The League Rules

Texas Hold’em is a fascinating game that can be learned in 20 minutes but can take a lifetime to master! If you are playing live poker for the first time this booklet will help you understand the game. The Venue Manager and our players will help guide you through your first evenings There are no official universal set of rules for this game, but it is important, in order to avoid disputes, that we have a set of rules that everyone is familiar with. These rules are broadly based on what you may have played elsewhere, but it will be worth your while familiarising yourself with our version. Please don’t feel that you need to learn them all at once. These have been created to make a friendly game.

Most importantly, enjoy your evening.

1. The Venue Manager's decision is final on all disputes.

2. The Venue Manager reserves the right to make a decision in the spirit of fairness, even if a strict interpretation of the rules indicates a different ruling.

3. These rules must be read in conjunction to The Game explained above.

4. All players must agree to abide to the rules, and etiquettes of The Weekly Poker Club.

5. All players must register their details with The Weekly Poker Club and sign agreement to this effect.

6. All players must be 16 years of age or over. Players under 18 years of age may not participate in any of the financial wagers that are part of some Weekly Poker club tournaments. Any player aged under the age of 18 must have a signed parental consent form prior to being allowed to play. This form must be presented by the parent to a representative of The Weekly Poker Club (usually a Venue Manager) prior to being allowed to play.

In standard tournament sessions, all players arriving prior to a playing session start time will start with an 1. equal amount of chips (see starting chip quantities below) and play until one remains and wins all the chips from that playing session.

2. No player will be permitted to play if they are considered to be sufficiently intoxicated in a way that prevents the enjoyment of others.

3. Players will be welcoming and courteous to new players and make common sense allowances for any minor errors they may make.

4. Standard Weekly Poker Club tournament sessions follow a 'no limit' betting format.

5. The chips have value in points and none in cash. Green chips are worth ten points, white 20, blue 100, black 500, yellow 1000 and red 5000. For finals events, chip values higher than this may be introduced if it is impractical to use the ones mentioned above. At certain Weekly Poker Club events, side games using different chip families may be used to entertain players that have bust out. These players must have paid the full table fee. The starting chip quantities for most Weekly Poker Club tournaments will be five green (10 points), five white (20 points), seven blue (100 points), two black (500 points), and one yellow (1000 points); giving a starting value of 2850 chips. There will be occasions when, with the Venue Manager’s discretion the starting number of chips will be changed.

12. In The Weekly Poker Club finals events, players may start with varying numbers of chips. The starting number of chips will depend on the numbers of points won during a season. In finals events, pot limit rules may be applied.

13. Blinds are raised at even time periods during the tournament according to the blind structure (see below). The decision on the time taken between the blind changes will be made by the Venue Manager. This will typically be eleven minutes in the first period of play and nine minutes during the second period. The Venue Manager will make the final decision on this based on the starting time of each session and the number of players.

14. The blind increase structure will start at ten Small Blind and 20 Big Blind and proceed 20/40, 40/80, 50/100, 100/200, 200/400, 400/800, 500/1,000, 1,000/2,000, 2,000/4,000, 4,000/8,000, 5,000/10,000, 10,000/20,000, 20,000/40,000, 40,000/80,000, 50,000/100,000 and upwards. There will be occasions, with the Venue Manager’s discretion, that the lower blind levels may be removed from the tournament.

15. Each blind value increase takes effect on the next live hand. This is the moment in which the cards are taken by a new dealer (not the shuffling Small Blind or cutting player to the right of the dealer). In certain circumstances on a final table, a dealer will have been appointed, in which case the blind changes before the first rifle of a dealer’s shuffle. If the blind changes during or after that moment, the change takes place on the subsequent hand.

16. As players are knocked out (through losing all of their chips) each table will play down to no less than four players.

17. Remaining players will be moved to different tables at Venue Manager's discretion. The Venue Manager will take into consideration the blind position of the moving players and the chip holding of remaining players when making these decisions in order to make the move as fair as possible to all players. This may mean that players on the table being joined may have to move seat to fairly accommodate those joining.

18. In a standard 2850 chip tournament, with blinds around the 8-11 minutes level, late arriving players can join a tournament if there is table space available. If they arrive before the fourth blind increase (50/100) they will be shorted 250 value in chips (leaving a total of 2600), or during the fourth or fifth blind (100/200 or 200/400), they will be shorted 850 value in chips (leaving total of 2000). Players may not join a tournament after this period or if the ‘top table has been reached and there was eight or more starting players. In certain instances, a venue manager can accept a.late entry remotely (phone/text) and place will be made available to accommodate that player for a reasonable period of time. In this instance, their blinds will be put in according to the normal rotation of the game.

19. The lowest value of chips will be removed from play when not required in the blind structure. This will happen on the fifth blind rise (100/200) and ninth blind rise (1,000/2,000). All lower value chips will be exchanged in direct value to higher value equivalent chips. Any odd remaining chips will be rounded up to the next chip value that is in play.

20. The first dealer will be decided between each table's players through drawing the highest card. When two players have the same high card, standard Bridge ranking of suits: spades (highest), hearts, diamonds and clubs (lowest) determines who starts with the dealer button. The dealer button (and duties associated with dealing) rotates in a clockwise rotation. In certain circumstances it is acceptable for another player to perform the act of dealing for another. In interpreting this rule, this should only apply to people that have requested this through say arthritic hands and not inebriation. Common sense should prevail here.

21. The players' table position is also decided on the draw mentioned in the above rule. In ascending order from left of the dealer, players arrange themselves in a clockwise fashion, where the second lowest card becomes Small Blind, and the lowest the Big Blind then onwards around the table in ascending card value. Again Bridge suit ranking decides any cards drawn of even value. At certain Weekly Poker Club venues players draw lots for seating position and table number. In this case drawing cards are purely for the purpose of taking the deal.

22. All players must take their 'Blind' bets. It is possible for a player to take two 'Blinds' in a row, but only if the player is changing and the players have to draw for new positions (see below)

23. If the 'Small Blind' player is knocked out the dealer button moves to the empty position and the remaining player immediately to the right deals. The other players post blinds as normal.

24. If the 'Big Blind' player is knocked out, the Small Blind position is not played for the next hand and only the Big Blind is played. Blind structures return to normal on the following hand.

25. Players joining a new table are dealt in immediately.

26. If a table is merged and half or more players are new to the table, players draw high card for the dealer button immediately prior to the next session of play. The same procedure occurs as when a play starts at the beginning of a tournament. Similarly, at the start of the final table, the same process must happen.

27. When the two final tournament players remain, the player due to take the Big Blind will do so and the Small Blind will become the dealer. The dealer will act first before to the flop and second after the flop.

28. Any absent player is always dealt a hand and will have their blinds put in by other players. When a player is absent and it is their turn to act, their hand is folded. This includes when a live blind is not present to act, because an absent player cannot chose the option to raise.

29. When a card is dealt face up or is seen for any other reason, the dealer takes the third card from the base of the pack (excluding the joker shield card) and deals this to the player and then continues to deal the remaining cards to the rest of the players.

30. Burn cards and discarded hole cards must be kept separate until each hand is completed

31. If a split pot cannot be equally divided the first person to the left of the dealer involved in the split will receive the additional chip.

32. An eliminated player must leave the table.

33. The dealer is the only player allowed to touch the muck pile; other players may not touch this at any time. It is the responsibility of the current dealer to collect all cards and hand them onto the next Small Blind to shuffle.

34. Folded players must not express any emotion or indication as to their decision to fold whilst a hand is in play, as this can give vital information to remaining players.

35. When a player's cards hit a discarded card those cards are considered dead and the player loses all action on that hand. If discarded or mucked cards hit any live cards they are also discarded unless the player is using a card protector (usually a disk device) that sits on top of the cards.

36. When a player lacks enough chips for to meet a blind or raised bet, the player can get action on the amount of chips they have played. In this instance a side pot may be created for players with remaining chips. When a player is all in and action is complete, all hands in play must be shown. 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. An extra effort should be made to rule a hand retrievable if it was folded as a result of incorrect information given to the player. All cards must be turned face up once a player is all in and all action is complete. If a player accidentally folds mucks their hand before cards are turned up, the Tournament Staff reserves the right to retrieve the folded mucked cards if the cards are clearly identifiable.

37. For a player to win a hand and the associated pot at the Showdown, the winner must show both pocket cards to all the players in the hand.

38. All cards must remain visible and above the table top at all times. A player must not 'shield' their cards with their hands if they are in play and the dealer must keep the pack above table level when shuffling and throughout the dealing process.

39. A tournament is incomplete until one player wins all the chips.

40. If more than one player is knocked out in the same hand, the player who commenced the hand with the most chips will be given the highest tournament placing. If both busting players had the same number of chips entering the hand the player nearest to the left of the dealer will have deemed to have exited the tournament first.

41. Chips in play or in a player's stock will remain on the table at all times, including break times, unless the player is assigned to another table. A player carrying chips to another table must keep the chips visible at all times and not put them in pockets to conveniently transport them. The Venue Manager will be able to provide an acrylic box for carrying if necessary.

42. Only one player may play a hand and must not ask or give advice as to how to act during a hand. Importantly, in the case of a new player, a non participating individual may indicate the options available to a novice, but not advise. Common sense must be applied in the balance of being welcoming to new individuals and fair to all other players.

43. If a player decides to show their cards, they must show them to everyone on the table. This rule is known as Show one, Show all.

44. Chips must be placed carefully in front of the bettor and only be pushed to the central pot when the dealer says 'pot is good'. Under no circumstances should they be thrown onto the table. If a chip being bet hits any chips in the central pot before this, that chip automatically becomes part of the pot and the bettor will need to replace its value to continue in the hand. The common terminology for this is called 'No splashing the pot' and prevents players cheating on what they have bet.

45. Players must clearly state their betting intentions ('Call', 'Check', 'Raise' or 'Fold') before any other action with chips or cards. If a player does not state this before betting, it is assumed that the player has called and will have to return any chips amounting to a raise to their chip stack. All chips intended to be used in the bet must be placed their in a single motion and not return to their chip bank for additional chips. The common terminology for this rule is 'No string betting'.

46. The only player allowed to touch the chips in the pot is the dealer. This includes change giving and side pot sorting. Common sense prevails on side pot sorting if a dealer lacks confidence to organise this and the dealer then must delegate the matter to a single other nominated player on the table.

47. The minimum bet or raise in any hand or round is the value of the Big Blind (with the exception of the Small Blind who can call to make up the value of the Big Blind). If a raise is made larger than the value of the Big Blind, the minimum amount of any subsequent raises will be of that larger amount or greater. The common terminology for the rule is 'No short bets'.

48. If a player is unable to meet the full raise requirement because they are short of chips, other players can call this smaller amount. The only exception to this is in the case of the short chipped player is in the blinds. In this case, any callers must match the level of the Big Blind and a side pot will be sorted out

49. If there is a discrepancy between a player's verbal statement and the physical amount put into the pot, the verbal statement stands. The player must adjust upward if he had put a short amount in or remove the excess if it is over the amount. SINGLE CHIP RULE. If a player puts a single over value chip into a pot without declaring raise, it will be treated as a call. The reason for this is players can claim if there is a raise on this amount that all they were doing was to calling with the intention of receiving change.

50. If a player tries to raise less than the legal minimum and has more chips, the bet must be increased to the legal amount.

51. There may be one straddle bet per round. A straddle bet is typically twice the value of the Big Blind as is permitted to the player immediately to the left of the Big Blind. This must be announced prior to that player seeing their cards. Other players are permitted to call blind.

52. There is no cap to the number of raises in a No Limit Poker game.

53. The Small Blind must shuffle cards a minimum of three times and the player to the right of the Dealer must cut cards every hand. In certain circumstances it is acceptable for another player to perform the physical act of dealing for another if physical abilities effect things. In interpreting this rule, this should only apply to people that have requested this through arthritic hands and not inebriation. Common sense should prevail here.

54. A misdeal, and hence requiring a gathering and shuffling and cutting of the cards is, deemed to have happened if the following circumstances have occurred:

a. Two or more cards are exposed by the dealer.

b. Two or more boxed cards are found by the dealer.

c. More than two cards have been dealt to a player.

d. A player has not been dealt any cards.

e. A non player has been dealt cards.

f. An absent player, who should have been dealt cards, was missed.

g. Note some card room rules state that if the first or second card are dealt upright, they count as a misdeal. Due to the relatively fast nature of our blinds, this rule is not invoked at our games.

55. Play never stops during a session, except during designated break time.

56. If there is a table with empty seats the Venue Manager must be notified and play continued.

57. Irregularities will occasionally occur, however careful we operate. A common sense approach is taken with these.

a. If a card from a different deck with a different back appears, a joker or the same value card appears in a deck, then that hand is void and all chips are returned to players

b. If a card appears face up in a deck, it is treated as a meaningless piece of paper and is disregarded. Play continues.

c. If a deck is unintentionally dropped for some reason during a hand, it must be shuffled and cut openly in front of players.

d. Important subnote: In many card rooms, where dealing errors happen, eg four cards are dealt on the flop OR where the turn has been dealt before action is complete - original burn card stays and the rest of the deck reshuffled and a new flop dealt, with all bet chips remaining in the round. This rule is highly contentious, and probably applies more to a situation where there is a table dealer, rather than players doing the dealing. It could be open to abuse, so this rule is not enforced.

58. The Cards Speak for themselves. The dealer assists in reading hands but the players are responsible for holding onto their hands until a winner is declared.

59. Players are expected to follow poker etiquette. These include:

a. No throwing cards off a table.

b. No abusive or disruptive behaviour.

c. No using mobile phones and other electronic devices (such as iPods) in an inappropriate, distracting or other manner that spoils the enjoyment and flow of the game to other participants.

d. No swearing.

e. No talking or criticism (players should not talk across a player who is involved in a hand). There should be no comments about the current hand from anyone, playing or folded, unless there are two players left. At that stage either player can make a comment about the hand, but nobody else.

f. Treat dealers courteously.

g. No stalling (taking an unnecessarily long period of time to make a decision).

h. Manage their table space appropriately and considerately to others.

i. No peeking at other players' cards deliberately.

j. Knocking the table with your hand/fingers will considered to be a check bet.

k. You must not deliberately act out of turn. If a player does act out of turn and raises, that action will not be permitted in that betting round. If a player calls out of turn, that call will be required to happen, even if a player subsequently raises before them and the call is required to be of a higher value than originally intended.

l. Slow rolling To reveal one's hand slowly at showdown, one card at a time, is to slow roll. This is usually only done with a winning hand, for the purpose of irritating other players (well, some people do it innocently). This is considered to be among the worst acts of bad etiquette in poker..

m. Players are expected to act reasonably quickly in making decisions over how they wish to play. The Venue Manager may intervene if players are slowing the play to a level that is reducing the enjoyment for others on the table. At present the Weekly Poker Club does not have a ‘clock rule’ but a maximum of 30 seconds is considered plenty for those wanting to consider a bet. We operate fairly quick blind increases and needless stalling impedes the fairness of our tournaments.

n. It is considered improper to agree to check a hand out when a third player is all in.

o. A player may not deliberately show one or both their hole cards to either players out of the tournament, out of that betting round or to players in that betting round. If this is done deliberately, their cards are automatically mucked and they lose any chips to the pot for that betting round.

p. All the player’s chips, particularly the high value ones, must be fully visible at all times.

q. Poker is an individual game. Chip dumping and soft play against a short stacked opponent is not allowed.

r. Rabbiting is not permitted. This is the process of looking through the deck for cards that may have come out onto the deck.

s. A player may be punished with a time out period, disqualification from the tournament and ultimately disqualification from the league if etiquette is repeatedly broken.

60. Venues, Venue Managers, and/or Weekly Poker Club staff and directors retain the right to cancel any event or alter it in a manner fair to the players.

61. The Weekly Poker Club is primarily an amateur poker club where the only betting currency is the chips in play. Periodically the Weekly Poker Club will play games, where there will be cash entry fees and winnings. In normal league venues, there may be a side pot arrangement organised by the Venue Manager or a person delegated to do this. The maximum financial stake by any player in these side pots are £5, unless the total value of the prize pot exceeds £100, when the some of the stake money will be returned to keep within that total. Any stakes will be recorded appropriately and players will have a clear understanding of how the cash prize will be divided. If, at the final table, the players choose to negotiate a different split of the pot, the Venue Manager will do their best to accommodate this request. Players are not obligated to enter these side pots.

62. If the tournament is taking place in a club rather than a public house, the minimum stake for the tournament will be £10 and the prize pot can be up to £250. Please note on rules 61 and 62, local Betting Licensing Officers can take inconsistent interpretations of the law. It is best to check their local stance.

63. The Weekly Poker Club occasionally obtains a temporary Casino Licence where players may enter higher stake tournaments. These will only ever be played at suitably licensed premises and may only be entered by registered players over the age of 18. Players must be able to pay the table fee and their stake fee.

64. League Points will be awarded in the following manner: First place, 36 multiplied by the number of players in a tournament (so a winner of a 24 player tournament would win 864 points (36x24)). This similarly applies to other positions with second place getting a 24 multiplication of the player numbers in points, third 20x, fourth 16x, fifth 12x, sixth 10x, seventh 8x, and eighth 6x. Ninth to fifteenth place 2x and sixteenth to twentieth 1x. The Weekly Poker will run tournaments where there are increased league points available for each game. This will either be ‘double point promotion periods or where a single tournament is played in the evening, rather than the typical two. If there are less than eight players attending an event, three games may be played in an evening.

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