Roberts Rules Of Poker
Roberts
Rules Of Poker are the work of Robert Ciaffone, an
authority on cardroom rules. Bob authored the first
comprehensive set of poker rules for the general public.
The goal of this rulebook is to produce the best set
of rules in existence for use in public cardrooms.
Official Rulebook
Welcome to SAPA. Your presence means that you agree
to abide by our rules and procedures. You are accepting
these rules to be the final authority on all matters
relating to that game.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(1) PROPER BEHAVIOR
(2) HOUSE POLICIES
(3) GENERAL POKER RULES
(4) BUTTON AND BLIND USE
(5) TEXAS HOLDEM RULES
(6) OMAHA HIGH
(7) OMAHA
HIGH-LOW RULES
(8) SEVEN-CARD STUD
(9) SEVEN-CARD STUD HIGH-LOW
(10) RAZZ RULES
(11) LOWBALL RULES
(12) DRAW HIGH and JACKS OR
BETTER RULES
(13)
KILL POTS
(14) NO-LIMIT AND POT-LIMIT
(15) TOURNAMENT RULES
(16) EXPLANATIONS
(1)
PROPER BEHAVIOR
CONDUCT CODE
Management will attempt to maintain a pleasant environment
for our customers and employees, but is not responsible
for the conduct of any player. We have established
a code of conduct, and may deny the use of our cardroom
to anyone who violates it. The following is not permitted:
- Collusion with another player or any other form
of cheating.
- Verbally or physically threatening any patron or
employee.
- Using profanity or obscene language.
- Creating a disturbance by arguing, shouting, or
making excessive noise.
- Throwing, tearing, bending, or crumpling cards.
- Destroying or defacing property.
- Using an illegal substance.
- Carrying a weapon.
POKER ETIQUETTE
The following actions are improper, and grounds for
warning, suspending, or barring a violator:
- Deliberately acting out of turn.
- Deliberately splashing chips into the pot.
- Agreeing to check a hand out when a third player
is all-in.
- Reading a hand for another player at showdown before
it has been placed face-up on the table.
- Telling anyone to turn a hand face-up at the showdown.
- Revealing the contents of a live hand in a multi-handed
pot before the betting is complete.
- Needlessly stalling the action of a game.
- Deliberately discarding hands away from the muck.
Cards should be released in a low line of flight,
at a moderate rate of speed (not at the dealer's hands
or chip-rack).
- Stacking chips in a manner that interferes with
dealing or viewing cards.
- Making statements or taking action that could unfairly
influence the course of play, whether or not the offender
is involved in the pot.
TOBACCO USE
(These rules are for an establishment that does not
completely bar smoking.)
- The seat on each side of the dealer is a nonsmoking
seat.
- Cigar or pipe smoking is not allowed in the cardroom.
- Smoking by a guest or spectator is not allowed.
(2)
HOUSE POLICIES
DECISION MAKING
1. Management reserves the right to make decisions
in the spirit of fairness, even if a strict interpretation
of the rules may indicate a different ruling.
2. Decisions of the shift supervisor are final.
3. 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.
4. If an incorrect rule interpretation or decision
by an employee is made in good faith, the establishment
has no liability.
5. 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.
6. If a pot has been incorrectly awarded and mingled
with chips that were not in the pot, but the time
limit for a ruling request given in the previous rule
has been complied with, management may determine how
much was in the pot by reconstructing the betting,
and then transfer that amount to the proper player.
7. To keep the action moving, it is possible that
a game may be asked to continue even though a decision
is delayed for a short period. The delay could be
needed to check overhead camera tape, get the shift
supervisor to give the ruling, or some other good
reason. In such circumstances, a pot or portion thereof
may be impounded by the house while the decision is
pending.
8. The same action may have a different meaning, depending
on who does it, so the possible intent of an offender
will be taken into consideration. Some factors here
are the person's amount of poker experience and past
record.
PROCEDURES
1. Management will decide when to start or close any
game.
2. Collections (seat rental fees) are paid in advance.
In all time-collection games, the dealer is required
to pick up the collection from each player before
dealing the first hand. A player not wishing to pay
collection may play one courtesy hand in stud, and
may play until the blind in button games, provided
no one is waiting for the game. If there is more than
one person on the list for that game when the collection
becomes due, everyone must pay collection. A new player
is not required to pay if there is either no list
or only one person waiting.
3. Cash is not permitted on the table. All cash should
be changed into chips in order to play. If a player
appears unaware of this rule and attempts to play
unnoticed cash that was on the table during a pot,
the dealer may let the cash play if no one in the
pot objects, then have all the cash changed into chips
after the hand. Any chips from another establishment
are not permitted on the table, do not play in the
game, and if discovered will be treated similarly
to unnoticed cash. [See Section 16 – "Explanations,"
discussion #5, for more information on this rule.]
4. The establishment is not responsible for any shortage
or removal of chips left on the table during a player's
absence, even though we will try to protect everyone
as best we can.
5. All games are table stakes (except "playing
behind" as given in the next rule). All chips
and money must be kept in plain view. Chips may be
removed for security purposes when leaving the table,
but must be fully restored upon return. If you return
to the same game within one hour of cashing out, your
buy-in must be equal to the amount removed when leaving
that game.
6. "Playing behind" is allowed only for
the amount of purchased chips while awaiting their
arrival. The amount must be announced to the table,
or only the amount of the minimum buy-in plays.
7. Playing out of a rack is not allowed.
8. Only one person may play a hand.
9. No one is allowed to play another player's chips.
10. Permission is required before taking a seat in
a game.
11. Playing over without permission from the floorperson
is not allowed. A play-over box is required. Permission
from the absent player is not necessary.
12. Pushing bets ("saving" or "potting
out") is not allowed.
13. Pushing an ante or posting for another person
is not allowed.
14. Splitting pots will not be allowed in any game.
Chopping the big and small blind by taking them back
when all other players have folded is allowed in button
games.
15. Insurance propositions are not allowed. Dealing
twice (or three times) when all-in is permitted at
big-bet poker.
16. The game's betting limit will not be changed if
two or more players object. Raising the limit is subject
to management approval.
17. Players must keep cards in full view. This means
above table-level and not past the edge of the table.
The cards should not be covered by the hands in a
manner to completely conceal them.
18. Any player is entitled to a clear view of an opponent's
chips. Higher denomination chips should be easily
visible.
19. Your chips may be picked up if you are away from
the table for more than 30 minutes. Your absence may
be extended if you notify a floorperson in advance.
Frequent or continuous absences may cause your chips
to be picked up from the table.
20. A lock-up in a new game will be picked up after
five minutes if someone is waiting to play. No seat
may be locked up for more than ten minutes if someone
is waiting to play.
21. A new deck must be used for at least a full round
(once around the table) before it may be changed,
and a new setup must be used for at least an hour,
unless a deck is defective or damaged, or cards become
sticky.
22. Looking through the discards or deck stub is not
allowed.
23. After a deal ends, dealers are asked to not show
what card would have been dealt.
24. A player is expected to pay attention to the game
and not hold up play. Activity that interferes with
this such as reading at the table is discouraged,
and the player will be asked to cease if a problem
is caused.
25. A non-player may not sit at the table.
26. In non-tournament games, you may have a guest
sit behind you if no one in the game objects. It is
improper for a guest to look at any hand other then
your own.
27. Speaking a foreign language during a deal is not
allowed.
SEATING
1. You must be present to add your name to a waiting
list.
2. It is the player's responsibility to be in the
playing area and hear the list being called. A player
who intends to leave the playing area should notify
the list-person, and can leave money for a lockup.
The lockup amount is R20.
3. When there is more than one game of the same stakes
and poker form, and a must-move is not being used,
the house will control the seating of new players
to best preserve the viability of existing games.
A new player will be sent to the game most in need
of an additional player. A transfer to a similar game
is not allowed if it makes the game being left shorter-handed
than the game being entered.
4. A player may not hold a seat in more than one game.
5. The house reserves the right to require that any
two players not play in the same game (husband and
wife, relatives, business partners, and so forth).
6. When a button game starts, active players will
draw a card for the button position. The button will
be awarded to the highest card by suit for all high
and high-low games, and to the lowest card by suit
for all low games.
7. In a new game, the player who arrives at the table
the earliest gets first choice of remaining seats.
If two players want the same seat and arrive at the
same time, the higher player on the list has preference.
A player playing a pot in another game may have a
designated seat locked up until that hand is finished.
Management may reserve a certain seat for a player,
as to assist in ease of reading the board for a person
with a vision problem, or some other good reason.
8. To avoid a seating dispute, a supervisor may start
the game with one extra player over the normal number
participating. If so, a seat will be removed as soon
as someone quits the game.
9. In order to protect an existing game, a forced
move may be invoked when an additional game of the
same type and limit is started. The must-move list
is maintained in the same order as the original waiting
list. If a player refuses to move into the main game,
that player will be forced to quit, and may not play
in the must-move game or get on that list for one
hour.
10. You must play in a new game or must-move game
to retain your place on the list, if by your playing
there would be three or fewer empty seats.
11. In all button games, a player going from a must-move
game to the main game may play until due for the big
blind. The player must then enter the game as a new
player, and may either post an amount equal to the
big blind or wait for the big blind. In all stud games,
a player may play only one more hand before moving.
12. A player who is already in the game has precedence
over a new player for any seat when it becomes available.
However, no change will occur after a new player has
been seated, or after that player's buy-in or marker
has been placed on the table, unless that particular
seat had been previously requested. For players already
in the game, the one who asks the earliest has preference
for a seat change.
13. In button games a player voluntarily locking a
seat in another game must move immediately if there
is a waiting list of two or more names for the seat
being vacated, except that the player is entitled
to play the button if a blind has already been taken.
Otherwise, a player may play up to the blind before
moving. In a stud game, a player changing tables may
play only the present hand if someone is waiting for
the seat being vacated, or one more hand when no one
is waiting.
14. When a game breaks, each player may draw a card
to determine the seating order for a similar game.
The floorperson draws a card for an absent player.
If the card entitles the absent player to an immediate
seat, the player has until due for the big blind in
a button game to take the seat (two hands in a stud
game), and will be put first up on the list if not
back in time.
(3)
GENERAL POKER RULES
THE BUY-IN
1. When you enter a game, you must make a full buy-in
for that game. A full buy-in at limit poker is at
least ten times the maximum bet for the game being
played, unless designated otherwise.
2. You are allowed to make only one short buy-in for
a game. Adding to your stack is not considered a buy-in,
and may be done in any quantity between hands.
3. A player who is forced to transfer from a broken
game or must-move game to a game of the same limit
may continue to play the same amount of money, even
if it is less than the minimum buy-in. A player switching
games voluntarily must have the proper buy-in size
for the new game.
MISDEALS
1. The following circumstances cause a misdeal, provided
attention is called to the error before two players
have acted on their hands. (If two players have acted
in turn, the deal must be played to conclusion, as
explained in rule #2)
(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.
2. Action is considered to occur in stud games when
two players after the forced bet have acted on their
hands. In button games, action is considered to occur
when two players after the blinds have acted on their
hands. Once action occurs, a misdeal can no longer
be declared. The hand will be played to conclusion
and no money will be returned to any player whose
hand is fouled.
DEAD HANDS
1. 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) In stud, when facing a bet, you pick your up cards
off the table, turn your up cards facedown, or mix
your up cards and down cards together.
(d) The hand does not contain the proper number of
cards for that particular game (except at stud a hand
missing the final card may be ruled live, and at lowball
and draw high a hand with too few cards before the
draw is live). [See Section 16 - "Explanations,"
discussion #4, for more information on the stud portion
of this rule.]
(e) You act on a hand with a joker as a hole card
in a game not using a joker. (A player who acts on
a hand without looking at a card assumes the liability
of finding an improper card, as given in Irregularities,
rule #8.)
(f) 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
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 false information given to the player.
3. Cards thrown into another player's hand are dead,
whether they are face-up or facedown.
IRREGULARITIES
1. In button games, 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).
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. 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,
all action stands.
4. 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 (subject to next rule).
5. 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.
6. If there is extra money in the pot on a deal as
a result of forfeited money from the previous deal
(as per rule #5), or some similar reason, only a player
dealt in on the previous deal is entitled to a hand.
7. A card discovered face up 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 face up in the deck will be
replaced after all other cards are dealt for that
round.
8. A joker that appears in a game where it is not
used 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 previous rule. If the player
does not call attention to the joker before acting,
then the player has a dead hand.
9. 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.
10. One or more cards missing from the deck does not
invalidate the results of a hand.
11. 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.
12. Procedure for an exposed card varies with the
poker form, and is given in the section for each game.
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.
13. If a card is exposed due to dealer error, a player
does not have an option to take or reject the card.
The situation will be governed by the rules for the
particular game being played.
14. If you drop a card on the floor out of your hand,
you must still play that card.
15. 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.
BETTING AND RAISING
1. Check-raise is permitted in all games, except in
certain forms of lowball.
2. In no-limit and pot-limit games, unlimited raising
is allowed.
3. In limit, for a pot involving three or more players
who are not all-in, these limits on raises apply:
(a) A game with three or more betting rounds allows
a maximum of a bet and three raises.
(b) A game with two betting rounds (such as lowball
or draw) allows a maximum of a bet and four raises.
[See "Section 16 - Explanations," discussion
#6, for more information on this rule.]
4. Unlimited raising is allowed in heads-up play.
This applies any time the action becomes head-up before
the raising has been capped. Once the raising is capped
on a betting round, it cannot be uncapped by a subsequent
fold that leaves two players heads-up.
5. In limit play, an all-in wager of less than half
a bet does not reopen the betting for any player who
has already acted and is in the pot for all previous
bets. A player facing less than half a bet may fold,
call, or complete the wager. An all-in wager of a
half a bet or more is treated as a full bet, and a
player may fold, call, or make a full raise. (An example
of a full raise is on a R20 betting round, raising
a R15 all-in bet to R35).
6. Any wager must be at least the size of the previous
bet or raise in that round, unless a player is going
all-in.
7. The smallest chip that may be wagered in a game
is the smallest chip used in the antes, blinds, rake,
or collection. (Certain games may use a special rule
that does not allow chips used only in house revenue
to play.) Smaller chips than this do not play even
in quantity, so a player wanting action on such chips
must change them up between deals. If betting is in
Rand units or greater, a fraction of a Rand does not
play. A player going all-in must put all chips that
play into the pot.
8. A verbal statement denotes your action and is binding.
If in turn you verbally declare a fold, check, bet,
call, or raise, you are forced to take that action.
9. Rapping the table with your hand is a pass.
10. Deliberately acting out of turn will not be tolerated.
A player who checks out of turn may not bet or raise
on the next 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.
11. To retain the right to act, a player must stop
the action by calling "time" (or an equivalent
word). Failure to stop the action before three or
more players have acted behind you may cause you to
lose the right to act. You cannot forfeit your right
to act if any player in front of you has not acted,
only if you fail to act when it legally becomes your
turn. Therefore, if you wait for someone whose turn
comes before you, and three or more players act behind
you, this still does not hinder your right to act.
12. A player who bets or calls by releasing chips
into the pot is bound by that action. However, if
you are unaware that the pot has been raised, you
may withdraw that money and reconsider your action,
provided that no one else has acted after you.
13. In limit poker, if you make a forward motion with
chips and thus cause another player to act, you may
be forced to complete your action.
14. String raises are not allowed. To protect your
right to raise, you should either declare your intention
verbally or place the proper amount of chips into
the pot. 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.)
15. If you put a single chip in the pot that is larger
than the bet, but do not announce a raise, you are
assumed to have only called. Example: In a R3-R6 game,
when a player bets R6 and the next player puts a R25
chip in the pot without saying anything, that player
has merely called the R6 bet.
16. 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.
This includes actions such as betting a lower amount
than the minimum bring-in (other than going all-in)
and betting the lower limit on an upper limit betting
round. If a wager is supposed to be made in a rounded
off amount, is not, and must be corrected, it shall
be changed to the proper amount nearest in size. No
one who has acted may change a call to a raise because
the wager size has been changed.
THE SHOWDOWN
1. A player must show all cards in the hand face-up
on the table to win any part of the pot.
2. Cards speak (cards read for themselves). The dealer
assists in reading hands, but players are responsible
for holding onto their cards until the winner is declared.
Although verbal declarations as to the contents of
a hand are not binding, deliberately miscalling a
hand with the intent of causing another player to
discard a winning hand is unethical and may result
in forfeiture of the pot. (For more information on
miscalling a hand see "Section 11 - Lowball,"
Rule 15 and Rule 16.)
3. Any player, dealer, or floorperson who sees an
incorrect amount of chips put into the pot, or an
error about to be made in awarding a pot, has an ethical
obligation to point out the error. Please help us
keep mistakes of this nature to a minimum.
4. All losing hands will be killed by the dealer before
a pot is awarded.
5. Any player who has been dealt in may request to
see any hand that has been called, even if the opponent's
hand or the winning hand has been mucked. However,
this 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.
6. If you show cards to another player during or after
a deal, any player at the table has the right to see
those exposed cards. Cards shown during a deal to
a player not in the pot should only be shown to all
players when the deal is finished.
7. 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 is a side pot, players involved in
the side pot should show their hands before anyone
all-in for only the main pot.
TIES
1. The ranking of suits from highest to lowest is
spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs. Suits never break
a tie for winning a pot. Suits are used to break a
tie between cards of the same rank (no re-deal or
redraw).
2. Dealing a card to each player is used to determine
things like who moves to another table. If the cards
are dealt, the order is clockwise starting with the
first player on the dealer's left (the button position
is irrelevant). Drawing a card is used to determine
things like who gets the button in a new game, or
seating order coming from a broken game.
3. An odd chip will be broken down to the smallest
unit used in the game.
4. No player may receive more than one odd chip.
5. If two or more hands tie, an odd chip will be awarded
as follows:
(a) In a button game, the first hand clockwise from
the button gets the odd chip.
(b) In a stud game, the odd chip will be given to
the highest card by suit in all high games, and to
the lowest card by suit in all low games. (When making
this determination, all cards are used, not just the
five cards that constitute the player's hand.)
(c) In high-low split games, the high hand receives
the odd chip in a split between the high and the low
hands. The odd chip between tied high hands is awarded
as in a high game of that poker form, and the odd
chip between tied low hands is awarded as in a low
game of that poker form.
(d) All side pots and the main pot will be split as
separate pots, not mixed together.
(4)
BUTTON AND BLIND USE
In button games, a non-playing dealer normally does
the actual dealing. A round disk called the button
is used to indicate which player has the dealer position.
The player with the button is last to receive cards
on the initial deal and has the right of last action
after the first betting round. The button moves clockwise
after a deal ends to rotate the advantage of last
action. One or more blind bets are usually used to
stimulate action and initiate play. Blinds are posted
before the players look at their cards. Blinds are
part of a player's bet, unless the structure of a
game or the situation requires part or all of a particular
blind to be "dead." Dead chips are not part
of a player's bet. With two blinds, the small blind
is posted by the player immediately clockwise from
the button, and the big blind is posted by the player
two positions clockwise from the button. With more
than two blinds, the little blind is normally left
of the button (not on it). Action is initiated on
the first betting round by the first player to the
left of the blinds. On all subsequent betting rounds,
the action begins with the first active player to
the left of the button.
RULES FOR USING BLINDS
1. Each round every player must get an opportunity
for the button, and meet the total amount of the blind
obligations. Either of the following methods of button
and blind placement may be designated to do this:
(a) Moving button – The button always moves forward
to the next player and the blinds adjust accordingly.
There may be more than one big blind.
(b) Dead button – The big blind is posted by the player
due for it, and the small blind and button are positioned
accordingly, even if this means the small blind or
the button is placed in front of an empty seat, giving
the same player the privilege of last action on consecutive
hands. [See "Section 16 – Explanations,"
discussion #1, for more information on this rule.]
2. A player who posts a blind has the option of raising
the pot at the first turn to act. (This does not apply
when a "dead blind" for the collection is
used in a game and has been posted).
3. In heads-up play with two blinds, the small blind
is on the button.
4. A new player entering the game has the following
options:
(a) Wait for the big blind.
(b) Post an amount equal to the big blind and immediately
be dealt a hand. (In lowball, a new player must either
post an amount double the big blind or wait for the
big blind.)
5. A new player who elects to let the button go by
once without posting is not treated as a player in
the game who has missed a blind, and needs to post
only the big blind when entering the game.
6. A person playing over is considered a new player,
and must post the amount of the big blind or wait
for the big blind.
7. A new player cannot be dealt in between the big
blind and the button. Blinds may not be made up between
the big blind and the button. You must wait until
the button passes. [See "Section 16 – Explanations,"
discussion #3, for more information on this rule.]
8. When you post the big blind, it serves as your
opening bet. When it is your next turn to act, you
have the option to raise.
9. A player who misses any or all blinds can resume
play by either posting all the blinds missed or waiting
for the big blind. If you choose to post the total
amount of the blinds, an amount up to the size of
the minimum opening bet is live. The remainder is
taken by the dealer to the center of the pot and is
not part of your bet. When it is your next turn to
act, you have the option to raise.
10. If a player who owes a blind (as a result of a
missed blind) is dealt in without posting, the hand
is dead if the player looks at it before putting up
the required chips, and has not yet acted. If the
player acts on the hand and plays it, putting chips
into the pot before the error is discovered, the hand
is live, and the player is required to post on the
next deal.
11. A player who goes all-in and loses is obligated
to make up the blinds if they are missed before a
rebuy is made. (The person is not treated as a new
player when reentering.)
12. These rules about blinds apply to a newly started
game:
(a) Any player who drew for the button is considered
active in the game and is required to make up any
missed blinds.
(b) A new player will not be required to post a blind
until the button has made one complete revolution
around the table, provided a blind has not yet passed
that seat.
(c) A player may change seats without penalty, provided
a blind has not yet passed the new seat.
13. In all multiple-blind games, a player who changes
seats will be dealt in on the first available hand
in the same relative position. Example: If you move
two active positions away from the big blind, you
must wait two hands before being dealt in again. If
you move closer to the big blind, you can be dealt
in without any penalty. If you do not wish to wait
and have not yet missed a blind, then you can post
an amount equal to the big blind and receive a hand.
(Exception: At lowball you must kill the pot, wait
for the same relative position, or wait for the big
blind; see "Section 11 – Lowball," rule
#7.)
14. A player who "deals off" (by playing
the button and then immediately getting up to change
seats) can allow the blinds to pass the new seat one
time and reenter the game behind the button without
having to post a blind.
15. A live "straddle bet" is not allowed
at limit poker except in specified games.
(For
Sections 5 through 12, see links to individual game
rule pages)
(13)
KILL POTS
To kill a pot means to post an overblind that increases
the betting limit. A full kill is double the amount
of the big blind, and doubles the betting limits.
A half kill is one-and-a-half times the big blind,
and increases the betting limits by that amount. A
kill may be optional in a game, and is often used
at lowball when a player wants to be dealt in right
away instead of waiting to take the big blind. A kill
may be required in a game for any time a specified
event takes place. In high-low split games using a
required kill, a player who scoops a pot bigger than
a set size must kill the next pot. In other games
using a required kill, a player who wins two consecutive
pots must kill the next pot. In this type of kill
game, a marker called a "kill button" indicates
which player has won the pot, and the winner keeps
this marker until the next hand is completed. If the
player who has the kill button wins a second consecutive
pot and it qualifies monetarily that player must kill
the next pot.
RULES OF KILL POTS
1. The kill button is neutral (belonging to no player)
if:
(a) It is the first hand of a new game.
(b) The winner of the previous pot has quit the game.
(c) The previous pot was split and neither player
had the kill button.
2. In a kill pot, the killer acts in proper turn (after
the person on the immediate right).
3. There is no pot-size requirement for the first
pot or "leg" of a kill. For the second "leg"
to qualify for a kill, you must win at least one full
bet for whatever limit you are playing, and it cannot
be any part of the blind structure.
4. If a player with one "leg up" splits
the next pot, that player still has a "leg up"
for the next hand. If the player who split the pot
was the kill in the previous hand, then that player
must also kill the next pot.
5. A person who leaves the table with a "leg
up" toward a kill still has a "leg up"
upon returning to the game.
6. A player who is required to post a kill must do
so that same hand even if wishing to quit or be dealt
out. A player who fails to post a required kill blind
will not be allowed to participate in any game until
the kill money is posted.
7. Kill blinds are considered part of the pot. If
a player with a required kill wins again, then that
player must kill it again (for the same amount as
the previous hand).
8. When a player wins both the high and the low pot
("scoops") in a split-pot game with a kill
provision, the next hand will be killed only if the
pot is at least five times the size of the upper limit
of the game.
9. If you are unaware that the pot has been killed
and put in a lesser amount, if it is a required kill
pot with the kill button faceup, you must put in the
correct amount. If not, you may withdraw the chips
and reconsider your action.
10. In lowball, an optional rule is allowing players
to look at their first two cards and then opt whether
to kill the pot. The pot may no longer be killed if
any player in the game has received a third card.
In order to kill the pot voluntarily, you must have
at least four times the amount of the kill blind in
your stack. For example: If the big blind is two chips,
and the kill blind is four chips, the voluntary killer
must have at least 16 chips prior to posting the kill.
If this rule is used, it is in conjunction with having
the killer act last on the first betting round rather
than in proper order.
11. Only one kill is allowed per deal.
12. A new player is not entitled to play in a killed
pot but may do so by agreeing to kill the next pot.
13. Broken game status is allowed only for players
of the same limit and game type. For this purpose,
a game with a required kill is considered a different
type of game than an otherwise similar game without
a required kill.
(14)
NO LIMIT AND POT-LIMIT
A no-limit or pot-limit betting structure for a game
gives it a different character from limit poker, requiring
a separate set of rules in many situations. All the
rules for limit games apply to no-limit and pot-limit
games, except as noted in this section. No-limit means
that the amount of a wager is limited only by the
table stakes rule, so any part or all of a player's
chips may be wagered. The rules of no-limit play also
apply to pot-limit play, except that a bet may not
exceed the pot size. For those rules that apply only
to no-limit and pot-limit lowball, see the sub-section
at the end of "Section 11 – Lowball."
NO-LIMIT RULES
1. The number of raises in any betting round is unlimited.
2. All bets must be at least equal to the minimum
bring-in, unless the player is going all-in.
3. 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 checked or called may not subsequently raise
an all-in bet that is less than the full size of the
last bet or raise. (The half-the-size rule for reopening
the betting is for limit poker only.)
Example: Player A bets R100 and Player B raises R100
more, making the total bet R200. If Player C goes
all in for less than R300 total (not a full R100 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.)
4. A wager is not binding until the chips are actually
released into the pot, unless the player has made
a verbal statement of action.
5. 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.
6. If a call is short due to a counting error, the
amount must be corrected, even if the bettor has shown
down a superior hand.
7. Because the amount of a wager at big-bet poker
has such a wide range, a player who has taken action
based on a gross misunderstanding of the amount wagered
needs some protection. A bettor should not show down
a hand until the amount put into the pot for a call
seems reasonably correct, or it is obvious that the
caller understands the amount wagered. The decision-maker
is allowed considerable discretion in ruling on this
type of situation. A possible rule-of-thumb is to
disallow any claim of not understanding the amount
wagered if the caller has put eighty percent or more
of that amount into the pot. Example: On the end,
a player puts a R500 chip into the pot and says softly,
"Four hundred." The opponent puts a R100
chip into the pot and says, "Call." The
bettor immediately shows the hand. The dealer says,
"He bet four hundred." The caller says,
"Oh, I thought he bet a hundred." In this
case, the recommended ruling normally is that the
bettor had an obligation to not show the hand when
the amount put into the pot was obviously short, and
the "call" can be retracted. Note that the
character of each player can be a factor. (Unfortunately,
situations can arise at big-bet poker that are not
so clear-cut as this.)
8. A player who says "raise" is allowed
to continue putting chips into the pot with more than
one move; the wager is assumed complete when the player's
hands come to rest outside the pot area. (This rule
is used because no-limit play may require a large
number of chips be put into the pot.)
9. A bet of a single chip or bill without comment
is considered to be the full amount of the chip or
bill allowed. However, a player acting on a previous
bet with a larger denomination chip or bill is calling
the previous bet unless this player makes a verbal
declaration to raise the pot. (This includes acting
on the forced bet of the big blind.)
10. If a player tries to bet or raise less than the
legal minimum and has more chips, the wager must be
increased to the proper size. (This does not apply
to a player who has unintentionally put too much in
to call.) The wager is brought up to the sufficient
amount only, no greater size.
11. All wagers may be required to be in the same denomination
of chip (or larger) used for the minimum bring-in,
even if smaller chips are used in the blind structure.
If this is done, the smaller chips do not play except
in quantity, even when going all-in.
12. In non-tournament games, one optional live straddle
is allowed. The player who posts the straddle has
last action for the first betting round and is allowed
to raise. To straddle a player must be on the immediate
left of the big blind, and must post an amount twice
the size of the big blind.
13. In all no-limit and pot-limit games, the house
has the right to place a maximum time limit for taking
action on your hand. The clock may be put on someone
by the dealer as directed by a floorperson, if a player
requests it. If the clock is put on you when you are
facing a bet, you will have one additional minute
to act on your hand. You will have a ten-second warning,
after which your hand is dead if you have not acted.
14. The cardroom does not condone "insurance"
or any other "proposition" wagers. The management
will decline to make decisions in such matters, and
the pot will be awarded to the best hand. Players
are asked to refrain from instigating proposition
wagers in any form. The players are allowed to agree
to deal twice (or three times) when someone is all-in.
"Dealing twice" means the pot is divided
in two, with each portion being dealt for separately.
POT-LIMIT RULES
1. If a wager is made that exceeds the pot size, the
surplus will be given back to the bettor as soon as
possible, and the amount will be reduced to the maximum
allowable.
2. The dealer or any player in the game can and should
call attention to a wager that appears to exceed the
pot size (this also applies to heads-up pots). The
oversize wager may be corrected at any point until
all players have acted on it.
3. If an oversize wager has stood for a length of
time with someone considering what action to take,
that person has had to act on a wager that was thought
to be a certain size. If the player then decides to
call or raise, and attention is called at this late
point to whether this is an allowable amount, the
floorperson may rule that the oversize amount must
stand (especially if the person now trying to reduce
the amount is the person that made the wager).
4. The maximum amount a player can raise is the amount
in the pot after the call is made. Therefore, if a
pot is R100, and someone makes a R50 bet, the next
player can call R50 and raise the pot R200, for a
total wager of R250.
5. In pot-limit play, it is advisable in many structures
to round off the pot size upward to produce a faster
pace of play. This is done by treating any odd amount
as the next larger size. For example, if the pot size
was being kept track of with R25 units, then a pot
size of R80 would be treated as a pot size of R100.
6. In pot-limit holdem and pot-limit Omaha, many structures
treat the little blind as if it were the same size
of the big blind in computing pot size. In such a
structure, a player can open for a maximum of four
times the size of the big blind. For example, if the
blinds are R5 and R10, a player may open with a raise
to R40. (The range of options is to either open with
a call of R10, or raise in increments of five Rands
to any amount from R20 to R40.) Subsequent players
also treat the R5 as if it were R10 in computing pot
size, until the big blind is through acting on the
first betting round.
7. In pot-limit, if a chip or a bill larger than the
pot size is put into the pot without comment, it is
considered to be a bet of the pot size.
(For
Section 15, see link to Tournament Rules page at the
top of this page.)
(16)
EXPLANATIONS
1. The only place in this set of rules that an alternative
is mentioned other than in this section is in the
method of button and blind placement. That rule (the
first rule in "Section 4 – Button and Blind Use")
is repeated below for convenience. "Each round
all participating players must get an opportunity
for the button, and meet the total amount of the blind
obligations. Either of the following methods of button
and blind placement may be designated to do this:
(a) Moving button – The button always moves forward
to the next player and the blinds adjust accordingly.
There may be more than one big blind.
(b) Dead button – The big blind is posted by the player
due for it, and the small blind and button are positioned
accordingly, even if this means the small blind or
the button is placed in front of an empty seat, giving
the same player the privilege of last action on consecutive
hands."
Poker tradition has a lot to do with the fact that
both of these methods are in widespread use, but neither
method is superior in all situations. The moving button
makes sure no player gets the advantage of last action
twice on a round (a big advantage at no-limit or pot-limit
play). On the other hand, a player may get to post
a blind when on the button, which is more advantageous
than posting in front of the button. The moving button
creates a situation where two big blinds may be posted
on a deal, which speeds up the action. At tournament
play this speed-up can be undesirable, as when dealing
is being done hand-for-hand to balance the pace of
play between two remaining tables. A cardroom may
either decide for the sake of simplicity to use only
one method, or decide to tailor the method to the
game and situation.
2. The rules given
for rectifying a holdem situation where the dealer
has dealt the flop or another boardcard before all
the betting action on a round are inferior, because
the dealer is told to not burn a card on a redeal.
Since the "no burn" rule is so common, there
was no choice but to use it here. But at some point
it would be good for poker for some major cardrooms
to get together and agree to use the better rule,
or a gaming commission to require the better rule
be used. Here is the rules in question (the third
rule and fourth rule in "Section 5 – Hold'em").
"If the cards are prematurely flopped before
the betting is complete, or if the flop contains too
many cards, the boardcards are mixed with the remainder
of the deck. The burncard remains on the table. After
shuffling, the dealer cuts the deck and deals a new
flop without burning a card." "If the dealer
turns the fourth card on the board before the betting
round is complete, the card is taken out of play for
that round, even if subsequent players elect to fold.
The betting is then completed. The dealer burns and
turns 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 burncards or discards.
The dealer then cuts the deck and turns 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.)" The portion of this rule saying
the dealer does not burn a card on the redeal is misguided.
It is much harder for the dealer to control the card
to be dealt if a burn is required. The applicable
sentence in the rule should read, "The dealer
then cuts the deck, burns a card, and turns the final
card."
3. Rule seven in "Section
4 – Button and Blind Use" says, "A new player
cannot be dealt in between the big blind and the button.
Blinds may not be made up between the big blind and
the button. You must wait until the button passes."
This rule is standard practice, but allowing a new
player or player making up blinds to come in between
the blinds is better (if dealers are trained how to
handle the resulting situations), because it gets
players eager to join or rejoin the game into action
faster.
4. Most poker rule
sets say you have a dead hand at the showdown if you
do not have the proper number of cards for that game.
At stud, this rule is too strict. An inexperienced
player sometimes does not pay sufficient attention
to the final card when holding a big hand like a flush
or full house (where improvement is neither likely
to happen nor be needed), and fails to protect that
card. If the dealer erroneously puts that final card
into the muck after the player fails to take it in,
the rules should give the decision-maker an option
to rule such a hand live. Rule 18 in "Section
8 – Seven-card Stud" reads as below:
"A hand with more than seven cards is dead. A
hand with less than seven cards at the showdown is
dead, except any player missing a seventh card may
have the hand ruled live."
5. This rulebook requires
all cash to be changed into chips. In some cardrooms
this can be a bit impractical for various reasons.
If the cardroom chooses to allow cash, only R100 bills
should be permitted.
6. Most poker rulebooks
follow the usual California practice in multihanded
pots at limit poker of allowing a bet and six raises
for lowball and draw high. The number of allowable
raises for those games is given in this rulebook as
a bet and four raises because this cuts down on the
effect of collusion between players, and more raises
than four are hardly ever needed to define the strength
of two hands when another player is calling.
7. Lowball has historically
had less stringent demands on the order of cards or
acceptability of exposed cards than in most other
poker forms. This rulebook follows the modern trend
at lowball regarding misdeals of requiring the cards
to be dealt facedown and in proper order.
8. At ace-to-five
limit lowball, an exposed card rule used less often,
but probably a superior rule, is to not let a player
take an exposed six or seven (the rule for no-limit
ace-to-five lowball). If a player gets to keep only
a card that might make a perfect hand, having a card
exposed is less advantageous, and the opponent must
reckon with the possibility of a perfect hand.
9. At lowball and
draw high, some rule sets allow a player to draw five
consecutive cards. The rule used here disallowing
this makes cheating more difficult. Our rule #10 in
lowball and rule #5 in draw high says, "A player
may draw up to four consecutive cards. If a player
wishes to draw five new cards, four are dealt right
away, and the fifth card after everyone else has drawn
cards. If the last player wishes to draw five new
cards, four are dealt right away, and a card is burned
before the player receives a fifth card."
10. In tournament
play, there are two ways the hand of an absent player
may be treated. Rule #11 in "Section 15 - Tournaments,"
is: "If you are not present when it becomes your
turn to act, your hand is dead. This includes situations
in which a live blind is not present to act, since
an absent player cannot exercise the option to raise."
This speeds up play, and also prevents a player from
facing situations like thinking he is moving all-in
heads-up against a short stack and an absent player
comes back to the table to enter the pot. The alternative
is: "If a player is absent, the hand shall not
be killed until that seat faces a wager. An absent
player's hand is dead at the showdown." This
rule gives the absent player the maximum time to return
and be able to play the hand.
