Choosing the dealer button (3 Viewers)

[Salbino]

Curious how you would like the dealer button to be chosen at a home tournament?

 

[4SUMERZ]

We always flip cards face up, and 1st highest card is the dealer.

 

[DZPoker]

Same as @4SUMERZ .

but to answer the actual question in the post title though…if I’m playing with the family my wife or one of the kids usually picks which button we use…otherwise I do!

 

[Colquhoun]

I thought this thread would be about which button from the collection to use. @Himewad ?

 

[Salbino]

I thought this thread would be about which button from the collection to use. @Himewad ?

Hahahah honest mistake

 

[Taghkanic]

Just use the 1 seat as the dealer. It was already random, not sure why it needs a second randomization.

 

[upNdown]

Just use the 1 seat as the dealer. It was already random, not sure why it needs a second randomization.

That was my initial thought too. Then it occurred to me that when I go play a casino in a tournament, they deal a high card for the button. Usually they’ll do it for one table and then all the tables will start the button in that seat. So although it doesn’t really matter, I’ll do it the way the casinos do.

 

[Colquhoun]

That was my initial thought too. Then it occurred to me that when I go play a casino in a tournament, they deal a high card for the button. Usually they’ll do it for one table and then all the tables will start the button in that seat. So although it doesn’t really matter, I’ll do it the way the casinos do.

But the casino has already randomly chosen your seat, and now randomly chooses the button.
You could do both at once in a home game by either having seating chips where seat one is the button…or by having cards ace through 10 and have each player draw a card for their seat, and ace is the button.

 

[Knoxymoron]

I used to draw cards for dealer but now I just let the software randomly seat us and whoever is given seat one is the button.

 

[Taghkanic]

I’ll do it the way the casinos do.

The casinos also rake 15-20% from the tournament pool. Not everything at home games has to be the same as a casino.

 

[GreekRedEye]

Just use the 1 seat as the dealer. It was already random, not sure why it needs a second randomization.

If the host always takes the 1 seat or if you let folks choose seats, then randomizing the DB start makes sense.

 

[upNdown]

The casinos also rake 15-20% from the tournament pool. Not everything at home games has to be the same as a casino.

Of course not. And it’s a stupid question, not even worth arguing about. But he asked.

 

[Taghkanic]

If the host always takes the 1 seat

Then make it always the two seat. Or whichever seat is left of the host. (That actually is a sensible idea considering that the host is usually still busy with something as the first hand gets underway.)

or if you let folks choose seats, then

… then none of the rest of this discussion applies.

 

[4SUMERZ]

I thought this thread would be about which button from the collection to use. @Himewad ?

I thought the same. It would be a tough decision. I tend to rotate between a half dozen.

 

[4SUMERZ]

Just use the 1 seat as the dealer. It was already random, not sure why it needs a second randomization.

But my regulars sit at their favorite seats all the time, so that is why we have to randomize.

 

[Himewad]

I thought this thread would be about which button from the collection to use. @Himewad ?

lol sometimes it takes us a while to choose a dealer button.

 

[Mandos]

The only time I don't just give it to seat 1 is if I picked a specific seat to be able to run the tournament better, at which point I do a random draw

 

[Taghkanic]

But my regulars sit at their favorite seats all the time, so that is why we have to randomize.

But we are debating whether it needs to be done *if the seats were already randomized.* Not what to do if people choose their own seats.

 

[Salbino]

The only time I don't just give it to seat 1 is if I picked a specific seat to be able to run the tournament better, at which point I do a random draw

Good reason.

 

[Salbino]

Just use the 1 seat as the dealer. It was already random, not sure why it needs a second randomization.

That’s what I like to do but several players at my last game insisted on drawing cards again - I just said sure and went with least resistance to get the game started

 

[Taghkanic]

That’s what I like to do but several players at my last game insisted on drawing cards again - I just said sure and went with least resistance to get the game started

LOL. I hear ya.

I just don’t get why some people are so fixated on who’s the first dealer. It seems like it’s more about superstition than anything.

If I’m sitting down to play poker into the wee hours of the night, we’re going to go through 25-30 orbits. The initial dealer *might* get one additional deal. Or might not.

(If I absolutely had to choose, I would rather not be the first dealer. I’ve noticed in a lot of home games people tend to be overactive on the first orbit. Can’t wait to play some hands. I tend to overfold early to avoid these spewy early multiway pots. And to build an image as “tight” for when I eventually start 3betting my late position junk...)

 

[DZPoker]

But we are debating whether it needs to be done *if the seats were already randomized.* Not what to do if people choose their own seats.

This is a debate? I thought the OP asked a simple question regarding how people do it and we were all saying what we do? Can’t people who do both be ‘right’?

 

[ArielVer18]

Single blind vs double blind randomization. Both are equally random, but the second draw removes any doubt that the first draw might be rigged.

 

[Taghkanic]

This is a debate? I thought the OP asked a simple question regarding how people do it and we were all saying what we do? Can’t people who do both be ‘right’?

There were two choices offered in the OP for how many times to randomize, once or twice.

Neither involved players choosing their own seat—a scenario where the options are either once or not at all.

 

[SwissChip]

Highest card deals.

 

[Taghkanic]

For those who want to randomize twice… Why not more times? Make it a best of three. Or run it seven times to reduce variance, amirite?

 

[BPTDirector]

Does it really matter? Maybe in a freeze out tournament in that you will get to play a few hands before your first blind but in a cash game, I see no advantage either way and do not think it matters.

 

[4SUMERZ]

For those who want to randomize twice… Why not more times? Make it a best of three. Or run it seven times to reduce variance, amirite?

The question was one of 2.

 

[Taghkanic]

Why, once is enough

Like I’ve been saying