The misdeal
August 10, 2009
What is a misdeal? A misdeal is when the dealer makes an error in dealing the cards. When there is a misdeal, the dealer has to collect all the cards and deal the deck all over again. Sometimes, there are penalties for a misdeal, on other times, there are no penalties for the misdeal. There are some times where the dealer is charged the big blind for a misdeal. There are some times where the dealer is charged the small blind. Sometimes the dealer even has to pay the small blind to all the players. Sometimes, the dealer simply has to reshuffle and deal again. Whatever suits you and your group is okay. Make sure that the house rules are established before the game begins so that you will avoid any misunderstanding in the middle of the game.
There are a lot of instances where a misdeal can happen. When can a misdeal happen? One instance where a misdeal can happen is if one of the cards accidentally flips over. How will this happen? This will happen if the dealer is distributing the cards too quickly that a card will end up flipping over because the air pressure is unbearable beneath it. Try throwing a card as fast as you can across a ten foot table. Throw all the cards to the other side one by one and see if one of them will flip over. Chances are, even if you are the best dealer in town, one of them will accidentally flip over.
Another instance where a misdeal can happen is if the dealer forgets how many players are on the table. The dealer can forget the number of players if someone or two people get knocked out in a poker match. Sometimes the dealer will give away seven sets of cards when there are only six players left. When this is the case, the dealer has to reshuffle and declare a misdeal.
A misdeal can also happen if the dealer deals out too many cards. There are some instances where a player will receive three cards instead of two. In poker games that have a dealer’s choice option, meaning the dealer can choose whether people will be playing Omaha, Hold’em, or Pineapple, sometimes the dealer forgets which one is being played and simply gives out the cards.
If you are the dealer of a certain poker round then you have to make sure that you are dealing the right amount of cards. You have to make sure that you are giving the cards to the right people. You have to make sure that you give the first card to the small blind. If you do not follow these measures as diligently as possible then you will end up giving away a large amount of your chips to the pot for no reason at all. When you are dealing at a poker match, the most important thing that you should have is presence of mind. Do not allow your mind to wander off when you give away the cards because the moment you lose concentration is the moment you lose chips.