Re: Player looks at wrong card on the deal: Misdeal or ??

[K-Lo]

I was asked this question and thought it was an interesting one.

On the initial deal, the dealer deals a card between seats 2 and 3.  Before the dealer has had a chance to tell seat 2 to take his card, seat 3 (thinking it is her card), takes it and looks at it instead of her proper card.  The deal has not yet been completed, and not all players have even received their first card.

a) Do you continue to deal, or call a misdeal?
b) If you continue to deal, does seat 3 keep that card?
c) If seat 2 (or seat 3) needs a replacement card, where will it come from?

[chet]

How about treating the card as an exposed card for player 2 and making it the burn?  That way the subsequent players get the proper down cards and the flop, turn and river are not affected (assuming no further errors).

Chet

[MikeB]

As Rule 34 states, the TDA list of misdeals is not necessarily all-inclusive. There are 2 best solutions I think. Either:

1: Declare a card dealt out of sequence and misdeal OR

2: As Chet suggests, call the card exposed for Player 2 and swap it with the natural burncard.

I favor the first because of the unseemliness of one player's card being exposed by the actions of another player; but technically both have support in commonly used rules IMO. Under no circumstances let Player 3 keep the card he looked at.

[Nick C]

I prefer a misdeal as long as no player has received their complete starting hand.

[Tristan]

I like calling it a misdeal in that situation. 

[K-Lo]

Excellent.  We are on the same page here as well!

[WSOPMcGee]

Two cents not needed here.