Dead Rubber comes from tennis originally

A "rubber" is an old term meaning a series of matches — like a set of games where you had to win a certain number to win the overall contest. For example, in early card games like whist (a popular 18th-century game), a rubber was the best-of-three games.

When a match in a series no longer affects the final result (because one side has already won the overall rubber), that match is called a "dead rubber" — basically, it’s still played, but it’s dead because it doesn't matter anymore.

Posted By: Trent_Canary, Apr 26, 15:00:58