Home games regularly feature games that use wild cards and jokers. However, those cards aren’t supposed to be in the deck during a World Series of Poker event.
But sometimes mistakes happen. During one of the first events in the 2026 WSOP, a dealer inadvertently dealt a non-playing card during the $55 no-limit hold’em Mini Mystery Millions.
Poker pro Mike Holtz shared a video on Twitter/X that saw the K♥ and J♣ dealt on the flop along with an unexpected instructional card.
“We’ve got a good flop here, check it out,” a floorman can be heard saying. “It’s an instruction card, teaching us how to play.”
The hand was ruled a misdeal but no doubt brought some chuckles from players seeing the action play out.
Jokes Fly In Social Media Comments
The “joker” hitting the felt brought plenty of laughs and interesting comments from users on X/Twitter.
“At least they know what to do if they catch fire,” poker pro and YouTuber Nikki Limo joked.
One commenter compared the scenario to biting into an unpopped kernel of popcorn. Another said it would be funny if a player had been dealt that instructional card and won a huge pot bluffing with a hand that would be unlikely to win in another circumstance.
Another player said he was in a similarly bizarre situation seven years ago when he and an opponent both held pocket queens yet flopped two more queens. In other words, there were five queens in the deck.
Player Upset His “Set” Was Trashed
Some wondered how the instructional card wasn’t discovered when the dealer spread the deck before play. The jokes kept coming about the hand. One of the funnier ones came from a player who (jokingly) claimed he was at the table.
“I was pissed because I had pocket hand rankings,” said the social media user. “I flopped a set, but they took it away.”
Watch the hand below:
Well that didn’t take long pic.twitter.com/QlV3xg0yFx
— Mike Holtz (@MikeHoltzPoker) May 26, 2026
The scenario comes as the WSOP has implemented a dealer rating system for this year’s series. It was part of one of the many rule changes in place for the 2026 series.
The system allows players to rate dealers throughout the series via the WSOP app, with top dealers earning bonuses. The system has drawn mixed reviews.
Here’s a brief overview of the plan:
Our Dealer Rating System is coming to Vegas!
Using the new Dealer Rating System on WSOP Live…
• Players can rate the dealer at their table
• Ratings are shared internally with tournament staff
• Dealers with the highest ratings will earn rewards throughout the series… pic.twitter.com/SvVkmnQCeK— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) May 7, 2026
