The Ultimate Poker Tour - General Rules and Regulations

General Rules and Regulations

The following rules are intended to ensure that all games of poker within the room are conducted in a fair and honest manner, for the benefit and enjoyment of all participating players. They are also intended to protect any innocent player from suffering unfairness either by deliberate or genuinely accidental occurrences. The following rules and player behaviour are divided into five headings as follows:

1)		Dealer’s Responsibilities
2)		Player’s Responsibilities
3)		House Rules
	A)	Mis-Deals
	B)	General Rules
4)		General Play
5)		Tournament Rules
6)		Code of ethics for Card Room Players

Dealer’s Responsibilities

1)		Before each hand the dealer will chemmy shuffle the pack and then complete a riffle shuffle at least three times. With the deck placed on the table the dealer will cut the deck once only.
2)		Once the cards have been shuffled and cut using the above procedure, the dealer will commence the deal. The deal will always be in a clockwise direction, the first card going to the player immediately to the left of the dealer button.
3)		At conclusion of the round of betting the dealer will tap the table and announce “Dealing”. This is to ensure all players have acted on the current round of betting.
4)		All “burn” cards will be placed in the centre of the table, and will not be placed with discards until the conclusion of the hand.
5)		All discards will be kept face down in front of the dealer, and under no circumstances will any player be permitted to touch them.
6)		At the conclusion of all betting, the dealer is responsible for declaring the hands on “showdown” correctly awarding the pot to the winner. All cards in the winning hands must be shown. Under no circumstances may the pot be awarded to a player until the table has seen their hand.
7)		The dealer must take in all losing hands before awarding the pot to the winner.
8)		Losing players may throw their hand in facedown. The player who instigated the final aggressive action will be made to show his hand first in a showdown situation when players are reluctant to reveal their hole cards.
9)		The dealer will protect the deck at all times either by holding the deck or placing a chip on the deck when using both hands during play. The deck will only be placed with the discards at the conclusion of the hand after the winner has received the pot.
10)		The dealer is responsible for announcing any exposed cards to the table.
11)		The dealer will request that all hands are shown on the table at conclusion of the hand, but players are not obliged to show their hands if they do not wish.
12)		The dealer is responsible for ensuring the amount of chips being put into the pot are correct in relation to the bet or raise. All stacks of more than 5 chips will be broken down and counted.
13)		The dealer will take any discarded hand and place it with the discards immediately. Under no circumstances may a player retain his cards once the hand has been passed.
14)		Should a player discard his hand out of turn, the dealer should not return it to the player except under the following circumstances:
	a)	A player who has bet wrongly believes he has won the pot, when there is actually still live hand/s in play. The dealer should protect the player from fouling his hand.
	b)	A player is already in for a bet, ie. Posting the big blind in flop games, but forgets he has posted the big blind, the dealer should again protect the player from fouling his hand.
15)		Where a pot is won by means of no other player calling the bet or raise, the dealer is forbidden from dealing out the rest of the hand, irrespective of how many players request it.
16)		The “show one, show all” rule applies. Therefore any player showing his hand to another player whether or not that player is in the hand, will have their hand shown to all players at the conclusion of the hand, regardless of whether or not there is a “showdown”.
17)		The dealer will ensure that ENGLISH ONLY is spoken at the table whether or not a hand is in progress. Players who do not abide by this rule may forfeit their right to winning the pot.
18)		It is the dealer’s job to ensure the table is of orderly conduct and that the game is run smoothly.
19)		Should a dispute arise the dealer will not be involved, the dealer will request the advice of a floor person qualified to give a ruling. It is the dealer’s responsibility to state the facts to the floor person in order for them to make a balanced decision.
20)		Should any mistakes be made by the dealer during the course of play, the dealer will apologise to the table. This action diffuses the situation. By the same token the dealer should not have to take abuse from players should they be dealing the game properly. Should such a situation arise you must call the person in charge, who will warn the players as to their attitude.

Click to go back to the top of page

Player’s Responsibilities

1)		All players are expected to win or lose with good grace.
2)		You are not allowed to criticise another player’s method of play.
3)		When engaged in a hand it is your responsibility to be aware of what’s happening during the playing of a hand.
4)		Do not show your hole cards to other player’s whether or not they are on or off the table.
5)		Disregarding the above may result in you forfeiting the pot: and persistent showing of cards to other players may result in you being barred from play for the night.
6)		During play you will speak ENGLISH AT ALL TIMES whether or not you are involved in the hand.
7)		You will not abuse the dealer or any player seated at the table.
8)		You will not take chips from play unless you have stopped playing.
9)		Should you transfer to another table all chips you have on the table when transferring will be taken to the new table.
10)		It is your duty to point out any irregularities that occur during play, particularly if the game is a self deal game.
11)		In any dispute you will abide by the decision given by the Management.

House Rules

Many situations arise in a card room where the rules need clarification and enforcement. The most important consideration in decision making is following the concept of fairness. However, occasionally a situation will arise when strict adherence to the rules would obviously be unfair. Therefore in certain circumstances we will base a decision upon intent and the spirit of the law rather than inflexible interpretation of a rule. An unintentional error is less serious than a deliberate violation.
A)		Mis-deals A mis-deal will be called at any time during a hand should an additional card like suit value appear, at this point money will be refunded to all players. A mis-deal due to error can only be called prior to three players acting or a bet and an immediate call. Once either of these has taken place the deal must stand. Examples of mis-deal are as follows:
	a)	A player receiving more or less cards than entitled on the initial deal.
	b)	If a player is missed out, or an additional hand dealt.
	c)	If a deal is made out of turn. If discovered after active betting has taken place, the dealer will complete deal.
	d)	If the deck has not been cut. If discovered after betting has taken place, the hand will continue.
	e)	If a card becomes exposed once a player has control of their cards a mis-deal will not be called and their hand will continue.

ONCE A ROUND OF BETTING IS COMPLETED, IRREGULARITIES WILL BE DEALT WITH IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE HOUSE RULES

B)		General Rules
	a)	Any player has the right to an unimpeded view of another player’s chips, or has the right to ask how much the other player has in play.
	b)	A player is responsible for protecting his hole cards and shall have no redress if his hand becomes fouled by contact with the discards except in the following circumstances: The dealer in error takes the players cards; an immediate halt must be called to the hand. The player is called from the table and writes down in the presence of the Manager his hole cards, he must state rank and suit. Should those cards be the discards his hand is declared playable and the cards are returned to him. Failure to nominate rank and suit the player forfeits all rights to any chips they have put into the pot.
	c)	A player who leaves the table and has cards in play will have his hand taken in by the dealer should he not be ready to act when called upon to do so.
	d)	The bottom card of the deck must never be dealt in a hand of poker.
	e)	A down card dealt face up or exposed by the dealer or partly exposed whereby another player/s may know its identity will be considered an exposed card. The deal will continue as normal and at conclusion the exposed card will be taken in to the top of the deck and will be used as the first “burn” card.
	f)	The dealing in of an absent player is not a mis-deal. If the player is not at their seat when the last card is dealt, the hand is immediately taken in by the dealer and declared void before any action can commence.
	g)	A declaration of “all in” means exactly that, a player must put all chips he has on the table into the pot.
	h)	No player may be bet out of a pot in any game of poker. A player with insufficient chips to call a bet or raise may declare himself “all-in”. A side pot is then made between the other players contesting the hand. There is no limit to the number of side pots that may accrue during the playing of a hand.
	i)	An “under-raise” is allowed but only in an all-in situation. An “under-raise” occurs when a player wishes to raise another bet made but has insufficient chips to make the proper raise. However for purposes of betting an “under raise” is not deemed to be a raise. Therefore any player who has not acted on that round of betting may re-raise the under raise and should they do so it open ups the betting for any other player in the hand to re-raise. However should no player who has not acted when the under raise was made not raise this bet then the remaining players who have bet or raised prior to the under raise may only call the under raise.
	j)	All pots must be played to a conclusion, no deals are allowed between players to split a pot.
	k)	In determining the winner(s) of the Pot(s) CARDS SPEAK AT ALL TIMES, and wrongly called or shown hands will be corrected either way; providing all cards have been clearly shown on the table.
	l)	Any player deliberately exposing any or all of his hand during the playing of a pot may not instigate any further action during that hand and may only call any bet or raise made. Should a player make a bet or raise and then expose his hand the action stands.
	m)	All chips must be in clear view to other players with large denomination chips to the front.
	n)	A bet out of turn must stand. Betting reverts to normal procedure and when arriving to the out of turn player, the amount declared must be put into the pot. The only exception is where a preceding player bets more than the out of turn bet, in which case its owner may choose to call or pass. An out of turn bettor may not instigate any further action on that round of betting but on any subsequent rounds he will be allowed to act as normal.
	o)	No “strings” bets are allowed. A “string” bet is where chips are put into the pot in more than one action. Providing a bet or raise has been clearly announced chips may be put into the pot in more than one action. It is in all players’ interests to clearly announce the size of bet or raise.
	p)	All call, raise or re-raise bets must be clearly announced. Any player who bets into the pot with a single chip of higher value than the previous bet or big blind will be held to a call if he/she has not announced his/her intentions. Any player betting into the pot with multiple chips (without announcing their intentions) that have a total value greater than the previous bet or big blind will be held to a raise.
	q)	A player facing a bet who discards his hand either by verbal or visual action may not reclaim it, the hand is now dead.

The Management decision is final in any dispute.

Click to go back to the top of page

General Play

1)		Initial Bet
		On the first round of betting where an ante has been made, play continues round the table in a clockwise direction from the player who has ante’d. Blind Bets – A player can only double the previous stake or ante and can only blind in turn.
2)		Check
		After the initial round of betting is finished all players opening further rounds of betting are permitted to check. Should any betting be made on this round all players having previously checked are permitted to raise if they so desire, but call any bet made to remain in the hand.
3)		Betting out of turn
		Should a player bet out of turn after being wrongly informed by either the house dealer, or the designated dealer they lose no privileges in respect of betting on that round.
4)		Call
		Once the bet has been made on any round of betting, any player wishing to remain in the hand must call the existing bet, or if their table stake does not permit them to call the full amount, they must at least call for the total amount of money and chips in front of them at time. New pots will be formed for any part of an uncalled bet. No player is considered to have called until their money is in the pot, play should not progress on assumption.
5)		Call and raise
		Should a player wish to raise the betting when it becomes their turn to act, they must state their intention by stating “Raise”, adding to this the amount they intend to raise. The minimum raise is at least the amount of the last bet, and no more than the table restrictions. The dealer must then be given the full amount, and give any change if required prior to the betting continuing. A player may “under-raise” only if he is going “All-In”, but for purposes of betting the under-raise will not be deemed to be a raise.
6)		All In
		Should any player have insufficient chips to call a bet in full, but wish to remain in the hand, they are permitted to under call. All chips they have on the table must be given to the dealer to determine the amount of their involvement. The difference between the “Bet” and the “Undercall” will be calculated by the dealer and the differences will be placed in a separate pot in which the player “Undercalling” will have no interest. Also their hand is not considered in future rounds of betting. In the case of the “Flop” variation and they should be the first player to act, future rounds of betting will pass to the next active player to their left.
7)		Pass
		Should a player not wish to participate further in the hand, they must fold their cards, and pass them undisclosed to the dealer, this must be done without undue comment, and in observance with the correct order of play. Passing out of turn may give some players an advantage, and is considered unfair.
8)		Showdown
		Players actively involved in the final showdown should not distract the dealer to pass a pot to a player nor should they attempt to collect the pot from the middle of the table themselves. The awarding of a pot can only be done by the dealer once the winning hand(s) has been determined. In determining the winner(s) of the pot(s) Cards Speak At All Times, and wrongly called hands will be corrected either way. It is up to each player to be aware of the conditions of the game in play and the number of cards they are permitted to use. No monetary consideration will be made to players not conforming to the requirement of the particular variation in play. (Unless with general unforced agreement by all players concerned in the pot). Once the player’s cards have been collected by the dealer they are considered dead. Once the flop has been turned face down the hand is considered completed, and will not be reconstructed, unless the dealer has acted prematurely. In this instance the Tournament Manager should be called to ensure general agreement on the reconstruction of the flop. Players allowing the dealer to take their cards prematurely will not be permitted to retrieve them, as all players are held responsible for the protection of their cards. Once a hand has been completed no disputes will be entered into. It must be remembered that a poker hand only consists of five cards, players with equal hands will split the pot, and no further cards will be considered. Should there be an odd chip it will be given to the player left of the button.

Click to go back to the top of page

Tournament Rules

1)		Players will be allowed late entry into the tournament for the first 2 hours of play or until the end of the third level should that be less than 2 hours, provided a seat is available. All players that enter the tournament late will be forced to post a dead big and small blind when they join their table.
2)		Table and seat positions will be determined by a random draw only. There can be no Management or player discretion applied to the allocation of tables and seats. However, Management may ask a player to draw again if they feel that the seat drawn may cause concerns over possible collusion (seating alongside a family member for example).
3)		“Dead Button” will be used where necessary. No player should “Ante” less than any other player.
4)		All entrants must engage in continuous play until a formal break is announced by Management.
5)		All players must receive a hand and put in their blinds, whether or not they are seated at the table. If a player is temporarily absent from the table, the dealer will take a small and big blind bet from the players chip stack on their behalf.
6)		The minimum bet is always the big blind applicable at the time.
7)		No “over-blinds” are allowed in tournament play.
8)		When the betting structure reaches a level whereby smaller denomination chips are no longer necessary, they will be exchanged for larger denomination chips to maintain the flow of the game.
9)		Any odd small chips left over during such an exchange will be subject to a “race” to determine who should receive them. Players will be dealt one card face up for each odd chip they have and the highest cards (not hand) will determine who wins the odd chips i.e. a total of eight odd 25 unit chips = 200 the two highest cards win one chip each. No player will be eliminated from a tournament through the chip race. A player who would have all their chips involved in the chip race will instead have their chips rounded up.
10)		When there is no further betting (because of player/s being all-in) all players must return their cards face up on the table before the dealer completes the hand.
11)		Every pot must be played to a conclusion.
12)		Tables will be kept balanced during play. A table with less than two players than any other will receive a player from another table. The player who is about to post the big blind will be moved into the worst position on the table he is moved to.
13)		When sufficient empty seats are available to break a table, all players on the table to be broken will receive a card with their new table and seat number on it. The only place they cannot get a hand is between the small blind and the button.
14)		Should this not affect the blind structure for future hands the new player will get the button. However if it does affect the blind structure the button will pass by the new player to the next player on the table.
15)		This procedure will be adopted until a final table or tables is reached.
16)		Seating on the final table/s will be determined by a random draw.
17)		No non player may sit or stand behind any player engaged in play at the final table.

Click to go back to the top of page

Code of Ethics for Card Room Players

It is our policy that all games played in the card room are conducted in a fair and honest manner for the benefit and enjoyment of all participating members and guests. All players conduct will therefore be considered as unethical if:
1)		They hold their cards in a concealed manner. All cards must be kept in full view of both players and the dealer at all times.
2)		They deliberately act out of turn.
3)		They arrange their chips so that higher denomination is not clearly in view to other players.
4)		They show their hand when “all-in”.
5)		They enquire out of turn about the size of the pot, suggesting they are going to bet, when in fact they have no intention of doing so.
6)		They deliberately overstate or understate their hand at showdown.
7)		They play in such a manner as to constitute collusion with another player ie Imparting (in whatever way) information about their hand to another player in the pot.
8)		Advising someone how to play his or her hand, or suggesting a particular betting action.
9)		Giving an opinion on the cards another player might be holding when they bet.
10)		They agree to check-out a hand when another player is all-in.
11)		They declare a hand for a player who has not yet faced his cards at showdown.
12)		No information about folded hands may be given while that hand is still in progress, Card Room staff must be made aware should this happen. They will deal with this matter accordingly. Any hand that is shown to another player, by a player who has won the pot on an uncalled bet, must be upon request be shown to any players.

Any player who engages in any of the above actions will be warned about their behavior by the Management. If the action is deemed to have been unintentional, the player will reminded of the correct behavior for their future reference. However if deemed to be deliberate, or is repeated, the Management reserves the right to take whatever action they feel necessary to ensure that fair play is maintained at all times. This may include removal of the player from the game.


Click to go back to the top of page