[mxp2004]

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The issue is burning cards, and the reason for doing so. The reason is so that in case the next card is marked in some way, no players in the hand will be able to tell what the next card dealt will be.

No one seems to know this basic idea though, and the ensuing hijinx are sometimes ridiculous. To wit:

- Anxious dealers will sometimes burn and deal the turn and river cards (face down) immediately on the flop, so they have no more work to do other than flip the cards over.

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This cracked me up the first time I saw it done. Like you, I know the reason for burning cards. As you said, it's to prevent players from taking advantage of marked cards and knowing which card will be dealt next. It completely defeats the purpose of burning cards if all five cards are laid on the table before any betting starts.

This summer, I was invited to a new home game that, like many, passed the deal around the table. During the game, one of the players shuffled, passed out the private cards, and then promptly dealt all five community cards face down, burning cards at the "correct" intervals as he did. I started laughing and said, "do you have a meeting to go to?" He looked at me like I had three heads.

I've been back to this game a few times, and it appears to be a widespread practice. I don't bother to mention anything or explain why what they are doing is ridiculous.

But here is the other thing that cracks me up: the hostess for this game is a poker nazi. She corrects everyone for every infraction, large and small, from string bets to keeping big chips in plain view. Amazingly, however, this practice of "express" dealing seems perfectly fine to her.