SECTION I: GENERAL TOURNAMENT RULES (revised: 02/2012)
l. Tournaments is Freeze-Out format No-Limit Texas Hold'em. 2 Atlanta Charity Casino ( ACC ) reserves the right to cancel or alter any event or prize in its sole and absolute discretion. 3. ACC reserves the right to refuse anyone entry into any tournament in its sole and absolute discretion. 4. Membership and play in the ACC or ACC event is free and open to persons 18 years of age and over; however, each tournament host or venue reserves the right to set their own age requirements for entry into their establishment / event. 5. Walk-up sign-in is allowed if not pre-registered via connooga.com. Players are encouraged to arrive early in order to ensure a seat in the tournament. A current ConNooga badge is also required. 6. Players are required to show a valid form of Identification at the time of sign-in in order to receive Prizes or other player Incentives. 7. If there are more players than available seats, players will be placed on an Alternates list. Those players will be allowed to join the tournament as seats become available. Alternates will be seated up to the end of the first scheduled tournament break. 8. Under no circumstances is currency of any kind allowed on the poker table. 9. The English-only language rule will be enforced at all tables during tournament play. (WSOP:59) 10. Tournament Directors 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 decisions in the interest of fairness take priority over the technical rules. The decision of the Tournament Director will always be final. (WSOP: 44) 11. In its sole and absolute discretion, ACC may impose penalties that include verbal warnings and missed-hand penalties. A missed-hand penalty may be assessed in increments of 5, 10, 15, or 20 minutes. Players receiving a missed-hand penalty must remain outside the designated tournament areas for the duration of their penalty. The player must notify a member of the Tournament Staff prior to returning to their seat. Repeat infractions are subject to escalating penalties up to tournament disqualification or expulsion. (WSOP: 51)
SECTION II: TOURNAMENT PLAY
12. All players, super heroes, animals, cartoons, undead, zombies, vampires, elfs, dwarves, paladins, etc must be at its, his or her seat by the time all players at a table have been dealt complete initial hands to have a live hand. "At your seat" is defined as being within reach or touch of your chair. (WSOP:53) 13. Players are obligated to protect the other players in the tournament at all times. Therefore, whether in a hand or not, players may not A) disclose contents of live or folded hands, B) advise or criticize play before the action is completed, or C) read a hand that has not been tabled. While in a hand, players may not A) discuss hands or strategy with any player or spectator, or B) seek or receive consultation from an outside source such as a cell phone, computer, memory reader, etc. The one-player-to-a-hand rule will be enforced. Players who violate this rule are subject to penalty in accordance with Rule 11. (WSOP: 57) 14. Players moving from a broken table or stacked table to fill in seats or balance play assume the rights and responsibilities of the position. They can get the big blind, the small blind or the button. (WSOP: 69) 15. Play will halt at any table reaching the minimum tournament players or less than 5 players; unless there are only two tables remaining. Player(s) moving from a full table to a short-table will maintain their same position in play. Otherwise, A player in early position will inherit an early position at the short table, middle position moves will inherit middle positions and the same for late position players. If the player is to be the Button they will be seated and passed until the Button comes around to that player in the course of normal play at which time they will enter play at the new table as the Button. The player may come into the current round of play if there is a Dead-Button or the button falls to an eliminated seat who would have been the Button. The player may choose to come into play, without penalty, anytime once the Button has passed or from late position versus waiting the full round for the Button. It is the Player's choice. 16. Players must remain at the table if they still have action pending on a hand. (WSOP: 80) 17. If a player does not have enough chips to call a bet, they may opt to go ALL-IN. If this occurs, the other players will continue the hand and bet into a side pot. 18. If a player does not have enough chips to post their blinds, they must go ALL-IN. If this occurs, the other players will continue the hand and bet into a side pot. 19. All cards will be turned face up once a player is all in and all action is complete. Failure to show both cards forfeits the hand. 20. At no time may any player touch any of the burn or muck cards nor the deck unless they are the acting dealer or playing dealer. 21. Cards must remain above the rail or on the table at all times. Any cards removed from the table surface which disappear from view below the rail will be declared dead. 22. Cards must be shuffled at least three (3) times following each round by the person currently on the button. The player to the right of the button has the option to cut the deck after the shuffle. If cutting the deck, the minimum cut is one card; maximum cut is 51 cards. 23 . Acting out of Turn: Players must act in turn at all times. Action out of turn may or may not be binding. If a player acts out of turn and the action does not change by the time it is that player's turn to act, that player's action is binding. Action changes only if a player makes an initial bet or raises before the action gets back to the person that acted out of turn. Action does not change when the player in front of a player acting out of turn checks, calls or folds . If a player acts out of turn and the action changes, the person who acted out of turn may change their action by calling, raising or folding and may have their chips returned. Players may not intentionally act out of turn to influence play before them. Players will receive a warning for the first occurrence of acting out of turn and will receive a penalty, in accordance with Rule No. 11 , each time thereafter. (WSOP: 90) 24. Verbal declarations as to the content of a player's hand are not binding, however, at the discretion of ACC, any player deliberately miscalling his hand may be penalized in accordance with Rule No. 11. (WSOP:65) 25. If a player accidentally folds/mucks their hand before cards are turned up, the Tournament Staff reserves the right to retrieve the folded/mucked cards if the cards are clearly identifiable. Any cards which come into contact with any of the burn or muck cards will be declared dead. 26. Side Pots: Each side pot will be split separately and will not be mixed together before they are split. (WSOP: 46) 27. Calling-for-Clock: Once a reasonable amount of time, which is no less than one (1) minute, has passed and a clock is called, a player will be given one (1) additional minute to act. If action has not been taken by the time the minute has expired, there will be a ten (10) second countdown. If a player has not acted on its, his or her hand by the time the countdown has expired, the hand will be declared dead. Any player intentionally stalling the progress of the game will incur a penalty in accordance with Rule No. 11. 28. Show One, Show All: A player exposing its, his or her cards to anyone while there is action pending may incur a penalty, but will not have a dead hand. The penalty will begin at the end of the hand. All players at the table are entitled to see the exposed card(s), if requested. All penalties will be imposed at the sole and absolute discretion of ACC in accordance with Rule No. 11 . 29. Rabbit Hunting: In cases where hands are concluded prior to the last card being dealt, the next card(s) to be dealt will not be exposed under any circumstances. (WSOP: 66) 30. Misdeals: A misdeal will be declared and the hand dealt again if, during the initial deal A) either of the first two cards dealt is exposed B) two or more extra cards have been dealt C) the first card was dealt to the wrong position D) cards have been dealt to an empty seat or a player not entitled to a hand or E) a player has been dealt out who is entitled to a hand. Note: Players may be dealt two consecutive cards on the button. (WSOP: 72) 31. If a dealer kills an unprotected hand, the player will have no redress and will not be entitled to its, his or her chips back. An exception would be if a player raised and its, his or her raise had not been called yet, it, he or she would be entitled to receive his or her raise back. (WSOP: 73) 32. A dealer cannot kill a winning hand that was turned face up and was obviously the winning hand. Players are encouraged to assist in reading tabled hands if it appears that an error is about to be made. (WSOP: 74) 33. A player must show both hole cards when playing the board to get part of the pot. (WSOP: 82) 34. At the end of the last round of betting, the player who made the last aggressive betting action in that betting round must show first. If there was no bet during the final round, the player to the left of the button shows first, and so on in a clockwise direction. (WSOP: 79) 35. A player who is disqualified for any reason shall have its, his or her chips removed from play and no vouchers, refunds, or prize will be provided to that disqualified player. Any player who forfeits play for health or other personal reasons after the start of a tournament will have his or her chips blinded off accordingly. (WSOP: 52) 36. If a player is absent from the table for more than 20 minutes, the player is disqualified and his or her chips will be removed from play. 37. Bursting the Bubble: Once a tournament has been reduced to eleven players, a "Hand-for-Hand" method of determining player placement within the final table will be utilized. This will begin by completing the current hand in progress at both tables. Once both hands are complete, the dealer at each table will deal one hand, then - once the hand is complete - suspend play. This process will continue until the first player is eliminated. During the Hand-for-Hand process, more than one player may be eliminated during the same hand. In this case, see Rule No. 38. 38. If two players are eliminated during the same hand, the player who began that hand with the highest chip count will receive the higher place finish. If both players had the same amount of chips, the higher finishing position goes to the player with the best hand. If both players had the same hand, players will draw for high card from a shuffled deck until a clear winner has been determined. Section III: Exception rules - These rules deal only with irregularities. 39. If the first or second holecard dealt is exposed, a misdeal results. The dealer will retrieve the card, reshuffle, and recut the cards. If any other holecard is exposed due to a dealer error, the deal continues. The exposed card may not be kept. After completing the hand, the dealer replaces the card with the top card on the deck, and the exposed card is then used for the burncard. If more than one holecard is exposed, this is a misdeal and there must be a redeal. 40. If the dealer mistakenly deals the first player an extra card (after all players have received their starting hands), the card will be returned to the deck and used for the burncard. If the dealer mistakenly deals more than one extra card, it is a misdeal. 41. If the flop contains too many cards, it must be redealt. (This applies even if it were possible to know which card was the extra one.) 42. If before dealing the flop, the dealer failed to burn a card, or burned two cards, the error should be rectified if no cards were exposed. The deck must be reshuffled if any cards were exposed. 43. If discovered before betting action has started for that round. Once action has been taken on a boardcard, the card must stand. Whether the error is able to be corrected or not, subsequent cards dealt should be those that would have come if no error had occurred. For example, if two cards were burned, one of the cards should be put back on the deck and used for the burncard on the next round. If there was no betting on a round because a player was all-in, the error should be corrected if discovered before the pot has been awarded. 44. If the dealer burns and turns before a betting round is complete, the card(s) may not be used, even if subsequent players elect to fold. Nobody has an option of accepting or rejecting the card. The betting is then completed, and the error rectified in the prescribed manner for that situation. 45. If the flop needs to be redealt for any reason, 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. 46. A dealer error for the fourth boardcard is rectified in a manner to least influence the integrity of the boardcards that would be in play without the error. The dealer burn is exposed but 4th street is not compromised. All players have the same information and play continues, normally. The 5th street burn is exposed while dealing 4th street. Fourth street stands as dealt and the remainder of the deck is re-shuffled, minus the muck and previous burns. The dealer then burns and deals 5th street into the boardcards as normal.
