You are the Tournament Director: Flop, Turn and River

Situation: three players contest a pot pre flop. Player A bets, player B calls and before player C can act the dealer deals the first card of the flop. How do you rule?

Three players contest a pot on the flop. Player A bets, player B calls and before player C can act the dealer exposes the turn card. How do you rule?

Three players contest a pot on the turn. Player A bets, player B calls and before player C can act the dealer exposes the river card. How do you rule?

Thomas Kremser Thomas:
a) I let Player C act on his hand, then I replace the exposed card with the burn card (2 out of 3 flop cards are correct) and deal the flop – also turn and river are correct.
b) I let Player C act on his hand – put the exposed card on the side, then burn and deal the river card in the position of the turn card, then shuffle the exposed card back into the deck and deal the river without the burn card.
c) I let Player C act on his hand – put the exposed card on the side, then shuffle exposed card back into the deck and deal new river card, without burn card.

Jack Jack:
a) Reshuffle stub. Complete action and reflop.
b) Complete action. Burn and use river card for turn. Re-shuffle deck with exposed card included then turn new river card without burning.
c) Complete action. Re-shuffle deck with river card and deal new river card without burning.

Liam Flood Liam:
a) The hands stay as they are. I continue dealing the flop but face down, then burn and deal the turn and the river without turning them either. I would put the discard and the card which was turned over back into the deck. Shuffle and cut, then burn and deal off the top of the deck the first card of the flop face down, then continue with the action.
b) Basically the same thing
c) Same again.

Mel Mel:
a) That Player C can still act. The first card of the flop has to have the chance to come back into play
b) Sack the dealer, Jesus!! Player C can still act. Turn card is replaced by 3rd card from bottom
c) If this is the same dealer, shoot him quietly! Player C can still act. River card needs to be shuffled back into the deck and dealt out after action has taken place.

Marty Wilson Marty:
a) The top card is shuffled back in the deck, now C is allowed to act. The burn card is also shuffled back into the deck.
b) The turn card is returned to the deck, then shuffle, cut and deal the turn card after the action is complete
c) Same as B). If this is all in the same hand the dealer must be working here for the simple fact that he’s dealt the Devilfish a winning hand.

Matt Savage Matt:
This is standard burn and turn policy so that card has to come back. So it comes back and part A of this you would deliver the next card and the burn card obviously...you would try and keep as much of the pot in order as possible so basically you would deliver the same turn and the river and then put the cards back in, scramble up, no burn and then deliver the river card.

JB: OK Matt we’re going to have to do that one again.

MS: What’s confusing me here is there are 3 different things but its...

JB: OK let’s do the first one first. So Player A bets, Player B calls, Player C is thinking, the dealer burns and exposes the first card on the flop

MS: Oh the first card on the flop.

JB: Yes.

MS: OK. So they’re all going to go back in.

JB: So they all go back in, including the burn card?

MS: No, the burn card stays out.

JB: Ok, they get shuffled, cut and then there’s no burn and then you deal the flop?

MS: Correct.

JB: Ok in the second example we’ve got the flop but the dealer burns and puts out the burn card and deals the turn card too quickly.

MS: Ok so then you would burn and put out the river card, shuffle the cards back in, no burn and then deliver the river.

JB: OK, so would you put the river face down on one side? Does the river become the turn?

MS: Yes, the river becomes the turn.

JB: OK and then you will re-shuffle but not the burn cards and not the discards…

MS: Yes, because all three burn cards are now out on the table.

JB: For the river?

MS: Right.

JB: And now the dealer deals the river card too early.

MS: OK, the burn card stays out, you re-shuffle and no burn and turn…

JB: OK, so you re-shuffle the stud?

MS: Yes

MS: Actually on No.1….

JB: This is no. 1

MS: Yes, its saying that you know… nobody has seen the second two cards well in my opinion those cards have got to come back just in case anybody has seen them and you know no one can make that determination.

JB: But he’s only taken the first card off the deck for the flop - the first card for the flop

MS: You see you guys deal differently over there.

JB: Oh I see. OK. Good thinking, good thinking…Some one might of seen them. You’re right.

MS: So that’s actually a good one because I probably….. in Europe I would allow the next two cards to come up, in the United States it’s all three cards come off at the same time I would bring them all in.

The Mob Vedict

We have left the dialogue in between Joe and Matt to demonstrate how a simple situation can be confusing because of different procedures in America and Europe. The way that the flop is usually dealt in the UK is one card at a time whereas in the USA they take all three off and spread them at the same time.

It’s not just rules - it’s procedures that should be standardised and this is a very good example of just why.

The bad news is that we are coming to the end of this set of Tournament Director articles. We’ll have one more featuring these six but it’s a bit special. Matt will tell us his most difficult decision ever made as a TD; Jack will tell us about a rule that he’d like to introduce and Marty, well he’s got something to say as well.

The good news is that then we have a whole new set of scenarios. Many have been sent in by you, our readers, or posted on the Mob Forum. Some of the TDs remain the same but we also have some great new opinions from around the world.

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