TOURNAMENTS

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

1.      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. Decisions of the Tournament Director are final.

2.      Initial seating is determined by random draw or assignment

3.      The appropriate starting amount of chips will be placed on the table for each paid entrant at the beginning of the event, whether the person is present or not. Absent players will be dealt in, and all chips necessary for blinds will be put into the pot.

4.      If a paid entrant is absent at the start of an event, at some point an effort will be made to locate and contact the player. If the player requests the chips be left in place until arrival, the request will be honoured. If the player is unable to be contacted, the chips may be removed from play at the discretion of the Tournament Director anytime after a new betting level is begun or a half-hour has elapsed, whichever occurs first.

5.      A starting stack of chips may be placed at an empty seat to accommodate late entrants (so all blinds can be appropriately paid). An unsold seat will have such a stack removed at a time left to the discretion of the director.

6.      An absent player is always dealt a hand, and will be put up for blinds.

7.      Blinds are raised at regularly scheduled intervals.

8.      When a signal designating the end of a blinds level, the new blinds apply on the next deal. (A deal begins with the first riffle of the shuffle.)

9.      The lowest denomination of chip in play will be removed from the table when it is no longer needed in the blinds structure. All lower-denomination chips that are of sufficient quantity for a new chip will be changed up directly. Odd chips will be rounded up to the next lowest denomination chip in play.

10. A player must be present at the table to stop the action by calling “time.”

11. A player must be at the table by the time all players have their complete starting hands in order to have a live hand for that deal. (The dealer will kill the hands of all absent players immediately after dealing each player a starting hand.)

12. As players are eliminated, tables are broken, with players from the broken tables assigned to empty seats at other tables.

13. A change of seat is not allowed after play starts, except as assigned by the tournament director.

14. If a player is needed to move from a table to balance tables, the player due for the big blind will be automatically selected to move, and will randomly draw an available seat at another table.

15. New players are dealt in immediately and take over the obligations of that position, except for the small blind or button position.

16. The number of players at each table will be kept reasonably balanced by the transfer of a player as needed. With more than six tables, table size will be kept within two players. With six tables or less, table size will be kept within one player.

17. In all events, there is a redraw for seating when the field is reduced one table.

18. A player who declares all in and loses the pot, then discovers that one or more chips were 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.

19. If a player lacks sufficient chips for a blind, 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.

20. All players must leave their seat immediately after being eliminated from an event.

21. Showing cards from a live hand during the action injures the rights of other players still competing in an event, who wish to see contestants eliminated. A player may not show any cards during a hand. If a player deliberately shows a card or cards with any action still to come (even that players action) his hand will be ruled dead.

22. A player must either use a verbal statement giving the amount of the raise or put the chips into the pot in a single motion. Otherwise, it is a string bet.

23. A single oversized chip thrown into the pot (without stating the intention to raise) will be treated as a call

24. Non-tournament chips are not allowed on the table.

25. Higher-denomination chips must be placed where they are easily visible to all other players at the table.

26. All tournament chips must remain visible on the table throughout the event. Chips taken off the table or pocketed will be removed from the event, and a player who is caught doing this may be disqualified.

27. Inappropriate behaviour like throwing cards that go off the table may be punished with a penalty such as being dealt out for a length of time. A severe infraction such as abusive or disruptive behaviour may be punished by eviction from the tournament.

28. The deck is not changed on request, unless there is a damaged card.

29. The dealer button remains in position until the appropriate blinds are taken. Players must post all blinds every round. Because of this, last action may be given to the same player for two consecutive hands by the use of a “dead button.

30. In heads-up play with two blinds, the small blind is on the button.

31. If a player announces the intent to re-buy before cards are dealt, that player is playing behind and is obligated to make the re-buy.

32. All hands will be turned face up whenever a player is all-in and betting action is complete.

33. If two (or more) players go broke during the same hand, the player starting the hand with the larger amount of money finishes in the higher tournament place for prize money and any other award.

34. Management is not required to rule on any private deals, side bets, or redistribution of the prize pool among finalists.

MISDEALS

1. The following circumstances cause a misdeal, provided attention is called to the error before two players have acted on their hands. (If two players have acted in turn, the deal must be played to conclusion, as explained in rule #2)
   1. The first or second card of the hand has been dealt face up or exposed through dealer error.
   2. Two or more cards have been exposed by the dealer.
   3. Two or more boxed cards (improperly faced cards) are found.
   4. Two or more extra cards have been dealt in the starting hands of a game.
   5. An incorrect number of cards has been dealt to a player, except the top card may be dealt if it goes to the player in proper sequence.
   6. Any card has been dealt out of the proper sequence (except an exposed card may be replaced by the burn card).
   7. The button was out of position.
   8. The first card was dealt to the wrong position.
   9. Cards have been dealt to an empty seat or a player not entitled to a hand.
   10. A player has been dealt out who is entitled to a hand.
2. Action is considered to occur when two players after the blinds have acted on their hands. Once action occurs, a misdeal can no longer be declared. The hand will be played to conclusion and no money will be returned to any player whose hand is fouled.

DEAD HANDS

Your hand is declared dead if:

1. You fold or announce that you are folding when facing a bet or a raise.

2. You throw your hand away in a forward motion causing another player to act behind you (even if not facing a bet).

3. The hand does not contain the proper number of cards.
4. You have the clock on you when facing a bet or raise and exceed the specified time limit.
5. Cards thrown into the muck may be ruled dead. However, a hand that is clearly identifiable may be retrieved at management’s discretion if doing so is in the best interest of the game. We will make an extra effort to rule a hand retrievable if it was folded as a result of false information given to the player.
6. Cards thrown into another player’s hand are dead, whether they are face up or facedown.
7. If you show cards to an active player during a deal your hand will be dead, any player at the table has the right to see those exposed cards, Cards shown during or after a deal to a player not in the pot should be shown to all players when the deal is finished.
8. Truthfully declaring the contents of your hand with action still to come (including your action) will be treated as exposing your cards and your hand will be dead

THE SHOWDOWN

1.      A player must show both cards in the hand face-up on the table to contest / win any part of the pot.

2.      If a players shows only one card and no other player/s contest the pot thereafter, the second card need not be shown

3.      Cards speak (cards read for themselves). The dealer assists in reading hands, but players are responsible for holding onto their cards until the winner is declared. Although verbal declarations as to the contents of a hand are not binding, deliberately miscalling a hand with the intent of causing another player to discard a winning hand is unethical and may result in forfeiture of the pot.

4.      Any player, dealer, or floor person who sees an incorrect amount of chips put into the pot, or an error about to be made in awarding a pot, has an ethical obligation to point out the error. Please help us keep mistakes of this nature to a minimum.

5.      All losing hands will be killed by the dealer before a pot is awarded.

6.      Any player who has been dealt in may request to see any hand that has been called, even if the opponent's hand or the winning hand has been mucked. However, this is a privilege that may be revoked if abused. If a player other than the pot winner asks to see a hand that has been folded, that hand is dead. If the winning player asks to see a losing player’s hand, both hands are live, and the best hand wins.

7.      If you show cards to an active player during a deal, any player at the table has the right to see those exposed cards. Cards shown during or after a deal to a player not in the pot should be shown to all players when the deal is finished.

8.      If everyone checks (or is all-in) on the final betting round, the player who acted first is the first to show the hand. If there is wagering on the final betting round, the last player to take aggressive action by a bet or raise is the first to show the hand. In order to speed up the game, a player holding a probable winner is encouraged to show the hand without delay. If there is a side pot, players involved in the side pot should show their hands before anyone who is all-in for only the main pot.

FOR ANY EVENTUALITY NOT COVERED SPECIFICALLY BY THESE RULES -

THE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR'S  DECISION WILL BE FINAL.