Burn Card
A burn card is a card that is removed from the top of the deck and discarded without being revealed to the players. This is done before community cards are dealt in games like Texas Hold'em and Omaha, as a means of ensuring fairness and preventing cheating.
What is a Burn Card?
A burn card is a common practice in both live and online poker games. It is the card that the dealer discards from the top of the deck, face down, before dealing the community cards. This is done in games like Texas Hold'em and Omaha to ensure fairness and prevent any form of cheating. The burn card is not revealed to the players and has no influence on the game's outcome.
The Purpose of the Burn Card
The primary purpose of the burn card is to protect the integrity of the game. In a live poker game, it's possible for players to mark the cards or gain some knowledge about the cards based on dealer's handling. By burning a card, it ensures that even if a player has gained some information about the top card, it will not affect the game as that card gets discarded.
A Burn Card in Different Poker Games
In Texas Hold'em and Omaha, the dealer burns a card before the flop, the turn, and the river. This means three cards are burned in total. In Seven-Card Stud, the dealer burns a card before dealing the final card. In draw poker games, no cards are burned.
For example, in a game of Texas Hold'em, once the first round of betting is complete, the dealer will burn one card and then deal the flop. After the second round of betting, another card is burned before dealing the turn, and the same happens before dealing the river.
- "The dealer burned a card before dealing the flop."
- "After burning a card, the dealer revealed the river."
- "Three cards were burned in total in that game of Texas Hold'em."
Burn Card in Poker FAQs
Do all poker games use burn cards?
No, not all poker games use burn cards. It is common in Texas Hold'em and Omaha, but not typically used in draw poker games.
Why is a card burned in poker?
A card is burned in poker to ensure fairness and prevent any form of cheating. It guards against players gaining information about the cards based on the dealer's handling.
Is the burn card ever revealed?
No, the burn card is not revealed to the players. It is discarded face down.
How many cards are burned in a game of Texas Hold'em?
In a game of Texas Hold'em, three cards are usually burned - one before the flop, one before the turn, and one before the river.
Can a player request to see the burn cards?
Typically, no. Burn cards are meant to remain unseen to maintain the integrity of the game.
