I.   TOURNAMENT FORMAT

1.1 Initial seating is determined by a random draw. A change of seat is not allowed after play starts, except as assigned by the Tournament Director. 

1.2 The starting position of the button will be determined by the High Card.

1.3 Blinds are raised at regularly scheduled intervals.

1.4 After the signal designating the end of a betting level, the new limits apply on the next deal.

1.5 “Dealers clean up their own mess” The cards shall be shuffled by the person who just dealt the previous hand.  After the cards are shuffled, the deck shall be cut by the Player to the RIGHT of the shuffler. The new dealer is not allowed to cut the cards for the hand about to be dealt.

1.6 Heads Up: When the tournament is down to only two players, the Dealer/Button will be on the Small Blind. 

1.7 All ties on hands result in split pots. Odd chip is given to smallest stack prior to the hand. 

1.8 “Cards Speak” in all instances. 

1.9 “Show one, show all” A player who shows 1 or both of his cards to anyone else (either active in the tournament or not) must, upon request, show his/her hand to the table at the conclusion of the hand, even if the hand is folded. This rule does not apply when the tournament is “Heads Up.”

1.10 If a hand is "shown down" to the River, the last bettor/raiser should show his/her hand first. Losing hands may be mucked. 

1.11 If two (2) or more players go broke during the same hand, the player starting the hand with the largest amount of money finishes in the higher tournament place.

1.12 Agreeing to split pots will not be allowed. Chopping the big and small blind by taking them back when all other players have folded is not allowed. The tournament must be played to its conclusion. There shall be no deals at the final table.

1.13 “One player to a hand” Nobody shall contribute advice to a player active in a hand. However, advice is allowed in between hands.

II. ABSENT PLAYERS

2.1 The appropriate starting amount of chips will be given to the players or placed on the table for each player at the beginning of the tournament, whether the person is present or not.  Absent players will be dealt in, and all chips necessary for blinds will be put into the pot as they become due. 

2.2 If a entrant is absent when the tournament starts, at some point an effort will be made to locate and contact the player. If the player requests the chips be left in place until arrival, the request will be honored.  If the player is unable to be contacted, the chips may be removed from play at the sole discretion of the Tournament Director at any time. 

2.3 A player is always dealt a hand (whether they're absent or merely away from their seat), and will be “blinded off” if they are not present when the action is on them. 

2.4 If you are not present when it becomes your turn to act, your hand will be declared dead. 

2.5 If the Big Blind is not present to act on his “Option”, his hand is declared dead (even if the pot has not been raised), since an absent player cannot exercise the option to raise. 

III.    CONSOLIDATION OF PLAYERS/TABLES

3.1 As players are eliminated, tables will be broken down, with players from the broken tables assigned to empty seats at other tables.  The number of players at each table will be kept reasonably balanced by the transfer of players as needed.  If any table ever has 2 or more players more than another table, players will be moved to balance the tables.   

3.2 When balancing tables (to equalize the players), the tournament director will use the following guidelines:

3.3 The specifics of the table consolidation procedure will be in the sole discretion of the Tournament Director, and every effort will be made to ensure that moved players are not forced to pay the Big Blind twice in a row. However, a player must go to the seat he was assigned regardless of where the blinds are currently located.  

3.4 New players at a table are dealt in immediately unless they sit down in the Small Blind, on the Button, or in between the Small Blind and the Button.  In this case, the new player must wait until the Button passes before the player is dealt in the hand.  A new player coming in on the Big Blind will simply post the Big Blind. 

3.5 When only 10 Players remain, those Players will be consolidated to the "final table."

IV.    COLORING UP

4.1 At a certain point, we will no longer need the lowest denomination of chip in play.  These “small” chips will be removed from the table according to the following procedure:  

4.2 All lower denomination chips that are of a sufficient quantity for a new “higher” chip will be changed out directly.

4.3 Any uneven amount will be rounded up to the players benefit.

V.    BETTING

5.1 The number of raises in any betting round is unlimited. 

5.2 All bets must be at least equal to the minimum bring in, unless the player is going “All-In” 

5.3 All raises must be equal to or greater than the size of the previous bet or raise on that betting round (except for a player going “all-in”). For example, if Player A bets $100 and Player B raises $500, then Player C can either call $600 or raise to a minimum of $1,100 (because the raise must be equal to previous raise of $500). 

5.4 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.  Example:  Player A bets $100 and Player B raises $100 more, making the total bet $200.  If Player C goes all-in for less than $300 total (i.e. not a full $100 raise), and Player A calls, then Player B cannot raise again, because he wasn’t fully raised.  However, Player A could’ve raised because Player B raised Player A’s bet in the first instance. 

5.5 A wager is not binding until the chips are actually released into the pot, unless the player has made a verbal statement of the action. 

5.6 If there is a discrepancy between a player’s verbal statement and the actual amount put into the pot, the bet will be corrected to the verbal statement. 

5.7 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 a rest outside the pot area.  

However, string betting is illegal.  A person is considered to have made a string bet if they put in an amount to call with one motion and then subsequently put in a raise.  To avoid this, the player should either put all chips in the pot with a single motion or announce, “I raise” prior to all motions.

5.8 Any cards thrown away from the player (face up or down) are assumed to be a fold, unless otherwise stated prior to doing so. 

5.9 Protect your hand.  If your cards touch the muck or are accidentally mucked, they are dead. 

5.10 If you drop a card on the floor out of your hand, you must still play that card, regardless of whether or not it was seen by anyone else. 

5.11 A bet of a single chip without comment is considered to be the full amount of the chip allowed.  See also Rule 5.17 below. 

5.12 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. 

5.13 The other players at the table maintain a right to place a maximum time limit for taking action on your hand.  The clock may be put on someone if requested.  If the clock is put on you when you are facing a bet, you will have an additional 90 seconds to act on your hand.  You will have a ten second warning, after which your hand is dead if not acted upon.  Note, if the tournament is heads up, the time limit will be increased 3 minutes. 

5.14 Rapping the table indicates a check. 

5.15 All verbal statements are binding, as long as the action is legal and in turn.  

5.16 You must declare that you are playing the board before you throw your cards away; otherwise you relinquish all claims to the pot. 

5.17 A player can call a bet by announcing “Call” even if the actual chip thrown into the pot is larger than the call.  In this instance, correct change should be made and the overage should be returned to the player as soon as practicable.  For example, if Player A bets $50, and Player B wishes to call, but only has chips in denominations of $100, Player B can declare “Call” before throwing a $100 chip into the pot.  As long as the declaration of “Call” is made before the chip is thrown into the pot, this bet will be considered a call, and change will be made and returned to Player B. 

VI.    ALL-INS

6.1 If a player lacks sufficient chips for a blind, the player is entitled to get action on whatever amount of money he puts in. A player who posts a short blind and wins, does not need to make up the blind. If a player posts a short blind, the other blinds will remain their normal amount. 

6.2 If two or more players are eliminated during the same hand, the player starting the hand with the larger amount of money finishes in the higher tournament place. 

6.3 A player can only go All-In for the amount of chips he currently possesses.