[Captn_All_In]

Okay I have been having issues explaining the responibilities of the dealer to new players when I go to a new place to host a game (actually I bring the chips, and organize the show, they provide the people).

I want to create a poster that has these responsibilities on it.

Here is what I want to include, but I don't know if this list is everything I need, or if it is too much for newbs to handle.

1. Brief how to shuffle: i.e. riffle, and wash only
2. Make sure the blinds are posted.
3. After each round of betting make sure all the chips are pulled into the pot
4. Know what a minimum raise is and make sure it is enforced.
5. How to deal the flop, turn, river


Is there anything else that I need to have on this list?

Thanks!

[jldecarlo]

Make sure the action occurs in the correct order.

Stop illegal (ie string, too small, out of order) bets.

Manage the pot in all-in bets or side pots.

L

[OnTheButton]

VERY IMPORTANT

The dealer should make sure they read the board correctly to award the winning hand at the end of play.

At our game on Saturday, we almost had a big foul-up with a dealer mis-read of the hand.

More or less he was ready to award the pot to the highest kicker in the hole, (both players had the same two pair with one of the pairs on the board) when the highest kicker was on the board. I happened to have stepped into the room and caught it just before it was too late. The "winner" already had their hands around the pot but the cards were still up on the table.

[Quads]

Simple Version:

1. RESPECT THE DEALER. Without him, you don't get cards, end of story.

2. Don't ask the dealer to do something that is in / against the rules. (such as rabit hunt or ask for your cards from the muck after the turn card comes out. When they hit the muck, they stay in the muck)

3. If you move the button, announce to the dealer "Button Move" so he doesn't move it again.

3a. Try and help the dealer (if you are in the position to do so, such as across from him) but don't interfear with the dealing / game. The dealer calls the pot. He will identify which cards on the board play, and what hand wins the pot. If you see it differently, state your point to the dealer.

4. If you are seated to the left, right or across from the dealer, learn to shuffle cards. Two decks in play give players at the table 100% more action than would have been with one deck in play.

5. Last but not least, thank the dealer at the end of the night. Buy him / her a beer, burger or a cookie! Many of you that have not dealt a night of cards may not know that dealing is actually very, very draining. You need to be aleart as to everything that is going on at the table. And when you add your game into that mix, it's even tougher. Thank the dealer at the end of the night, he'll appreciate it.

[Quads]

Detailed Version:


Mechanics
- When dealing be as careful as possible to not expose cards during the deal. To me this isn't the worst mistake that can be made, but it does slow the game down and can create "hard feelings" from the players.

- Make sure the button is correct and start dealing to the SB.

-Keep the deck low to the table so as to avoid flashing the cards as you're dealing them. If you have to choose, it's better to not get the cards all the way to the player, then to throw them from a higher angle to get them farther.

- If you accidentally expose a card on the deal, leave the card there, continue dealing and come back to the exposed card and replace it with the top card after everyone else's cards have been dealt. The exposed card becomes the first burn card. I suggest that you place it face up on the top of the deck and turn it over as you burn it before the flop.

-Remember to burn. Keep the burn cards separate from the muck so that they act as a reminder. Sometimes you'll burn and then something will come up before you flip the card. Then you can't remember if you burnt or not. You can just look at the burn card count to know where you stand.

-If you forget to burn and there has been action on the round before it is caught, Roberts Rules of Poker apply for “early Burn and Turn” situations.

-When dealing the flop, deal them out one at a time face down and then turn them over. This will minimize the chance that you'll accidentally expose a fourth card.

- Be very sure that the action has closed for a round before you expose the next card(s). To me, this is the worst mistake that can be made.

If this happens the procedure is as follows. (summary from Roberts Rules of Poker)

Turn
- Set the exposed turn card aside and complete the betting round.
- Burn again and expose the card that would have been the river for the turn.
- Insert the exposed card back into the active deck - do not include the muck cards. Shuffle and cut.
- Deal the top card (no burn) out as the river.

River
-Complete the betting round.
- Insert the exposed card back into the active deck - do not include the muck cards. Shuffle and cut.
- Deal the top card (no burn) out as the river.


- If a player exposes one or both of his cards, make sure that everybody at the table has a chance to see them.

Running the Table
As dealer, it's your responsibility to take control of the table. That doesn't mean that your word is last if there's a controversy, but it's up to you to call the action.

- Make sure people act in turn. If they do act out of turn, remind them of the rules.

- Make sure people don't string raise. If they do correct the action (raise doesn't stand). If a player is new, and there has been no action following his bet, then you can let it slide once and warn him/her that it won't be allowed again. If the table objects as a group, then the table is right.

- Make sure people know it is their turn to act and prod them a little if they are slow. You don't have to be a bully about it, just keep prodding especially if they are regularly slow to act.

- Make sure that raises are legal. A raise must be at least as much as the previous bet. If player A raises the opener to 75 (25 + 50), the following raise (in that round) must be at least 50 (a bet of 125). The only exception to this rule is of course an all-in raise.

- Make SURE that you are awarding the pot to right player. Some hands require that you do a double or triple take on the showdown. Make sure that everyone in the hand is happy with your decision before shoving the chips. Mistakes can be corrected while the chips are still in the middle. Once they get added to the wrong stack, it can be problematic.

-If someone goes all in, count the chips and get that player's acknowledgement that your count is correct.

-Side pots. This can be very challenging especially if you have more than one all-in. I try to make it as simple as possible, even if it is slower than other may be able to do it.

1. Take an amount equal to the lowest all-in count from each active bet and put it in the main pot.

2. Take an amount equal to the next lowest count from each active bet and start a side pot. Continue this for each all-in. (there's rarely more than 1 or 2, but you could conceivably have all but 1 player all-in on one hand.

3. When you get to showdown, settle the winner starting with the side pot for those not all-in, or those that had the higher all-in amount. Award that portion of the pot and move to the next side-pot or the main pot. Compare the winner of the previous side pot to those in the running for the current side pot or main pot.

- It's often up to you to interpret the player's "actions". Verbal actions stand. If a player announces "raise" then he must raise. The only exception that I've granted to this rule is if someone says "raise" and is unaware that the pot has been previously raised. If he had put chips in to raise and it constitutes a legal raise, then it stands. We all have different "check" taps. Get to know the players "taps" and say "check" out loud for each player. If you're not sure what the player intended, then double check with the player before preceding.

-Making change from the pot. It's your responsibility to make change to players who throw a bigger chip to cover a bet. If you keep the players bets in front of them, it's easier to remember who needs change. (One regular mistake that I see players do to themselves is when calling a raise before the flop. Their already in for 25 and it gets raised to 75, They pull their green chip back and put in a black one. They think they've already made their change but they haven't. They have effectively made change for 125 and still have 25 coming back.)

-Don't allow players to buy / add chips to their stacks in the middle of a hand. They can buy chips during the hand, but they are not in play until the next hand. If they've requested chips, and their on route, those chips are in play. The dealer will announce to the table “two hundred behind” or what ever the amount. The player may act as if he had the fresh buy in front of him. $100’s play on the table, and players can buy chips from the large stacks, or from the bank.

-Be aware of the rules in play for that night. For example, this week, we have a host that wishes to deviate from the standard one "chip rule". Enforce the rules that are in play for that game.

[Captn_All_In]

Wow these are great responses!! Thanks.

My only concern here is that I may have been a little vague about my intentions. I want to easily tell/explain what the dealers job is every hand to people that may not have dealt before but will be asked to deal during this game. I do not have one person dedicated to dealing, we "pass the deck" to the next guy. I use 2 decks per table, after identifying the dealer with a high card/first Ace draw, that person and the SB each get a deck and start shuffing. After the 1st hand is over the dealer passes the deck he was using to the person in the big blind, and the small blind deals, and play continues as such. Most people catch on to this rather quickly. But need a concise set of rules/regs on dealing that can be posted and refered to for a person who may be unsure about the process, etc. while they are dealing for the first few times.

Am I making my question/point clear enough?? If not please advise me!!


HOLY CRAP!!! NEVERMIND!!! Quads got what I needed!! Wow you rock!