Poker Table

A poker dealer button is used to signify the designated dealer. The role of playing dealer rotates around the table with the passing of each hand. In poker's early days as a saloon game, the integrity of players was often in question and the dealer had the greatest opportunity to cheat as he could manipulate the cards. To prevent an unfair advantage, the role of dealer was shared between players. Knives were often used to mark who was the dealer and were often called "bucks" after the common style of knife handles. After each hand the knife, or buck, would be passed to the next player. From this, the now common phrase "passing the buck" was created. Today, a standard poker dealer button is white with the word "dealer" in black, but they come in a wide range of other designs as well.