That Burning Sensation — Burning a Card in Poker
To burn a card is to take it from the top of the deck and remove it from play. This has become a common ritual in Texas Holdem and a familiar move to anyone who has watched any televised match. But why do it? It is actually a preventive measure to keep cheaters at bay. Burning offers two types of protection. If you end up in a poker game where the cards are marked, the cheater has plenty of time to see the backing of the top card during the round of betting. Eliminating that card means eliminating that advantage, though of course he can still conceivably see the pocket cards around him, which is one good reason to keep a hand over your cards if you suspect something fishy, or at the least to keep your weaker card atop your stronger. The second advantage of burning a card is to eliminate what is known as Second Dealing. This occurs when a shady dealer knows what the top card is and has the talent to covertly deal the second card from the top whenever he wishes. He can then push the top card to whomever he might be working with in the game. Burning effectively extinguishes this type of manipulation.
