At casinos, sometimes they will accommodate a player's request for a deck change in order to placate him because he is a customer. At a home game, asking for a deck change would be considered an idiot request.
Card Visibility
It is a player's responsibility to make sure his cards are visible to other players at all times (they are allowed to lift their cards off the table to look at them). Dealers should remind players about this rule if they see a player slipping.
Unprotected Hands
If a dealer kills an unprotected hand, the player can't do anything about it because it is his responsibility to protect his cards. An exception would be if a player raised and his raise had not been called yet, he would be entitled to receive his raise back.
English only at the table.
Only English may be spoken at the table to ease player's fears about collusion.
Calling Time
A player can call time to think about his hand.
Sitting Out
In a tournament, a player has the right to sit out for as long as he wants as long as he posts his blinds. In a limit game, a player may sit out but needs to post a dead blind when sitting back in.
Showing Cards
When a player is all-in, he has to show his cards.
Showing Cards - Showdown - Who Shows First?
At the showdown:
- If everyone checks, then everyone must show their hand - in the order according to the button.
- If there is betting on the final round, then the player who puts in the final bet has to show first and the callers show next - in order according to the button.
Showing Cards - Showing Cards to Other Players
You are not allowed to show your cards to another player. If you show your cards to one player then you need to show them to all players, whether it is during a hand or after.
Showing Cards - Asking to See Other Player's Cards
A player may ask to see another player's mucked cards if he thinks they were cheating. If a player make this request too often then it will be ruled that he is abusing the rule in order to unfairly get information about another player.
Showing Cards - Just Showing One
In informal games, a player is sometimes allowed to show only one card to take down the pot. For example, if the board is JJ882, then he would show a J to indicate he had the nut full house, assuming it is good enough to win the pot. In formal games, you must show both cards in order to win the pot.
Discussing a hand
In laid-back home games, most of the time players are allowed to talk about a hand in play because it is fun. In formal games, players (whether in the hand or not) are not allowed to discuss hands until the hand is over. Talking about a hand can hurt certain players in a hand. A player may be penalized for breaking these rules.
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HPG ADMIN on March 1, 2013
A poker dealer distributes cards to players and manages the action at a poker table.
Professional dealers[edit]
Any casino with a poker room must hire a staff of dealers. Casinos generally pay dealers minimum wage. However, a dealer's primary source of income is not salary, but tips from players. Tip income may be substantial for dealers who can deal hands quickly and efficiently. (In some countries e.g., in Sweden, where all the casinos are owned by the state, Dealers and other casino personnel may not accept tips from players. This rule is complied with strictly.)
To become employable by a casino, applicants without prior experience are typically required to complete a 4-6 week training program at a dealing school. Dealing in a casino may require working late hours and remaining seated for long periods of time. Dealers also commonly work holidays, since these are especially busy days for casinos. Having to deal with difficult individuals may be another drawback to dealing at a casino—some players are abusive to dealers.
Major poker tournaments also hire dealers. For a given tournament stop, the tournament coordinator will hire dealers on contract for the duration of the tournament, which may be a few days to a few weeks. Room and board may or may not be provided by the tournament management; the dealer is typically responsible for his own travel expenses.
Mechanics of dealing[edit]
Dealers must be proficient in shuffling the deck, distributing the cards to the players, and, if required by the game being dealt, turning up the community cards in the center of the table. There are two methods of distributing the cards, 'American'-style and 'European'-style.
Shuffling[edit]
To shuffle the cards, the dealer follows a sequence defined by the casino. First all cards are spread out on the table and pushed around randomly. This is called 'scrambling' or 'washing' the cards. Then the cards are collected and squared into a deck. At this point a typical shuffling sequence might be: riffle, riffle, box, riffle. Professional dealers always keep both halves of the deck very low to the table while shuffling. Some casinos have automatic shufflers built into the table that shuffle a different deck of cards while the previous hand is being played, which speeds up the game.
Finally, a cut card is placed on the table and the deck is cut onto the card. The cut card is held on the bottom of the deck for the entire hand, to keep the bottom card from being exposed.
American-style dealing[edit]
In American-style dealing, the deck is held in one hand, and the dealer uses the thumb of their deck hand to slide the top card of the deck toward their pitching hand. The pitching hand clasps the card between the thumb and index finger while at the same time the mid-point of the card touches the face (nail) of the middle finger. It is the extension of the middle finger that 'pitches' the card off the top of the deck and a 'whoosh' should be heard as each card exits the top of the deck.
The ability to pitch cards accurately is critical, since the cards must be delivered in a way that players at the table can not see the undersides of the cards.
European-style dealing[edit]
European-style dealers touch only the top of each card being dealt. The card is pushed off the top of the deck to the table surface in front of the dealer. The dealer then propels the card toward the recipient, usually imparting some spin to the card to encourage sliding.
Burning and turning[edit]
Before dealing a community card, the top card off the deck is burned, or discarded. The rationale for burning is that the top card on the deck is visible to players during the previous betting round, so that a cheat might be able to spot a mark on the top card and therefore gain an advantage on his opponents.
When burning, the deck must be held low and the burn card kept level with the table surface. Casinos watch carefully to make sure a dealer does not 'flash', or inadvertently expose, the burn cards to players at the table.
In flop games, the three community cards comprising the flop are turned up simultaneously, never one at a time.
Responsibilities during a hand[edit]
Dealers control the action during a hand. This may include prodding players to act, verbally announcing actions of players to the rest of the table, and correcting players who act out of turn.
Texas Poker Dealer Rules
Dealers also must manage the pot. The dealer must verify the amount of bets and raises by players, collect folded hands, maintain side pots, and read players' hands at showdown to identify the winner or winners. In games with a rake, the dealer also must keep track of the amount of money in the pot and remove the appropriate amount for the house.
At times the dealer needs to communicate with the floor, or other casino staff. Some casinos equip the dealers with a headset or walkie-talkie for this purpose, while in other casinos the dealer must shout over the ambient noise. The following table shows some common calls a dealer may make, and their meanings:
| Call | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 'Floor' or 'Decision' | Requests the floor manager to come to resolve a dispute. |
| 'Seat open' | Announces that a player has left the game and a seat is now available. |
| 'Player in' | Notifies the floor or brush that a vacant seat has been filled. |
| 'Players checks' | Requests a chip runner to retrieve chips for a player. |
| 'Fill' | Requests a chip runner to bring chips to fill the dealer tray. This tray must be kept full of low denomination chips in a high limit game, so that change may be made in the pot so that the rake may be taken out. |
| 'Set up' | Requests replacement decks be brought to the table. |
| 'Pick up' | For cash games, used when an absent player's chips should be removed from the table to free the seat. Also, for single-table satellites, used to request the staff to come collect the cash entry fees from the table. |
| 'Playover' | Alerts the floor that a new player will be playing in a seat taken by an absent player, until the absent player returns. Usually a 'playover box' or some other object is used to separate the seated player's money and chips from those of the person playing over. |
| 'Winner' | Used in single-table satellites to announce that the game has completed and the prize is to be paid. |
| 'Brush' | Calls the floor to deal with a game participation problem, for example if a game must be broken due to insufficient players. |
| 'Service' or 'Cocktails' | Alerts the floor that a player wants a beverage and/or food. |
Online dealing[edit]
Online poker sites use Random number generation (RNGs) when dealing cards. A successful RNG distributes cards in an unpredictable and random way.
See also[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
References[edit]
Poker Dealer Rules
- Shulman, Barry (2001-06-22). 'Dealer Compensation'. Card Player Magazine.
- Shulman, Barry (2002-03-29). 'Dealer Tipping and Economics'. Card Player Magazine.