If you keep up with our social media or poker news in general, you might’ve caught wind of a wild incident this week at a WSOP Circuit event. A player was knocked out in 3rd place after everyone—including the player himself—missed that he actually had the winning hand. Going into the river, he was ahead, but his opponent needed a straight to catch up. When that straight card hit, no one noticed that it also gave the first player a flush, making his hand the best. By the time the mistake was spotted, he’d already been eliminated in 3rd, and thanks to those pesky rules, it was too late to undo the damage. Check out the full story here.
Well, wouldn’t you know it, we had our own déjà vu moment last Sunday at Carrigan Arms in our league. One player scooped the pot with a full house—or so everyone thought. After the chips were pulled in, it dawned on the table that the other hand at showdown was actually a higher full house and should’ve won. Before I spill how it shook out, let’s dive into the relevant rules—specifically Rules 22, 23, and 36:
22: Disputed Hands and Pots
The reading of a tabled hand may be disputed until the next hand begins (see Rule 23). Accounting errors in calculating and awarding the pot may be disputed until substantial action occurs on the next hand. If a hand finishes during a break, the right to any dispute ends 1 minute after the pot is awarded.
23: New Hand and New Limits
A new level starts on announcement by the floor or audio signal by the clocking system. The new level applies to the next hand. Hands begin on the first riffle, push of the shuffler button, or on the dealer push. If a hand starts at the prior level by mistake, the hand will continue at the prior level after substantial action occurs (Rule 36). If a new level starts during the dealer push, the incoming dealer will deal one hand at the prior level.
36: Substantial Action (SA)
Substantial Action is either A) any 2 actions in turn, at least one of which puts chips in the pot (i.e. any 2 actions except 2 checks or 2 folds) or B) any combination of 3 actions in turn (check, bet, raise, call, fold). Posted blinds do not count towards SA.
You’ll see I’ve highlighted the key parts of the rules that apply here(I also included the rule about Substantial Action because it's referred to in both rule 22 and 23, yet it doesn't really apply in this situation). When I got called to the table to make the ruling, the cards were already in the next dealer’s hands, shuffled and ready to go. Since this was a dispute over a tabled hand’s reading, the cutoff for challenging it is when the next hand starts. In our league, that’s the moment of the first riffle (shuffle)—no fancy auto-shufflers (button push) or rotating dedicated dealers (dealer push) here. With the next hand already underway, I ruled it was too late to redirect the pot to another player. I didn’t check the rules on the spot, but having recently brushed up on Rule 23 (while moving old rules posts to the website), that’s what guided me. Now, after double-checking Rule 22, I’m certain I nailed the call.
It could’ve played out differently, though. If I’d been called over while the cards were still being collected—not yet shuffled—I could’ve awarded the pot to the rightful winner. I didn’t see the hands myself, but if the table witnesses agreed on what went down, that’d be enough for me to go on.
So, a couple of takeaways: Always know your hand and the best it can be. Sure, the cards speak (Rule 12), but as we saw, the winning hand doesn’t always get noticed—or noticed in time. If anyone at the table spots a mistake, speak up. Spectators, though? Probably best to sit tight. If there’s a dispute, freeze everything. It’s possible the issue came up before the shuffle, and had I been there sooner, I might’ve ruled otherwise. Maybe the cards got shuffled while I was en route—that could’ve locked in the outcome. I wasn’t there for the exact moment, so I’m just running through the what-ifs.
In the WSOP-C case, the mistake was caught way too late for a fix. Here, it might’ve been a matter of mere seconds that tipped the scales. Stay sharp out there, folks!
Dead Man's Hand Poker uses the rules set forth by the Poker Tournament Directors Association. The Poker TDA is a voluntary poker industry association founded in 2001. The TDA mission is to increase global uniformity of poker tournament rules. The Poker TDA rules can be found here.
Always identify the winning hand before the next hand begins!