Adelaide’s Matchroom Poker has stood down card dealer after she breached protocols following rare royal flush jackpot

A card dealer who handed out an extremely rare hand during a game of poker has been stood down by an Adelaide poker club. Find out why.

Matchroom Poker in Adelaide’s CBD.

An Adelaide card dealer has been sacked after handing out an incredibly rare “royal flush” during a poker game – just moments after taking a pack of cards into the bathroom.

Matchroom Poker, a poker club in the city, has stood down the female dealer after what they describe as a “serious breach” of their rules earlier this month.

It’s understood the incident was uncovered following a routine security review of the $7,000 jackpot, which has only happened a handful of times during the club’s near-decade in operation.

Cameras caught the dealer taking a pack of cards into the bathroom during a five-minute break at the Shannon Place venue.

The dealer delivered the lucky hand immediately after the brief interval.

A royal flush is a set of the five highest cards (ace, king, queen, jack, and ten) in the same suit during a hand of poker.

The odds of one being dealt in a standard 5-card poker game are 1 in almost 650,000.

It’s believed the card dealer has denied any wrongdoing, and Matchroom Poker is not accusing her of cheating.

But The Sunday Mail can confirm she has been “permanently stood down” for the breach of protocols, and the jackpot voided.

The odds of a royal flush are about 650,000 to 1. Picture: Thinkstock

It’s understood there is no connection between the dealer and the winner of the lucky hand.

A manager for the venue declined to comment when contacted by The Sunday Mail but it’s believed a full investigation is underway into the incident.

In a post on their Facebook page, Matchroom Poker, said that the dealer was found to have “compromised the deck” by taking it into the bathroom during the break before the hand commenced.

“This action, along with the involvement of other parties, resulted in a violation of our game integrity standards,” they wrote.

“We have taken swift and decisive action. While we won’t name individuals publicly for legal and privacy reasons, steps have been taken to ensure this won’t happen again — and those in the wider poker community have been made aware.

“We’re part of a close-knit poker community across Australia, and we all share the responsibility of protecting the game.”

Matchroom Poker say they have since introduced new procedures to “ensure this never happens again”.

These measures include stricter controls on deck handling during breaks, enhanced surveillance reviews during all games, and regular staff training to “uphold the highest standards of game integrity”.

Originally published as Adelaide’s Matchroom Poker has stood down card dealer after she breached protocols following rare royal flush jackpot