General concepts 1: Event decisions The best interests of the game and fairness are top priorities in decision making. Unusual circumstances sometimes dictate that common sense decisions in the interest of fairness take precedence over technical rules. Decisions of the playing field are final. 2: Player Responsibilities Players should verify registration and seating assignments , verify that they have been dealt the correct number of cards before being eliminated, protect their hands, make their intentions clear, follow the action, act using correct terminology and gestures, defend their right to act, keep cards visible and chips stacked correctly, remain at the table with a live hand, and lay out all cards correctly when competing in the showdown, speak up if they see a mistake, play on time, call time if necessary, move tables promptly, follow one player to the game, know and follow the rules, observe proper etiquette, inform the casino if they see or experience discriminatory or abusive behavior, and generally contribute to the orderly conduct of an event where all players feel welcome. 3: Official terminology and gestures The official betting conditions are simple, unmistakable and time-tested statements such as bet, raise, call, fold, check, all-in, complete and pot (pot-limit only). Regional conditions may also meet this criterion. Players must also use gestures carefully when facing action; tapping the table is a check. It is the players' responsibility to make their intentions clear: using non-standard expressions or gestures is at the player's risk and may lead to a different decision than the player intended. See also Rules 2 and 42. 4: Player Identity Players must always be clearly identifiable. Tournament staff may ask a player to remove any item (sunglasses, hood, or other face protection) that interferes with identification or distracts other participants. 5: Electronic equipment and communications A: Players are not allowed to talk on the phone at the table. Ringtones, music, pictures, videos, etc. should be inaudible and not disturb others. These and other devices, instruments, photographs, videos and communications must not cause a nuisance, delay play or create a competitive advantage and are subject to casino rules and gaming regulations. B. Telephones and other devices may not be left on the table. C: Players with active hands may not interact with or operate electronic or communication devices. The definition of such devices may include new technology and will be updated by the TD. ASSOCIATION OF POKER TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS Rules for 2024, Version 1.0, 9 October 2024 The long version includes: Recommended Practices and Illustrative Appendix The Poker TDA is a voluntary poker industry association founded in 2001. The TDA's mission is to increase global uniformity in poker tournament rules. The TDA rules are in addition to the conventional rules of this organization. In the event of a conflict with a gaming agency, the rules of the agency shall prevail. © Copyright 2024: All Rights Reserved, Poker Tournament Directors Association. See PokerTDA.com for usage policy. D: Betting apps, charts and other poker strategy tools may not be used at the table. Players may also not accept or use poker strategy data from any other person or source. Violations of Rule 5 may be penalized under Rule 71. 6: Official language The Board will clearly post and communicate acceptable table language. Seating, breaking and balancing tables 7: Accidental correct sitting Places in tournaments and satellites will be allocated randomly. A player who starts in the wrong place with the correct number of chips will move to the correct place with with his the current total number of chips. 8: Substitutes, late registration and re-entries A: Substitutes, late registrants and re-registrants will receive full stacks. The seat and table will be randomly drawn by the same procedure and from the same number of seats available to new players at that time and will be dealt, except for players between the small blind and the button. B: In re-entry tournaments, if a player is allowed to forfeit chips and purchase a new stack, the forfeited chips will be removed from play. 9: Special needs Players with special needs will have the opportunity to adapt whenever possible. 10: New players and players from broken tables A: New players entering the tournament and players from broken tables may take any seat, including the small blind, big blind or button, and may be dealt, with the exception of players between the SB and the button. B: Players from the broken table will be assigned new tables and seats in a two-step random process. See illustrative appendix. 11: Balancing the tables and stopping the game A : For balance in flop and mixed games, the player who should be in the big blind is next moved to the worst position, including one big blind if available, even if that means the seat is in the big blind twice. The worst position is never the small blind. In stud-only games, players move up by position (the last available seat at the short table is taken). B: In mixed games (e.g. HORSE), when the game changes from hold'em to stud, after the last hand of hold'em, the button moves to the position it would have been in if the next hand had been hold'em , and remains frozen there during stud. The player who moved to stud is the player who would have been in the big blind if hold'em had been played for that hand. By moving to hold'em, the button will begin to freeze where it was frozen. C : The table from which the player will be moved will be determined by a predetermined procedure. D : Play stops at tables with 3 or more fewer players (after elimination) than the table with the most players once the blinds are affected (see illustrative appendix). Play stops on other formats (e.g.: 6-hand and turbo) at the discretion of the TD. TDs may cancel the stoppage of play and a waiver is not an error. As the event progresses, at the TD's discretion, the tables should become more balanced. Poty / Showdown 12: Statements. Cards Speak at Card Reveal Cards Speak to determine the winner. Verbal declarations of hand values are not binding when cards are revealed, but deliberate incorrect calling of a hand may be penalized. Dealers should read and announce values © Copyright 2024: All Rights Reserved, Poker Tournament Directors Association. See PokerTDA.com for policies. hands when cards are revealed. Any player, whether in play or not, should speak up if he or she thinks an error has been made in reading a hand or calculating and awarding a pot. 13: Laying out the cards and killing the winning hand A: Properly laying the cards on the table means 1) turning all cards face up and 2) allowing the dealer and players to read the hand clearly. „All cards“ means both hole cards in Hold'em , all 4 hole cards in Omaha, all 7 cards in 7-stud, etc. B: When cards are revealed, players must protect their hands while waiting for the cards to be read (see also Rule 65). Players who do not place all cards completely on the table and then discard them thinking they have won do so at their own risk. If the hand is not 100 % pickable and identifiable and the TD rule states that it has not been clearly read, the player is not entitled to the pot. The TD's decision as to whether the hand has been sufficiently tabled is final. C: The dealer may not discard a properly passed hand that was clearly a winning hand . 14 : Live cards at showdown Discarding undealt cards face down does not automatically kill them; players can change their minds and the cards at the table remain 100 % identifiable and retrievable. Cards are killed by the dealer when they are pushed into a discarded deck or otherwise rendered unrecoverable and unidentifiable. 15: Clearing and discarding of irregularities A: If a player folds one card that would make a winning hand, the dealer should instruct the player to fold all cards. If the player refuses, the dealer should be notified. B: If a player bets and then discards his cards thinking he has won (forgetting that another player is still in the game), the dealer should keep the cards and call the bets (exception to Rule 58). If the cards are discarded and cannot be recovered and identified with 100% certainty, the player is eliminated and is not entitled to a refund of the settled bets. If the cards are discarded and the player has initiated a bet or raise that has not yet been settled, the outstanding amount will be refunded. . 16: Face up for all-ins All hands will be dealt immediately once a player bets all-in and all bets of all other players in the game are completed. No player who is all-in or has called all bets may discard his hand without surrendering it. All hands in both the main pot and side pot(s) must be surrendered and are live. See illustrative appendix. 17 : Showdowns without all-in and showdown standings A: In a game without an all-in , if cards are not spontaneously revealed or discarded, the TD may force the order of the cards to be revealed. The last aggressive player in the last round of betting (final street) must bet first. If there was no betting in the last round, the player who would have acted first in the last round of betting must bet first (i.e. first player to the left of the button in flop hands, high hand revealed in stud, low hand revealed in razz, etc.). B: A showdown without an all-in is uncontested if all players except one discard their cards face down without putting them on the table. The last player with live cards wins and is not required to put the cards on the table. 18: Request to see your hand A: Players who do not already have cards when the cards are revealed , or who have discarded their cards face down without laying them out on the table, forfeit any rights or privileges to ask to see any hand. B: If there is a bet on the river, each caller has an inalienable right to have the last caller's hand revealed upon request („the hand he paid to see“), provided the caller has folded or retained his cards. The touchdown consideration governs all other requirements, such as to show another caller's hand or if there was no bet on the river. See Illustrative Appendix [adopted 2013]. © Copyright 2024: All rights reserved, Poker Tournament Directors Association. See PokerTDA.com for terms of use. . 19: Playing the table when the cards are revealed In order to play at the table, players must lay down all hole cards to get a portion of the pot (see Rule 13-A). 20: Awarding odd chips First, the odd chips are divided into the smallest denominations in play. A) Table games with 2 or more high or low hands: the odd chip goes first to the left of the button. B) Stud, razz, and if there are 2 or more high or low hands in stud/8: the odd chip goes to the high card according to the suit in the player's winning 5-card hand. C) H/L split: the odd chip in the total pot goes to the high hand. D) Cleared 2022. 21: Side pots Each side pot will be split separately. 22: Disputing hands and sweat Interpretation of a passed hand may be challenged up to the start of the next hand (see Rule 23). Accounting errors in the calculation and award of the pot may be challenged up to the substantial action in the next hand. If the hand ends during a break, the right to make any challenge ends 1 minute after the pot is awarded. General procedures ` 23: New combination and new limits The new level starts with a slot machine announcement or a time system beep. The new level is valid for the next game. Hands start with the first riffle , pressing the shuffle button or pressing the dealer. If play is mistakenly started at the previous level, play will continue at the previous level after a substantial action (Rule 36). If a new level is started while the dealer is dealing cards, the incoming dealer will deal one hand at the previous level. 24: Chip Races, Scheduled flushes A: In scheduled collocation races, chips will be dealt from Seat 1, with a maximum of one chip awarded to a player. Players cannot be eliminated from the game: a player who loses his last chip(s) in a race will be awarded 1 chip of the lowest denomination that is still in play. B: Players must keep their chips fully visible and are encouraged to watch the chip race. C : If, after the race, a player still has chips of the removed denomination, they will only be exchanged for chips of the current denomination of the same value. Chips of removed denominations that do not add up to the total value of at least the smallest denomination still in play will be removed without compensation. 25: Cards and chips are visible, countable and easy to manage. Free colouring is possible. A: Players, dealers and the gaming floor are entitled to a reasonable estimate of the number of chips; therefore, chips should be kept in countable stacks. The TDA recommends clean vertical stacks of 20 chips of the same denomination by default. Higher denomination chips must always be visible and identifiable. If the person working on the gaming floor cannot look at a stack of chips and quickly estimate its value, the players probably cannot either. B: TDs control the number and denominations of chips in play and may color one or more players at any time at their discretion. Discretionary color increases will be announced. C: Players must keep live hands in sight at all times. . 26: Changes to the deck of cards Package changes will be made based on the dealer's instructions, level changes, or as directed by the casino. Players cannot request a deck change. © Copyright 2024: All Rights Reserved, Poker Tournament Directors Association. See PokerTDA.com for terms of use. . 27: Repurchased items Players must not miss any game. Players who announce their intention to buy in before the start of the game are playing with chips behind and must buy in. 28: Hunting rabbits Rabbit hunting (revealing cards that would have been lost if the game had not ended) is not allowed. 29: The Call of the Hour Players should act in a timely manner to maintain a reasonable pace of play. If, in the TD's judgment, a reasonable amount of time has elapsed, the TD may call time or approve a request for time by any player in the event. Players must be in their seats to call time (Rule 30). The player on the timer has up to 25 seconds plus a 5-second countdown to act. If a player faces a bet and time expires, the hand is dead; if he does not face a bet, the hand is checked. The tie goes to the player. The TD may adjust the time allowed and take other steps to adjust to the game and stop any lingering delays. See also Rules 2 and 70. Player present/eligible for a hand 30: In its place and in living hands In order to have a live hand, players must be in their seats by the time the last card of the original hand is dealt to all players. Players who are not in their seats at that time may not look at their cards, which are immediately destroyed. Their posted blinds and antes are forfeited to the pot, and the absent player who was dealt the bring-in stud card posts the bring-in. „At your seat“ means within reach of your chair. This rule is not intended to encourage players to be out of their seats during play. 31: At the table with pending action Players with live hands (including players who have bet all-in or otherwise completed betting) must remain at the table during all betting rounds and the showdown. Leaving the table is incompatible with protecting your hand and following the action and is subject to penalty. Button / Blinds 32: Dead button Tournament play will be played with a dead button. 33: Avoiding blinds Players who deliberately avoid any blind play will be penalized. See Rule 71-B. 34: Position and movement of buttons A: If an incorrect button movement is detected before the SA occurs, the error will be corrected. However, if an SA has occurred, play will continue. Eg: If the button moves twice and an SA occurs, the error will remain in effect and the button will not be backed up in the next game. All players are responsible for keeping track of the button location and for reporting the error (Rule 2). B: In heads-up play, the small blind is the player on the button, is dealt the last card, and is first to act before the flop and last in all other betting rounds. At the start of Heads-up play, it may be necessary to adjust the button to ensure that no player has the big blind twice in a row . Trading rules 35: Incorrect hands and fouled decks A: Incorrect hands include, but are not limited to: 1) 2 or more cards packed on the opening hand; 2) the first card dealt to the wrong seat; 3) cards dealt to a seat not eligible for a hand; 4) a seat eligible for a hand is dealt; 5) the wrong number of cards is dealt to any player (except © Copyright 2024: All Rights Reserved, Poker Tournament Directors Association. See PokerTDA.com for policy. Rule 37); 6) Before SA, a non-standard card for the type of play is detected (for example: jokers, 2-3-4-5 in a short deck) ; 7) In flop games, if 1 of the first 2 cards dealt from the deck or any other 2 hole cards is revealed by a dealer error. For draw games (e.g. lowball), casino rules apply. B: Players may receive 2 consecutive cards on the button (see also Rule 37). C: When cards are dealt incorrectly, the redraw is an exact repeat: the button does not move, no new players sit, limits remain the same. The cards are dealt to the players who were dealt cards but not in their seats in the original deal, and they may play a redraw (Rule 30). Penalty players who were dealt cards originally are dealt cards and their hands are killed. The original deal and the redraw count as 1 hand for the player with the penalty, not 2. D: Once a substantial action occurs (see Rule 36), an incorrect deal cannot be declared; play must continue unless the deck is fouled. Non-standard cards found after the SA are treated as scraps of paper (exception: fouled decks). E: Fouled decks. If 2 or more cards of the same suit and rank are found, the deck is fouled. Additional conditions for a fouled deck may be defined by local game regulations and casino rules. If a fouled deck is found, regardless of SA, play will stop and all bets will be returned. After the game is completed, the right to claim based on a fouled packet ends according to Rule 22. 36: Substantial Action (SA) A significant action is either A) any 2 actions in sequence, at least one of which puts chips in the pot (i.e. any 2 actions except 2 checks or 2 folds), or B) any combination of 3 actions in sequence (check, bet, raise, call, fold). Folded blinds do not count towards SA. See Rules 35-D and 53-B. 37: Button with too few cards A player on the button who has been dealt too few cards should announce this immediately. Missing cards on the button may also be replaced after a substantial action if the type of play allows it. However, if the button responds to a hand with too few cards (by checking or betting), the button's hand is dead. 38: Burns after a substantial action The burned card is for deck protection, not for „preserving card order“. If an SA occurs and a hand is discarded due to an incorrect number of cards, all cards of the discarded hand are discarded and randomness applies to the next deal (see also RP-14 Randomness). The stub is considered a regular stub and for each subsequent street, one and only one card is burned from it . One card per street is always burned, never more. See illustrative appendix. 39: Irregular flops and prematurely dealt cards A: 4-card flop. If the flop has 4 cards instead of 3, whether face up or not, and regardless of whether the face up card is assumed to be known , it will be called a flop. The dealer then shuffles the 4 cards face down, the flop randomly selects 1 as the next burned card, and the remaining 3 are flopped (see also RP-14 Randomness). B: On a 3-card flop, whether face-up or not, if no burn has occurred and regardless of whether the door card is assumed to be known, if no action has occurred, the 3 cards are shuffled face-down, with one selected as burned. The flop will consist of 2 more cards plus another card from the stump. If there is any action (even one check) , play continues with the first 3 cards. Only one card is burned per round. C: In the event of cards being dealt prematurely, refer to recommended procedure 5. D: Shuffling cards during the game. To protect the integrity of the game, whenever it is necessary to reshuffle the stump during play, the cards must be shuffled face down and unrevealed. Examples include premature cards (Rule 39 and RP-5), a disordered stump (RP-4), extra draw or stud cards (RP-10-H), etc. © Copyright 2024: All Rights Reserved, Poker Tournament Directors Association. See PokerTDA.com for usage policy. . Game: bets and raises 40: Betting methods: verbal and chip betting A: Bets are placed by verbal announcement and/or the ejection of chips. If the player does both, the bet is determined by the earlier of the two. If bets are made simultaneously, a clear and reasonable verbal declaration takes precedence, otherwise chips are played. In unclear situations, or if the verbal statement and the chips are contradictory, the TD will determine the bet based on the circumstances and Rule 1. See also Rule 57. B: Oral statements may be general („call“, „raise“), with a specific amount only („thousand“), or both („raise, thousand“). C: For all betting rules, declaring only a specific amount is the same as silently depositing the same amount. Eg: Declaring „two hundred“ is the same as silently placing 200 chips. 41: Calling methods Standard and acceptable forms of reporting include (A) saying the word „call“; (B) drawing chips equal to the call; (C) silently drawing an overchip; or (D) silently drawing more chips equal to the call under the multiple-chip rule (Rule 45). Silently drawing chips relatively small relative to the bet (e.g. blinds 2k-4k. A bets 50k, B then silently draws one 1k chip) is non-standard, strongly discouraged, subject to penalty, and will be interpreted at the discretion of the touchdown player, including being declared a full-call. 42: Breeding methods In a no-limit or pot-limit game, a raise must be made by A) betting the entire amount in one move or B) verbally announcing the entire amount before chips are placed. It is the responsibility of the players to make their intentions clear. Note: Two-move raises have been eliminated in 2019. 43: Raising sums A: The raise must be at least equal to the largest previous full bet or raise in the current betting round. A player who raises 50 % or more of the largest previous bet but less than the minimum raise must make the full minimum raise. If less than 50 %, it is a call unless a „raise“ is first announced or the player bets all-in (Rule 45-B). Announcing the amount or silently putting in the same amount of chips is considered a call (Rule 40-C). E.g. NLHE, initial bet is 1000, verbal announcement of „Fourteen Hundred“ or silent placement of 1400 chips are call unless a raise is first announced. See illustrative appendix. B: Without further clarifying information, the announcement of a raise and the indication of the amount constitutes a total bet. E.g.: A starts with a bet of 2000, B announces „Eight thousand raise“. The total bet is 8000. 44: Betting with oversized chips ( Overchips ) If you are facing a bet or a blind, the insertion of one oversized chip (including your last chip) is a call unless a raise has been announced first. To raise with an overchip, you must announce the raise before the chip hits the table surface. If a raise is announced but no amount is given, the raise is the maximum amount allowed for the chip. If you are facing a bet, a silent overchip ( no announcement) is a bet with the maximum chip value. 45: Multi-chip betting A: If you are facing a bet, unless a raise or all-in is announced first, a bet with multiple chips (including a bet of your last chips) is a call if every chip is needed to call ; i.e. removing only one of the smallest chips will leave less than the amount of the call. Example 1 : Player A opens 400 : B raises to a total of 1100 (raise 700), C quietly bets one chip 500 and one chip 1000. This is a call because removing the 500 chip leaves less than the call amount of 1100. Example 2: NLHE 25-50. After the flop, A opens to 1050 and B bets his last chips (two chips of 1000). B calls unless a raise or all-in was announced first. B: If all chips are not needed to call , i.e., removing only one of the smallest chips leaves an amount to call or more: 1) if the player has chips remaining, the bet follows the standard 50 % © Copyright 2024: All Rights Reserved, Poker Tournament Directors Association. 2) The bet of the player's last chip(s) is an all-in bet, whether or not it has reached the 50 % limit. See Appendix. 46: Chips from a previous bet were not drawn A: To avoid confusion, players with chips from a previous bet that have not yet been drawn and who are facing a raise should announce their action before adding chips to the previous bet. B: If a player is facing a raise, a clear withdrawal of the previous chip obligates him to call or raise; he cannot put the chip(s) back out and fold. C: If new chip(s) are added quietly and the bet is unclear to the casino, the rules for call and raise apply 41-45 as follows: 1) If the previous chips do not cover the call AND are either left alone OR pulled back completely , the overrunning chip is a call and multiple new chips are subject to the 50% raise standard (Rule 43). 2) If the previous chips are partially pulled back OR if the previous chips cover the top-up, the combined final bet on the chips is a raise if it reaches the 50% standard (Rules 43 and 45), if less, it is a top-up. See illustrative appendix. 47: Re-opening the bet. A: In no-limit and pot limit, an all-in bet (or cumulatively multiple short all-ins) with a total of less than the full bet or raise will not resume betting for players who have already acted and are not facing at least the full bet or raise when the action returns to them. If multiple short all-ins reopen the betting, the minimum raise is always the last full bet or raise in the round (see also Rule 43). B: At least 50 % full bets or raises are required in the limit to re-open the betting for players who have already bet. See illustrative appendix. 48: Number of increases allowed There is no limit on the number of raises in no-limit and pot-limit games. In limit play, there is also a limit on raises in heads-up play until there are only 2 players left in the tournament; the house limit applies. 49: Action taken Poker is a game of vigilance and constant observation. It is the caller's responsibility to determine the correct amount of the opponent's bet before calling, regardless of what the others indicate. If the caller asks for a deduction but receives incorrect information from the dealer or player, then prints that amount or calls a call, the caller has taken all the correct action and is subject to the correct bet or all-in. As in all situations, Rule 1 may be applied at the discretion of the TD. See also RP-12. 50: Proceedings in order A: Players must act sequentially verbally and/or by sliding out chips. Acting sequentially is binding and puts the chips that remain in the pot into the pot. B: Players must wait for clear bet amounts before acting. Eg: NLHE, A says „raise“ (but no amount) and B quickly folds. B should wait to act until A's raise amount is clear. 51: Binding declarations / Understatements in order A: General verbal statements (such as „call“ or „raise“) commit the player to the full current action. See illustrative appendix. B: A player calls a bet (undercall) by calling or pushing an amount less than the call without first calling „call“. An undercall is a mandatory full call if it is made on the turn against 1) any heads-up bet or 2) the opening bet in any multi-bet round. In other situations, TD discretion applies. The opening bet is the first chip bet in any betting round (not a check). In blind games, the BB inserted is the opening bet before the flop. All-in buttons reduce the frequency of undercalls (see Recommended Practice 1). This rule governs when players must call and when they may © Copyright 2024: All Rights Reserved, Poker Tournament Directors Association. See PokerTDA.com for the policy . at the TD's discretion, forfeit the amount of the intended undercall and fold (see Illustrated Appendix). For information on underbets and underraisers, see Rule 52. C: If two or more consecutive underbets occur, the game reverts back to the first underbetting player , who must correct his bet according to Rule 51-B. The TD will determine how to handle the hands of the remaining bettors based on the circumstances. 52: Incorrect bets, under bets and under raises A: In limit and no-limit tables, opening or raising less than the minimum allowed amount is corrected anywhere on the current street (if on the river at any time before the start of the showdown). Eg: NLHE 100-200, after the flop A opens 600 and B raises to 1000 ( underraise by 200 ). C and D call, E folds, then the player notices the error. Raise the bet to a total of 1200 for all bettors at any time before the turn is dealt. After the turn, the error remains in effect. For undercalls, see Rule 51. B: In a Pot Limit game, if a player bets less than the pot value based on an inaccurate count, if the pot number is too high (illegal bet), it will be corrected for all players anywhere on the current street; if it is too low, it will be corrected until there is substantial action after the bet. See illustrative appendix. 53: Out of turn action (OOT) A: Any out-of-turn action (check, call or raise) will be returned to the correct player in the turn. The out-of-turn action is penalized and is binding if the out-of-turn player's action is not changed. A check, call or fold by the correct player does not change the action. If the action changes, the out-of-turn action is not binding ; any bet or raise is returned to the out-of-turn player, who has all options: call, raise or fold. Folding out-of-turn cards is binding. See illustrative appendix. B: Players who are left out of the OOT action must defend their right to act. If the omitted player has had reasonable time and has not spoken before substantial action occurs after the player (Rule 36), the OOT action is binding. The action is stopped and the board decides how to deal with the missed hand given the circumstances, including declaring the hand dead or restricting the player to a non-aggressive action. See Appendix. 54: Pot Size and Pot Limit Bets A: Players are only eligible for pot credit in a pot-limit game. Dealers will not count pot in limit and no-limit games. See also RP-22 Pot Distribution. B: A dead or short all-in blind before the flop will not affect the pot calculation. All pre-flop and re-pot bets will assume that full blinds have been posted. Example 1: PLO, blinds 100-200, dead SB, BB puts in 200. Example 2: SB puts in 100, BB puts in short 100. In both examples, the limit pot bet for the first player to act is 700. C: After the flop, bets are based on the actual pot size. D: Declaring „I'll bet the pot“ is not a valid bet in a no-limit game, but it commits the player to a valid bet (at least the minimum bet) and may be penalized. Players facing a bet must validly raise the bet. 55: Invalid betting statements If a player faces no bet and A) calls a call, it is a check; B) calls a raise, the player must bet at least the minimum bet. A player who announces a check and is faced with a bet may call or fold, but cannot raise. 56: String Bets and Raises String bets and raises are not allowed. Such bets involve multiple moves where the player places a bet and then returns to his stack to add more chips to the bet. 57: Substandard and unclear betting Players use unofficial betting expressions and gestures at their own risk. These may be interpreted differently than the player intended. Also, if a declared bet has multiple meanings, it will be considered © Copyright 2024: All Rights Reserved, Poker Tournament Directors Association. See PokerTDA.com for usage policy. the highest reasonable amount that is less than or equal to the size of the pot* prior to the bet. Ex: NLHE 200-400, total pot is less than 5,000, player declares „I bet five“. Without further clarifying information, the bet is 500; if the total pot is 5000 or more, the bet is 5000. *Ban is the sum of all previous bets, including any bets made before the player was in the game. See Rules 2, 3, 40 and 42. 58: Non-standard warehouses At any time before the end of the last betting round, folding in order if there is no bet for you (e.g. you are facing a check or are first to act after the flop) or folding out of order is a binding fold subject to a penalty. See also 15-B. 59: Conditional and early declarations A: Conditional declarations of future conduct are substandard and strongly discouraged. They may be binding and/or penalized at the discretion of the TD. Example: „if-then“ statements such as „If you bet, I will raise.“ B: If player A declares „bet“ or „raise“ and B calls before the exact amount of A's bet is known, the TD will decide the bet to best fit the situation, including B's possible obligation to call any amount. 60: Number of opponent's chips Players, dealers and the house are entitled to a reasonable estimate of the number of chips of their opponents (Rule 25). A player may only ask for a more accurate count if he is facing an all-in bet and it is his turn. A player who has bet all-in does not need to count; the dealer or the house will count on request. Accepted measures apply (Rule 49). Visible and countable chips (Rule 25) greatly improve the accuracy of the count. 61: Exaggerating bets in anticipation of change Betting should not be used to make change. Depositing more chips than the intended bet can confuse everyone at the table. Any chips inserted quietly are at risk of being counted towards the bet. For example: the initial bet is 325 for player A who silently places 525 (one 500 and one 25) and expects 200 to be returned. This is a raise to 650 under the multiple chip rule (Rule 45). 62: All-in with chips found later If A bets all-in and a hidden chip is found behind him after the player calls, the TD determines whether the chip behind him is part of the accepted action (Rule 49). If it is not part of the action, A will not be paid for the chip(s) if he wins. If A loses, the chip(s) will not save him/her and the TD may award the chip(s) to the winning finisher. Play: Other 63: Chips out of sight and in transit Players may not hold or transfer chips in a way that obscures them. A player who does so loses chips and may be disqualified. Forfeited chips will be discarded from the game. TDA recommends that the casino provide chip racks or bags for transporting chips if necessary. 64: Lost and found chips Lost and found chips whose ownership cannot be determined will be removed from play and returned to the tournament inventory. 65: Accidentally Killed / Fouled / Hands Exposed A: Players must protect their hands at all times , even when cards are revealed while waiting for hands to be read. If the dealer mistakenly cancels the hand or if, in the dealer's judgment, the hand is fouled and cannot be identified with 100% certainty, the player is not entitled to a remedy and is not entitled to a refund of any matched bets. If a player initiated a bet or raise and it was not called, the unmatched amount will be refunded . B: If a hand is fouled but identifiable, it remains in play despite all exposed cards. © Copyright 2024: All rights reserved, Poker Tournament Directors Association. Policies can be found at PokerTDA.com . 66: Dead Hands and Card Reversals in Stud In stud poker, if a player picks up an open hand while there is an action against him, the hand is dead. Properly discarding cards in stud poker means to turn over all the face-up cards and move them all face-down to the front. Etiquette and penalties 67: No disclosure. One player per hand Players must constantly protect the other players in the tournament. Therefore, players, whether they are in the game or not, must not: 1. Discuss the contents of live or discarded hands, 2. Advise or criticize the game at any time, 3. Read a hand of cards that have not yet been revealed. The one player per hand rule applies. This rule prohibits, among other things, showing your hand to another player, advisor, or spectator or discussing strategy with them. 68: Showing the cards and folding correctly Revealing cards with pending action, including the current player when the last player draws, may result in a penalty, but not a dead hand. Any penalty begins at the end of the game. When folding cards, cards should be pushed low to the table, not intentionally revealed or thrown high („helicoptered“). See Rule 66. 69: The Ethical Game Poker is an individual game. Soft play will result in penalties which may include forfeiture of chips and/or disqualification. Chip flipping and other forms of collusion will result in disqualification. 70: Breaches of etiquette Breaches of etiquette are subject to action under rule 71. Examples include, but are not limited to : persistent stalling, unnecessary touching of another player's person, cards or chips, repeatedly acting out of turn, maintaining insufficient visibility and countability of cards or chips, betting out of the dealer's reach, abusive behavior, offensive hygiene and excessive talking. 71: Warnings, penalties and disqualifications A: Enforcement options include, but are not limited to, verbal warnings, one or more penalties for a „missed hand“ or „missed lap“, and disqualification. For missed rounds, the offender shall miss one hand for each player (including himself/herself) at the table, with the penalty multiplied by the number of penalty rounds. Repeated rule violations are subject to escalating penalties. Players off the table or with a penalty may be eliminated from the tournament with an antes or blinds. B: Penalties may be assessed for breach of etiquette (Rule 70), revealing a card while waiting for action, discarding cards, violation of the one player per hand rule , improper use of equipment or strategy tools (Rule 5), or similar incidents. Penalties will be assessed for soft play, abuse, disruptive behavior, avoiding the blinds or cheating. Checking exclusive nuts when the player on the river is last to act is not an automatic soft play violation; the TD's discretion applies based on the situation. C: Players with a penalty must be away from the table. Cards are dealt to their seats, their blinds and antes are put in, their hands are discarded after the opening hand, and they must put in a bring-in stud if they have been dealt a bring-in stud. D: The disqualified player's chips are removed from play. © Copyright 2024: All Rights Reserved, Poker Tournament Directors Association. See PokerTDA.com for terms of use. . RP-1. All-In buttons The all-in buttons clearly indicate that the player is „all-in“. The buttons should be retained by the dealer (not every player). When a player bets all-in, the dealer places the all-in button in front of the player, in sight of the rest of the table. RP-2. It is not recommended to place bets. The common practice of inserting chips as betting and raising at the table is a bad habit when dealing. Reducing the number of bets can affect the action, cause confusion and increase the number of errors. Only a player who is currently in the action can ask the dealer to bet bring-in. RP-3. Personal belongings The table surface is essential for chip management, card dealing and betting. The table and surrounding areas (foot space and walkways) shall be free of unnecessary personal items. Each gaming room should clearly present its rules regarding items allowed in the tournament area. RP-4. Disordered stub When there are cards left in the game to deal and a stump accidentally falls and appears disorganized: 1) First, try to reconstruct the stump in the original order, if possible; 2) If this is not possible, create a new stump using only the stump cards (not the discarded and previous burned cards). These should be shuffled, shuffled, cut, and play continues with the new stub; 3) If the stub is mixed with discarded and/or burned cards after discarding, then shuffle, shuffle, and cut the mixed cards. Play continues with the new stump. RP-5. Prematurely dealt cards Cards on the board and burned cards are sometimes dealt prematurely, before the action in the previous round is completed. The general procedures for these situations are: A: Premature flop , leave the burned card from the flop as burned. Return the prematurely discarded cards to the deck and shuffle the entire stub. Redeal the flop (without further burning) from the newly shuffled stub. B: Premature card with a draw: leave the card burned as burned. Return the premature draw card to the deck and shuffle the entire draw card. Deal a turn again (without further burning) from the newly shuffled turn card. C: Premature river card: leave the river burn card as burned. Return the premature river card to the deck and shuffle the entire stub. Redeal the river (without further burning) from the newly shuffled stub. ASSOCIATION OF POKER TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS Recommended Practices 2024, Version 1.0, October 2024 TDA's recommended practices are policy suggestions to reduce errors and improve event management. They may also apply to situations with too much variation to be addressed by a one-size-fits-all rule. The most equitable decision in these cases may require using multiple rules, evaluating all circumstances, and relying on Rule 1 as the primary guide. © Copyright 2024: All Rights Reserved, Poker Tournament Directors Association. See PokerTDA.com for usage policy. D: Premature Card in Stud Poker: the premature card is returned to the stub, the stub is reshuffled (see RP-17, Shuffling), and a new street is dealt from the newly shuffled stub without further burning. RP-6. Efficient player movement Movement of players for the purpose of dealing and balancing should be quick, so as not to unnecessarily miss blinds or otherwise delay the game. If possible, chip racks should be provided for players to carry their chips, and a sufficient number of flushes should be made so that players do not carry unusually large amounts of chips (see Rules 10, 11 and 63). RP-7. Timing of pushing by the croupier The TDA recommends that croupiers pause play 90 seconds before a scheduled break or level change. This prevents time running out at key stages of the game. RP-8: Hand-in-hand procedures„ A: The claim to win starts with the announcement, „Finish the current game you are in and then wait, we are playing hand for hand“. If enough players drop out of the current game to be in the winning hand, the dropped players will be entitled to a share of the place(s) paid in the current game. Example: an NLHE tournament that pays out to 50 players. At the time of the announcement, 52 players remain and 3 players drop out during the current game. All 3 players will share the prize for 50. . B: During H4H play, a maximum of 3 minutes per game will be deducted from the clock. C: To give players the clearest possible idea of the timing of level changes, whenever possible the time should be reduced by 2 minutes in each game, not in „batches“ of multiple games. D: Blinds continue to increase as time passes at a rate of 2 minutes per game and new levels are reached. E: Players are encouraged, but not required, to remain seated during H4H. F: In the event of an all-in and a call during H4H, the cards of all players in the game should remain face down. The dealer should not deal any more cards until instructed to do so. RP-9: Number of players at the final table The 9 and 8 player tournaments will be held at two tables of five players each, with a final table of 9 players. Tournaments with 7 and 6 players will be held at two tables of four players, with a final table of 7 players. RP-10: Procedures for dealing cards in tournament stud cards A: The face-up card on the opening hand will be the player's face-up card, and the third card will be dealt to that player. The player may be the bring-in. B: The card revealed by the dealer on 7th Street will be replaced if no bet remains on the hand. 7th Street should be dealt even if there is no bet left on the hand, and in all-in situations, the player(s) not taking the risk reveals first. C: The cards of a player who is not in position (see Rule 30) during the deal will be discarded. No cards will be dealt into the hand on 4th Street , which is not active. D: If two or more identical high hands appear in a Stud (or Stud-8) game or low hands appear in a Razz game, betting starts on the high card hand according to the suit in both games. E: If the player dealt the low card of the suit goes all-in with the ante, betting starts to his left. Players with chips must bet at least bring-in or fold. 4th street will not double if a pair shows up. G: For cards dealt prematurely in Stude, see RP-5-D. © Copyright 2024: All rights reserved, Poker Tournament Directors Association. See PokerTDA.com for terms of use. H: Short Stub Procedure on 7th Street. If the number of cards in the current stub is less than the „ required number “ (# of remaining players + burned card + last undealt card) before 7th Street is dealt, proceed as follows: A) If the required number can be reached by adding the 3 previous burned cards (for 4th , 5th , and 6th Streets ), the current stub is mixed with the previous burned cards to form a new stub. The new stub is cut, the card is burned and one card is dealt to each player. B) If there are at least 3 cards in the current stub, but adding the previous burned cards would not reach the required number, the dealer burns the top card of the current stub and deals another card as a community card to the center of the table. C) If the current stub has less than 3 cards, it will be mixed with the 3 previous burned cards for a new stub, which will then be cut, the card burned and the next card dealt as a community card. D) If there is a community card in play, the first player to stand on 6th street , would be the first to play on 7th street . RP-11: Ante formats and no ante reduction If a single-payer ante is used, a big blind ante (BBA) format with a big-blind-first calculation is recommended. Ante should not be reduced (even at the final table) as tournament play progresses. RP-12: Dealers should report bets and raises Dealers should regularly announce the values of bets that are not all-in as the betting progresses around the table. All-in bets will only be counted at the request of the player currently facing the bet. Accepted bets still stand (Rule 49). Planned and voluntary flushes improve the countability of bets. RP-13: Dealers should stack chips in split pot games If possible, dealers should fold chips regularly in split pot games. Stacking should not obstruct the players' view or otherwise interfere with the game. RP-14: Randomness may apply in special situations In the case of error correction not otherwise specified in TDA's policies and procedures, TDs may use the concept of randomness to design a solution. RP-15: Proper communication with tournament staff A: Outgoing croupiers should inform incoming croupiers of pertinent information regarding the table. Examples include: information about blinds, players with warnings or penalties, disruptive behavior. B: The dealer should inform the room of all existing and potential violations of Rule 2 (Player Responsibilities) and Rule 70 (Etiquette). Particular emphasis should be placed on any discriminatory or abusive behavior in general or towards specific players or staff. RP-16: A player is missing from the breaking table If a player is not present when the table is played, his chips should be moved to the new table by a member of staff. RP-17: Procedures for betting on ties in a tournament Limping is allowed in all games with one draw account. RP-18: Ranking of mixed games To reduce errors, in mixed tournaments ( e.g. HORSE ) stud and stud-8 do not have to be played consecutively. RP-19: Reduce stopping The house should clearly communicate the intention to reduce delays so that players understand that early play is expected. It is recommended that each chamber implement creative methods to reduce stagnation. Methods that have been used successfully by TDA member chambers include: Random table breaks instead of draws , having a fixed number of hands per level, running behind the orbit, a soft hand for a hand, and adding a clock to hit RP-20: Cards Ready to Shuffle © Copyright 2024: All Rights Reserved, Poker Tournament Directors Association. Policies can be found at PokerTDA.com . At the start of the tournament or after a break, within one minute of the start or resumption of play, the floor should announce „dealers, get your decks ready“. When there are at least 2 players at the table, the dealer will wash and straighten the deck so that it is ready to be shuffled at the start of the level. RP-21: Pot expansion will only count in pot-limit events. If requested, the pot may be expanded to increase the visibility of the chips. See also Rule 54: Pot size and pot-limit bets. RP-22: Betting on non-denominated items (Bounty chips, clock chips, etc. ) Non-denominated action items (Bounty chips, clock chips, etc. ) should be a different size than standard betting chips. Betting with these items will be interpreted according to casino rules or Rule 1 and may be declared a call or all-in at the TD's discretion. Rule 10: Table Splitting, a two-step random process. A two-step random or „double-blind“ process ensures that no favouritism is shown in the allocation of new places. An example of one such process: 1) show the players at the dealing table the new place cards, then shuffle them face down to form a pile; 2) the dealer then deals each player one playing card face up. The place cards are then dealt so that the first place card goes to the player with the highest face-up playing card by suit. Rule 11-D: Balancing the tables and stopping play. Example: NLHE with 9 players, table A has 5 players, table B has the most players, 8. Play stops at table A when BB hits an open seat. Rule 16: Turn the cards face up for all-ins. „ All hands will be uncovered immediately once a player is all-in and all bets of all other players in the game are completed“. This rule means that all the hole cards of all players will be turned over at once when at least one player is all-in and there is no chance of any further betting by other players. Do not wait for a showdown to turn over the cards; do not wait for the side pots to be split before turning over an all-in player who is only in the game for the main pot; if betting is completed on any street before the showdown, turn over the cards at that point and then lay out the remaining cards. ASSOCIATION OF POKER TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS Supplement to Illustration 2024 Rules Version 1.0, October 2024 The Poker TDA is a voluntary poker industry association founded in 2001. The TDA's mission is to increase global uniformity in poker tournament rules. The TDA rules complement the rules of this organization. In the event of a conflict with a gaming agency, the rules of the agency shall prevail. © Copyright 2024: All Rights Reserved, Poker Tournament Directors Association. See PokerTDA.com for policies. . Example 1. NLHE. Two players remain. On the turn, player A (with the smaller stack) goes all-in and B calls. At this point, A and B both turn up their cards, then burn their cards and turn over the river to continue the showdown. Example 2. NLHE. Three players remain. Before the flop, Player A (with the shortest stack) bets all in, and both B and C call. Don't turn over your cards yet, because both B and C have chips, so further betting is possible. On the flop, B and C check; a bet is still possible, so don't turn over your cards yet. On the turn, B goes all in and C calls. Now turn over all the cards (A, B and C) as no further betting is possible. Burn your cards and turn over the river, then proceed to the showdown. First award the side pot between B and C, then award the main pot. Note: do not leave the A cards face down until the side pot between B and C is awarded. Example 3. NLHE. Three players remain. Before the flop, player A (with the smallest stack) goes all in for 700, and both B and C call, leaving them with a few thousand left. Don't turn the cards over yet, as B and C both have chips, so further betting is possible. On the flop, B and C check; a bet is still possible, so don't turn over your cards yet. On the turn, B bets 1,000 and C calls. Since both B and C still have chips and the river is still to be dealt, betting is still possible, so don't turn the cards over yet. On the river, both B and C check. Now turn over all hands (A, B and C) as the betting is over and the hand is approaching the showdown. First award the side pot of 2000 between B and C, then award the main pot. Note: do not leave the A cards face down until the side pot between B and C is awarded. Rule 18: Request to show your hand Example 1: NLHE. 3 players remain in the game. There is no bet on the river and no player goes all-in. On showdown, Player A discards his cards face down and the dealer slides them into the muck. B lays out his hand and shows three of a kind. C slides his cards face down. B may ask to see C's hand because B has folded his cards. However, B's request is at the discretion of the touchdown; B has no inalienable right to see it because there was no bet on the river and therefore he did not „pay to see C's hand.“ Neither A nor C can ask to see their opponent's hand, because they have neither folded nor kept their cards. Example 2: NLHE. 4 players remain in the game. On the river, A bets 1,000, B calls, C raises to 5,000, and D, A, and B all call. No player goes all-in. B lays out his hand and shows three of a kind. D immediately folds face down and the dealer mucks his hand. C starts pushing his cards face down. Both A and B have an inalienable right to see C's hand on demand because 1) they paid to see it, since C was the last aggressor on the river, and 2) both A and B kept their cards. D (who also called C's call) waived his right to see C's hand when he discarded his cards without laying them down. All other requests in this situation are at the discretion of the TD, e.g. B asks to see A's cards (the cards of another caller). © Copyright 2024: All Rights Reserved, Poker Tournament Directors Association. See PokerTDA.com for usage policy. . Rule 38: Burns after a substantial action Example 1-A: 50-100. SB/BB on seats 1 and 2. All players are dealt starting cards before the flop. SB/BB in seats 1 and 2. Player 3 (UTG) folds and player 4 calls, completing the substantial 2 chip action. Player 5 then realizes he has only 1 card and the hand is dead because there was an SA. The dealer burns only one card and then unloads the flop. The dealer does not burn 2 cards to „return to the original stub order“. Example 1-B: Same game and initial deal. Player 3 (UTG) folds and player 4 calls, completing a substantial action. Player 5 then realizes that he has 3 cards and the hand is dead because there was an SA. The dealer burns one card and then unloads the flop. The dealer will not consider Player 5's third card to be burned and will unload the flop without burning it from the deck. Rule 40-A: Methods of betting, unclear or conflicting bets. „ In ambiguous situations, or if the words and chips are contradictory, the TD will determine the bet based on the circumstances and Rule 1.“ Example 1: HEADS -UP on the river Player A verbally announces „forty-two thousand“, but only puts in a 5k chip. Not everyone at the table heard this announcement. Player B puts in 5k to call. Both players are at the table and A has the best hand. The decision criteria are mixed: the verbal decision was first, but it wasn't necessarily clear. The chip appeared to be a 5k bet. In these unclear and conflicting situations, the TD makes the fairest possible decision using Rule 1. Rule 43: Amounts of increases. „Largest previous full bet or raise in the current betting round“. This line indicates the largest additional action or „last allowed increment“ of the previous bettor in the current round. The current round is the „current street“, i.e. preflop, flop, turn, river in table games; 3rd-4th-5th-6th-7th street in 7-stud, etc. Example 1: NLHE, Blinds 100-200. After the flop, A starts with a bet of 600. B raises 1,000 for a total of 1,600. C re-raises for 2,000, 3,600 total. If D wants to raise, he must raise at least the „largest bet or raise of the current round,“ which is C's raise of 2000. Thus, D must re-raise by at least 2000, for a total of 5600. Note that D's minimum raise is not 3600 (C's total bet), but only 2000, which is the additional raise that C added. Example 2: NLHE, Blinds 50-100. Pre-flop, A is under the gun and goes all in with a total of 150 (raise 50). So we have a bet of 100 on the blinds and an all-in bet that raises the total by 50. Which is bigger? 100 is still the „biggest bet or raise in the current round“, so if B wants to re-raise, he must raise by at least 100 to bring the total to 250. Example 3: NLHE, Blinds 100-200. On the turn, A bets 300. B bets two chips of 500 for a total of 1,000 (a raise of 700). C has to call 1000. If C wants to raise, it must be „at least the largest bet or raise in the current round“, which is B's raise of 700. So C's minimum raise would be 700, for a total of 1700. Note that his minimum raise not 1000, but total bet B. Example 4-A: NLHE, Blinds 25-50. And raise by 75 for a total of 125. Note that 125 total = 50 (bet) plus 75 (raise). The next raise on this street must be „at least equal to © Copyright 2024: All Rights Reserved, Poker Tournament Directors Association. See PokerTDA.com for policy . the largest previous bet or raise,“ which is 75. B will now increase the minimum amount (75) to a total of 200. C then re-raises by 300, which is a total of 500. We now have a bet of 50, two raises of 75 and one raise of 300, for a total of 500. If D wants to re-raise, „the raise must be at least the amount of the largest previous bet or raise in the current round of betting“, which is now 300. So D must raise at least another 300, which is 800 total. Example 4-B: Same as 4-A. It's the same 500 against D, but A only raised once by 450 for a total of 500, and both B and C called. So there's a blind bet of 50 and a raise of 450. „The raise must be at least equal to the largest previous bet or raise in the current round of betting“, which is A's raise of 450. So D has 500 to call, and if D wants to raise again, he has to raise by at least 450, for a total of 950. Rule 45: Multi-chip betting. „A: If you are facing a bet, unless a raise or all-in is announced first, a bet with multiple chips (including a bet of your last chips) is a call if every chip is needed to make the call ; i.e., removing only one of the smallest chips will leave less than the amount of the call. B: If not every chip is needed to call; i.e., removing only one of the smallest chips leaves a call amount or more: 1) if the player has chips remaining, the bet follows the 50 % standard in Rule 43; 2) if the player's last chips are bet, he is all-in, whether or not he has reached the 50 % threshold.“ Example 1: There is not a single chip that can be removed and still leave a call amount.1-A: Player A opens after the flop for 1200, B quietly puts in two thousand. This is a call, because not a single chip can be removed and still leave at least 1,200. 1-B: NLHE, blinds 250-500. Before the flop, UTG raises 600 for a total of 1100. UTG+1 quietly tosses out one 500 chip and one 1000 chip. This is a call because neither 500 nor 1000 can be removed and there is still at least 1100 left. Example 2: Same as 1-B above, except that UTG+1 quietly bets one 1,000 and five hundreds. Four of the 100's could be removed and there would still be a call amount of 1100. Therefore, the 50 % standard in Rule 43 would apply: the minimum raise is 600, 50 % of 600 is 300, so if UTG+1 bets 1400 or more, he would have to make a full raise to a total of 1700. Since UTG has bet 1500, he must raise in this example. Example 3: Same as point 2 above, except that UTG+1 quietly pulls one 1000 and three hundreds. Two of the hundreds can be removed and still leave a make-up amount of 1100, so Rule 43 applies. Since the player did not make at least 50 % of the minimum raise, this bet is considered a call and 200 is returned to the player. Example 4: Multi-chip bet. A) If all the chips are needed to call, it is treated exactly the same as a player who is behind in chips (see Example 1 above). B) If, after removing only one of the smallest chips, the amount of the call or higher remains, the player goes all-in regardless of whether the bet reaches the standard 50 % raise. Example 4-A: A opens with 1,400, B (with the remaining chips in the big stack) quietly bets one 1,000 and three 500. This is a mandatory minimum raise to 2800 as the 50% limit of 2100 is reached (1400+700=2100). © Copyright 2024: All Rights Reserved, Poker Tournament Directors Association. See PokerTDA.com for terms of use. . Example 4-B: The same opening player with 1,400 chips, B (with the remaining chips in the big stack) rolls one 1,000 and two 500s. This is a call because it is less than the 50% limit of 2100. NOTE: In both the 4-A and 4-B examples, Player B would have bet all-in if he had bet his last chips. Rule 46: Chips from a previous bet were not drawn in, examples of situations. Situation 1: If the previous chips do not cover the A, they remain unchanged. Example : 25-50, BB places two 25s, button raises to a total of 600 (except 550 on BB). 1: Adding an overchip is a call (place a 1k chip on two 25s). 2: Adding multiple new chips is a call if all the new chips needed to make the call are (a) placing two 500s on two 25s or (b) placing a 100 and a 500 on two 25s. In these two examples, all the new chips combined with the previous chips are needed to make the call. 3: Adding multiple new chips is a multi-chip bet under Rule 45 if one of the smallest new chips is not needed to make the call (placing a 1k chip and 500 on two 25s is a total bet of 1550). Under Rule 45, a silent multi-chip bet is a raise if it reaches the 50 % threshold; otherwise it is a call. Situation 2: If the previous chips do not cover a call AND are completely pulled back : 1) Removing all previous chips and adding more chips is a decision (pull two chips of 25, add a chip of 1k). 2) Removing all previous chips and adding more chips is a bet under rule 45 (pull two chips of 25, add two or more new chips). Situation 3: if previous chips are partially pulled back ( whether or not they cover the settlement amount ) 1) Partial removal of previous chips (pulling back one 25, keeping the other 25, adding any new chips) is a multi-chip bet under Rule 45 (raise if you reach 50 %, otherwise call). Situation 4: If the previous chip(s) covers the amount of the call, the addition of any new chip(s) is a multi-chip bet under Rule 45. Eg: 50-100, BB puts in one 1k chip. Before the flop raises to 700 (600 more for BB). The previous 1k chip covers the raise, so adding any new chip(s) is a Rule 45 bet on all chips. This applies regardless of whether the original 1k stake is withdrawn or left in place. Situation 5: Notwithstanding the above, the gesture of combining and moving or throwing all the chips forward may be interpreted as an intention to bet all the chips under Rule 45. Rule 47: Re-opening a bet. Example 1. Multiple short all-in bets that cumulatively equal a full raise and therefore re-open the betting: NLHE, Blinds 50-100. After the flop, A opens the betting to a minimum of 100. © Copyright 2024: All Rights Reserved, Poker Tournament Directors Association. Policies can be found at PokerTDA.com . B goes all in for a total of 125. C calls for 125, D goes all in for a total of 200, and E calls for 200. Action returns to player A, who faces a total raise of 100. Since 100 is a full raise, betting reopens for Player A, who can fold, call or raise here. Note that neither Player B's increment of 25 nor Player D's increment of 75 is a full raise by itself, but when added together they add up to a full raise, and therefore the betting reopens to „the player facing at least a full raise when the action returns“. Example 1-A: At the end of Example 1 above, A smoothly totals 200 (another 100 for him). The bet is now on C, who only faces an increment of 75. C previously called 125 and now faces a total of 200 (75 more). C must face a total of at least 225 to reopen the betting. Since 75 is not a full raise, the betting for C does not re-open and C can either call with another 75 or fold, he cannot raise. Example 1-B: At the end of Example 1 above, A raises the minimum bet (100) and raises the total bet to 300 for C. C has already called 125, so that's another 175 for C to call. 175 is more than a full raise. Since C has already acted and is „now facing at least a full raise“, the betting reopens for C, who can fold, call or re-raise here. Example 2: Multiple short all-ins, the minimum raise is the last full valid bet or raise. NLHE, Blinds 50-100. After the flop, A opens 300, B goes all in for 500 total, C goes all in for 650 total, D goes all in for 800 total, E calls for 800. What is the minimum raise for player F? The opening bet (300) determines the initial minimum raise. Since no player has bet all-in more than 300, the minimum raise for F remains 300. F can either call 800 or raise to at least 1100. See also Rule 43, Example 2 in the Appendix for an illustration. Example 3. Short all-in, 2 scenarios. NLHE, Blinds 2000-4000. Pre-flop A calls BB for 4000. B folds and C goes all in for a total of 7500 (a 3500 raise over the 4000 BB). All cards are folded except to SB, who also folds. Example 3-A. For BB, who hasn't acted on his option yet, that's 3,500 more. The BB can fold, match the 3,500 or raise by at least 4,000 for a total of 11,500. BB calls and it's 3,500 more for A. A has already acted and faces 3500, which is not a full raise. Therefore A can only fold or call 3500, he cannot raise because it is not „at least a full bet when the action comes back to him“. Example 3-B. BB raises the minimum bet (4000) for a total of 11500. It is now 7500 for A and since 7500 is more than the full minimum raise, the betting is now open again for A to fold, call or re-raise. Rule 51: Binding Statements / Understatements in the Order Example 1: NLHE, blinds 1000-2000. After the flop, A opens to 2,000, B raises to 8,000, C quietly bets 2,000. C undercalls B's bet. Under Rule 51-B, since B is not opening (A is) and the round is getting more players, C may be required to call at the TD's discretion or may be allowed to lose the 2000 undercut and fold. © Copyright 2024: All Rights Reserved, Poker Tournament Directors Association. See PokerTDA.com for terms of use. . Example 2: NLHE, blinds 1000-2000. 4 players remain after the flop. A opens to 8000, B quietly bets 2000. According to Rule 51-B, B under bets the opening bet and must call the full 8000. Example 3: NLHE, blinds 1000-2000. After the flop, A opens with a bet of 2,000, B raises to 8,000, C calls. Under Rule 51-A, C makes a general verbal declaration („call“). C is obliged to call B's full bet of 8000. Example 4: NLHE, blinds 200-400. Opening player bets 400, Player A raises to 1200, and Player B quietly pulls out one 500 chip. The dealer tells B that it's 1200 and B folds. At the discretion of the touchdown, B loses 400 and returns 100. Rule 52-B: Incorrect bet amounts, limit pot games Example 1: PLO, blinds 500-1000. After the flop, the total pot is 10,500. Player A wants to bet the pot and asks the dealer for a count. The dealer responds „nine thousand five hundred“. A bets 9,500. Player B folds and Player C calls for 9,500. After the initial erroneous bet, a significant action occurs. The dealer then realises that A's bet into the pot should have been 10 500. Since the amount was less than the pot and there was significant action, the bet of 9 500 is binding and will not be increased to 10 500. Example 2: As in Example 1 above, Player B folds and then the dealer realises that Player A's bet should have been 10,500. There has been no substantial action, so Player A must increase his bet to a total of 10 500. Example 3: PLO, blinds 500-1000. Pot after the flop is 10,500. Player A wants to bet the pot and asks the dealer for a count. The dealer replies „eleven thousand five hundred“. A bets 11,500. Player B folds, and players C and D call for 11,500. Before the dealer burns and turns over another card, he realizes that the initial bet was an illegal overbet. Although there has been substantial action because the bet was illegal, it will be reduced to 10,500 for all players who have called anywhere on the current street. If another card is dealt, the error remains in effect. Rule 53-A: Out of Turn Action (OOT) Example 1: 50-100. After the flop, the player in 3rd place opens to 300, the player in 4th place folds, the player in 5th place is in action when the player in 6th place announces a raise to eight hundred. Step 1: Play returns to the correct player in order (seat 5) facing a bet of 300. Step 2: If the player in seat 5 calls or folds, then the action (bet of 300) has not changed and the raise of the player in seat 6 out of the game is binding (raise to 800). However, if the player in seat 5 raises ( say to a total of 600), then the action of the player in seat 6 has changed from a bet of 300 to a bet of 600. If the action changes, the 800 chips can be returned to the player in seat 6, who has all options open: call 600, raise again to at least 900, or fold. Example 2: 50-100. After the flop, the player in 3rd place checks, the player in 4th place checks, the player in 5th place is in action when the player in 6th place announces „check“. © Copyright 2024: All Rights Reserved, Poker Tournament Directors Association. See PokerTDA.com for terms of use. Step 1: Play returns to the correct player in order (seat 5) who is not facing a bet. Step 2: If the player in seat 5 checks, then the action (check) has not changed and the check of the player in seat 6 is binding. However, if the player in seat 5 bets (say 300), then the action of the player in seat 6 has changed from a check to a bet of 300. If the action changes, the player in seat 6 has all options open: call 300, raise to at least 600, or fold. Rule 53-B: Out-of-Order Substantial Action (OOT) . A player who misses an OOT action must defend his right to act. If reasonable time is available and the omitted player has not expressed himself by the time a substantial OOT action (see Rule 36) occurs to his left, the OOT action is binding. The on-field umpire will decide how to deal with the missed hand. Example 1: NLHE, blinds 100-200. UTG (Seat 3) raises to 600. Seat 4 is skipped when Seat 5 calls 600 OOT. Seat 6 thinks for a moment and then folds. There are now two players with chips to the left of Place 4. The two players with chips qualify as a substantial OOT action (Rule 36). Place 4 has also had a reasonable amount of time to call and notify the dealer that it has been omitted. The OOT call by Place 5 is now binding due to a substantial OOT action, and the OOT fold by Place 6 is binding (Rule 58). A floor is called to decide the fate of Place 4's hand. Example 2: NLHE, blinds 100-200. Four players remain on the turn. After the dealer lays out the turn card, UTG (seat 3) opens the betting with 600. Seat 4 is skipped when Seat 5 checks and Seat 6 calls for 600 OOT. A referee is called on the table to decide the fate of Place 4's hand.
