Dead Hand in Poker: What is it, and When Does It Appear?

Poker, just like all games, has rules within it. Every casino has its own rules. But people are people and might want to go contrary to those rules. We want something exciting and new, just like the novel exciting platform SAgaming.

Ignorance of the law doesn’t exempt them from applying to a person, and the same rule applies in poker.  It’s important to know that casinos dealers will be out on the look for these small, unhidden subtleties and point them out even when a game is going on.

The funny thing is that players rarely look into the instructions. As long as they know how to play the game, they continue. This attitude makes the game susceptible to offenses like the dead hand.

The dead hand is an act performed by the dealer. Upon execution of the act, the hand at play is declared void. Although the strictness varies during online games, players will be let loose and impulse to a greater possibility of error and informalities.

However, the tables change when it comes to two-person poker. In that context, there is no hiding from the truth. Do anything illegal and you get punished.

Here are some of the scenarios:

Throwing cards

Poker is a very intellectual game and rational game. This means that you must keep your cool no matter how bad the cards you have been dealt. Throwing cards forwards is associated as a sign of defeat and is usually declared by a dealer once they see it. Players are typically aware of this penalty.

If you are a player at a regular casino, you should not do this because people will refuse to play with you in the future.

Exceeding your time

In poker, each player is given some time to ponder about how long they can make a move. The typical time is not more than 2 minutes. If the player takes more time than that, then the dealer will pass on a message to the supervisor; or if it’s a competition, the director.

The supervisor often calls out the amount of time that is remaining or running out to keep the player aware. If the dealer makes no move, the player’s hand is declared dead.

Selecting cards mistake

For other players, it should be common to keep your cards close to you and protected by an object like a glass or cardholder. This is to make sure that the dealer does not confuse them for others. It can also happen when cards are kept close to the safety line.

If the above conditions are underrated, then it increases the chances of the dealer picking up a player’s card. When this happens, it will be declared a dead hand.

Making deceptive gestures

Dealers are on a job of making sure the game is airtight as much as possible. This means that they will not care about the signs that you are making to other players on the table. If the signs seem like there is a collaboration between the two, then the dealer calls a dead hand.