Poker info VIII
In poker games, sometimes a situation arises whereby the dough that makes up the pot is above and beyond the equal amount of wager laid by the active players of the game. This excess amount is known as dead money. If a player who missed paying his scheduled blind because of absence from the table and returns and pays it even after it had been ruled as a dead blind or when any chip from a previous game remains in the pot by mistake or the money of the players who have folded, in each situation it is called dead money. So, if there were initially eight players, each paying an ante of $2 and the opening player betted $4 and was called by two others, then the total pot size is $28. if only these three players are active and the others have folded, then live money in the pot amounts to $18 and the rest $10 is dead money.
The amount of dead money can affect the game by changed pot odds and rules of thumb. For example, there is a rule in Omaha games that anyone with a nut low hand can only raise in the final betting round if there are four players active and can just call if three players are remaining. However, if the pot size contains sizeable amount of dead money, it is allowed to raise even with three players since now the pot odds have significantly changed.
In a humorous reference to rookie players who build up the pot with their contribution but cannot hope to win it owing to inexperience and lack of skill, then the money they stake is called dead money. The player may also be called dead money and such players are found often in poker tournaments where many of them enter but have no hope or chance of making any winning and their presence only help to make the pot size grow.
