diff --git a/src/components/frontend/minigames/poker/PokerDevPanel.tsx b/src/components/frontend/minigames/poker/PokerDevPanel.tsx
index 2a8421a..be0beac 100644
--- a/src/components/frontend/minigames/poker/PokerDevPanel.tsx
+++ b/src/components/frontend/minigames/poker/PokerDevPanel.tsx
@@ -58,6 +58,24 @@ function cardLabel(card: Card): string {
   return `${rank} ${suit}`;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Builds a complete card from one picker interaction: an empty selection
+ * starts from the 2-of-spades baseline for the not-yet-chosen half, and any
+ * already-chosen half is preserved. Returning a full card (never null) is
+ * what lets a single pick land; the previous null-propagating version made
+ * first picks no-ops and hole-card queuing impossible.
+ */
+export function applyCardPick(
+  value: Card | null,
+  part: "rank" | "suit",
+  next: string,
+): Card {
+  if (part === "rank") {
+    return { rank: Number(next) as Rank, suit: value?.suit ?? "s" };
+  }
+  return { rank: value?.rank ?? 2, suit: next as Suit };
+}
+
 function CardPicker({
   label,
   value,
@@ -67,13 +85,13 @@ function CardPicker({
   readonly value: Card | null;
   readonly onChange: (card: Card | null) => void;
 }) {
+  const setRank = (next: string) => onChange(applyCardPick(value, "rank", next));
+  const setSuit = (next: string) => onChange(applyCardPick(value, "suit", next));
+
   return (
     <div className="flex items-center gap-1.5">
       <span className="w-10 text-xs text-muted-foreground">{label}</span>
-      <Select
-        value={value ? String(value.rank) : ""}
-        onValueChange={(next) => onChange(value ? { ...value, rank: Number(next) as Rank } : null)}
-      >
+      <Select value={value ? String(value.rank) : ""} onValueChange={setRank}>
         <SelectTrigger className="h-8 w-20 text-xs">
           <SelectValue placeholder="Rank" />
         </SelectTrigger>
@@ -85,10 +103,7 @@ function CardPicker({
           ))}
         </SelectContent>
       </Select>
-      <Select
-        value={value?.suit ?? ""}
-        onValueChange={(next) => onChange(value ? { ...value, suit: next as Suit } : null)}
-      >
+      <Select value={value?.suit ?? ""} onValueChange={setSuit}>
         <SelectTrigger className="h-8 w-24 text-xs">
           <SelectValue placeholder="Suit" />
         </SelectTrigger>
@@ -191,11 +206,7 @@ export function PokerDevPanel({
         <section className="flex flex-col gap-2 border border-border p-3">
           <h3 className="text-xs font-semibold uppercase tracking-wider">Board queue</h3>
           <div className="flex flex-col gap-1.5">
-            <CardPicker
-              label="Card"
-              value={boardDraft}
-              onChange={(card) => setBoardDraft(card ?? { rank: 2, suit: "s" })}
-            />
+            <CardPicker label="Card" value={boardDraft} onChange={setBoardDraft} />
             <Button
               type="button"
               variant="outline"
diff --git a/tests/int/poker-dev-controls.int.spec.ts b/tests/int/poker-dev-controls.int.spec.ts
index 5bc7d64..a511398 100644
--- a/tests/int/poker-dev-controls.int.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/int/poker-dev-controls.int.spec.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import {
   type PokerTableState,
 } from "@/lib/minigames/poker";
 import type { Card } from "@/lib/minigames/poker";
+import { applyCardPick } from "@/components/frontend/minigames/poker/PokerDevPanel";
 import {
   adjustStack,
   createTable,
@@ -148,3 +149,15 @@ describe("dev stack adjustment", () => {
     expect(() => adjustStack(tableId, 9611, 9, 100)).toThrow();
   });
 });
+
+describe("dev panel card picker", () => {
+  it("builds a complete card from a first rank pick and preserves the chosen suit", () => {
+    expect(applyCardPick(null, "rank", "13")).toEqual(card(13, "s"));
+    expect(applyCardPick(card(13, "h"), "rank", "14")).toEqual(card(14, "h"));
+  });
+
+  it("builds a complete card from a first suit pick and preserves the chosen rank", () => {
+    expect(applyCardPick(null, "suit", "c")).toEqual(card(2, "c"));
+    expect(applyCardPick(card(14, "h"), "suit", "d")).toEqual(card(14, "d"));
+  });
+});