A burn card is one that is intentionally discarded by the dealer. Though instituted originally to prevent cheating, it is retained mainly for traditional reasons.

This practice may help prevent cheating by card marking. Particularly in Texas Hold'em, burning a card before the flop, turn, and river means the actual next card to be dealt will be hidden until the time it is actually dealt. A player who can read the marked cards will still nonetheless know the discarded card, and those of their opponents. In that light it is questionable whether burning cards can actually hinder such cheating to any significant degree.