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Tournament Rules
Please note that on
2/11/04, I made some important revisions to the rules
I amended Rules 1.2, 3.2, 3.6, 8.2.
Please review these changes.
| If you're unfamiliar with the general rules of Hold
'Em,
click here for a brief overview.
If you would like to download & print out a copy of these Rules (in PDF format), click here. Please note, that if a discrepancy exists between the rules listed on this webpage and the rules contained in the PDF document, the rules from the webpage shall control. |
I. TOURNAMENT FORMAT |
|
| 1.1 | Initial
seating is determined by random draw.
A change of seat is not allowed after play starts, except as
assigned by the Tournament Director. |
| 1.2 | The
starting position of the button will be determined by dealing for High
Card. High card ties will be
determined by suit. The rank
of suits (in descending order) are:
**These suit rankings only apply to starting position determination (Rule 1.2), the chip race-off (Rules 4.1-4.5), and consolidation of tables/players (Rule 3.2). Of course, the suit rankings do not apply to normal poker hands played in the tournament. |
| 1.3 | Blinds
are raised at regularly scheduled intervals.
Click here to view the Blind Structure page. |
| 1.4 | If
there is a signal designating the end of a betting level, the new limits
apply on the next deal. A
deal begins with the first riffle of the shuffle. |
| 1.5 | “Dealers clean up their own mess” The cards shall be shuffled by the person who just dealt the previous hand. After the cards are shuffled, the deck shall be cut by the Player to the RIGHT of the shuffler. The new dealer is not allowed to cut the cards for the hand about to be dealt. |
| 1.6 | Heads
Up: When the tournament is
down to only two players, the Dealer/Button will be on the Small
Blind. |
| 1.7 | All
ties on hands result in split pots. Odd
chip is given to smallest stack prior to the hand. |
| 1.8 | “Cards
Speak” in all instances. |
| 1.9 | “Show
one, show all” A player
who shows 1 or both of his cards to anyone else (either active in the
tournament or not) must, upon request, show his/her hand to the table at
the conclusion of the hand, even if the hand is folded.
This rule does not apply when the tournament is “Heads Up.” |
| 1.10 | If
a hand is "shown down" to the River, the last bettor/raiser should show
his/her hand first. |
| III. CONSOLIDATION OF PLAYERS/TABLES | |
| 3.1 | As
players are eliminated, tables will be broken down, with players from
the broken tables assigned to empty seats at other tables.
The number of players at each table will be kept reasonably
balanced by the transfer of players as needed.
If any table ever has 2 or more players more than another table,
players will be moved to balance the tables.
|
| 3.2 | When
balancing tables (to equalize the players), the tournament director will
use the following guidelines:
If moving 1 player: the player with the smallest chip stack at the table shall move to the new table. If moving two players, the two players with the smallest chip stacks shall move to the new table(s). And so on. If an entire table needs to be broken down, the move will be determined by "high-card." One card will be dealt to each remaining player at the expiring table. The high card will go to one table and the low card will go to the other table. If there are more than 2 people, the highest cards will go to one table, and the lowest cards to another. Of course, this will be dictated by available seating at individual tables. |
| 3.3 | The
specifics of the table consolidation procedure will be in the sole discretion of the
Tournament Director, and every effort will be made to ensure that moved
players are not forced to pay the Big Blind twice in a row.
However, a player must go to the seat he was assigned regardless
of where the blinds are currently located.
|
| 3.4 | New
players at a table are dealt in immediately unless they sit down in the
Small Blind, on the Button, or in between the Small Blind and the
Button. In this case, the
new player must wait until the Button passes before the player is dealt
in the hand. A new player
coming in on the Big Blind will simply post the Big Blind. |
| 3.5 | There
are no “dead” buttons! If a player is knocked out of the
tournament, the button moves to the next active player to the left.
The next two players, regardless of who posted on the last hand, always
post small and big blinds. |
| 3.6 | When only 8 Players remain, those Players will be consolidated to the ultra prestigious "final table." Because the tournament pays out to 8th place, everyone who makes the final table will be "in the money." |
| IV. CHIP RACE-OFF | |
| 4.1 | At a
certain point, we will no longer need the lowest denomination of chip in
play. These “small”
chips will be removed from the table according to the following
procedure: |
| 4.2 | All lower denomination chips that are of a sufficient quantity for a new “higher” chip will be changed out directly. (i.e. 5 chips of $5.00 will be exchanged for one $25 chip). |
| 4.3 | Removal
of Odd Chips:
The
remaining odd chips will be put into a main pot at the center of the
table. One card
will be dealt to a player for each odd chip possessed.
Cards are dealt clockwise starting with the seat to the left of
the button. Each player will
receive all cards due before any cards are dealt to the next player.
|
| 4.4 | The
player with the highest card by suit gets enough odd chips to exchange
for one new chip, the second highest card gets to exchange for
the next chip, and so forth, until all the lower denomination chips are
exchanged. |
| 4.5 | If
an odd (and insufficient) number of lower denomination chips are left
after this process, the player with the highest card remaining will
collect all the remaining chips and will receive a new chip if he has
half or more of the quantity of the lower denomination chips needed,
otherwise nothing. |
| V. BETTING | |
| 5.1 | The
number of raises in any betting round is unlimited. |
| 5.2 | All
bets must be at least equal to the minimum bring in, unless the player
is going “All-In” |
| 5.3 | All
raises must be equal to or greater than the size of the previous bet or
raise on that betting round (except for a player going “all-in”).
For example, if Player A bets $100 and Player B raises $500, then
Player C can either call $600 or raise to a minimum of $1,100 (because
the raise must be equal to previous raise of $500). |
| 5.4 | A
player who has already checked or called may not subsequently raise an
all-in bet that is less than the full size of the last bet or raise.
Example: Player A
bets $100 and Player B raises $100 more, making the total bet $200.
If Player C goes all-in for less than $300 total (i.e. not a full
$100 raise), and Player A calls, then Player B cannot raise again,
because he wasn’t fully raised. However,
Player A could’ve raised because Player B raised Player A’s bet in the first instance. |
| 5.5 | A
wager is not binding until the chips are actually released into the pot,
unless the player has made a verbal statement of the action. |
| 5.6 | If
there is a discrepancy between a players verbal statement and the actual
amount put into the pot, the bet will be corrected to the verbal
statement. |
| 5.7 | A
player who says “raise” is allowed to continue putting chips into
the pot with more than one move; the wager is assumed complete when the
player’s hands come to a rest outside the pot area.
However,
string betting is illegal.
A person is considered to have made a string bet if they put in
an amount to call with one motion and then subsequently put in a raise.
To avoid this, the player should either put all chips in the pot
with a single motion or announce, “I raise” prior to all motions. |
| 5.8 | Any
cards thrown away from the player (face up or down) are assumed to be a
fold, unless otherwise stated prior to doing so. |
| 5.9 | Protect
your hand. If your cards
touch the muck or are accidentally mucked, they are dead. |
| 5.10 | If
you drop a card on the floor out of your hand, you must still play that
card, regardless of whether or not it was seen by anyone else. |
| 5.11 | A bet of a single chip without comment is considered to be the full amount of the chip allowed. See also Rule 5.17 below. |
| 5.12 | If
a player tries to bet or raise less than the legal minimum and has more
chips, the wager must be increased to the proper size.
(This does not apply to a player who has unintentionally put too
much in to call). The wager
is brought up to the sufficient amount only, no greater size. |
| 5.13 | The
other players at the table maintain a right to place a maximum time
limit for taking action on your hand.
The clock may be put on someone if requested.
If the clock is put on you when you are facing a bet, you will
have an additional 90 seconds to act on your hand.
You will have a ten second warning, after which your hand is dead
if not acted upon. Note, if
the tournament is heads up, the time limit will be increased 3
minutes. |
| 5.14 | Rapping
the table indicates a check. |
| 5.15 | All
verbal statements (e.g. “Raise.”) are binding, as long as the action
is legal and in turn. |
| 5.16 | You
must declare that you are playing the board before you throw your cards
away; otherwise you relinquish all claims to the pot. |
| 5.17 | A
player can call a bet by announcing “Call” even if the actual chip
thrown into the pot is larger than the call.
In this instance, correct change should be made and the overage
should be returned to the player as soon as practicable.
For example, if Player A bets $50, and Player B wishes to call,
but only has chips in denominations of $100, Player B can declare
“Call” before throwing a $100 chip into the pot.
As long as the declaration of “Call” is made before the chip
is thrown into the pot, this bet will be considered a call, and change
will be made and returned to Player B. |
| VI. ALL-INS | |
| 6.1 | If
a player lacks sufficient chips for a blind, the player is entitled to
get action on whatever amount of money he puts in.
A player who posts a short blind and wins, does not need to make
up the blind. If a player
posts a short blind, the other blinds will remain their normal amount. |
| 6.2 | If
two or more players are eliminated during the same hand, the player
starting the hand with the larger amount of money finishes in the higher
tournament place. |
| 6.3 | A
player can only go All-In for the amount of chips he currently
possesses. For example, if
the player intends to purchase an Add-On or Re-Buy, but has not yet
purchased it, he cannot count the Add-On into the value of his current
chip stack. |
| VII. MISDEALS | |
| 7.1 | If
the first holecard dealt is exposed, a misdeal results, and the dealer
will reshuffle, recut and redeal the cards.
If any other holecard is exposed due to dealer error, the deal
continues. The exposed card
may not be kept, and is to be used as the burncard for the flop.
If more than one holecard is exposed, this is a misdeal, and
there must be a redeal. |
| 7.2 | If
the flop contains too many cards, the flop must be redealt.
Note this applies even if it were possible to know which card was
the extra one. If the flop
needs to be redealt because the cards were prematurely flopped before
the betting was complete, or the flop contained too many cards, the
boardcards are mixed with the remainder of the deck.
The burncard remains on the table.
After shuffling, the dealer cuts the deck and deals a new flop
without burning a card. |
| 7.3 | If
the dealer turns the fourth card on the board before the betting round
is complete, the card is taken out of play for that round, even if
subsequent players elect to fold. The
betting is then completed. The
dealer turns and burns what would’ve been the 5th card in
the 4th card’s place. After
this round of betting, the dealer reshuffles the deck, including the
card that was taken out of play, but not including the burncards or
discards. The dealer then
cuts the deck and turns the final card without burning a card.
|
| 7.4 | If
the fifth card is turned up prematurely, the deck is reshuffled and
dealt in the same manner. |
| 7.5 | If
the dealer mistakenly deals the first player an extra card (after all
players have received their starting hands), and the extra card can be
determined from the two correct cards, the card will be returned to the
deck and used for the burncard. If
the first player sees the extra card, it will be turned up for the
entire table to see. If the
dealer mistakenly deals more than one extra card, it is a misdeal. |
| VIII. ETIQUETTE | |
| 8.1 | Do
not try to inhibit others ability to see all of your chips. At anytime
for any reason, a player can ask for a chip count of another player. |
| 8.2 | Agreeing
to split pots will not be allowed in any game. Chopping the big and
small blind by taking them back when all other players have folded is
not allowed. The tournament must be played to its
conclusion. There shall be no deals at the final table to split the
prize money, etc. |
| 8.3 | You
may be currently considering cutting a deal with your friend to share in
each other’s winnings. While
the intention may be innocent, this is considered collusion and a
violation of the rules. Collusion
occurs when two or more players act as a team in order to give
themselves an unfair advantage over the rest of the field.
If the Tournament Director determines that collusion has
occurred, the players may be disqualified and their
chips distributed equally among the remaining active players at that
table. |
| 8.4 | “One
player to a hand” Nobody
shall contribute advice to a player active in a hand.
However, advice is allowed in between hands.
|
| 8.5 | By
participating in this tournament, you agree to abide by the rules and
behave in a courteous manner. A
violator may be verbally warned, suspended from play for a specified
length of time, or ultimately disqualified from the tournament.
Chips from a disqualified participant will be removed from play.
No refund will be given to any person who is disqualified from
play. The decision to
disqualify rests solely with the Tournament Director, and is final. |
| 8.6 | The
tournament director will ultimately settle all disputes based on, in
order: these rules, Hoyle’s Book of Rules and similar authoritative
literature, common etiquette, and our common sense. |
| 8.7 | All
rules are subject to change prior to the start of the tournament and may
change by unanimous consent of active players after the start of the
tournament. The Tournament
Director reserves the right to make decisions in the spirit of fairness,
even if a strict interpretation of the rules may indicate a different
ruling. |
| 8.8 | Your cards shall remain on the table at all times. Players are not allowed to place their hole cards in their lap, etc. |