37: Misdeals and Fouled Decks

A: Misdeals include but are not necessarily limited to: 1) 2 or more boxed cards on the initial deal; 2) first card dealt to the wrong seat; 3) cards dealt to a seat not entitled to a hand; 4) a seat entitled to a hand is dealt out; 5) the wrong number of cards is dealt to any player (except Rule 39); 6) In flop games, if 1 of the first 2 cards dealt off the deck or any other 2 downcards are exposed by dealer error. House rules apply for draw games (ex: lowball). B: Players may be dealt 2 consecutive cards on the button (see also Rule 39). C: In misdeals, the re-deal is an exact re-play: the button doesn’t move, no new players are seated, limits stay the same. Cards are dealt to players who were dealt-in but not at their seats for the original deal and they can play the re-deal (Rule 32). Players on penalty who were originally dealt-in will receive cards then their hands are killed. The original deal and re-deal count as 1 hand for a player on penalty, not 2. D: Once substantial action occurs (see Rule 38) a misdeal cannot be declared; the hand must proceed unless the deck is fouled. E: Fouled decks. The deck is fouled if it contains 2 or more cards of the same suit and rank, or a non-standard card for the game type (ex: jokers in any standard game, 2-3-4-5 in short deck). Other fouled deck conditions may be defined by local gaming regulations and house policy. If a fouled deck is discovered, regardless of SA, play will stop and all bets will be returned. Once a hand concludes, the right to dispute based on a fouled deck ends according to Rule 24.