Poker Tournament Rules

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General Rules

You must be 21 or older to play in our Poker Room.
Whenever possible, all rules are the same as those that apply to live games.
It is the players’ responsibility to protect their hand and their action.
The one player to a hand rule will be enforced.
Repeated etiquette will result in penalties. Examples include; unnecessarily touching other players card or chips, delay of the game, and excessive chatter. Players are required to act in turn.
The English only rule will be enforced in the United States during the play of hands. English will be used in International play along with the local or native language.
A spectator is not permitted in the immediate vicinity of a tournament table or where he can easily see a competitor’s hole cards.
Verbal declarations in turn are binding. Action out of turn may be binding and will be binding if the action to that player has not changed. A check, call, or fold is not considered action changing.
A player may not use a cellular phone, text messaging device, or other communication device, at the table.
No rabbit hunting is allowed.
There will be no foreign chips on the table except for a maximum of one card cap.
Players are entitled to be informed of the pot size in pot limit games only. Dealers will not count the pot in limit and no limit games.
All players must leave their seat immediately after being eliminated from an event.
Deck Changes will be on the dealer push or level changes or as prescribed by the house. Players may not ask for a deck change.
When time has elapsed in a round and a new level is announced by a member of the tournament staff, the new level applies to the next hand. A hand begins with the first riffle.
In Stud-type games, if any of the players initial down cards are exposed, due to dealer error, it is a misdeal.
A player may not miss a hand. If a player announces the intent to re-buy before the new hand begins, that player is playing chips behind and is obligated to make the re-buy.
Players must remain at the table if they still have action pending on a hand.
Players are obligated to protect the other players in the tournament at all times. Therefore, players whether in the hand or not, may not;
- Disclose contents of a live or folded hand
- Advise or criticize play before the action is complete
- Read a hand that hasn’t been tabled.
Poker is an individual game. Soft play will result in penalties which may include forfeiture of chip and/or disqualification. Chip dumping will result in disqualification.

Seating

Tournament and Satellite seat will be randomly assigned. Seat changes are not permitted, except as instructed by the floor supervisor. At times, seats may be pre drawn for customers with special needs.
Tournament seats may be set aside for promotional reasons.
The appropriate starting amount of chips will be placed on the table for each entrant at the beginning of the event, whether the person is present or not. Absent players will be dealt in, and all chips ecessary for antes and blinds will be put into the pot. All purchased chips of absent players will remain live until chips are blinded or ante’d off, or the player returns to his/her seat.
A Starting stack of chips may be placed in a seat to accommodate late entrants (so all antes and blind have been appropriately paid). An unsold seat will have the stack removed at a time left to the discretion of the director.
Each table will be maintained within three players of the other tables. Once the field is reduced to two tables, each table will be maintained within one player. Play will halt on any table that is at least 3 players short.
In flop type games, when balancing tables players will be moved from the Big Blind, to the worst position (which is never the small blind). The table to which a player is moved will be as specified by a pre-determined procedure. In Stud type games, a players will be moved by position (the last seat to open up at the short table is the seat to be filled).
An absent player is always dealt a hand. The absent player will be anted, blinded off, or have their forced bet put in the pot as required.
A player must be at his or seat by the time all players have been dealt complete initial hands in order to have the hand live. Players must be at their seat to call time.
As players are eliminated, tables are combined in a predetermined order. The management retains the right to alter from this predetermined order, to best accommodate the side action.
In all events, when the field is reduced to enough players to combine for the final table, there is a redrawing for seats as well as the button.

Buttons and Blinds

Tournament play will use a dead button.
The structure of antes, blinds, and forced bets will be made available to entrants prior to the start of each event. Deviations from the announced structure (such as straddle bets) are prohibited.
Limits and blinds are raised at regularly scheduled intervals.
Players going from a broken table to fill seats assume the rights and responsibilities of the position. They can get the big blind, small blind or the button. The only place they cannot get a hand, is between the small blind and button.
A player who intentionally dodges a blind(s) when moving from a broken table will incur a penalty. The money will be put into the next pot and may be considered “dead” money.
In all tournament games utilizing a dealer button, the starting position of the button is determined by dealing for the high card by suit.
The dealer button remains in position until the appropriate blinds are taken. Players must post all blinds every round. Because of this, the button may freeze (dead button).
If a player lacks sufficient chips for a blind or a forced bet, the player is entitled to get action on whatever amount of money remains. A player who posts a short blind and wins does not need to make up the blind.
When heads up the small blind is on the button and acts first. When beginning heads up play, the button may need to be adjusted to insure that no player takes the big blind twice in a row.

Raises

There is no cap on the number of raises in no limit games. In limit events, there will be a four (4) raise limit, even when heads up until the tournament is down to two players.
A raise must be at least the size of the previous raise.
If a player puts is a raise of 50 percent or more of the previous bet, but less than the minimum raise, he/she will be required to make a full raise. The raise will be exactly the minimum raise allowed. In no-limit and pot limit, an all in bet of less than a full raise does not reopen the betting to a player who has already acted.
A single oversized chip will be considered a call if the player does not announce a raise. If a player puts in an oversized chip into the pot and states raise but does not state the amount, the raise will be the maximum allowable up to the size of that chip. After the flop, an initial bet of a single oversized chip without comment will constitute the size of the bet. To make a raise with a single oversized chip, a verbal declaration must be made before the chip hits the table surface. In limit games, an oversized chip will be constituted to be a call if the player does not announce a raise. In no-limit, an oversized chip before the flop is a call; after the flop, as a first action, an oversized chip put in the pot will constitute the size of the bet.
In No-limit or Pot-limit, a raise must be made by (1) placing the full amount in the pot in one motion; or (2) verbally declaring the full amount prior to the initial placement of chips into the pot; or (3) verbally declaring “raise” prior to the placement of the amount to call into the pot and then completing the action with one additional motion.
Dealers will be responsible for calling string raises.

Chips

Only the original participant may play his/her chips.
All chips must be visible at all times.
Players must keep their higher denomination chips visible at all times.
Players may not hold or transport in any manner that takes them out of view. A player that does so will forfeit the chips and will face disqualification. The forfeited chips will be taken out of play from the tournament.
A player who declares all in and loses the pot, then discovers that one or more chips where hidden, is not entitled to benefit from this. That player is eliminated from the tournament if the opponent had sufficient chips to cover the hidden ones. (A rebuy is ok if allowable by the rules of that event). If another deal has not yet started, the director may rule the chips belong to the opponent who won that pot, if that obviously would have happened with the chips out in plain view. If the next deal has started, the discovered chips are removed from the tournament.
If two or more players go broke during the same hand, the player starting the hand with the largest amount of tournament chips finishes in the highest tournament place for point and cash awards.
When it is time to color-up chips, they will be raced off with a maximum of one chip going to any player. The chip race will always start in the #1 seat. A player cannot be raced out of a tournament: a player who loses his or her remaining chip(s) in a chip race will be given one chip of the smallest denomination still in play. Players are encouraged to witness the chip race.
Odd chip(s) will go to the high hand. In flop games, when there are two or more high hands or two or more low hands, the odd chip(s) will go to the left of the button. In Stud type games, the odd chip(s) will go to the high card by suit. However when hands have identical value (e.g., a wheel in Omaha/8) the pot will be split as evenly as possible.
Each side pot will be split separately.

Showdown

All cards will be turned up once a player is all-in and all action is complete.
A player must show both cards when playing the board in order to get part of the pot.
At the end of the last round of betting the player that made the last aggressive action in that betting round, must show first. If there was no bet, the player to the left of the button shows first and so on, clockwise. In stud games, the player with the high board must show first. In Razz, the lowest board shows first.
Dealers cannot kill a winning hand that was table and was obviously the winning hand. Players are encouraged to assist in reading tabled hands if it appears that an error is about to be made.
If a dealer kills an unprotected hand, the player will have no redress and will not be entitled to a refund of bets. An exception would be if a player raised, and his raise had not yet been called, he would be entitled to receive his raise back.
A player who exposes his cards with action pending may incur a penalty, but will not have a dead hand. The penalty will begin at the end of the hand.

Penalties

A penalty MAY be invoked if a player exposes any card with action pending, if a card(s) goes off the table, violates the one player to a hand rule, or if similar incidents take place. Penalties WILL be invoked in cases of soft play, abuse, disruptive behavior, or similar incidents.
Penalties available for use by the Tournament Director are verbal warnings, “missed hands” penalties. A missed hand penalty will be assessed as follows; The offender will miss one hand for every player, including the offender, who is at the table when the penalty is given. Repeat infractions are subject to escalation penalties. The Tournament staff can assess 1, 2, 3, or 4 round penalties, or disqualification. The escalated penalty will be the number of players at the table, multiplied by the number of rounds specified in the penalty. For the period of the penalty, the offender shall remain away from the table. Chips from a disqualified player will be removed from play.
Calling for the clock procedure: Once a reasonable amount of time has passed, and a clock is called for, a player will be given one (1) minute to make a decision. If action has not been taken by the time the minute is over, there will be a 10-second countdown. If a player has not acted on his hand by the time the countdown is over, the hand will be dead.

Prize Pools

The exact pay-off for each place to be awarded cash or prizes will be announced, after all entries and re-buys are closed.
The management assumes no responsibility for the enforcement of any private deals, side bets, or redistribution of the prize pool among finalists.
No tournament official or dealer may have a financial interest in any event.
No person may buy, sell, or trade for another player’s entry into an event (Without Management’s Prior Approval).
Any private agreement that excludes one or more active competitors is improper by definition.
A tournament event is expected to be played until completion.
A private agreement that removes all prize money from being at stake in the competition is unethical.

By participating in any tournaments, 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 disqualified from the tournament. Chips from a disqualified participant will be removed from play.

Current Poker Promotion

Super Sundays

Sundays, Feb. 5th through Feb. 26th

Ongoing Promotions

Wheel Spin Day: Friday & Saturday (10am - 10pm)
Super Sundays: 10am-10pm, 15 minute high hand payouts
Monte Carlo: Sunday 11pm - Thursday 12am

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