Deal

In poker, the term “deal” has two distinct meanings, both important to the flow of the game. First, it refers to the act of distributing cards to players, and second, it can also represent a financial agreement between players in tournament play.

The Act of Dealing Cards

In a poker game, the deal refers to the distribution of cards to all players by a designated player known as the dealer. This person can either be one of the players in a home game or a professional dealer in a casino setting. The process follows the rules of the specific variant being played, such as Texas Hold’em or Omaha.

Key Points of Dealing:

• Dealer Button: In most poker formats, especially Texas Hold’em, the deal rotates around the table with a marker called the dealer button. The button moves one spot clockwise after each hand to designate who is the acting dealer.
• Burn Cards: In many games, the dealer may discard the top card of the deck before dealing the community cards (flop, turn, and river in Hold’em) to prevent any advantage from players accidentally seeing the top card.
• Dealing Order: Cards are generally dealt in a clockwise direction, starting with the player immediately left of the dealer button.

Example: In Texas Hold’em, each player is dealt two private cards face down (known as hole cards). The dealer ensures that each player gets their cards in the correct order and follows the rules of the game being played.

Tournament Deal Agreements

In the context of tournament poker, a deal refers to an agreement among the final remaining players to alter the prize distribution. Instead of following the fixed payout structure defined by the tournament, players may negotiate a different distribution of the prize pool. This typically occurs when players want to reduce variance or ensure a more favorable outcome for all parties.

Why Players Make a Deal:

• Variance Management: In poker tournaments, the remaining payouts are often heavily weighted toward the top finishers. Players may agree to a deal to lock in guaranteed payouts, reducing the risk of losing out on a large chunk of the prize.
• Skill or Chip Stack Differences: Deals may be based on the current chip counts, with players agreeing to split the remaining prize pool proportionally. For example, if one player has a significant chip lead, they may negotiate for a larger portion of the pool.

Common Deal Types:

• Chip Chop: The prize money is split based on the current chip stacks. A player with more chips will get a larger portion of the remaining pool.
• ICM Deal: The Independent Chip Model (ICM) is a method that calculates each player’s equity in the tournament based on their chip count relative to the remaining players and the structure of the payout.

Example of a Deal:

In a large poker tournament, three players remain with prize payouts of $100,000, $60,000, and $40,000. Instead of continuing to play for these amounts, the players agree to a deal where they split the total prize based on their chip stacks. Player A, who has the most chips, might take $80,000, Player B gets $70,000, and Player C takes $50,000. This is often done to avoid the variance of a few final hands deciding the distribution.