Poker Tournaments
Poker Tournaments: General Rules
Poker games in tournaments are essentially the same as regular poker games. At predetermined moments during the game, the sum of the blinds and the limits will increase. The deck of cards used for a game will be changed only if the dealer changes or if one of the cards is damaged. If there is no table dealer a button will be used to determine rotating dealers from amongst the players. The position of the first dealer is decided by dealing cards and seeing who gets the highest ranking card. If a new player wishes to join a game he may do so right away. However, if he sits down in the button position or in the small blind position, he needs to wait till the button position is passed on. In a heads-up game, which is a game played by only two players, if there are two blinds then the small blind is also the dealer. Players' seating arrangements are made either assigned by the management or arranged through a random draw. A player may not change a sit, unless the management tells him to do so. At the start of the game, an equal stack of chips will be placed in front of each pre-paid seat. Antes and blinds will be taken from all the stacks and put in the pot even if a player is missing from his seat. This way, a player can join the game even if he is a few minutes late. If a player is absent from the table and cannot be found, the management can decide to remove his chips once a new level of bets has begun or after thirty minutes (whichever comes first). A player can ask in advance that his chips not be touched until he comes and joins the game. If a player is missing when it is his turn to act, his hand is taken out of the game (a "dead" hand). Once you are dead, for whatever reason, you should leave the table immediately. In relatively big tournaments, where there are more than five poker tables, once there are only enough players to fill three or less poker tables then a whole rearrangement of seating will take place. If players are disqualified from playing at a table, that table will be taken apart and the remaining players will join vacant seats at other poker tables. This will be done in a way that can keep reasonable numbers of players at a table. A player is allowed to be all-in, meaning that he bet all his money and has no chips left to raise the bet. If after another player wins the pot an all-in player discovers that he has some chips left, that were simply hidden by accident, he may not gain benefit from the situation. That means that if it is clear in that specific circumstance that the all-in player would have put those chips in the pot had he been aware of their existence, the manager can rule that the winner takes those chips as well. However, this is possible only if the next deal of cards has not yet started. If it had, then those chips will simply be removed from the table. If during a game two players or more go broke, then the player who started the game with the biggest sum of money finishes the tournament at a high rank for cash prizes and points. A player may not reveal any of the cards in his hand. If this is done on purpose, the player will be removed from the table, and may even be punished. Other forms of improper behavior may also end in punishment, for example having to wait a long time before joining another table. In some cases of extreme behavior, a player may be thrown off the tournament. If before the cards are dealt out a player declares that he wishes to rebuy, he may not change his mind afterwards. Finalists may decide amongst themselves on private deals, such as side bets or a certain split of the prize, as long as it does not exclude a player. The management will have no power to make any judgment over private deals, as long as they are inclusive by nature. The tournament management has the right to change or cancel any part of the competition, as long as it is not unfair to the players.
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