LONDON POKER CIRCUIT COMPETITION RULES:
- All seating allocated will be determined by random draw and will not be transferable.
- The button will be placed in seat One at each table at the beginning of each tournament and at the start of any subsequent day where a re-draw for seats has taken place and also at the final table.
- Players will be allocated the same number of chips as all other players.
- All chips must be visibly displayed at all times. A player's highest denomination chips must be to the fore and visible at all times.
- The hand will deem to have started when the first card is dealt. Players must be in their seat when the first card is dealt, or their hand will be dead
- If the dealer exposes a card on the initial deal the burnt card from the flop will replace it.
- If a dealer exposes more than one card on the initial deal the hand will be void.
- Prior to completion of the betting a card exposed in error by any dealer will be shuffled back into the remaining live deck, this applies to the first card of the flop, turn and river cards.
- If the first card of the flop has been dealt before the live blind has been given the opportunity to raise, the following rule will apply - That card will be shuffled back into the remaining live deck. If two or three cards have been dealt then the flop will stand and the live blind will not be allowed to raise.
- Players facing a bet, who expose a card/cards without first making, a verbal declaration will be deemed to have passed
- A player who exposes a card immediately after making a bet will have their bet returned and will be penalised for the remainder of the hand. Where a player exposes a card after betting in a multi way pot and causes another player to act, the bet will stand. This player will be penalised for the remainder of the hand.
- In a showdown the player who made the previous bet will be the one to show their cards first, regardless of when the bet was made. In a check, check situation the last aggressor in a previous betting round will be the person to show first.
- In a showdown once the aggressor has shown their cards, and it is deemed to be the winning hand, other players are not required to show theirs. The exception to this would be if any player at the table who has contributed to the pot requests to see those cards or the Dealer/Supervisor requests to see them in order to protect the integrity of the game. Prior to any discarded cards being shown the hand must be "killed" or "mucked".
- It is each players responsibility to know what the bet is prior to placing any chips in the pot or announcing call, however if a player should put the wrong amount into a pot the following rules will apply If they have not caused any player after them to act then they may take the call back if it is less than 50% of the bet or make up the difference. If the amount they have put into the pot is 50% or more, they must make up the remainder. If they have caused the next player to act behind them, then their only option is to make up the difference or pass their hand, without removing the amount they have already put in. In the final round of betting if a player puts a lesser amount into the pot to call a bet, and that action causes the other player to show their cards the offending player must make up the difference.
- If a player puts in a raise of 50% or more of the previous bet, he will be required to make a full raise. The raise will be exactly the minimum raise allowed.
- Verbal declarations in turn are binding, verbal declarations out of turn will be binding if the action to that player has not changed when it is their turn to act, check, call or fold is not considered an action change.
- An oversized chip placed in the pot with no verbal declaration will be considered a call.
- When raising, a player must put the amount of the raise out in one motion or state the raise amount. By stating the word 'raise' a player protects his right to raise, but the raise must be made in one additional motion unless the player states the amount of the raise.
- Straddles are not permitted in tournament play
- Under-raises are only permitted if a player is going "all-in". Less than a full raise does not re-open the betting to a player who has already acted
- All cards will be turned face up once a player is all-in and all action is complete.
- Tournament play will use a 'dead button'
- When time has elapsed in a round and a new round is announced, the new limits apply to the next hand. A hand has begun with the first riffle of cards.
- Players may not ask for deck changes
- The one player to a hand rule will be enforced.
- Rabbit hunting is not permitted.
- Players may not have tournament chips in their pockets at any time. A player who has chips in his pocket will forfeit the chips and will receive a penalty as per (41). The forfeited chips will be taken out of play from the tournament.
- There will be no foreign chips allowed on the table except for a maximum of one card cap.
- When it is time to colour-up chips, they will be raced off with a maximum of one chip going to any player. The chip race will always start in the No 1 seat. A player cannot be raced out of a tournament. In the event that a player has only one chip left, the regular race procedure will take place. If that player loses the race, he will be given one chip of the smallest denomination still in play.
- A player who intentionally dodges his blinds when moving from a broken table may forfeit the blinds and incur a penalty. The money will be put into the next pot and considered dead money.
- A player wanting to use a mobile phone must step away from the table
- Verbal declarations regarding your own hand are not binding and commenting on the possible contents of an opponent's hand is allowed for the purposes of any televised tournament. However this only applies to players involved in the hand and not to players who have already passed their hand.
- Players who are not in the hand may not discuss the hand in play until all action is completed. Discussing cards discarded is not allowed.
- No player will be allowed to expose his or her cards during a hand.
- It is a player's responsibility to protect his or her own hand at all times. If a dealer kills an unprotected hand, 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.
- Dealers cannot kill a winning hand that was turned face up and was obviously the winning hand.
- Floor people are to consider the best interest of the game and fairness as 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 Tournaments Director's decision is final
- If two or more players are eliminated at the same table, the player with the higher chip count will receive the higher finishing place. During regular play, if two or more players are eliminated at separate tables, they will be assigned a finishing place based on the order of his/her elimination. In the event it is impossible to determine the order of elimination, they will equally split the prizes involved. During "Hand for Hand" play, if two or more players are eliminated at separate tables, they will equally split the prizes involved
- Management reserves the right to cancel or alter any event at its sole discretion in the best interest of the tournament or its players.
- Tournament tables will be balanced all the time. Players will be moved from the big blind to the worst position.
- A player can be issued the following penalties: (a) verbal warning, (b) missed hand penalty, (c) have a hand declared dead, (d) disqualification, or (e) elimination. A missed hand penalty will be assessed as follows: At the beginning of the next hand, the offender will be required to miss one hand for every player (including the offender) who is at the table. A floor supervisor can assess a one-, two-, three-, or four-round penalty (For example: 7 players x3-rounds = 21 missed hands). While on a penalty, the offender must remain away from the table. Repeated infractions are subject to escalating penalties. Note: If a player is moved while on a penalty, he/she will sit-out the remainder of the penalty at the new table. This action may require a player to miss and pay more than one set of blinds. Players who are disqualified will not be entitled to a refund, their chips will be removed from play and their standing in the tournament will be established based on the time the chips are removed from play. A severe infraction of the rules may also result in a player being eliminated from the tournament meaning additionally the player will not be entitled to any prize money.
- Calling for the clock procedures: Once a reasonable amount of time has passed and a clock is called for, a player will be given one minute to make a decision. If action has not been taken by the time the minute is over, there will be a 10-second countdown. If a player has not acted on his hand by the time the countdown is over, the hand will be dead.
- The use of bad language is strictly forbidden and will lead to penalties being imposed on the offending player/s.
- In the event of any disputes arising during any tournament, the Tournament Director's decision is final.
- A player who leaves a tournament at any stage and for whatever reason is deemed to have forfeited any right to the cost of entry. The chip stack of such player will continue to be blinded off, however, should the player finish in the money once all chips have been blinded off, the player shall remain eligible for the prize which corresponds to the order of his/her finish.
- Alternates will be accepted in all events during the first two levels of play.
