Stud Poker

(c) At the start of each betting interval the dealer must an­nounce which player bets first, naming the combination that gives such player the high exposed holding at that point (for example, "Pair of eights bets" or "First ace bets"). The dealer should also announce, after the third and fourth face-up cards are dealt, any player's combination that, when combined with his hole card, may make a one-card draw to a flush or straight (announced by saying "Possible flush" or "Possible straight").

[Optional law. In the final betting interval, a player may not check or call unless his full hand, including his hole card, will beat the exposed cards of the highest combination showing. Such player may, however, bet or raise. This rule, which is not rec­ommended, is designed to protect players against making point­less calls; at the same time, it eliminates some bluffing oppor­tunities. Like other optional rules, it should not apply unless there has been prior agreement among the players in the game that it will.]

32. Incomplete hands, (a) Four or fewer exposed cards, for the purpose of establishing the first bettor in any betting interval, rank from highest to lowest as follows:

(1)       Four of a kind;  as between  two such hands,  the four
higher-ranking cards are high.

(2)       Three of a kind; as between two such hands, the higher-
ranking three of a kind are high.

(3)       Two pair;  as between two such hands, the highest pair
determines the high hand, and if the highest pairs are the same,
the higher of the two lower pairs.

(4)       One pair; as between two such hands, the higher pair is
high;   if two hands have  the identical pair,  the highest un­
matched card determines the high hand, and if they are identical
the higher of the two other cards.

(5)       The highest card; if two players tie for highest card, the
next-highest card in their respective hands determines the high
hand, and so on.

(b) As between two holdings that are identical card for card, the one nearest the dealer's left is high for purposes of betting (but has no superiority over the other in the showdown).

[Flush and straight combinations of four or fewer cards have no higher rank, for determining the first bettor, than any other holdings including no pair; except when a four flush is played to beat a pair, in which case a fourflush showing bets ahead of a pair.]

(c) If through the dealer's or his own error a player has all his cards exposed, all are taken into consideration for establish­ing the first bettor; and if at the start of the final betting in­terval such player has a straight, flush, full house or straight flush showing, his hand outranks any combination of exposed cards that his hand would beat in a showdown.

33. Irregularities in dealing stud poker, (a) At any time before the dealer begins dealing the second round of cards, a player who has not looked at a card dealt face-down to him may call for a new shuffle, cut, and deal if it is ascertained that:

(1)  the pack was not shuffled or cut;

(2)  a card was exposed in cutting, or the cut left fewer than
five cards in either packet;

(3)  two or more cards are faced in the pack;

(4)  the pack is incorrect or imperfect in any way;

(5)  a player is dealing out of turn.

When there is a redeal, the same dealer deals again unless he was dealing out of turn, in which case the deal reverts to the proper player in turn.

(b)  If the dealer deals too many hands, he shall determine
which hand is dead, and that hand is discarded; but a player
who has looked at the hole card of any hand must keep that
hand.

(c)  If the dealer deals too few hands, he must give his own
hand to the first omitted player to his left.

(d)  If the dealer gives a player two face-down cards instead
of one on the first round of dealing, he omits that player on
the second round of dealing and (unless the rules of the game
require two hole cards, as in seven-card stud) he turns up one
of the cards. The player who received the two cards may not
look at them and then turn up one of them.

(e)  If the dealer gives a player more than two cards on the
first round of dealing, that player may require a redeal if he
does so before the second round of dealing has begun. If the
error is not noted until later, his hand is dead.

(f)  If in dealing any round of face-up cards the dealer omits
a player, he moves back the cards dealt later, so as to give each
player the face-up card he would have had if no irregularity
had occurred; except that if attention is not called to the irregularity

before the first bet is made in the ensuing betting in­terval,

the hand of the player who was omitted is dead.

34.  Exposed card. If the dealer gives any player a hole card
face up, the player must keep that card and instead receive his
next card face down. The player has no redress, except to re­
ceive his next card face down, unless the dealer repeatedly fails
to correct the error until the player has four cards; at which
point, if the dealer has never given him a face-down card, the
player may if he wishes drop out, withdrawing from the pot
all chips he has put in. If the player instead stays for his fifth
card, and receives it also face up, he may withdraw his chips
from the pot; but the player may instead remain in the pot.

35.  Dead cards. A card found faced in the pack during any
round of dealing must be dealt to the player to whom it falls.
A card at the top of the pack exposed during a better interval,
either because it is faced in the pack or because it is prematurely
dealt, is discarded. In dealing the next round of face-up cards,
the dealer skips the player to whom such card would have fallen,
and deals in rotation, ending with the last player who would
have received the exposed card if it had not been exposed. In
each subsequent round of cards, on demand of any player the
dealer must  begin  the rotation  with  the  player who  would
otherwise have received the top card.

36.  Impossible call. If the player last to speak in the final
betting interval calls a bet when his five cards, regardless of his
hole card, cannot possibly beat the four showing cards of the
player whose bet he calls, his call is void and the chips may be
retracted provided any player calls attention to his error before
the hole card of any other active player is shown.

37.  If the dealer errs in calling the value of a hand or in
designating the high hand, no player has any redress; but if the
first bet is made by the player incorrectly designated by the
dealer, it is not a bet out of turn.

38. The dealer does not have the option of dealing a player's
first card up and his second card down intentionally. A player
may not turn up his hole card and receive his next card face
down; if he turns up his hole card, he must play throughout
with all his cards exposed.

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