Dealer-Error Rulings

[WhiskyRiver]

I can't remember the exact situation, so the gist:
Board is Q-Q-A-2-4. TWo players left, one ends up all-in for about 60, the other player calls. I can't explain this one so don't ask, but the two flip over A3 and A5. One immediately says, "split pot" and the dealer starts to split it up, and the other player agrees through silence. The cards lay there for a second while it's split up, then flipped over and thrown in to the muck. Right as they're flipped over the player with the A5 says "wait, my kicker plays." Everyone agrees he was right. He asks the guy who runs the game for a ruling, and he says "it's a friendly game, you two do what you want."

I have seen something similar in a casino, and based on the "cards speak" theory, they went back to the cameras to verify the hands, and ended up splitting it but paying the actual winner the other half from their bank (I can't remember if it was the dealers or the house). Here we obviously don't have cameras, and no real "house" to compensate the guy.

Opinions on what should have been done?

[ChuckyB]

It depends on how serious you play. In my regular, but relatively casual, Sunday game, we'd pull the cards out.

In a more serious game, I believe that if he threw his own cards into the muck, then he's out of luck. If someone did it for him, then he should be allowed to dig them out, if they're easily identifiable, and "let the cards speak".

If I was A3 in that hand in my regular, casual game I wouldn't take the split once we learned of the mistake.

[MagicMan08]

Warn his ass next time he does it he will be taken out back and beaten to a bloody pulp. He will be more careful next time.

[MagicMan08]

Personally I am pissed off if there is a split pot, unless I am on the crap end of it.

[JimHammer]

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Warn his ass next time he does it he will be taken out back and beaten to a bloody pulp. He will be more careful next time.

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I bet you are a lot of fun to play with.

I had a similar thing happen in my home game. The board made two pairs which counterfeited a players small pocket pair. No one said anything as the pocket pairs swept the pot, but as the cards were being shuffled I spoke up. Everyone new what the hands were (it was an all-in situation)and that the other player should have won the pot. Since it's a friendly game, they just decided to split it.

In this situation, the player with the A5 won the pot, but leave it up to those players to decide what to do. If they can't come to a decision, then the house decides for them.

[WhiskyRiver]

I talked to the floor man at my local card room and he said that he and any other floor there would go to the cameras. Obviously we didn't have that luxury, but everyone agreed what the hands were anywyay. The winner of the hand ended up letting it be split since if the loser lost it would have broken up the game.

[Stew]

[ QUOTE ]
I talked to the floor man at my local card room and he said that he and any other floor there would go to the cameras. Obviously we didn't have that luxury, but everyone agreed what the hands were anywyay. The winner of the hand ended up letting it be split since if the loser lost it would have broken up the game.

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If everyone, including the dealer, whether you are in a casino, or not agrees with the hands and the fact that yes, it should have been a split pot...there would be no need to go to the camera.

So, I'd say in your situation, the pot should not be split and go to the player that actually won.

But, since it's a home game, if I were running and asked for a ruling. The first thing I'd do is ask the winner if he's OK with it staying a split. If not, then I'd say, since everyone agrees that he is the winner of the full pot, he's entitled to a full pot.

Honestly, the guy running the game has no balls when he says, "You two decide", even if it is a home game. Someone has to make the decision and ultimate it comes down to the person running the game. He should be the one saying either just split it, regardless or trying to come to an amicable situation by offering a split to the person actually winning the hand. But, if that player refuses to split, he is right that he is entitled to the full pot. The cards being in the muck or not are irrelevant since everyone agrees on the outcome.