Please help with a rules question!

[Intrepid]

A player at my table asked to be dealt in before leaving the table for parts unknown. He had not yet returned when the action was on him. He suddenly appeared and called for time after the player on his left had moved forward with a handful of chips but possibly before those chips hit the felt (the dealer was reaching to kill his hand when he returned). In this cardroom, a player's forward motion with chips would be considered a bet even if he took the chips back without releasing them. An argument ensued regarding whether the tardy player should be permitted to act on his hand. The tardy fellow argued that his hand was live because three players had not acted behind him [this cardroom has a rule that if a player fails to call for time before three or more opponents have acted out of turn, then his hand is dead]. Should the tardy player be allowed to act on his hand with knowledge of what the next player planned to do?

[daryljobe777]

I have been in the position of the tardy player before on one occaission, and my hand was ruled dead right when the player to my left grabbed his chips.

[stabn]

Some places will kill it immediately when the seat to the right of the tardy player has checked or bet. As soon as that happens the action is on the tardy player and he isn't in his seat, so his hand is dead.

[andyfox]

Where I play, the tardy player would be allowed to act, since the 3-player rule is in effect there too. Also, as a result, the player's action behind him would not be binding since it was, in effect, out of turn.

[Intrepid]

I thought the 3-player rule only applied to players acting out of turn. In this case, the bettor acted in turn. I believe you play at Commerce? When do they kill an absent player's hand? Would they really let a returning player act on his hand after two people have acted behind him?

Thanks.