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Appendices to St. Gabriel the Archangel Poker Tournament Rules

Given that most of the people who participate in our tournaments are well aware of the standard procedures for playing no limit hold'em we felt it unnecessary to give basic details about the game in our distributed rule sheets. However some players may be unfamiliar with the details and would want a written explanation. In addition there are a number of highly technical rules which are only rarely applied, but have been put in writing here so as to avoid disputes. Rather than distribute a five page document to everyone who registers, we have put the most important tournament rules and St. Gabriel specific procedures into our tournament rules handout page. We have then provided this lengthier document which includes a detailed description of game play for novices, explanation of the procedures for conducting a chip race, explanation of the "dead button rule" and dealing with other unusual circumstances such as missdeals, exposed cards, and other rarely encountered mistakes and circumstances.

These appendices govern our events with the same force as our other rule sheet.

All of our rules have been developed based on standardized rules from the Poker Tournament Directors Association version 4 and Roberts Rules of Poker version 7. Although our rules are only a subset of those standard rules and have been reworded in many instances, we believe they provide an equitable, clear, and concise set of rules which embody the spirit of those standardized rules.

Appendix A). Rules for No Limit Hold'em

Note: If you're already familiar with the game you may not need to read this section.

1. No-limit hold'em is a variation of 7 card stud. Players receive two down cards as their personal hand (hole cards), after which there is a round of betting. Three community board cards are turned simultaneously (called the “flop”) and another round of betting occurs. The next two community board cards are turned one at a time, with a round of betting after each card. The 4th community card is called "the turn" and the fifth card is called "the river". Before dealing the flop, the turn, and the river cards, the dealer should burn a card... that is lay the top card of the deck aside face down. The board cards are community cards which are shared by all players. A player may use any five-card combination from among the board and personal cards. A player may even use all of the board cards and no personal cards to form a hand (play the board). When playing the board you must declare so before you throw your cards away. Otherwise, you relinquish all claim to the pot. The standard order of poker hands will be used. A disk called a "dealer button" marks the position of the dealer. The deal rotates clockwise.

2. Since only 5 cards will be used to determine the winning hand, it is common for two or more players to have identical hands. In such case the pot is split equally. An odd chip will be broken down to the smallest unit used in the game. Each side pot will be split as a separate pot, not mixed together before they are split. No player may receive more than one odd chip. The first hand clockwise from the button gets the odd chip.

3. Prior to dealing a hand, each player may be required to place an ante into the pot. Additionally the two players to the left of the dealer must post a forced bet called a "blind". The player to the immediate left of the dealer posts the "small blind" (SB) bet of a predetermined amount and the next player posts the "big blind" (BB) that is typically twice that amount. Throughout the tournament, blinds and antes will be increased at regular intervals. The initial amount of antes and blinds and the schedule of increases will be announced prior to the tournament. When the third-place player is eliminated and only two players remain in the tournament, the player due to place the BB will do so, and the SB will be the dealer. The SB player will act first prior to the flop and second after the flop. The deals then alternates with the dealer always placing the SB.

4. For the first round of betting of each hand (before the flop), betting begins with the player to the left of the BB. The player may fold, call the BB bet or raise the BB. Betting continues to the left. When you post the BB, it serves as your opening bet. When it is your next turn to act, you have the option to raise even if no other players have raised. This option to raise is retained if someone goes all-in with a wager of less than the minimum raise. If there are no raises, the player who posted the BB also has the option to check.

5. Before the flop, the BB player acts last however betting for the 2nd, 3rd, & 4th rounds (after the flop) begins with the first player left of the dealer and concludes with the dealer. Players may check or bet. Rapping the table with your hand indicates that you check. Once a bet has been placed you may fold, call, or raise.

6. There is no maximum bet or raise except the amount of chips you have available. There is no limit to the number of raises or re-raises as long as you have chips left. The minimum bet or raise for each round is the BB amount or the amount of the previous raise. For example the BB is $2. The next player can fold, call $2, or raise $2 or more. Assume they raise to $10. All subsequent raises on that round of betting must be at least $8 (the amount of the raise). The next player can fold, or call $10, or raise an additional $8 or more. Betting continues until all bets and raises are called or until all but one player folds. On the next round of betting, the minimum bet returns once again to the BB amount.

7. A player cannot be forced to fold a hand because they have insufficient chips to call a bet. A player may bet or call "all-in". This means they have bet all of their remaining chips. Once declared all-in, a player may only win as much as is in the pot currently plus the bets and calls less than or equal to their all-in amount. They may not win bets or raises of other players in excess of the all-in bet. Procedures for handling all-in bets are described in the next section.

8. A player may check-raise, that is, initially check and then after the pot is opened by another player’s bet he may raise the bet.

9. To facilitate the handling of complicated bets, raises, multiple re-raises and all-in bets, during betting each player should place blinds, bets and raises directly in front of them and not in the center pot. Only after each round of betting is complete, should chips be gathered into the center. Antes if any are always placed in the center. Players should announce the amount of their bet or raise by declaring the amount they are raising to or the amount they are raising by. For example say "I am raising to $10" or "I am raising $8". Do not say " I am calling $2 and raising $8". Such a bet is called a "string bet" and is illegal because it potentially allows you to judge the reaction to your call before saying how much you will raise. Once you say "call" or "raise" you are committed to do so. See additional information on betting in later sections.

10. After all bets of the last round are called, players show their hole cards (showdown) to determine the winner. 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 are one or more side pots (because someone is all-in), players are asked to aid in determining the pot winner by not showing their cards until a pot they are in is being settled. If there is a side pot, the winner of that pot should be decided before the main pot is awarded. If there are multiple side pots, they are decided and awarded by having the pot with the players starting the deal with the greatest number of chips settled first, and so forth.

11. If a player throws away (mucks) his hole cards then his hand is dead. If a non-all-in player reveals their hole cards before the end of a hand they may not bet or call any additional bets however their hand is only dead if there are no further bets. See additional information about dead hands in later sections.

Procedures and Examples for Handling All-In Bets

1. All-In Bets When All but Two Players Have Folded: If a player bets or raises all-in, the opponent may fold or call but may not raise. If a player calls a bet by betting all-in, the opponent's bet is reduced to match the amount of the all-in call.

2. All-In Bets When Three or More Players Have Not Yet Folded: If more then one player who is not all-in remains in a hand, betting and raising may continue among non-all-in players but the all-in player may not win these excess amounts. For example: Assume $50 is already in a pot. Adam bets $5, Bob raises to $30, Chuck has only $10 left and calls all-in, Dave calls $30, Adam folds and betting concludes. Players should put Adam's $5 and Chuck's $10 into the main pot. Also $10 from Bob's bet and $10 from Dave's bet go in the main pot. The main pot total is now $85. The remaining $20 each from Bob & Dave are collected in a $40 side pot. Bob and Dave may continue to bet in other rounds and those bets go in the side pot. When the final round is over, the cards are revealed. If either Bob or Dave has high hand, he wins both pots. If Chuck has high hand, he wins only the $85 main pot. Then Bob’s and Dave's hands are compared for 2nd best hand and one of them wins only the side pot (or they split it if they tie).

3. If multiple players go all-in at different amounts, it is possible to have multiple side pots. The above procedure is used, beginning with the smallest all-in bet and progressing to larger bets.

4. If only one non-all-in player remains in a hand, betting stops. All players reveal their cards immediately and then any remaining community cards are dealt. The winner or winners are then determined.

Appendix B). Rules for Coloring Up Chips and Chip Races

This section and remaining sections cover advanced topics and rare circumstances which may not be of interest to the average player.

1. As players are eliminated from the tournament the average chip stack will increase greatly. As blinds, antes, and minimum bets increase, there is no need for lower denomination chips. Tournament staff will periodically assist players in keeping their chip stacks of a manageable size by cashing in some of their lower denomination chips for larger denomination chips. This is known as "coloring up".

2. When the lowest denomination chips are no longer used, they will all be colored up and completely removed from the table. All lower-denomination chips that are of sufficient quantity for a new chip will be changed up directly. The procedure for dealing with odd numbers of chips which cannot be cashed in for a larger denomination is known as a "chip race". At the director's discretion odd chips may simply be rounded up rather than taking time to conduct a chip race.

3. A chip race is conducted on a table by table basis by the tournament director or an assistant as follows...

a). The number of odd chips at the table is totaled and rounded up to the next size denomination. That total is divided by the denomination of the next larger chip and that determines the number of larger chips which are available in the race.

b). One card is dealt to a player for each odd chip possessed. Cards are dealt clockwise starting with the 1-seat, with each player receiving all cards before any cards are dealt to the next player. The player with the highest card by suit gets one larger chip, the second-highest card gets to exchange for the next chip, and so forth, until available larger chips have all been awarded. At most one chip is awarded to each player with some players possibly receiving no chips in exchange for their odd chips. The odd chips are removed from play. Ties are broken by suit in the following order from lowest to highest: clubs, diamonds, hearts & spades (alphabetical)

c). A player may not be eliminated from the event by the chip-change process. If a player has no chips after the race has been held, he will be given a chip of the higher denomination before anyone else is awarded a chip.

Appendix C). Explanation of "Dead Button" versus "Moving Button" Rules

1. When a player is eliminated from the tournament and is sitting in a blind posting position, there is a choice of methods for equitably dealing with who will post the blinds on subsequent hands. Ideally on each round every player must get an opportunity for the button, and meet the total amount of the blind obligations. The two standard methods of dealing with this situation are known as "moving button" and "dead button". Each has its pros and cons.

a). Moving button – The button always moves forward to the next player and the blinds adjust accordingly. This ensures that no player has the advantage of the button on consecutive hands. The advantage is the button always acts last after the flop, turn, and river. Some implementations of this rule result in players being forgiven a blind on occasion. This method was used by St. Gabriel prior to 2007 and is still used by many online card rooms. In other implementations there may be more than one BB in a given hand.

b). Dead button – The BB is posted by the player due for it, and the SB and button are positioned accordingly, even if this means the SB or the button is placed in front of an empty seat, giving the same player the privilege of last action on consecutive hands. This method is in widespread use and is now in effect for all of our tournaments.

2. The dead button rule is implemented as follows: If a player is eliminated and not replaced by a player from another table...

a). ... and they had posted the SB then the button moves to their now empty seat. The player who was the BB now posts the SB and the player to his left posts the BB. Since the button is now located at an empty seat, the player who was the button will act last again as if they had the button twice.

b). ... and they had posted the BB then the button moves to the player who was the SB and the player to the left of the eliminated BB posts the BB. There is no SB for that hand. On the following deal, the button moves to the now empty seat (the seat vacated by the eliminated BB player) and the two players to the left post the normal blinds. Since the button is now located at an empty seat, the player who was the original SB will act last again as if they had the button twice.

c). ... and if both blinds bust out then the same player will be the button three hands in a row. The button moves to the now empty seat (the seat vacated by the SB player) and the player to the left of the eliminated BB posts the BB. There is no SB for that hand. On the following deal, the button moves to the next empty seat (the seat vacated by the BB player) and the two players to the left post the normal blinds.

Appendix D). Missdeals and other mistakes

Handling Mistakes

1. The proper time to draw attention to an error or irregularity is when it occurs or is first noticed. Any delay may affect the ruling. Any player, dealer, or floorperson who sees an incorrect amount of chips put into the pot, an incorrectly awarded a pot or other errors, has an ethical obligation to point out the error. Please help keep mistakes of this nature to a minimum.

2. A ruling may be made regarding a pot if it has been requested before the next deal starts (or before the game either ends or changes to another table). Otherwise, the result of a deal must stand. The first riffle of the shuffle marks the start for a deal.

3. If a pot has been incorrectly awarded and mingled with chips that were not in the pot, and the time limit for a ruling request given in the previous rule has been observed, management may determine how much was in the pot by reconstructing the betting, and then transfer that amount to the proper player.

Additional Betting Rules and Betting Errors

1. In general it is the player's responsibility to be aware of what other players have done ahead of them and must take care to only act in turn and to act in accord with previous bets. Deliberately acting out of turn will not be tolerated. A player who checks out of turn may not bet or raise when it becomes their turn to act. An action or verbal declaration out of turn may be ruled binding if there is no bet, call, or raise by an intervening player acting after the infraction has been committed. A player who has called out of turn may not change his wager to a raise under any circumstances.

2. A player who bets or calls by releasing chips into the pot is bound by that action and must make the amount of the wager correct. All wagers and calls of an improperly low amount must be brought up to proper size if the error is discovered before the betting round has been completed. Putting a full bet plus a half-bet or more into the pot is considered to be the same as announcing a raise, and the raise must be completed. (This does not apply in the use of a single chip of greater value.)

3. If the BB does not have sufficient chips to post the required amount, anyone who enters the pot is required to enter for the minimum bet (unless going all-in for a lesser sum). Unlike limit poker, the minimum bet remains the same amount on all betting rounds. If a player goes all-in for an amount that is less than the minimum, a player who wishes to raise must raise at least the amount of the minimum. For example, if the BB and minimum are $100, and a player goes all-in on the flop for $20, a raise must be to at least a total of $120.

4. All raises must be equal to or greater than the size of the previous bet or raise on that betting round, except for an all-in wager. A player who has already acted and is not facing a fullsize wager may not subsequently raise an all-in bet that is less than the minimum bet, or less than the full size of the last bet or raise.

5. Multiple all-in wagers, each of an amount too small to qualify as a raise, still act as a raise and reopen the betting if the resulting wager size to a player qualifies as a raise. Example: Player A bets $100 and Player B raises $100 more, making the total bet $200. If Player C goes all in for less than $300 total (not a full $100 raise), and Player A calls, then Player B has no option to raise again, because he wasn’t fully raised. (Player A could have raised, because Player B raised.)

6. If there is a discrepancy between a player's verbal statement and the amount put into the pot, the bet will be corrected to the verbal statement. If a call is short due to a counting error, the amount must be corrected.

7. 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. 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.

8. If a player lacks sufficient chips for a blind or ante they are automatically all-in for that amount. If such a player wins he does not need to make up the blind or ante.

Missdeals, Exposed Cards and Other Dealer Errors

1. Once action begins, a misdeal cannot be called. The deal will be played, and no money will be returned to any player whose hand is fouled. Action is considered to occur when two players after the blinds have acted on their hands.

2. The following circumstances cause a misdeal, provided attention is called to the error before two players have acted on their hands.

a). The first or second card of the hand has been dealt faceup or exposed through dealer error.

b). Two or more cards have been exposed by the dealer.

c). Two or more boxed cards (improperly faced cards) are found.

d). Two or more extra cards have been dealt in the starting hands of a game.

e). 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.

f). Any card has been dealt out of the proper sequence (except an exposed card may be replaced by the burn card).

g). The button was out of position.

h). The first card was dealt to the wrong position.

i). Cards have been dealt to an empty seat or a player not entitled to a hand.

j). A player has been dealt out who is entitled to a hand. This player must be present at the table or have posted a blind or ante.

3. Before the first round of betting, if a dealer deals one additional card, it is returned to the deck and used as the burn card.

4. A card that is flashed by a dealer is treated as an exposed card. A card that is flashed by a player will play. To obtain a ruling on whether a card was exposed and should be replaced, a player should announce that the card was flashed or exposed before looking at it. A down card dealt off the table is an exposed card.

5. If a card is exposed due to dealer error, a player does not have an option to take or reject the card.

6. If the first or second hole card dealt is exposed, a misdeal results. The dealer will retrieve the card, reshuffle, and recut the cards. If any other hole card is exposed due to a dealer error, the deal continues. The exposed card may not be kept. After completing the hand, the dealer replaces the card with the top card on the deck, and the exposed card is then used for the burn card. If more than one hole card is exposed, this is a misdeal and there must be a redeal.

7. If the dealer mistakenly deals the first player an extra card (after all players have received their starting hands), the card will be returned to the deck and used for the burn card. If the dealer mistakenly deals more than one extra card, it is a misdeal.

8. If the flop contains too many cards, it must be redealt. (This applies even if it were possible to know which card was the extra one.) If the flop needs to be redealt for any reason, the board cards are mixed with the remainder of the deck. The burn card remains on the table. After shuffling, the dealer cuts the deck and deals a new flop without burning a card.

9. If before dealing the flop, the dealer failed to burn a card, or burned two cards, the error should be rectified by using the proper burn card and flop, if no board cards were exposed. The deck must be reshuffled if any board cards were exposed.

10. If the dealer fails to burn a card or burns more than one card, the error should be corrected if discovered before betting action has started for that round. Once action has been taken on a board card, the card must stand. Whether the error is able to be corrected or not, subsequent cards dealt should be those that would have come if no error had occurred. For example, if two cards were burned, one of the cards should be put back on the deck and used for the burn card on the next round. If there was no betting on a round because a player was all-in, the error should be corrected if discovered before the pot has been awarded.

11. If the dealer burns and turns before a betting round is complete, the card(s) may not be used, even if all subsequent players elect to fold. Nobody has an option of accepting or rejecting the card. The betting is then completed, and the error rectified in the prescribed manner for that situation.

12. A dealing error for the fourth board card is rectified in a manner to least influence the identity of the board cards that would have been used without the error. The dealer burns and deals what would have been the fifth card in the fourth card’s place. After this round of betting, the dealer reshuffles the deck, including the card that was taken out of play, but not including the burn cards or discards. The dealer then cuts the deck and deals the final card without burning a card. If the fifth card is turned up prematurely, the deck is reshuffled and dealt in the same manner.

13. If the dealer fails to burn a card or burns more than one card, the error should be corrected if discovered before betting action has started for that round. Once action has been taken on a board card, the card must stand. Whether the error is able to be corrected or not, subsequent cards dealt should be those that would have come if no error had occurred. For example, if two cards were burned, one of the cards should be put back on the deck and used for the burn card on the next round. On the last round, if there was no betting because a player was all-in, the error should be corrected if discovered before the pot has been awarded, provided the deck stub, board cards, and burn cards are all sufficiently intact to determine the proper replacement card.

16. If the dealer prematurely deals any cards before the betting is complete, those cards will not play, even if a player who has not acted decides to fold.

17. If the deck stub gets fouled for some reason, such as the dealer believing the deal is over and dropping the deck, the deal must still be played out, and the deck reconstituted in as fair a way as possible.

18. Show one, show all. Players are entitled to receive equal access to information about the contents of another player’s hand. After a deal, if cards are shown to another player, every player at the table has a right to see those cards. Any player who has been dealt in may request to see any hand that was eligible to participate in the showdown, even if the opponent's hand or the winning hand has been mucked. However, this discouraged and it 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. During a deal, cards that were shown to an active player who might have a further wagering decision on that betting round must immediately be shown to all the other players. If the player who saw the cards is not involved in the deal, or cannot use the information in wagering, the information should be withheld until the betting is over, so it does not affect the normal outcome of the deal. Cards shown to a person who has no more wagering decisions on that betting round, but might use the information on a later betting round, should be shown to the other players at the conclusion of that betting round. If only a portion of the hand has been shown, there is no requirement to show any of the unseen cards. The shown cards are treated as given in the preceding part of this rule.

Problems with the Deck or Button

1. A card discovered faceup in the deck (boxed card) will be treated as a meaningless scrap of paper. A card being treated as a scrap of paper will be replaced by the next card below it in the deck, except when the next card has already been dealt facedown to another player and mixed in with other down cards. In that case, the card that was faceup in the deck will be replaced after all other cards are dealt for that round.

2. If a card with a different color back appears during a hand, all action is void and all chips in the pot are returned to the respective bettors. If a card with a different color back is discovered in the stub it is treated as a scrap of paper and all action stands.

3. If two cards of the same rank and suit are found, all action is void, and all chips in the pot are returned to the players who wagered them except as follows: A player who knows the deck is defective has an obligation to point this out. If such a player instead tries to win a pot by taking aggressive action (trying for a freeroll), the player may lose the right to a refund, and the chips may be required to stay in the pot for the next deal. If there is extra money in the pot on a deal as a result of forfeited money from the previous deal (as per this rule), or some similar reason, only a player dealt in on the previous deal is entitled to a hand.

4. One or more cards missing from the deck does not invalidate the results of a hand.

5. A joker that appears in a game is treated as a scrap of paper. Discovery of a joker does not cause a misdeal. If the joker is discovered before a player acts on his or her hand, it is replaced as in the earlier rule. If the player does not call attention to the joker before acting, then the player has a dead hand. If you play a hand without looking at all of your cards, you assume the liability of having an irregular card or an improper joker.

6. If it is discovered that the button was placed incorrectly on the previous hand, the button and blinds will be corrected for the new hand in a manner that gives every player one chance for each position on the round (if possible).

Dead Hands

1. If you drop any cards out of your hand onto the floor, you must still play them.

2. You must protect your own hand at all times. Your cards may be protected with your hands, a chip, or other object placed on top of them. If you fail to protect your hand, you will have no redress if it becomes fouled or the dealer accidentally kills it.

3. Your hand is declared dead if:

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

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

c). Your hand does not contain the proper number of cards.

d). You act on a hand with a joker as a hole card.

e). You have the clock on you when facing a bet or raise and exceed the specified time limit.

2. Cards thrown into the muck may be ruled dead. However, a hand that is clearly identifiable may be retrieved and ruled live 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 incorrect information given to the player.

3. Cards thrown into another player’s hand are dead, whether they are faceup or facedown.