Whose Pig Is This?

Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Tournament Rules

  1. House Rules

    2. The following are a set of house rules for Texas Hold 'Em Poker Tournaments. These rules are called the 'Whose Pig Is This?' set because.. well, just because. Feel free to use them in any tournament you host.

    They aren't set in stone, and as such will change from time to time, but any changes will be agreed on by all people in the tournament and will only be made to either speed things up or keep things fair.

    The rules sometimes refer to rulings being made by the host. This is the person currently hosting the event (the home owner/renter). If more than one person could match this discription then it will be more clearly decided prior to the game starting.

    The following sites have more general info on Texas Hold 'Em. If their rules clash with those listed on this website then this website wins.
    http://www.learn-texas-holdem.com/
    http://www.online-poker-rules.com/
    http://www.netbettor.com/pokerpages/gettingstarted.html

  1. The Game

    1. Texas Hold ‘Em is Seven Card Stud where each player gets two down cards; “Hole” cards with the remaining five up cards; “Community” cards being placed in the center of the table which all players use to complete their hand.
    2. The best five card hand wins according to the attached listing of possible hands
      1. Two “Hole” cards plus any three “Community” cards
      2. One “Hole” card plus any four “Community” cards
      3. Five “Community” cards (should more than one player use only the “Community” cards as their winning hand, the pot will be split between them regardless of “Hole” cards). Odd chips will be given to winning player closest to dealer’s left

  2. Buy-in

    1. Each player pays a set amount (defined prior to tournament starting) and will receive an equal portion of dollar chips, known as your starting stack
    2. The first player out may buy back in for a set amount (defined prior to tournament starting) and receive a third of the starting stack of chips
    3. No cash is allowed on the table and may not be substituted for chips
    4. Chips may not pass between players except as part of a normal hand. No player may lend chips to, or trade chips with, another player
    5. The tournament will continue until one player has won all of the chips
    6. No buy outs are allowed and no one is allowed to buy another players chips
    7. If a player leaves the tournament before the end and while still in possession of chips then they lose their buy-in and their chips are removed from the game

  3. Payout

    1. All money paid by players to buy in will be placed in one pot for the winnings. There is no rake or other deduction from this pot
    2. The pot will be divided up as follows:
      Placing % of pot
      1st 60%
      2nd 30%
      3rd 20%
      4th+ 0%
    3. Any rounding to be done will be done in favour of higher placed players.

  4. Seating

    1. Players can sit anywhere at the start of the game, but once sat in a position they may not swap with another player
    2. At the start of the game the cards will be dealt by the person with the dealer button
    3. Once someone has gone broke and not bought back into the game, that person becomes the dedicated dealer. The button still moves around the table, but the dedicated dealer handles all card dealing and chip checking/dispensing.
    4. Whenever a new person busts out, they become the dedicated dealer and the old dealer is free to leave the table

  5. Limits and Blinds

    1. This is a No Limit game of Texas Hold 'Em. That is, players can bet any amount they wish (providing its at least equal to any previous bet that round) and rounds will only end when all players have called the last bet
    2. Blinds will be initially set to $25 (small blind) and $50 (big blind). These will increase as people drop out, with exact figures and timings being mutually agreed upon at the time. There are no hard and fast rules with these increases due to changes in individuals circumstances.

  6. The Bets

    1. Each hand starts with two “Blind” bets being posted, ensuring every hand is worth something but no 'ante' will be paid by anyone
    2. The player to the dealer’s left posts the small blind
    3. The player to the left of the small blind posts the big blind
    4. The blinds shall remain in front of the players until the conclusion of the “pre-flop” betting. The dealer will rake the blinds and all other bets into the pot
    5. All bets shall be stacked and pushed directly in front of player. The dealer will verify all bets and rake them to the center pot at the conclusion of each round of betting. Tossing chips into the pot is not allowed
    6. Players are required to verbally declare their bet (Call, Check, Raise w/ amount, or Fold)
    7. The dealer will make all change for larger chips out of the pot. Players betting large chips shall declare their bet when placing out the chips and the dealer will make the change as needed
    8. Players may not disclose or turn over their “holecards” during a live hand even if folded. This injures the rights of players who are still competing. If a player deliberately shows a card the entire hand will be declared dead and the player penalized (half the current pot)
    9. If you move your chips out, that is considered a bet. No fake bets are allowed, if you say you bet then you must bet that amount.

  7. All-In

    1. If a player cannot cover a blind, he must use all remaining chips and post a short blind and declare “All-in”. Both blinds and each called bet (not including raises) from the “pre-flop” round will go into a (main) pot. All raises from the “pre-flop” round and all bets from additional rounds will be placed into a (side) pot. The “All-In” player will not be able to bet for the remainder of the hand and should he win the hand he will win only the amount from the (main) pot with the (side) pot going to the next best winning hand. If he does not win the hand he is eliminated from the tournament and the winning hand receives both pots
    2. When a player does not have enough chips to cover a call he must fold or declare “All-In” and bet all remaining chips. Players who follow the “All-In” player will call the entire bet with a portion equalling the “All-In” player going into the (main) pot and the remaining chips going into a (side) pot. All additional betting for the remainder of the hand will go into the (side) pot. The “All-In” player is only entitled to the (main) pot should he win the hand with the (side) pot going to the next best hand.
    3. If more than one player goes “All-In” during a hand additional (side) pots will be created using the same rules as above. A player may only win a pot equalling his “All-In” bet and the called bets from following players.
    4. For example if the person went all-in for $25, the most the main pot would be would be ($25 x number of players in).  So if the blinds were $50/100 and he went all-in and 5 people called including him, the main pot would be $25 x 5.  The rest would be in the side pot.  An all-in player can win from each player as much as he himself wagered.
    5. Any player can choose to go All-In at any time during the game.

  8. The Open

    1. The deal begins with the player in seat #1 and will advance to the left with each hand played.
    2. A “Button” which will advance to the left with the deal marks the dealer.
    3. Each deal shall be table shuffled (all cards placed face down on the table and shuffled about) briefly, before being hand shuffled in the normal way
    4. Any player can call for the deck to be cut at any point before dealing commences
    5. Each player is dealt two cards face down (hole cards)
    6. The betting starts with the player to the left of the big blind and advances to the left. Each player must “call, raise, or fold”, the only player that may “check” is the big blind because he has already posted a full bet (unless a previous player raised)
    7. Terms:
      • “Call” matching the current bet
      • “Raise” calling the previous players bet plus the raise
      • “Fold” permanently out of current hand (cards shall be returned to dealer (face down) and placed in discard stack)
    8. The player who posted the small blind can “call” by betting the remaining half equalling the big blind plus any raises from previous players
    9. The player who posted the big blind may “check” “call” or “raise”

  9. The Flop

    1. After the first round of betting is completed the dealer will burn (discard to the graveyard) the top card and place the next three “Community” cards face up in the center of the table
    2. The second round of bets starts with the first active player to the dealer’s left
    3. Players now have the following betting options:
      • “Check” declining to bet at this time (if no one else has bet yet this round) but retaining the option to call or raise bets made by other players
      • “Bet” a player can bet any amount they chose
      • “Call” matching the current bet
      • “Raise” calling the current bet plus a raise
      • “Fold” discarding his hand and losing all previously bet money for this game

  10. The Turn

    1. The dealer will now burn the top card and turn over one more “Community” card
    2. The betting will again start with the first active player to the dealer’s left
    3. Players have the same options as the previous round

  11. The River (Of Dreams)

    1. The dealer now burns and turns the final “Community” card
    2. If a player makes a bet that all remaining players fail to call the hand is over with that player taking the pot and without having to show his cards

  12. The Showdown

    1. After all the bets are called each player still in the hand will have bet the same amount and the dealer will declare that the pot is right
    2. Players then show their hands in clockwise order. It starts with the person who bet (or the first person to act if no one bet) and then in clockwise rotation. Players can fold at this point, choosing not to show their hand if they have been beaten.
    3. The best five card hand wins the pot unless someone has gone “All-In” as described above

  13. Time Limits

    1. Each player is expected to play their hand and make any bets or fold within 30 seconds
    2. There are no time limits on anything else, but players are asked to keep things moving

  14. Misdeals

    1. The following circumstances will result in a misdeal.
      1. Dealer exposes any of the “hole” cards to any player
      2. Dealer starts with the wrong position or deals out of sequence (empty chair)
      3. Dealer gives any player less or more than the two “hole” cards
    2. All misdeals shall be reshuffled and cut
    3. Once two players (after the blinds) have acted upon their hands the entire hand shall be played to conclusion regardless of misdeal
    4. If too many cards are exposed during the flop or a card was not burned, the cards shall be reshuffled and a new card burned with three new “flop” cards being dealt
    5. If too many cards are turned or a card not burned during the “turn” or “river” the existing “community” cards shall remain with the remaining cards reshuffled and a new card burned and a new single card turned
    6. If a card is found face up in the deck it shall be placed on the bottom of the deck and the next card shall be played
    7. If a card is found missing from the deck prior to any betting it shall be replaced, shuffled and cut. If two players have taken action the hand shall be played to conclusion
    8. A card dropped or exposed by a player shall continue to be played

  15. House Rules

    1. All the above rules should follow 'normal' Texas Hold 'Em rules. However, the rules above are the definitive set for play at this tournament and overrule any more widely used rules.
    2. Host reserves the right to make decisions in the spirit of fairness should interpretation of the above rules indicate a different ruling, provided that the conflict does not apply to the host in which case a pre-selected player will make ruling.
    3. Host should be made aware of problem when it occurs and all play must stop with all cards and chips remaining as-is until a resolution is reached.
    4. Each player must play and call his own hand. No assistance may be given by other players or spectators
    5. Should a player need to briefly leave the game they can do so. They will still have to pay blinds/ante as normal (collected by the dealer) but will NOT be dealt any cards and will be considered to fold before the flop.
    6. All cards must remain in full view and are not allowed beyond the edge of the table
    7. All players are entitled to a clear view of opponent’s chips with higher denominations made easily visible. Hiding chips is not allowed and any player must announce his chip count when requested to do so
    8. Looking through discards or remaining deck cards is not allowed at any time
    9. The dealer of each hand will be responsible for verifying all bets, raking bets into pot and awarding the pot to the winning player(s)