Head's Up Rules - Proper Deal - Link to Rules? (1 Viewer)

[justsomedude]

OK... I have always followed the general rules outlined below (taken from this website):

1. DB is small blind.
2. DB/SB gets dealt first card.
3. DB/SB acts first pre-flop.
4. Other player (BB) acts first for all post-flop action.

It is Rule #2 that was questioned by some players at my lats tournament, and after watching some videos, and reading things online, I'm now more confused than ever. There's also this thread on another website, that also debates the rule (and cites similar sources).

However, HomePokerTourney.com states that the BB gets the first card... "Who is the button when heads-up? When there are only two players remaining in a poker tournament - the small blind is the button and acts first before the flop and last after the flop. The player who does not have the button is dealt the first playing card."

Also, most online videos show the BB getting dealt the first card. See examples here, here, and here.

It looks pretty damn clear now that I've been doing it wrong forever by using some obscure website as my source of rules. However, I cannot find a DEFINITIVE rules source that really defines head's up dealing explicitly. I'll certainly be dealing the first card to the BB in head's up play from now on, but if some one can link a source... I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks!

 

[justsomedude]

Meh... I answered my own question with WSOP rule #86...

"The last card is dealt to the button."

SUNOVA!

 

[T_Chan]

I don't know of any official rules outlining this info, but I, and anyone else I know, has always played it as the Dealer is small blind, the BB gets dealt first card, the button/SB has first action preflop, then the BB has action post flop.

It does not make sense to me that the dealer button would get the first card when dealing.

 

[abby99]

As difficult as this is to believe, not everything we see on the interwebs is true.

 

[Poker Zombie]

As a general rule: never take advice from a website who's apparent primary purpose is to get you to play online poker.

 

[BGinGA]

Also noteworthy is that the dealer button position does not dictate where the blinds are posted...... the big blind position drives the action (and the dealer button location).

This is most commonly seen when a player busts out when three-handed:

If the busted player was the dealer (C), then the big-blind player (B) becomes the new dealer (and small blind), skipping the small blind player (A). This is because the same player cannot be the big blind on successive hands. The big blind moves from B to C (gone) to A, and the dealer position is then placed accordingly.


Oh, and the dealer always gets the last card in board card games. Last live seat always gets the last card in stud games.

 

[Blaster]

Think of the Dealer Button as always marking the position that gets the last card dealt, And the position that always acts last post flop.
This remains true regardless of amount of players, and requires button to be SB and be last card dealt heads up.