Question: What are the steps to call a player’s hand dead and what happens if I call a player’s hand dead and they disagree with me?

Answer: Following are the steps to help ensure fair play and smooth gameplay when declaring another player’s hand dead:

• Assessment: If you believe another player’s hand is invalid or “dead,” carefully consider if there are no other possible hands they could be playing.
• Declaration: Once you’re certain that the player’s hand is dead, politely inform them by saying something like, “Jan, your hand is dead.” There should be no discussion between any other players during this discussion.
• Player’s Response: If the player acknowledges that their hand is dead, they must cease playing, and the play continues for everyone else.
• Contested Declaration or Valid Dead Hand:
  •  1. Player A calls Player B’s hand dead.
  •  2. Player B says, “I’m sorry, but my hand is not dead,” and they continue to play until the end.
  •  3. At the end of the game, if Player A was correct in calling Player B’s hand dead, Player B would owe Player A, 50 cents or,
  • 4. If, at the end the game, Player B’s hand was incorrectly declared dead, Player A would owe Player B, 50 cents.

Source: MJME 2024 pg. 21, #19 & #20