Home Game Horror Story
 

Up until maybe 4 years ago, my buddies and I were playing poker almost every night. Usually 5 card draw as thats what most of the group knew how to play. Anyway, we were playing with one of those decks that was actually used in casino play (you know the ones that have holes in them that you can get for like $1 at the casino). During one very large pot that thankfully I was not involved in, the two remaining players were betting at each other like crazy. The pot is up to around $70 (which was huge for us at the time). Finally it is time to show down. Player 1 flips quad 5's, and player 2 flips a full house Aces full of 10's. Thats not the wierd part though..... one of the other guys at the table screams "hold up". He flips his mucked hand and shows that he had a pair of 5's. One, what do you do in that situation? And two, how was this deck used in a casino? Since then, we always check our decks pre game.

Re: Home Game Horror Story
 

those decks are used in blackjack, and they get shuffled in with many other decks. These decks are then reconstructed by prisoners, as far as I know, in nevada.

and yes, always check your decks, this is stupidly obvious.

Re: Home Game Horror Story
 

"Finally it is time to show down. Player 1 flips quad 5's, and player 2 flips a full house Aces full of 10's. Thats not the wierd part though..... one of the other guys at the table screams "hold up". He flips his mucked hand and shows that he had a pair of 5's. One, what do you do in that situation? "

Unless the one guy's hand- the one in the pot- matched one of board cards, you treat it as a misdeal and give the money back to everyone as best as you can.
The LAST resort is to chop the pot between them.

If he holds the 5c and sees the 5c on the board, his hand is dead and Aces-full wins the pot

"Since then, we always check our decks pre game"

That should be a general practice for ANYONE, in ANY home game, no matter how trustworthy. Check that the correct 52 cards are there, check the backs for marks, etc.

Re: Home Game Horror Story
 

[ QUOTE ]
those decks are used in blackjack, and they get shuffled in with many other decks. These decks are then reconstructed by prisoners, as far as I know, in nevada.

and yes, always check your decks, this is stupidly obvious.

[/ QUOTE ]

Casinos outsource to the local prisons in Nevada? Tell me you at least counted 52 cards before playing with a deck that hadn't been checked for all cards...

Re: Home Game Horror Story
 

Oh we counted the cards pre game at that point. We just didn't check for each individual card like we do now. There were 52 cards, so two other cards must have been missing. Anyway we stopped using those decks and now strictly use Copags.

Re: Home Game Horror Story
 

We were playing draw, there was no board. How would you handle it?

Re: Home Game Horror Story
 

I'd just tryo to return everyone's bets from that hand as best you can. As for every other hand you played with that deck, you probably should just give everyone their buy-in back, which blows, but if there were 52 cards and at least six of them were fives, then you most likely dealt with other situations where people were drawing to hands requiring missing cards.

Good luck,
Matt

Re: Home Game Horror Story
 

Same way- unless the quads knew that he had an invalid hand, he did nothing wrong. Give everyone (including the folders) their money back is the fairest approach.

If he missed the fact that he was holding two 5c, that's on him and his hand is forfeit.

Re: Home Game Horror Story
 

Everyone seems concerned with returning the money from that hand but it seems to me you've been playing with a bad deck from the start of the night. I'd just return everybodies buy-in cash, get a new deck and start the night over.

Re: Home Game Horror Story
 

[ QUOTE ]
and yes, always check your decks, this is stupidly obvious.

[/ QUOTE ]

Brand new decks out the pack can have issues with them. Do exactly what dealers at casino's do, spread the cards out and look at each one and then look at the print as well. Defect do happen.