The unlikely event of running out of cards

[JoeyT]

What is a normal cardroom's policy in the ridiculously unlikely event that in an 8 handed game, everyone sees the river? I know this occurrence would be insane, but I would assume they would have to have a policy for it.

Also, has anyone ever seen it happen?

[lorinda]

I believe community cards are dealt.

I haven't seen it, but apparently it happens in play money games online quite often.

Lori

[Andy B]

In this case, since 48 cards have been dealt out and 3 burned, they'd have to shuffle the burns for a community card which would play as everyone's river card. I don't know if I've ever played in a hand where everyone saw the river, but I have been in many hands where they ran out of cards. There are three possible scenarios:

(1) There are not enough cards for everyone to receive a river card, but if the burn cards are shuffled in with the stub, there will be. In this case, they do just that, and everyone receives a river card.

(2) There aren't enough cards for everyone to receive a river card, and even if they shuffle in the burn cards, there still won't be. If there are three or more cards in the stub, they just burn and turn a community card.

(3) As in example (2), but there are fewer than three cards left in the stub. In that case, they have to shuffle the burn for the community card.

I have seen my share of community cards in $2/4 and $3/6 games, and occasionally in $4/8 and $6/12 games. I've heard of them being dealt in $15/30 games, but have never actually witnessed it.

[Dynasty]

I'm 2 for 2 in community card hands!

[Vehn]

The only community card hand I've been in was in the $4/$8 stud/8(!) game at Canterbury. I was the bring in with garbage and 4th and 5th streets were checked around through 8 players. On 6th I had open queens with a 4 flush in hearts and checked them and it was checked around again. As far as I can remember the dealer just burned and put the river card in the center of the table (with a loud "Community card on 25!" announcement in the tone of voice that blackjack dealers have when someone doubles down on hard 16 or splits tens) without shuffling the stub - it was the queen of hearts /forums/images/icons/wink.gif I bet and everyone folded.

[Andy B]

I don't remember all of the community card hands I've been involved in--it's a lot more than two. One that does stick out in my mind, though, is a $2/4 hand where the community card made a straight for me. It was bet and raised into me, and it was quite obvious that my straight was no good. Bettor had a flush and the raiser a full house, as I recall.

[daryn]

it has only happened to me one time. i was in a 1-5 game at foxwoods on my 21st birthday, had trip jacks going into the last card when i hear the dealer say something about a community card. before i know it he's shuffling this little stack of cards and he flips up the community card.. a jack! oh baby, 4 jacks. big pot with everyone in and all.

[DisRdatMan]

Andy B. explains it well. And by the way, this is not at all rare. A full table of 8 stud players will always get 24 cards on 3rd street. If the game goes through the river, no matter how many stay, you'll have 4 more burn cards (28 cards). You only need 6 people to stay to the river to run out of cards (my casino requires a bottom card to remain after all cards are dealt). Given a little looseness on 3rd street, little improvement, and no one wanting to buy it, you've got a shuffling of the burn cards or a community card easily enough. I would venture to say that I see this happen at least once every 8 hour session.

DisRdatMan

[Andy B]

I believe that the rule that the last card is never dealt is universal.