We are a self-dealt league, which means that players take turns dealing.
It is understandable that a player new to the game may feel uncomfortable dealing. If that is the case, just let the players next to you know that you prefer not to deal, and they will take care of it for you.
The Two-Deck System
At Kontenders Poker, we use a fairly common two-deck system, which works as follows:
There will be two decks (of different colors) on each table, and two cut cards.
When a hand (“hand 1”) is completed, the player who dealt that hand (“dealer 1”) collects the cards and shuffles them while the next hand (“hand 2”) is being dealt by dealer 2. When hand 2 is completed, dealer 1 hands the shuffled deck to dealer 2, who cuts the deck and hands it to dealer 3. That deck is ready to be dealt by dealer 3 and should not be shuffled or cut again. That is all done. The intention is that as soon as one hand is completed, the next hand can be dealt.
Cutting the Deck
The cut is mandatory. Someone must cut the deck after shuffling, and before it is dealt. As described above, typically this is the person between the shuffler and the player who will deal the hand. If, and only if, that player chooses not to cut the deck, the dealer should cut the deck before dealing.
This is not primarily to discourage cheating. It is primarily because many players, when shuffling, expose some of the cards in the deck, especially cards near to or on the bottom of the deck. If a player at the table sees, for example, an Ace at the bottom of the deck, and the deck is not cut, they can play the hand knowing that essentially there are only three Aces in the deck that could be in play. Since that is information that other players don’t have, this scenario must be avoided. Cutting the deck is intended to minimize this kind of information leakage.
Just like any casino, we use cut cards — thick plastic cards that match the size and shape of the cards themselves.
The correct mechanics of cutting the deck are as follows:
The deck is set on the table, and the cut card is set on the table next to the deck. The top portion of cards is removed from the deck and (without flashing the bottom card) placed on the cut card. Then the remaining cards are picked up and placed on top of the initial cut. At that point the dealer is able to pick up the entire deck, keeping the cut card on the bottom to hide the bottom card throughout the duration of the hand.
This may sound complicated but if you read it carefully, it is super simple. If you have questions about it, ask players at your table to demonstrate.
The Deal
Just like any other card game, the deal begins with the player to your immediate left, who is the small blind, followed by the next player who is the big blind. As you deal the cards to the players in the blinds, if the blinds are not already posted, announce what the players need to post. When you are dealing the second card to the blinds, if still not posted, pause and make sure they know that they are in the blinds and what they need to do.
The Streets: Flop, Turn and River
The community cards are made up of the flop (three cards,) the turn (one card,) and the river (one card.) Prior to each of these “streets,” one card should be “burned.”
For example, when dealing the flop, the top card should be taken from the top of the deck and set aside face down (the burn card,) and the next three cards placed face up to comprise the flop. That is described in shorthand as “burn one, turn three.” Similarly, dealing the turn consists of “burn one, turn one” and the river is again, “burn one, turn one.”
About Burn Cards
The reason for a burn card is to prevent players from taking advantage of a marked deck. (Not that we really worry about that in our games, but that is the history of it and that is why it is done.) Therefore, the burn cards really should not be removed from the top of the deck until the prior betting round is complete, and it is time to run the next step in the hand.
The burn cards should be kept separate from the mucked cards, just in case there is a question about whether the dealer has made an error with burning or not.
Handling the Pot
When a round of betting is complete, make sure players have gotten their change, and push all wagered chips into the middle. If necessary, ask for players to assist with that. (Sometimes you just can’t reach.)
The dealer should not stack the chips in the pot. The chips in the pot should be pushed into a pile. It is the players’ responsibility to keep track of how many chips are in the pot and the dealer should not do anything to assist them with that. (Note also that players are not allowed to touch the pot or stack the pot themselves. Again, keeping track of the pot is part of the game.)
Handling the Muck
All folded cards should be gathered in one place as soon as they are folded. This is to make sure there is never any confusion about who is still in the hand or what cards belong to which player.
Controlling the Action
Make sure you know whose turn it is to act, and make sure that player knows it is their turn. (Most of the time, they know.)
If a player acts out of turn, try to call it out immediately so it doesn’t start a cascade of other players also going out of turn.
It is a good practice to announce what a player’s action was. “That’s a check. That’s a fold. That’s a call. That’s a raise to xxx.” Sometimes it is not clear to all players at the table, and by calling out the action, everyone knows. Also, there can be discrepancies between what a player states and what chips they put out, or misunderstandings by players about the one-chip rule, so again, by calling out the action, you can get clarification before other players act.
One or More Players All-In for Different Amounts
This is beyond the scope of this page at this time. If you are the dealer and this situation arises, and you don’t feel comfortable with it, ask for help.
Odd Situations That You Don’t Know How to Handle
If there is some anomaly, or some disagreement about what a player has done, or some action out of sequence that is hard to unwind, most of the time the more experienced players at the table will know how the situation should be handled, and they will let you know. If there is still a disagreement, the TD should be called to help sort it out.
Being the dealer does mean you have a certain role, but it does not make you responsible for knowing every rule and resolving all conflicts at the table. Obviously, players newer to the game may be capable of dealing but still have some gaps in their knowledge of some of the rules. Don’t worry about that. You will have plenty of help in these situations.
Reading the Final Board
If you, as the dealer, are not confident with reading the final board, don’t sweat it. There will definitely be players at the table who are watching closely and will speak up about it. Just don’t be too quick to scoop up the cards or push the pot to anyone unless/until you are sure.
There are a couple of types of hands and boards that are confusing for a lot of people. Don’t feel bad if you are slow at reading the board. Just do the best you can and when in doubt, get confirmation from other players that you have read the board correctly.
