POKER RULES
Floor Decisions:
The best interest of the game and fairness are top priorities in decision-making. Unusual circumstances occasionally dictate that common-sense decisions in the interest of fairness take priority over technical rules. Floor decisions are final.
Player Responsibilities:
Players should verify registration data and seat assignments, protect their hands, make their intentions clear, follow the action, act in turn with proper terminology and gestures, defend their right to act, keep cards visible and chips correctly stacked, remain at the table with a live hand, table all cards properly when competing at showdown, speak up if they see a mistake, call for a clock when warranted, transfer tables promptly, follow one player to a hand, know and comply with the rules, practice proper etiquette, and generally contribute to an orderly event.
Official Terminology and Gestures:
Official betting terms are simple, unmistakable, time-honored declarations like bet, raise, call, fold, check, all-in. Also, players must use gestures with caution when facing action; tapping the table is a check. It is the responsibility of players to make their intentions clear: using non-standard terms or gestures is at player’s risk and may result in a ruling other than what the player intended.
Electronic Devices:
Players may not talk on a phone at the table. Ring tones, music, images, video etc. should be inaudible and non-disturbing to others. Betting apps and charts may not be used by players with live hands.
Breaking Tables:
Players from a broken table will be assigned new tables and seats. They can get any seat including small or big blind or the button and be dealt in except between the SB and button.
Declarations:
Cards speak to determine the winner. Verbal declarations of hand value are not binding at showdown but deliberately miscalling a hand may be penalized. Dealers should read and announce hand values at showdown. Any player, in the hand or not, should speak up if he or she thinks a mistake is made in reading hands or calculating and awarding the pot.
Tabling Cards:
Proper tabling is turning all cards face up on the table and allowing the dealer and players to read the hand clearly. “All cards” means both hole cards.
At showdown players must protect their hands while waiting for cards to be read. Players who don’t fully table all cards, then muck thinking they’ve won, do so at their own risk. If a hand is not 100% retrievable and identifiable and the TD rules it was not clearly read, the player has no claim to the pot. The TDs decision on whether a hand was sufficiently tabled is final.
Dealers cannot kill a properly tabled hand that was obviously the winner.
Live Cards at Showdown:
Discarding non-tabled cards face down does not automatically kill them; players may change their minds and table cards that remain 100% identifiable and retrievable. Cards are killed by the dealer when pushed into the muck or otherwise rendered irretrievable and unidentifiable.
Asking to See a Hand:
Players not still in possession of cards at showdown, or who have mucked their cards face down without tabling, lose any rights or privileges to ask to see any hand.
If there was a river bet, any caller has an inalienable right to have the last aggressor’s hand tabled on request (“the hand they paid to see”) provided the caller tabled or retains his or her cards.
New Hand, New Limits:
A new level starts on announcement after the clock reaches zero. The new level applies to the next hand. Hands begin on the first riffle.
Chip Race:
At scheduled color-ups, chips will be raced off starting in seat 1, with a maximum of one chip awarded to a player. Players can’t be raced out of play: a player losing his or her last chip(s) in a race will get 1 chip of the lowest denomination still in play.
Players must have their chips fully visible and are encouraged to witness the chip race.
If after the race, a player still has chips of a removed denomination, they will be exchanged for current denominations only at equal value. Chips of removed denominations that do not fully total at least the smallest denomination still in play will be removed without compensation.
Rabbit Hunting:
Rabbit hunting (revealing cards that would have come if the hand had not ended) is not allowed.
At Your seat and Live Hands:
To have a live hand, players must be at their seats when the last card is dealt to all players on the initial deal. Players not then at their seats may not look at their cards which are killed immediately.
Non Standard Folds:
Any time before the end of the final betting round, folding in turn if there’s no bet to you (ex: facing a check or first to act post-flop) or folding out of turn are binding folds subject to penalty.
Calling for a Clock:
Players should act in a timely manner to maintain a reasonable pace of the game. If in TD’s judgement reasonable time has passed, he or she may call the clock or approve a clock request by any player in the event. Players must be at their seats to call for a clock. A player on the clock has up to 25 seconds plus a 5 second countdown to act. If the player faces a bet and time expires, the hand is dead; if not facing a bet, the hand is checked.
Accidentally Killed Hands:
Players must protect their hands at all times, including at showdown while waiting for hands to be read. If the dealer kills a hand by mistake or if in TDs judgement a hand is fouled and cannot be identified to 100% certainty, the player has no redress and is not entitled to a refund of called bets. If the player initiated a bet or raise and hasn’t been called, the uncalled amount will be returned.
Exposing Cards and Proper Folding:
Exposing cards with action pending, including the current player when last to act, may result in a penalty but not a dead hand. Any penalty begins at the end of the hand. When folding, cards should be pushed forward low to the table, not deliberately exposed or tossed high (“helicoptered”).
Warnings, Penalties:
A penalty may be invoked for etiquette violation , card exposure with action pending, throwing cards, violating one-player-to-a-hand, or similar incidents. Penalties will be given for soft play, abuse, disruptive behaviour, or cheating. Checking the exclusive nuts when last to act on the river is not an automatic soft play violation; TD’s discretion applies based on the situation.
Players on penalty must be away from the table. Cards are dealt to their seats, their blinds and antes posted, their hands are killed after the initial deal, and if dealt the stud bring-in they must post the bring-in.
Players away from the table or on penalty may be anted or blinded out of a tournament.
Chips of a disqualified player shall be removed from play.
No Disclosure:
Players must protect other players in the tournament at all times. Therefore, players, whether in the hand or not, must not:
- Discuss contents of live or mucked hands,
- Advise or criticize play at any time,
- Read a hand that hasn’t been tabled.
Misc:
All players of the tournament must be a member of Palace Casino.
Manx Cup satellite winners may sell their seats. However, this is the players responsibility and they must inform the Casino Cash desk. In the event that the cash desk hasn’t been informed, the seat will be invalid.
Freeroll seats are non transferable. Only the winner of the Freeroll can play this seat.
Marketing:
By entering the Manx Cup Tournament, you grant Palace Casino the right to take photos during the tournament and of the winners, and use for marketing purposes.