Burn card in Texas Hold-Em - Up or Down?

[Bricker]

For those of you that play Texas Hold-Em …

What is the rule with respect to the burn card?

I played with some new folks recently, and they have a tradition of the dealer showing the burn card (the burn card is the card dealt between the hole cards and the flop, after the pre-flop betting). I have never seen this done before, and although it did nothing but help me (once the burn card was a three of clubs, and it told me that there was no way the guy across from me had a three in the hole, since I knew where all the threes were) but it’s for that very reason that every game I’ve ever played in has had the burn card kept face down.

But I can’t fine a rule, one way or the other.

• Rick

[Mazelmavin]

Burn card is always down.

[Horseflesh]

Maybe they’re taking advantage of this rule?

1. If the first hole card dealt is exposed, a misdeal results. The poker dealer will retrieve the card, reshuffle, and re cut the cards. If any other hole card is exposed due to a dealer error, the deal continues. The exposed card may not be kept. After completing the hand, the dealer replaces the card with the top card on the deck, and the exposed card is then used for the burn card. If more than one hole card is exposed, this is a misdeal and there must be a re deal.

That’s the only time a burn card is exposed, and even then it becomes a burn card after it’s been exposed. From what I know from working in a casino for six years, all burn cards are face down during the game.

But then there’s someting call “house rules”. If that’s a house rule, you either play by it or you don’t play at all. As long as you know about it beforehand.

[SenorBeef]

There’s no ambiguity - burn cards are always down. The point of the burn card is just to protect against card marking - it should serve no tactical purpose by being exposed.