Each individual player must ante by placing chips equaling the ante in front of the player on the table before the first card of the game is dealt. The dealer must sweep the antes and place them in the pot. Once the first card is dealt to any player, the ante may not be altered, except that if a player’s hand is declared dead for reasons other than the player’s fault, the ante may be returned to such player.

75 Del. Laws, c. 117, § ?1; 79 Del. Laws, c. 199, § ?4;