[RR]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Situation #2 is why I like the rule (in tournaments) that if you're not seated when the button gets his second card, your hand is dead. Done. Easy.

[/ QUOTE ]

This rule is generally not applied when the floor says "deal in the big blind, I am bringing you a player"

[/ QUOTE ]

According to OP the Floor was not involved in this . . . The Player had "started to sit down" .

The Player was not the Big Blind.

Those two factors make this a different situation than when the floor comes over and says "deal in the big blind, I am bringing you a player"

[/ QUOTE ]

I was in a hurry when I responded, but from the OP

[ QUOTE ]
As they were combining down to two tables, a player came over and started to sit in the 10-seat. Cards were dealt to him as he was still moving his chips over and sitting down.

[/ QUOTE ]

There is no way this player loses his hand by not being in his seat, he was in the process of moving from another table, if he is dealt in before he arrives at the table the action shoudl wait for him to arrive. If he is not yet to the table he really shouldn't be dealt in, but once he is dealt in he has the right to act on his hand. This is not the situation TDA has in mind when someoen leaves the table and needs to be back at the table.