This is a standard rule in all poker houses I have ever been in. I have never heard of the whisper one, which is quite amusing in my book. If your cards are not protected at all times, the dealer has every right to take them. Also, if any cards touch your cards, it is a mucked hand. So, the moral is, don't go pissing off dealers because they will and have taken cards that they shouldn't have.
Case in point, last nite, was at a casino, a guy was being a SUPER a-hole to everyone, and asked atleast 3 people to "step" outside w him. Well before long he and the dealer got into it, and while he was waiting for more chips to be delivered to him, he was dealt pct jacks, and of course had no chips to protect his hand, the dealer took his cards as soon as he looked away. It was a huge ordeal, but as stated, if cards are not protected, the dealer will always have the casino on their side.
As for Bubbasbestbabe, if your cards are protected by a chip, or whatever else you have, and cards touch them, then nothing happens. As long as the cards have no way of getting under your protected cards, then the discarded cards are removed, and the game continues. It is not considered a dead hand.
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