Free, Live, Local
Texas Hold'em
Tournament Events
Copyright 2010 by Holdem Northwest Poker Productions
RULES & REGULATIONS
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Rules
1. The Basic Rule:
          The primary object of Holdem Northwest Poker Productions, its players and Directors is to create and maintain a fun, safe and friendly environment where adults may gather to socialize and enjoy themselves. The prizes, points, trophies and such items available to the winners are secondary to this intent. We play, primarily, for fun.
          Any player who causes such a disruption as to prevent others from enjoying the game is in violation of the Basic Rule, and may be penalized or ejected from the game.
          Threats, obscene language, excessive noise, distracting conduct, collusion or any other form of cheating, arguing, denigrating another player or their play, abusing cards, chips or other equipment, hostility, using an illegal substance or carrying a weapon will not be tolerated.

Proper Etiquette:
          The following actions are improper, and may be grounds for warning, penalty or ejection:
  Deliberately acting out of turn.
  Deliberately splashing chips.
  Needlessly stalling the action of a game.
  Deliberately discarding hands away from the muck.
  Obfuscation of chips or cards.
  Use of cell phone or other device at the table to distraction when the activity stalls the pace of the game.
          
          Disciplinary decisions are in the sole discretion of the Director.  Management of Holdem Northwest reserves the right to review disciplinary decisions.
2. No Gambling:
          All forms of gambling*1 are illegal and strictly prohibited by state law. There must be no cash bets, no side bets, and no use of Holdem Northwest equipment for gambling of any kind. Please keep all money off the table and away from the field of play at all times.
          Anyone found gambling in any element of a Holdem Northwest event will be ejected. (See “Money on the Table”).
3. No Purchase Required:
          No minimum purchase at the venue of the game is required to play. No cover charge is required to play, and no special consideration will be awarded players according to how much money they spend at the venue. We do, however, encourage players to patronize our host venues.
4. Registration:
          Players must sign in to play.  Aliases or nicknames are permitted, but players should use the same name each time they sign in, so that points earned are accumulated in the same account.  Each player who signs in and plays will receive points. (See: “How the Point System Works”).
          We do not require telephone numbers, email addresses or other information. Players are not assigned numbers or membership cards.
5. Director’s Authority:
          The decision of the Director is final. The Director has the authority to suspend or alter the rules at his discretion for the sake of fairness and to maintain the spirit of fun in the game.
6. Discretion to make changes:
          Management of Holdem Northwest reserves the right to cancel or change any tournament and to change the Rules and Regulations at any time.
7. One player to a hand.
          A player may not solicit or receive advice on a hand while the hand is in play. When the hand is completed, players may discuss the cards and strategies involved.
          Players should not expose their cards to a second party, even when the second party is not involved in the hand.
8. Transferring Chips:
          Chips are not transferrable. A player may not donate his chips to another player. If a player needs to leave the game, they may turn their chips in to the Director, removing them from play.
9. Obfuscation:
          A player must keep his cards and chips in full view of all other players at the table, and the dealer, at all times. The cards may not be hidden by a player’s hands, and a card protector may not be so large as to hide a majority of the cards. The cards may not be seated behind the player’s chips. Cards may never go beyond the edge of the table.
          A player’s chips must be clearly visible. Larger denomination chips may not be hidden by smaller denomination chips, and a chip stack may not be mixed.
          These rules are in place to ensure that all players may easily ascertain the amount of chips possessed by another player.
10. No Fishing the Muck:
          No player is ever permitted latitude to retrieve cards from the muck. Players may not comb through the muck. Mucked cards are dead.
          Cards thrown into the muck may be ruled dead. However, a hand that is clearly identifiable may be retrieved at management’s discretion if doing so is in the best interest of the game. We will make an extra effort to rule a hand retrievable if it was folded as a result of false information given to the player.
11. Players are responsible for protecting their own cards:
          A player’s cards are protected by placing an object on top of them. This may be the fingers, a chip or any item that will not obfuscate or damage the cards. Cards that are unprotected are subject to being mucked without any redress by the player.
12. English Only:
          During a hand in play, only English is permitted to be spoken. This is to prevent the appearance of collusion between players.
13. Abandonment:
          A live player who is absent from the game through two consecutive big blinds is considered to have abandoned his chips. The player will be eliminated from the game and the chips will be removed from play.
14. Guests:
          A non-player may not occupy a seat at the table, except when he is acting as a Dedicated Dealer*2.
15. Rabbit Hunting:
          Asking the dealer to expose cards that would have come into play had the hand continued is “Rabbit Hunting”. Whereas Holdem Northwest has no fast rule against this practice, players are asked to avoid it, as it slows the game. Players who become so stricken by curiosity as to find the hunt irresistible should ask permission of the other players in the hand.
16. Check-Raise:
          Check-Raising, (to check, and then raise after someone behind has bet), is an important poker practice and is permitted.
17. Bet and Raise Limits:
          Holdem Northwest games are no-limit. A bet must be at least the amount of the Big Blind for that round.           A Raise must be at least twice the amount of the previous bet total, unless a player is going all-in.
          An all-in bet that is not sufficient to constitute a full raise is not a raise.
18. Verbal Declaration:
          A verbal declaration, made in turn, is binding. When a player releases chips onto the table without making a verbal declaration, the amount of chips placed on the table is binding.
19. Single Chip:
          A single chip placed onto the table is considered a call, regardless of the denomination of the chip.
20. String Bets:
          String bets and string raises are not allowed.
21. Show One, Show All:
          A player who exposes his cards to any player, must expose his cards to all players.
22. Live Straddle:
          A live straddle is a raise made in the dark by the player to the left of the big blind, usually equal to twice the big blind, forcing any player who wishes to call to make two bets, and secures for the straddle the last option.
          Straddle bets and raises are not allowed in Holdem Northwest games.
          A player may raise or call in the dark, but cannot buy position.
23. Cards Speak for Themselves:
          A player’s cards at the showdown, maintain their own value, regardless of any declaration made by the players. A player who has a Full-House, but declares Two Pair, has a Full-House despite the declaration.
24. Checking:
          Rapping the table with the hand is a check.
25. Two Cards:
          A player must show both cards to win any part of a pot.
26. Calling a Clock:
          Players have the right to place a maximum time limit on any player’s action. A player, (whether he is involved in the current hand), may call for a clock. The Dealer or Director, determining that a reasonable amount of time has already passed on the action of the player in question, may call a 30 second clock. A ten-second count will be made verbal at the end of the clock. If the player on whom a clock has been called has not acted at the end of the count, his hand will be declared dead.
27. Table Seating:
          Players will be seated either according to random draw of seating cards, or by preference. In most cases players may sit where they wish under certain conditions, (such as so many players to a table). We will attempt to accommodate everyone as much as possible.
          The Director may adjust the seating as he deems most appropriate.
28. Choosing a Dealer:
          Seated players will determine the button position by drawing cards. The highest card drawn is the dealer. In the case of ties, the card with the highest suit wins. Suits are ranked in reverse alphabetical order, with Spades being the highest.
          Suits do not break a tie for winning a hand.
29. The Bounty:
          The Bounty is a special position defined by an off color chip. The chip is worth 10 points to the player who holds it and survives the tournament to 50% of the field, or the final table when there are 16 or more players.
          A player who captures the Bounty chip by knocking the original owner out of the game is entitled to the 10 points at that time.
The Bounty is determined by drawing the lowest card when choosing a dealer.
30. Balancing Tables:
          The number of players at each table will be maintained equally between the tables as closely as possible by the Director.
          A single player joining a table will be placed into the position he has vacated.
          When two or more players join a table, the dealer position will be re-established by drawing high card.
31. Splashing the Pot:
          Splashing, or throwing chips into the pot in a disorderly manner, is not allowed. All players must place bets directly in front of their position. When betting is complete, the Dealer will bring all of the chips to the center of the table.
          Side pots will be handled by the Dealer or the Director to the satisfaction of the table.
*1 Gambling: Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods. Typically, the outcome of the wager is evident within a short period.
*2 Dedicated Dealer: Players deal for themselves in turn. The player with the Dealer Button is the dealer for that hand. Players who are unable to deal, or uncomfortable dealing, may solicit another player to accept the responsibility for them. A non-player, or a player who has been removed from the game, may deal for the table as the Dedicated Dealer, as long as they receive approval from the Director.
          The Dedicated Dealer, who is not playing the game, may cut their own shuffle. The Dedicated Dealer is not required to offer a cut to any player.
          No player is entitled to deal for themselves, when on the button, when a Dedicated Dealer has been assigned to a table.
          No player is entitled to reject a Dedicated Dealer who has been approved by the Director.
    “Money on the Table”:
          The most common violation of the No Gambling rule occurs inadvertently when a player attempts to pay for a drink order at the poker table. The player or the server may place money on the table. The other players who are knowledgeable about the rule, or the Director, will be very sensitive to this, and will quickly attempt to correct it. While the Justice Department is concerned, the main sensitivity comes from the State Lottery Commission who will not hesitate to harshly reprimand the venue when they observe such a violation.
           It should be noted that an American coin that is intended to act as a card protector is normally not considered currency. A player may use a silver dollar or such device without violating the No Gambling rule.
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