Another Ruling Question

[RR]

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I always hate to see the worst hand win because of a technicality. The player clearly got excited and made a silly mistake, but in reality there was no question that the loose card belonged to him, and that it was the correct card.

Still, I don't like this floor's choice to say nothing. This player could have lost the pot in many rooms. In fact, I think most rooms would have declared his hand dead. However, I don't think this would be the decision which best maintains the fairness and integrity of the game. This floor should have given this player a bit of a lecture, or to save time, a KITN.

I don't have any problem with the best hand winning in this case. After all, the best hand should win the pot. I also don't have too much of a problem with the players agreeing to split the side pot if that makes everyone happy. I'm guessing they decided to do that because they both had the perception that a card off the table is automatically dead. There's always the potential for a situational consideration to override strict interpretation of any specific rule if doing so protects the integrity of the game.**

Al

**this is a concept most players and many floors fail to comprehend

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Certainly in our home games, the hand would still play.

I have talked to floors and dealers about this rule in the casino and most seem to think it protects the player who didn't put a card on the floor from against either cheating or simply the optics of a scenario where the card coming back to the table not being the same one that left.

Maybe some floors and dealers who post here can expand on that thought.

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Normally I impound the deck after a card goes off the table. If the deck were to ever be fouled I would investigate further.

[bav]

There are rooms that enforce a pretty strict rule that if the cards ever leave sight of the dealer and the cameras, the hand is dead. But most places I've played seem a little more common-sensical and allow a card that flies off the table to continue to play. If it happens mid-hand, the rule then is generally that it must be turned face up on the table so everybody can see it. I've also played somewhere on the strip that when this happened the claim was "if a player picks it up, the hand is dead, but if the floor picks it up, the hand is live" (a slightly bizzare notion, I think).

YMMV.

[youtalkfunny]

This is another case where I think it's a good idea to kill the hand, mainly as an example to others. "Do stupid stuff, and you might just cost yourself a nice pot."

That will drastically cut down this "Throwing cards around when I win" nonsense.

[bav]

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This is another case where I think it's a good idea to kill the hand, mainly as an example to others. "Do stupid stuff, and you might just cost yourself a nice pot."

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You're in a cantankerous mood tonight, YTF.

The penalty for getting excited and bouncing a card off the table should not be 40 lashes. The whole sentiment of teaching 'em a lesson by stealing their money is a fairly wrong-headed idea. I want to see a casino put that concept into print in their rule book and pass it by Nevada Gaming.

[Mr Rick]

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There are rooms that enforce a pretty strict rule that if the cards ever leave sight of the dealer and the cameras, the hand is dead. But most places I've played seem a little more common-sensical and allow a card that flies off the table to continue to play. If it happens mid-hand, the rule then is generally that it must be turned face up on the table so everybody can see it. I've also played somewhere on the strip that when this happened the claim was "if a player picks it up, the hand is dead, but if the floor picks it up, the hand is live" (a slightly bizzare notion, I think).

YMMV.

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At Foxwoods the Floor picked up the card and said "Looks like we have a winner!" and walked away. The rest of us gave the guy who was excited a little bit of a hard time...

A sampling:
"Win much?"
"Hows the pacemaker holding up?"
"How many aces are there in this deck?"

The guy actually showed his sleeves were near his elbows to prove he didn't have any other cards. Still

"Can we check every card in the deck?"

I actually like the Foxwoods ruling. The guy had the best hand. Nobody touched the card but the Floor. Nobody cheated. And the guy who made the mistake took some heat.