Pub Poker Rules

# Rule Title Rule
1 Tournament Director

Tournament Staff
Dealers
 The Tournament Director (TD) and Tournament Staff will consider the best interests of the game and fairness as the top priority in the decision-making process. Unusual circumstances can on occasion dictate that decisions in the interest of fairness take priority over the technical rules. The Tournament Director’s decision is final. Dealers are asked to assist by controlling hands dealt by them. Players will be asked to support the dealer by invitation only, e.g. in the counting of chips, splitting of pots, etc.
2 Chip Race When it is time to colour-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 No.1 seat next to the dealer. 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.
3 Odd Chips The odd chip(s) will go to the left of the button.
4 Side Pots Each side pot will be split separately.
5 Calling for a Clock Once a reasonable amount of time has passed and a clock is called for, a player will be given a maximum of one minute to make a decision. If action has not been taken before time expires, there will be a 10-second countdown. If a player has not acted by the time the countdown is over, the player’s hand will be dead. Any player in the game, including those in the hand, can call time.
6 Dead Button Tournament play will use a dead button.
7 Penalties and Disqualification A penalty MAY be invoked if a player exposes any card with action pending, throws a card off the table, violates the one-player-to-a-hand rule, or similar incidents take place. Penalties WILL be invoked in cases of soft play, abuse, or disruptive behavior. Penalties available to the TD include verbal warnings and “missed hand” 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 multiplied by the number of rounds specified in the penalty; for the period of the penalty the offender shall remain away from the table. Tournament staff can assess one-, two-, three-, or four-round penalties or disqualification. A player who is disqualified shall have his or her chips removed from play. Repeat infractions are subject to escalating penalties.
8 At Your Seat A player must be at his or her seat by the time all players have been dealt complete initial hands in order to have a live hand. Players must be at their seat to call time.
9 Face Up All cards will be turned face up once a player is all-in and all betting action is complete.
10 Raise Requirements If a player puts in a raise of 50% or more of the previous bet but less than the minimum raise, he or 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.
11 One-chip Rule

Oversized Chip
 A single oversized chip will be considered a call if the player does not announce a raise. If a player puts 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.
12 No Disclosure

No Advice
One Player to 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:

1. Disclose the contents of live or folded hands to anyone
2. Advise or criticize play before the action is complete
3. Read a hand that hasn’t been tabled
The one-player-to-a-hand rule will be enforced.
13 Random Seats Tournament and satellite seats will be randomly assigned.
14 Official Language The English-only rule will be enforced during the play of hands along with the local or native language.
15 Communication Devices A player may not use a cellular phone, text-messaging device, or other communication device at the table.
16 Deck Changes Deck changes will be on the dealer push or level changes or as prescribed by the house. Players may not ask for deck changes.
17 New Limits 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.
18 Re-buys A player may not miss a hand. If a player announces the intent to re-buy before a new hand begins, that player is playing chips behind and is obligated to make the re-buy.
19 Higher Denomination Chips Visible Players must keep their higher denomination chips visible at all times.
20 Declarations Verbal declarations as to the content of a player’s hand are not binding; however, any player deliberately miscalling his or her hand may be penalized.
21 Rabbit Hunting

Folded Cards
 No rabbit hunting is allowed. All folded cards will be returned to the dealer immediately and will not be viewed by other players, spectators or the dealer at any time. Penalties may be applied.
22 Dodging Blinds A player who intentionally dodges (a) blind(s) when moving from a broken table will incur a penalty.
23 Chips Visible All chips must be visible at all times. Players may not hold or transport tournament chips in any manner that takes them out of view. A player who does so will forfeit the chips and will face disqualification. The forfeited chips will be taken out of play.
24 Breaking Tables Players going from a broken table to fill in seats assume the rights and responsibilities of the position. They can get the big blind, the small blind, or the button. The only place they cannot get a hand is between the small blind and the button.
25 Balancing Tables In flop games when balancing tables, players will normally be moved from immediately behind the button to immediately behind the button on the table they are joining. Play will halt on any table that is two or more players short.  Re-draws for position, seating and dealer shall be under the direction of the Tournament Director, although redealing for the button will usually occur when three or more players join a table.
26 Raises There is no cap on the number of raises in no-limit games. A raise must be at least the size of the previous raise. In limit events there will be a limit to raises even when heads-up until the tournament is down to two players; the house limit will apply.
27 Misdeals In stud-type games, if any of the players’ two down cards are exposed due to dealer error it is a misdeal. In flop games, exposure of one of the first two cards dealt is a misdeal. Players may be dealt two consecutive cards on the button.
28 Unprotected Hands If a dealer kills an unprotected hand, the player will have no redress and will not be entitled to a refund of bets. However, if a player had raised and the raise had not yet been called, the raise will be returned to the player.
29 Killing Winning Hand Dealers cannot kill a winning hand that was tabled 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.
30 Verbal Declarations 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.
31 Exposing Cards 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.
32 Methods of Raising 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.
33 Ethical Play Poker is an individual game. Soft play will result in penalties, which may include forfeiture of chips and/or disqualification. Chip dumping will result in disqualification. Slow-rolling and splashing the pot is forbidden and may result in penalties. To claim the pot, both cards must be shown, and shown at the same time.
34 Pot Size 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.
35 Button in Heads-up 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 ensure that, no player takes the big blind twice in a row.
36 Etiquette Violations Repeated etiquette violations will result in penalties. Examples include unnecessarily touching other players cards or chips, delay of the game, excessive chatter, moaning and negative remarks. Players are required to act in turn.
37 Showdown At the end of last round of betting, the player who 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.
38 Action Pending Players must remain at the table if they still have action pending on a hand.
39 String Raises Dealers will be responsible for calling string raises.
40 Playing the Board A player must show both cards when playing the board in order to get part of the pot.
41 Dealing Errors If the 1st or 2nd card dealt is exposed, a misdeal results. The dealer retrieves the cards and reshuffles the pack. If any other card is exposed the deal continues. The exposed card cannot be kept. The player involved receives what would have been the 1st burn card. The exposed card is used for the 1st burn card. If more than one hole card is exposed, a misdeal is called. If the dealer mistakenly deals the first player an extra card, after all players have their starting hand, this card is used for the 1st burn card

Early flop error – If the flop is turned over before betting action is complete, then it must not play, even where the player still to act folds. Subsequent streets must remain however as if no error had occurred. The burn cards, turn and river cards should be placed face down on the table, and the flop be placed back into the stub (not the burn card) and reshuffled with the remaining stub cards and a new flop issued without burning another card once action is complete, the turn and river can then be issued without them being altered by the flop error.
Four card flop error – If the flop contains four (rather than three) cards, whether exposed or not, the dealer shall scramble the 4 cards face down. The TD or a floor person will be called to randomly select one card to be used as the next burn card and the remaining three cards will become the flop
Turn error - If the dealer turns the fourth (turn) card on the board before the betting round is complete, the card which was improperly dealt shall be set aside, and the dealer shall burn and turn so the card that would have been the river becomes the turn card. After the turn betting is completed, the dealer shall then shuffle the improperly dealt card back into the deck, and shall deal a river card without burning. The card that was burned before the improper dealing shall not be included in the shuffle.
River error – If the fifth card (river) is turned up prematurely, the turn betting is correctly completed, the dealer shall shuffle the improperly dealt card back into the deck, then turn a new river card without burning.
Too many cards - Once action begins a misdeal cannot be called. A player with an incorrect starting hand (e.g. 3 Hole Cards or a Joker) shall have his hand declared dead, and loose any chips they have placed into the pot, with the exception of if that player has raised and the raise has not yet been called, they will be entitled to return of the raise portion of their bet. Action is considered to have occurred when 2 players have acted on their hand (including passing pre-flop).
42 Dead Hands Your hand is declared dead if:

  • You fold or announce a fold when facing a bet or raise.
  • You throw you hand in a forward motion causing a player to act behind you (even if not facing a bet).
  • The hand does not contain the correct number of cards.
  • Cards that come into contact with the muck pile.
However a hand that is clearly identifiable by all players may be retrieved and ruled live by the Tournament Director if doing so is in the best interest of the game. Every effort will be made to rule a hand retrievable if it was folded as a result of incorrect information given to the player.