Muck (gambling)
Encyclopedia
Muck in gambling has multiple meanings. In poker
, it most often refers to the pile of discarded cards into which players may throw their folded hands, and into which the dealer may place burned cards
. It may also refer to the action of throwing a hand into the muck. The practice of mucking cards when discarding helps to ensure that no other player can reliably determine which cards were in the folded hand. In poker, the term may also refer to the action that a player who has not folded may take; they can have their hand "mucked" if another player attempts to discard but one or more cards end up in the live players hand. This is why many players will place a chip or other object on their cards: it helps to prevent errant cards from entering their hand. Sometimes they are referred to as card covers or card guards.
Mucking or hand mucking may also refer to a form of sleight of hand
, and, if used in a card game, is cheating
. A player conceals a card through sleight of hand, removing it from play so that it may later be inserted back into the game to the cheater's advantage. For example, in blackjack
a cheating player might remove an Ace from the table to use the next time he is dealt a ten to make a blackjack.
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
, it most often refers to the pile of discarded cards into which players may throw their folded hands, and into which the dealer may place burned cards
Burn card
In card games, a burn card is a playing card dealt from the top of a deck, and discarded , unused by the players. Burn cards are almost always placed face down next to the discard pile without being revealed to the players....
. It may also refer to the action of throwing a hand into the muck. The practice of mucking cards when discarding helps to ensure that no other player can reliably determine which cards were in the folded hand. In poker, the term may also refer to the action that a player who has not folded may take; they can have their hand "mucked" if another player attempts to discard but one or more cards end up in the live players hand. This is why many players will place a chip or other object on their cards: it helps to prevent errant cards from entering their hand. Sometimes they are referred to as card covers or card guards.
Mucking or hand mucking may also refer to a form of sleight of hand
Sleight of hand
Sleight of hand, also known as prestidigitation or legerdemain, is the set of techniques used by a magician to manipulate objects such as cards and coins secretly....
, and, if used in a card game, is cheating
Cheating
Cheating refers to the breaking of rules to gain advantage in a competitive situation. The rules infringed may be explicit, or they may be from an unwritten code of conduct based on morality, ethics or custom, making the identification of cheating a subjective process. Cheating can refer...
. A player conceals a card through sleight of hand, removing it from play so that it may later be inserted back into the game to the cheater's advantage. For example, in blackjack
Blackjack
Blackjack, also known as Twenty-one or Vingt-et-un , is the most widely played casino banking game in the world...
a cheating player might remove an Ace from the table to use the next time he is dealt a ten to make a blackjack.