No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em Rules

IMPORTANT! Please take some time to read these rules before attending our events - this will help make the nights more enjoyable for everyone

Adjudication

•  The organisers of the tournament are to consider the best interest of the game and fairness as the top priority in the decision-making process. Unusual circumstances can, on occasion, dictate that the technical interpretation of the rules be ignored in the interest of fairness. The tournament organisers' decisions are final.

Betting Procedures

•  The action of betting is physically defined as the release of chips after a single, forward motion.

•  Above all, verbal declarations in turn are binding. A player who declares a call, raise, fold, must do so to the limit that his/her chips allow. If simultaneous declarations are made (tossing in a raise and saying call), the verbal declaration takes precedence.

•  Action out of turn is not binding. The deliberate intention to act out of turn will result in a penalty.

•  String betting (placing out bets with more than one motion without verbally declaring your intention) is forbidden. Any betting motions after the first motion will be dismissed.

•  By stating the word "raise", a player protects his/her right to raise, but the raise must be made in one additional motion unless (s)he states the amount beforehand.

•  A bet must be at least the amount of the big blind.

•  A raise must be at least the amount of the previous bet.

•  If a player puts in a bet below the minimum allowed that is equal or above 50%, the player will be required to make a full raise. The raise will be exactly the minimum raise allowed. If a player cannot cover the full minimum raise, (s)he must go all-in.

•  If a player puts in an amount that is less than 50% of the minimum allowed bet, the player is considered to have called and is returned the excess chips.

• When a player throws in an oversized bet without making a verbal declaration:

• Pre-flop, an oversized bet is a call.
• Post-flop, an oversized bet by the initial bettor will constitute the size of the bet.
• Post-flop, an oversized bet by a player facing a bet will be considered a call.
• If a player states just the word "raise" and throws in an oversized bet, the raise will be that amount.

Split Pots, Side Pots, and All-ins

• A player who is all-in must show his/her cards at the showdown.

• In the case of a split pot when there are two or more high hands, the chip(s) will be split as evenly as possible (chips may need to be broken down into smaller denominations) with any odd chip(s) left over given out to the winning player with the worst position (left of the button being the worst).

• Each side pot will be split as a separate pot. They will not be mixed together before they are split.

• When a player creates a side pot by going all-in, the side pot will be the current pot plus each call up to the amount of the all-in. Any raises (or calls in the case of a below-the-limit all-in) go into the new pot.

• At the showdown with a side pot, the player who is all-in can only win the pot set aside when (s)he went all-in. After the winner of that hand is resolved, the players involved in the main pot determine the winner without regard to the all-in hand.

• In case of multiple side pots, a player can only win up to what (s)he put in times the number of calls up to the all-in amount.

• Less than a full raise in an all-in situation does not re-open the betting to a player who has already acted.

Blinds

• Players must post blinds before cards are dealt.

• If a player does not have enough to cover his/her blind, a side pot is created before cards are dealt and the side pot will equal the amount of the all-in times the number of callers.

• When heads up, the blinds are reversed. The player on the button has the small blind.

• In the hand after a big blind is eliminated, the button will move normally and there will be no small blind. The following hand, the button will move into the position where the eliminated player was, creating a dead button situation.

• In the hand after a small blind is eliminated, the button will move into the position where the eliminated player was, creating a dead button situation.

• In the hand after both blinds are eliminated, the button will move into the position where the former small blind was and there will be no small blind. The following hand, the button will move into the position where the former big blind was.

• Through players being eliminated, no player should miss a big or small blind.

Chips

• All chips must be visibly displayed at all times. Players may not have tournament chips in their pockets at any time. A player who has chips in his pocket will forfeit the chips. The forfeited chips will be taken out of play from the tournament. Any other form of "ratholing" will be dealt with similarly.

• Players must keep their highest denomination chips visible at all times.

• There will be no foreign chips allowed on the table.

• At the request of the organiser, a player must exchange his/her chips for chips of a different denomination.

Killing a Hand / Dead Hands

• Another player may call for a clock against a player who is taking an unreasonable amount of time to make a decision. Once a clock is called for, the player with action will be given one minute to make a decision. There will be a 10-second countdown if necessary. If a player has not acted on his/her hand by the time the countdown is over, the hand will be dead.

• If a live player leaves during a hand, there will be no minute countdown and the hand will be declared dead.

• A player must be in their seat by the time it is his/her action in order to have a live hand. Otherwise the blinds will be forfeited, if applicable, and the hand will be folded.

• If a live hand touches the muck, it will immediately be ruled dead.

• If an unprotected hand is killed, the player will have no redress and will not be entitled to his money back. An exception would be if a player raised and his raise had not been called yet, he would be entitled to receive his raise back.

• A winning hand that was turned face up and was obviously the winning hand cannot be killed.

Verbal Discussion

• Verbally disclosing the true contents of your hand will cause the hand to be killed and a penalty will be given by the organisers.

• A player cannot verify the contents of a live hand that was verbally disclosed. Only an organiser may check those contents after the hand is over, but before the pot has been awarded. If the hand is verified but is not in violation of the previous rule, the contents will not be revealed by the organiser to anyone.

• If a verbally disclosed hand is killed through verification after the hand, the pot goes to the best hand among the remaining players at the showdown, or to the last player to fold.

• By definition, verbal disclosure must include the actual ranks or suits, or any synonym to the ranks or suits. Nicknames for specific two-hand combinations like "Big Slick" or "American Airlines" will also constitute verbal disclosure. Furthermore, only a definitive declaration will constitute a verbal disclosure. Language like "may", "might", or "could" could nullify a declaration as verbal disclosure.

• Advising a player how to play a hand will result in a penalty.

• Verbal declarations as to the content of a player's hand at the showdown are not binding (cards speak); however at the organisers' discretion, any player deliberately miscalling his/her hand to induce other players to reveal their cards will be penalised.

• Players are obligated to protect the other players in the tournament at all times. Discussing cards discarded or hand possibilities are not allowed.

Exposing Cards

• During the initial deal, if any pocket card is exposed due to dealer error, it is a misdeal.

• A player who exposes his/her cards during the play may incur a penalty, but will not have his/her hand killed. If any player at the table saw the exposed cards, any other player has a right to know what the exposed card or cards were. If a player unintentionally exposes his/her cards during play, his/her hand will not be ruled dead. If any player at the table saw the exposed card(s), then any other player at the table has the right to know what the exposed card(s) was.

• At the showdown players begin to show their cards starting with the player to the left of the last to call. A player may "muck" his cards if they cannot win over a previously shown hand. If the house suspects cheating or collusion, you may be asked to expose your cards to the tournament organiser, and/or the other players.

• Any player who is live during the showdown must reveal both hole cards.

• Any player may ask another player to reveal his/her pocket cards if they were exposed to any player at the table.

• A player may not ask to see both pocket cards from another player who revealed them to a spectator.

Penalty Situations

• Penalties available for use by the tournament organisers are verbal warnings and 5 minutes away from the table, and may be used with discretion. These may be utilised up to and including disqualification. A player who is disqualified will have his/her chips removed from play.

• A penalty may be invoked if a player exposes any card with action pending, if a card(s) goes off the table, if soft-play occurs, or similar incidents take place. Penalties WILL be invoked in cases of abuse, disruptive behaviour, or similar incidents.

Going up in Levels

• When time has elapsed in a round and a new round is announced, the new limits apply to the next hand. The hand begins when the first card is dealt.

• Excessive stalling during a hand to receive a favourable position prior to a limit change may result in a penalty.

• As levels progress it may be necessary to exchange chips of a low denomination for chips of a higher denomination. When this happens, players may have odd chips which will be rounded to the nearest multiple of the lowest denomination chip in play.

Multi-table rules

• Initial tournament seats will be randomly assigned by a computer.

• A player moved to balance two tables will be the big blind. The moved player will either take the big blind position on the new table if available, or take the first empty seat clockwise from the big blind.

• Players going from a broken table to fill in seats assume the responsibilities of their new position. They may receive any position from blind to button and will be placed by a tournament director.

• The only place a moved player cannot be placed is between the small blind and the button. If it is necessary for a player to be moved to this position, that player must sit out that hand.

• Prior to the "bubble" (the point where only a few more players must be eliminated for all remaining players to be guaranteed a portion of the prize pool), the tournament may be played "hand-for-hand". This means that each table will wait until all other tables finish their hands before starting another. This deters stalling by players in an attempt to place higher.

• Hand-for-hand play may also be instituted during times where stalling to receive a higher place in the tournament would be advantageous to any player.

Miscellaneous Rules

• One player to a hand. During the hand, a player may not discuss play with other players, spectators, or tournament organisers.

• English only is to be spoken at the tables, irrespective of whether players are in the tournament.

• A player who wants to use a mobile phone or any communication device must step away from the table.

• A player may not leave a camera, mobile phone, any recording instrument, or highly reflective item on the table.

• Deck changes will be when a deck has been damaged sufficiently for a card to be considered marked. Players may not ask for deck changes unless proof can be made that certain cards can be construed as "marked".

• Rabbit hunting (asking to see additional board cards after play is over) is forbidden as it can give insight into players' hands by reducing the possible number of unknowns.

• The tournament directors reserve the right to cancel or alter any event at its sole discretion in the best interest of the tournament and/or its players.

• Dealers are not guaranteed at any table.

• The final table may begin with 10 players.

• Any players who have queries, comments or complaints, should contact Cambridge Poker via the Contact Us page of this website.