MTTPoker Rules

Know the Rules

‘Poker Etiquette’ is an unspoken part of the game that all players should look to adhere to. New to the game? Not sure how to act round a poker table? Follow these rules to ensure a smooth running night.

The Good

Always have your high value chips in clear view.
Make sure your hole cards are well protected.
If you are blind, post your blinds before the dealer has finished shuffling the cards.
Be clear in your actions – are you wanting to call or raise the bet?
When placing your bet, make sure they are not being ‘dumped’ in the current pot.
When making a bet or a raise, place your chips in one single motion.

The Bad

Act out of turn intentionally.
Splash the pot with your bet.
Discuss your hand with another player while the hand is in play.
Try and look at other peoples' cards.
Say what you folded when the play is still happening.
Deliberately take your time in making decisions in order to stall the game.
Agree to check a hand down with another player when there is someone who is all in.
‘Soft play’ against opponents by refusing to bet or raise against them.
Criticise other peoples' play.
Be aggressive or point blame to dealers for making mistakes/receiving a poor run of cards.

We are a friendly, social league so are very lenient on our rules wherever possible (e.g. brand new players will need time and support to get to know the rules and won’t be expected to adhere to them religiously from the get-go) but do bare in mind that this is a tournament league; players are playing for points, so rules are important. If you decide to venture into casino games then you WILL be expected to follow these. Anyone deemed to be in constant breach of the rules may be issued with a warning. Any player who continues to breach the rules will be given a penalty consisting of being removed from the table for between 5-15 minutes. During this time the player will pay the blinds as normal. If they persist further in breaching the rules they will be removed from the game.

Following these guidelines will make sure everyone enjoys the game fairly. It goes without saying but following these basic poker etiquette’s will avoid unnecessary arguments/disagreements at the table. If you do find yourself in that rare situation where you are in disagreement with another player regarding any aspect of play, please alert the Tournament Director. Play should not resume until the Tournament Director has advised of the outcome on how to proceed.

REGISTRATION

1. Sign in with TD using your name and correct player number to ensure points are allocated correctly.
2. Registration for games will cloe within the 5 mins before the start time advertised on the website/venue posters. i.e. Venue starts at 7.30pm, registration will normally close at 7.25pm. This will allow the TD time to get players seated and the game started for the advertised time. Registration will re-open when the game starts to allow for any latecomers who will be deducted chips.
3. Listen to the TD when they are allocating tables.
4. Late arrivals are permitted within the first 2 blind levels only. Players arriving late may only play if no more than 2 players have been eliminated. Within the first blind level players will be docked 1000 chips. Within the second blind level players will be docked 2000 chips. No entry will be allowed when level 2 ends. Latecomers will automatically be seated in the next big blind position.

HOLE CARDS

1. Players must protect their hands. This could be done by placing a chip or other object on top of their cards. An unprotected hand may be mucked by the dealer by accident. If the dealer mucks a hand by mistake or if in the Tournament Director’s judgement a hand is mucked and cannot be identified to 100% certainty, the player is not entitled to a refund of called bets. If the player initiated a bet or raise and hasn’t been called, the uncalled amount will be returned to the player.
2. Whilst hole cards should be protected, they may not be removed or held below the table or otherwise concealed from view.
3. Players, whether active in a hand or not, must not attempt to look at other player’s cards. This includes cards which have been folded.
4. Players in hands cannot reveal their hole cards physically or verbally whether they have folded or still in the hand in order to influence the play, or in the case of an all in bet before the showdown i.e. still a player to act. Revealed cards may be folded at the TD’s discretion. The exception to this rule is when only 2 players are left in the hand and one of the players is all in; if player A has went all in, player B can choose to reveal their cards without folding them while they deliberate whether to call the bet or not, although this is not recommended.
5. If a player mistakenly mucks their hole cards believing that the hand was over, the player who mucked is now folded. Any un-called bet will be returned to the mucked player. If there is one active player left in the hand, this player wins the pot. If there are more than one active players still in the hand, play continues as normal.
6. Cards speak for themselves and prevail if a player misstates the value of his hand at the showdown.
7. “Show one, show all” – Hole cards, including folded hands, should not be revealed to other players until showdown. If a player who folds reveals their hole cards to another player active in the current hand (provided the player shown is not all in), all players have the right to also see the hole cards. Also, if an uncalled winning hand is shown to only one player, then any other player at the table has a right to see the winning hand.
8. Folding players should not expose hole cards. An uncalled winning hand is not required to be exposed, and it is not recommended to do so.
9. At showdown, calling players MAY muck losing hands. The called player MUST show their entire hand (Both Cards).

CHIP STACKS

1. Chips must remain on the table and in full view at all times.
2. For high-stacked players, always have high value chips in clear view at the front of your stack.
3. At scheduled chip up breaks, odd chip amounts will be rounded up to the next denomination. Players must have their chips fully visible when a chip up is in progress and are encouraged to witness the chip up to prevent any arguments when re-seating occurs. Tournament Director’s control the number & denomination of chips in play and may chip up at their discretion.

DEALING THE CARDS

1. High card for dealer prior to the first hand of the game being dealt. High card for dealer prior to the first hand of the final table being dealt.
2. Players where possible must shuffle in a manner that does not allow them to see the cards. Prior to commencing play after a break the cards must be spread on the table and comprehensively shuffled (known as washing the cards).
3. Cut the cards to the right, and deal to the left. The cut must be at least 5 cards deep and cut cards MUST be used. The hand will begin when the cards are cut and NOT before. This will also apply to posting of blinds. If they are posted prior to the cards being cut and the blind level changes, the new blind levels MUST be posted.
4. A player must be at their seat when the last card is dealt on the initial deal in order to have a live hand. If a player is dealt in who is not at their seat, they may not play their hand, and the dealer should immediately muck the hand. The only exception to this rule is the Big Blind – they have protection until there has been a “raise”. “At your seat” means within reach of your chair. In case of any doubt, the Tournament Director’s decision is final.
5. In the event a player is dealt two cards at the one time as their first hole card, (i.e player A has no cards, dealer deals them a card but the two are stuck together, player B still has no cards either), the bottom card from player A carries to player B as long as player A has not looked at their cards already.
6. If a card is exposed during the deal, that player will have the choice to keep the card or ask for another. In the event they ask for another card, the exposed card will be deemed the first “burn” card when dealing the flop. However, players may not be dealt 2 consecutive cards; if it’s not possible to complete the deal without dealing 2 consecutive cards to the same person or if a second card is exposed, the hand in play will be deemed a misdeal.
7. Misdeals are when a hand is declared void due to the way in which cards have been dealt to players. In a misdeal, the re-deal is an exact re-play: the button does not move, no new players are seated, and limits stay the same. Cards are dealt to players who were not at their seats for the original deal, then their hands are mucked. The original deal and re-deal count as one hand for a player on penalty, not two. Misdeals include but are not necessarily limited to: 1) 1 or more boxed cards on the initial deal; 2) A player is dealt 3 cards; 3) first card dealt to the wrong seat (so long as it is clear that no one has yet to look at any cards, this can be resolved by pushing the face down dealt cards around to the correct players and continuing the hand as normal); 4) cards dealt to a seat not entitled to a hand; 5) a seat entitled to a hand is dealt out; 6) either of the first 2 cards dealt off the deck or any other 2 down cards are exposed by dealer error.
8. Once substantial action occurs a misdeal cannot be declared; the hand must proceed. Substantial Action is either A) any 2 actions in turn, 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 turn (check, bet, raise, call, fold). The exception to this rule is in the event that a player is dealt 3 cards. In this case, the hand will be declared void. All action in the hand will be disregarded and chips returned to the appropriate player(s) who have contributed to the pot. No player should gain any more chips than they have contributed to the pot.
9. If a card is exposed during the deal of the flop, turn or river before the action has finished on the current round of betting, that card will be put back into the deck and reshuffled.
10. If the flop has 4 rather than 3 cards, exposed or not, the Tournament Director should be called. The dealer then scrambles the 4 cards face down, the floor randomly selects one as the next burn card and the other 3 are the flop.
11. If the turn card is prematurely dealt (before the flop action has finished) you must deal the river burn card and deal what would be the river card face down (This ensures the river card will not change once the error has been rectified). The premature turn card is then placed back into the remaining deck which is then re-shuffled. A new turn card should be dealt once the flop action has finished.
12. When heads-up, the small blind has the button and is dealt the last card, and acts first pre-flop and last on all other betting rounds. When starting heads-up play, the button may need to be adjusted to ensure no player has the big blind twice in a row.

BETTING/CALLING

1. Players should not throw chips into the pot. Chips should be placed in front of the player and across the “play” line. Chips should not be thrown (splashed) into the pot.
2. Acceptable forms of calling include: A) saying “call”; B) pushing out chips equal to a call; C) silently pushing out a higher denomination chip; or D) silently pushing out multiple chips equal to a call.
3. Verbal declarations are binding and take precedence over non-verbal actions, unless a player has committed chips to the pot prior to making the verbal declaration. Ex: Player states “Raise to 1000” and then puts 800 chips in. Player will be held to put 1000 chips in. 2nd Ex: Player puts 800 chips in and afterwards states “1000”. Player will be held to 800 in this case as the betting of chips happened prior to the verbal declaration.
4. Players use unofficial betting terms and gestures at their own risk. These may be interpreted to mean other than what the player intended. Also, if a declared bet can reasonably have multiple meanings, it will be ruled the lesser value. Ex: 200-400 blinds, player declares “I bet eight.”, it could be considered unclear whether “eight” means 800 or 8,000. Even if the player proceeds to place 8000 chips over the line after saying “I bet eight”, the bet is 800. This is considered poor etiquette because it allows the player to assess their opponents’ reactions before committing to the full amount.
5. When facing a bet, unless raise is declared first, a multiple-chip bet is a call if every chip is needed to make the call; i.e. removal of just one of the smallest chips leaves less than the call amount. Ex: preflop, 200-400 blinds: Player A raises to 1200 total (an 800 raise), Player B puts out two 1000 chips without declaring raise. This is just a call because removing one 1000 chip leaves less than the amount to call (1200).
6. In the absence of a verbal declaration of “Raise,” if a player puts in chips equal to 150 percent or more of the minimum raise, they will be required to make a full minimum raise. Otherwise, the action is deemed a call and the excess chips should be returned to the player. A raise must be made by A) pushing out the full amount in one motion; B) verbally declaring the full amount prior to pushing out chips; or C) verbally declaring “raise” prior to pushing out the exact call amount then completing the raise in one additional motion. In option C, if anything other than the exact call amount but less than a minimum raise is first put out, it will be ruled a minimum raise. It is the responsibility of players to make their intentions clear. For all betting rules, declaring a specific amount only is the same as silently pushing out an equal amount. Ex: Declaring “two hundred” is the same as silently pushing out 200 in chips
7. Aside from Option C in the above rule, betting actions without a verbal declaration must be made in a single motion or gesture (“no string bet” rule).
8. Players must use gestures with extreme caution when facing action; ie tapping the table as a check. It is the responsibility of players to make their intentions clear.
9. An oversized single chip before the flop is a call (unless “raise” has been stated beforehand); after the flop, a single oversized chip by the initial bettor put in the pot will constitute the size of the bet (unless a lower amount has been stated verbally). After an initial bet on the flop/turn/river, a single oversized chip is a call (unless “raise” has been stated beforehand);
10. Bets and folded cards should be placed in front of the player and across the “play” line. Chips should not be thrown (splashed) into the pot.
11. The minimum raise is double the value of the next highest currently placed bet.
12. It’s the calling players’ responsibility to know how much they’re calling for. Ex: Player A says ‘ALL-IN FOR 550’, Player B says ‘CALL’. Upon the chips being counted, player A actually has 1k+…player B will still held to call for full amount. 2nd Ex: Blinds are 100/200. Player A says ‘ALL-IN’. Player B says ‘CALL’ and places 200 chips in front of them believing they are only calling for 200. Player B will be held to call the all-in. Watch/listen to the action happening before your turn and ask for an accurate count before you call if you’re not sure.
13. Betting should not be used to obtain change. Pushing out more than the intended bet can confuse everyone at the table. All chips pushed out silently are at risk of being counted in the bet.
14. If a player bets all-in and a hidden chip is found behind after a player has called, the chip(s) will be included in the all-in bet.
15. Calling the clock will only be approved after reasonable time passes. Any player in the event may request a clock but must be at their seat to call the clock. If the Tournament Director approves the request, a player has up to 30 seconds to act. If they do not act within this time, their hand is dead.

ACTING OUT OF TURN

1. Players should not telegraph or otherwise indicate intentions to act prior to their turn to act.
2. In the event of an action out-of-turn, the player committing that out of turn action will be held to a check. If someone then decides to bet they will be held to a call or fold. This will discourage people from acting out of turn. Players must wait for clear bet amounts before acting. Ex: Player A says “raise” (but no amount), and Player B quickly folds. Player B should wait to act until Player A’s raise amount is clear.

LEAVING THE TABLE

1. Once dealt in, players should avoid leaving the table in the middle of that hand, unless they have folded in turn.
2. Players away from the table for 2 runs of the dealer button will post a big blind every hand. After 3 x full blind levels, from the time they leave their seat, their chips will be removed from play.

OTHER

1. Blind levels will start at 20 minutes and will reduce to 15 minutes at the TD’s discretion at a stage from Level 3 onwards. This can depend on how many players have registered and the venue itself; this is done to ensure that the game can be brought to a nice finish prior to the venue’s closing time. Blind levels may be reduced to under 15 minutes later in the game if needed at the TD’s discretion.
2. A new blind level will not be announced until the clock reaches zero. The new level applies to the next hand. A new hand begins on either the first shuffle or at a moment specified by the Tournament Director.
3. A dead button will occur if the small blind was eliminated during the previous hand. The button would be placed in-front of the empty seat. If the big blind was eliminated in the previous hand, then the button moves as normal but there will be no small blind and instead, a big blind only. Following completion of this hand, there will be a dead button.
4. Only the dealer must touch the chips in the pot, even when asking for change, the dealer should be responsible for making change from the pot or asking other players at table to make change.
5. When the pot is deemed a ‘split pot’, if there is still an odd chip left over the player to the left of the dealer will be awarded the chip.
6. Final tables will start with a full table. MTTPOKER tables are 8 seated tables, however, the TD may wish to make it a 9 handed final table if this is in the best interest of the game. There must not be a 10 seated final table unless there is a `10 seat table available.
7. If there are any disputes at the table, please alert the TD and await their decision on how to proceed. Do not continue play until TD has advised of the outcome.
8. Please respect and listen to the TDs, their decision is final.

BEHAVIOUR

1. No player is allowed to touch another players chips or cards.
2. Conditional statements of future action are strongly discouraged. At the Tournament Director’s discretion they may be binding and/or penalised. Example: “If you bet, I will raise.” – This is an conditional statement.
3. Players or spectators may not advise other players how to play a hand (“One player to a hand” rule). Any player who influences play in this manner may be subject to sanctions in accordance to Rule 24. Any spectator doing so will be asked to leave the area of the table. Any player who does not comply with such requests may be subject to sanctions up to and including expulsion from the league.
4. Players who express a willingness to leave the game either by verbal declaration or physical actions will be asked to ‘play normally’ or hand their chips in by the TD. Players who continue to disrupt the game may be removed by the TD. *An example of this may be moving all in on every hand because you have to leave.
5. Collusion is where two or more players influence the normal running of the game for their own benefit. Collusion will not be tolerated under any circumstances. In its simplest form collusion is agreeing to play a hand in a certain manner, agreeing to check down a pot when a player is all in or ‘soft play’ not betting against someone because of friendship. Any players who collude will be subject to severe reprimand up to an including expulsion from the league.
6. Rabbit Hunting is not allowed. This is where dealers show the cards that would have come out after the hand is finished.
7. Players may be asked to leave the table if mobile phone use influences play.
8. Threatening behaviour either verbal or physical is strictly prohibited, players are asked to refrain from profanity.
9. All players are entitled to expect civility and courtesy from one another at MTTPoker events. Any individual who encounters behaviour that is not civil, courteous or is abusive in any way, is encouraged to notify the TD. This shall include, but is not limited to, offensive name calling directed towards a fellow player. This rule would also apply to any player whose personal hygiene has become offensive to players or customers at our venues, as determined by the TD or Landlord. Failure to adhere to this rule may result in sanctions up to and including dismissal from the league.
10. Any player who is deemed by the TD or landlord to be unfit to play poker through drink or drugs will be removed from the game immediately, this will include players who disrupt the game by being unable to complete actions in a timely manner.
11. The use of social media sites to break any of the MTTPOKER rules will not be tolerated. Poker related abuse or bullying of any player will immediately result in disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion from the league.
12. Most importantly, have fun and be kind to each other!