Etiquette/General Rules

GENERAL RULES

1. CARDS SPEAK: Winning hands must have the correct number of cards for that specific game and show all cards prior to the pot being awarded. Cards read for themselves. Dealers will assist in reading hands to the best of their ability, although it is the player’s responsibility to protect his or her hands at all times. The player instituting the action (either by betting or checking) must turn their hand over first upon completion of all action and best hand wins. Although verbal declaration with regard to the content of a player’s hand are not binding, a player miscalling a hand with intent to cause another player to discard their hand may, at the discretion of management, risk forfeiting the pot and/or expulsion from the casino.

2. ENGILSH ONLY spoken at the tables during a hand.

3. All poker games are table stakes. Cash does not play. Call for chips before beginning the hand and state the amount ‘intended to play’.

4. No passing or removing chips by active players.

5. Chopping or splitting the big and small blinds will be permitted. (Drops will be returned). If kill button — it stays neutral, however you cannot chop in kill hands.

6. Clear racks are allowed on the table. You may set a rack on the table behind you if you are:
• Getting a color change
• Quitting the game on your blind
If the chips are behind you on a table, they are in play unless they were never in action to start with; then they are not.

7. Players must protect their hands at all times.

8. Abusive language, discourteous behavior, or criticizing another player’s play will not be tolerated.

9. Players must play in turn.

10. Verbal announcements of call, bet or raise in turn are binding.

11. You must make at least a full buy-in upon being seated in a game. A player is allowed one short buy-in after a full buy-in. Anything less than a full buy-in is a short buy, even when adding to your stack. A player must make a full buy after a short buy.

12. String bets or raises are not allowed. A player must announce, “raise” or place 1/2 or more of the appropriate chips in the pot to constitute a raise. Playing 1/2 or more of the appropriate chips in the pot obligates a raise if called by a player at the table. Putting in less than the raise without saying raise before going back to your stack is a string raise. Dealers do not call string raises.

13. Half Bet Rule If a player goes all in for 1/2 the bet or more, a subsequent player may either call the bet or raise the full amount of the limit. If a player goes al in for less than 1/2 a bet, another player may call or complete or complete the bet.

14. Check and raise is permitted in all games except Lowball.

15. A bet and three raises are allowed in all games except Lowball, which is an unlimited number of raises.

16. All games: There is no ‘limit of raises’ with only two players remaining, no matter how many players were in, when the betting round started.

17. Please announce your intention to call or raise. It protects you from the possibility of a string raise and also helps keep the game running smoothly and efficiently.

18. A player that is dealt-in may request to see any hand that is played to completion. (A bet and a call or a check)

19. A player going all-in must announce their action at that time; or risk forfeiting the pot. (See Floorperson Discretion)

20. A hand is not considered dead, if upon the Floorperson’s discretion, it is considered retrievable. A hand that is mucked by the player is NOT retrievable.

21. New players and missed blind buttons: A player may wait until the blinds pass and come in behind the blinds at no charge. Once the blind passes that seat again, (2nd time) the dealer will place a missed blind button on that player.
The options are then:
• Post both blinds
• Wait for your blind

22. A player accumulating 3 missed blind buttons or is away 15 minutes or more may be subject to being picked-up if there is a board for the game.

23. If a player goes to eat or to get funds, he/she should check-in with the Floorperson before leaving. Not returning within 45 minutes time will put you in danger of loosing your seat. (Floorperson’s Discretion)

24. Customers who need to cash a check and are playing in a game, will not receive chips until their check is processed. Please allow sufficient time for us to honor your request.

25. Players changing tables may be required to move immediately if there is a board for either game, except in the middle of the blinds or on the button.

26. If a player drops a card out of his hand onto the floor, the hand will play and both cards will be exposed. If the dealer deals the card off the table, the card will be exposed and replaced at the end of the dealing round.

27. If you show any cards to one player during or after a hand, any player at your table may request that you show those cards to all players after a winner is determined. No player may take another players hand to look at it. If you show cards to anyone still in the pot, you may have to show the remaining players your hand while action is still going on.

28. No player can play someone else’s chips if there is a board. No playing over another player.

29. At a player’s request, (emergency situations) the Floorperson may play the blinds for a player.

30. No pot will be awarded until all losing hands have been killed. The winning hand should remain face up until the pot is awarded.

31. When a second game of the same limit is started, it will be a must move game even after the game is full. Must move games remain must move for one (1) hour. They then become separate games. Players will be given the option to move starting with the first player on the list and continuing to the end of the list. If no player wants to move, then the player at the top of the list must move.

32. A card placed face up in the deck (boxed card) shall be treated as a scrap of paper and will be replaced by the next card below it in the deck.

33. A Joker, when playing in a game that does not use a Joker, is also a scrap of paper and will be replaced by the next card below it in the deck unless it is dealt to a player as a down card. In this situation, it will be replaced after that round of cards has been dealt. If a player does not call attention to the Joker among his down cards before acting on his hand, then he has a foul hand and forfeits all rights to the pot and all monies involved.

34. Any player putting in a chip of a larger denomination into the pot will be considered to be calling, unless the player specifies a raise before it goes in the pot.

35. If it is a player’s turn to act and there has not been a bet, if the player puts ANY money into the pot — it is a bet and must be completed. They cannot change their mind whether or not there is any action behind. This includes Kill pots.

36. If it is a player’s turn to act and there has been a bet, if the player puts chips in the pot, they cannot change their mind and take the chips out. If a player acts behind him, he must complete the call. If no one has acted behind him, his option is to complete the call or forfeit the hand and the chips he has put in. If a player is announces he is unaware of a raise and there is no action behind, he may take his money out and fold.

37. When a player in a short game requests a seat in another game of the same limit, the Floorperson must ascertain if the balance of players desire to cut cards in order to show FAIRNESS to all players. Five or less is considered a short game.

38. The splitting of pots among players will NOT be allowed. All hands must be played to completion.

39. Once a pot is ‘out of play’, no decision can be rendered by a Floorperson.

40. The dealer’s responsibility is to control the game as efficiently as possible.

41. In Omaha or Hold’em, it will be a misdeal if one of the first two cards, or if any two cards are turned face-up because of the dealing motion. If only one card, except the first two, turns face-up, complete the deal, announce the exposed card, replace it with the top card from the deck and place the exposed card on top of the deck, face-up. It becomes the first burn card.

42. The drop is taken out of the main pot. If the main pot does not qualify — the drop will be taken out of the side pot, unless the side pot does not qualify for a drop. In this instance, (neither pot qualifying), the drop will be given back to the winner of the side pot. If a player wins the side pot, also the middle and the two pots combined qualify, the drop is then taken. (Same with multiple side pots).

43. The winning hand must show both cards face-up on the table — one card up and the other facedown is not a valid hand.

44. Any player ‘Playing the Board’ must show all cards face-up on the table to be entitled to any of the pot.

45. If a player’s hole card is exposed or flashed due to a dealer error, he may not keep the exposed or flashed card. After completing the deal, the dealer will exchange the exposed card with the top card on the deck and place the exposed card face up on the top of the deck. The exposed card will be used as the burn card after all action — before the flop is completed.

46. If two or more cards are exposed on the deal, it is a misdeal. If the first card off the deck is exposed, it is a misdeal.

47. If a player is dealt more or less cards than the game he is playing calls for, and it is discovered that after two players have acted, that player forfeits all monies.

48. If the flop has too many cards, it will be taken back and reshuffled, except the burn card, which will remain burned. No new burn card will be used.

49. If the cards are flopped by the dealer before all the action is completed, the entire flop is taken back and reshuffled.

50. If the fifth card is turned up before action is complete, it shall be reshuffled in the same manner as the previous rule.

51. If the deck is mucked prematurely, and is irretrievable, the Floorperson will try to settle the matter by having the players involved split the pot. If that is not satisfactory to the players involved, then all cards (including the muck, but not the burn cards) will be reshuffled.

52. If you have a KILL pot, you must play it in the same seat that you received the kill button in.

53. KILL GAMES in Texas Hold’em, any win qualifies for a leg up but on the second win there must be a flop to qualify for a kill. Splits do not count as a win, but if the player with a leg up splits the pot, he retains the leg up. If it is a kill pot and the killer gets any part of the pot, it remains a kill. In Omaha, a scoop is a kill if the pot qualifies.

54. When starting a new game, the dealer will deal one card to each player for the dealer button. High card will be dealer.

55. In $6-12 games and higher, the big blind button will not be used.

56. If a player leaves the table for any reason and the blinds pass his position, they may resume play by posting the total amount of blinds for the game or wait for the big blind. If they choose to post the total amount of blinds, the small blind goes to the center of the pot while the big blind is live. If a player leaves the table for any reason and misses only the small blind, he may resume play by posting just the small blind and it is live. A player that misses his blind may come in by live straddling the pot in the position immediately to the left of the big blind. If he calls, then all the money is live.

57. A new player entering the game has the option of entering play at the time or waiting until the blinds pass to come in at no charge. The second pass of the blinds you must give the player a missed blind button. Their options now are:
• Wait for the blind
• Post the amount of the big blind

58. The deck or set-up will be changed at the request of the player. One change per round for the entire table. (Set-ups on player’s request.)