Any 2 Cards Poker League - Tournament Handbook


Any 2 Cards Poker League has created this Tournament Handbook containing the league's rules and guidelines which are to be followed by all Players, we have provided this page as a reference for players. This handbook will be available at all A2C events.

You may also download our Tournament Handbook using the link on the right menu.

Tournament rules and guidelines

 

Table of Contents

SECTION 1 – TOURNAMENT RULES
SECTION 2 – TEXAS HOLD’EM BASIC RULES
SECTION 3 – GENERAL POKER RULES

SECTION 4 – PROPER BEHAVIOR

SECTION 5 – POLICIES

GLOSSARY

 

SECTION 1 – TOURNAMENT RULES

By participating in a tournament, you agree to abide by the rules and behave in a courteous manner. A violator may be verbally warned, suspended from play for a specified length of time, or disqualified from the tournament. Chips from a disqualified participant will be removed from play.

  1. Initial seating is determined by random draw or assignment.
  2. The appropriate starting amount of chips will be placed on the table for each entrant at the beginning of the event, whether the person is present or not.
  3. If an entrant is absent at the start of an event, at some point an effort will be made to locate or 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 discretion of the Tournament Director.
  4. An absent player is always dealt a hand. That player’s stack will post chips for blinds.
  5. A dealer button is used in all tournament games. The starting position of the button is determined by the players drawing for the high card.
  6. Limits and blinds are raised at regularly scheduled intervals.
  7. It is the players responsibility to post blinds according to the Tournament clock (regardless of whether the Tournament Director has announced an increase in blinds or not)
  1. If a player is not present by the time it is their turn for action their hand will be mucked (even if they are big blind).
  2. As players are eliminated tables are broken up. Players from the broken tables will be assigned to empty seats at other tables as advised by the Tournament Director.
  3. A change of seat is not allowed after play starts, except as assigned by the Tournament Director.
  4. The number of players at each table will be kept reasonably balanced by the transfer of players as needed. Tables will be kept within two players (eg. if 8 players are on table 1 and 5 players on table 2 then one player will be moved from table 1 and placed on table 2)
  5. A player who declares ‘all in’ and loses the pot, and then discovers that one or more chips were hidden, is not entitled to benefit from this. That player is eliminated from the tournament provided that the opponent had sufficient chips to cover the hidden ones. If another deal has not yet started, the director may rule the chips belong to the opponent who won that pot, if that obviously would have happened with the chips out in plain view. If the next deal has started, the discovered chips may be removed from the tournament.
  6. If a player lacks sufficient chips for a blind or a forced bet, the player is entitled to get action on whatever amount of money is left in his stack. A player who posts a short blind and wins does not need to make up the blind.
  7. All players must leave their seat immediately after being eliminated from an event.
  8. Showing cards from a live hand during the action impacts the rights of other players still competing. Players verbally stating one’s hand or showing cards during the play may be penalised.
  9. Non-tournament chips are not allowed on the table.
  10. Higher-denomination chips must be placed where they are easily visible to all other players at the table.
  11. All tournament chips must remain visible on the table throughout the event. Chips taken off the table may be removed from the event, and a player doing this may be disqualified. The only exception to this is when a player is being moved to another table, in which case, the chips must remain visible (eg. chips should not be put in a player’s pockets).
  12. Inappropriate behavior like throwing cards or chips that go off the table may be punished with a penalty such as being dealt out for a length of time. A severe infraction such as abusive or disruptive behavior may be punished by eviction from the tournament.
  13. The decks or cards are only changed when a deck or cards are damaged.
  14. The dealer button remains in position until the appropriate blinds are paid. Players must post all blinds every round. Because of this, last action may be given to the same player for two consecutive hands by the use of a ‘dead button’.
  15. In heads-up play with two blinds, the small blind is on the button. There is never a ‘dead position’ in heads-up play.
  1. All live hands will be turned face up whenever a player is all-in and betting action is complete.
  2. If multiple players are eliminated on the same hand, the player starting the hand with the larger amount of chips finishes in the higher place.
  3. A tournament event is expected to be played until completion.
  4. Management retains the right to cancel any event, or alter it in a manner fair to the players.

SECTION 2 – TEXAS HOLD’EM BASIC RULES

THE DEALER
A dealer button rotates clockwise around the table at the start of every hand. There may be a ‘dead’ Dealer if the player in the Dealer position was eliminated during the last tow hands. In this case, the player to the right of the Dealer position acts as the Dealer.
THE BLINDS
The Small and Big Blind bets must be posted before the cards are dealt.
The Small Blind is posted by the player to the left of the dealer and is usually equal to half of the Big Blind. There may be a ‘dead’ Small Blind if the player left of the Dealer was eliminated during the last hand.
The Big Blind is posted by the player to the left of the Small Blind and is determined by the tournament clock.
THE DEAL
The Dealer shuffles the cards and passes the deck to either the player on their right or left (dealer’s choice). The player must cut the deck (a five card cut, each way, is minimum), and place the ‘cut card’ on the bottom. The player then passes the deck back to the Dealer.
The Dealer deals one hole card to each player, starting with the small blind and continuing clockwise around the table until all players with chips on the table receive two hole cards. The dealer then places the remainder of the deck on the table.

Poker Blinds & Position

PRE-FLOP BETTING
The first betting round begins with the player sitting immediately to the left of the Big Blind, and continues clockwise. Each player in turn must either:

  • Call the current Bet (equal the bet placed by the last active player to their right)
  • Raise to increase the size of the Bet required to stay in the pot, forcing all subsequent players to call the new amount.
  • Fold their cards by pushing them toward the middle of the table (the muck)

The first betting round finishes when every player has either folded; put in all of their chips; or matched the amount put in by all other active players.
THE FLOP
Once the first round of betting is complete, the Dealer picks up the remainder of the deck and deals one card face down (the Burn) and 3 cards face up (the Flop)
A second betting round follows, starting wit the player sitting immediately to the left of the Dealer and continues clockwise. Each player in turn must either:

  • Check - If no one has yet opened the betting, a player may pass or check.  If all players check, the betting round is over with no additional money placed in the pot
  • Call the current Bet (equal the bet placed by the last active player to their right)
  • Bet/Raise to increase the size of the Bet required to stay in the pot, forcing all subsequent players to call the new amount.
  • Fold their cards by pushing them toward the middle of the table (the muck)

THE TURN
Once the second round of betting is complete, the Dealer picks up the remainder of the deck and deals one card face down (the Burn) and 1 card face up (the Turn)
A third betting round then follows with the same options as the second round of betting. 

THE RIVER
Once the third round of betting is complete, the Dealer picks up the remainder of the deck and deals one card face down (the Burn) and 1 card face up (the River) 
The last betting round then follows with the same options as the second betting round.

THE SHOWDOWN
After the completion of all betting comes the showdown. Players make hands by using the best five-card combination of their two personal cards and the five community cards. A player may use one or both cards out of their hand, or use only the five community cards.

The player with the best five-card poker combination wins the pot.

 

SECTION 3 – GENERAL POKER RULES

MISDEALS

  1. The following circumstances cause a misdeal, provided attention is called to the error before two players have acted on their hands. (If two players have acted in turn, the deal must be played to conclusion, as explained in rule #2 below)
    • The first or second card of the hand has been dealt face-up or exposed during the deal.
    • Two or more cards have been exposed by the dealer.
    • Two or more boxed cards (improperly faced cards) are found.
    • Two or more extra cards have been dealt in the starting hands of a game.
    • An incorrect number of cards have been dealt to a player, except if - before the first round of betting, the dealer deals one additional card, it is returned to the deck and used as the burn card.
    • Any card has been dealt out of the proper sequence (except an exposed card may be replaced by the burn card).
    • The button was out of position.
    • The first card was dealt to the wrong position.
    • Cards have been dealt to an empty seat or a player not entitled to a hand.
    • A player has been dealt out who is entitled to a hand.
  1. Once action begins, a misdeal cannot be called. The deal will be played, and no money will be returned to any player whose hand is fouled. In button games, action is considered to occur when two players after the blinds have acted on their hands. In stud games, action is considered to occur when two players after the forced bet have acted on their hands.

DEAD HANDS

  1. Your hand is declared dead if:
    • You fold or announce that you are folding.
    • You throw your hand away in a forward motion causing another player to act behind you (even if not facing a bet).
    • The hand does not contain the proper number of cards.
  2. Cards thrown into the muck may be ruled dead. However, a hand that is clearly identifiable may be retrieved and ruled live at the Tournament Director’s discretion if doing so is in the best interest of the game. A hand may be ruled as retrievable if it was folded as a result of incorrect information given to the player.
  3. Cards thrown into another player’s hand are dead, whether they are face up or facedown.

 

IRREGULARITIES

  1. In button games, if it is discovered that the button was placed incorrectly on the previous hand, the button and blinds will be corrected on the new hand.
  2. If the dealer mistakenly deals the first player an extra card (after all players have received their starting hands), the card will be returned to the deck and used for the burn card. If the dealer mistakenly deals anyone else an extra card, it is a misdeal.
  3. You must protect your own hand at all times. It is advised that your cards be protected by a chip, card guard or other object placed on top of them. If you fail to protect your hand, you will have no redress if it becomes fouled or the dealer accidentally mucks it.
  4. If a card with a different color back appears during a hand, all action is void and all chips in the pot are returned to the respective players.
  5. If two cards of the same rank and suit are found, all action is void, and all chips in the pot are returned to the players who wagered them (subject to next rule).
  6. A player who knows the deck is defective has an obligation to point this out. If such a player instead tries to win a pot by taking aggressive action, the player may lose the right to a refund, and the chips may be required to stay in the pot for the next deal.
  7. One or more cards missing from the deck does not invalidate the results of a hand.
  8. A card that is flashed by a dealer is treated as an exposed card. A card that is flashed by a player will play. To obtain a ruling on whether a card was exposed and should be replaced, a player should announce that the card was flashed or exposed before looking at it.
  9. If you drop any cards out of your hand onto the floor, you may still play them. However, a down card dealt off the table is an exposed card and should be replaced by the burn card.
  10. If the Flop contains too many cards, the deck must be reshuffled and the Flop re-dealt. (This applies even if it were possible to know which card was the extra one.)
  11. If the Flop needs to be re-dealt for any reason, the board cards are mixed with the remainder of the deck. The burn card remains on the table. After shuffling, the dealer cuts the deck and deals a new Flop without burning a  card
  12. If the dealer fails to burn a card or burns more than one card, the error should be corrected if discovered, before betting action has started for that round. Once action has been taken on a board card, the card must stand. Whether the error is able to be corrected or not, subsequent cards dealt should be those that would have come if no error had occurred. For example, if two cards were burned, one of the cards should be put back on the deck and used for the burn card on the next round. On the last round, if there was no betting because a player was all-in, the error should be corrected if discovered before the pot has been awarded.
  13. A dealing error for the fourth board card is rectified in a manner to least influence the identity of the board cards that would have been used without the error. The dealer burns and deals what would have been the fifth card in the fourth card’s place. After this round of betting, the dealer reshuffles the deck, including the card that was taken out of play, but not including the burn cards or discards. The dealer then cuts the deck and deals the final card without burning a card. If the fifth card is turned up prematurely, the deck is reshuffled and dealt in the same manner.

BETTING AND RAISING

  1. Check-raising is permitted
  2. In no-limit and pot-limit games, an unlimited number of raises are allowed.
  3. Any wager not all-in must be at least the size of the previous bet or raise in that round. For example if the first bet is $200, the minimum raise is $200 making the bet a total of $400. The next minimum raise is still $200 making the total bet $600. If a raise is then made of $400 making the bet a total of $1,000, the next minimum raise is $400 making the total bet $1,400.
  4. If there is an all-in bet of less than a full minimum raise, this does not reopen the betting to a player who has already met the previous bet/raise before the all-in bet was made. If a subsequent player re-raises then betting is reopened to all players left to act.
  5. A verbal statement denotes your action and is binding. If in turn you verbally declare a fold, check, bet, call, or raise, you are forced to take that action.
  6. Rapping or Tapping the table with your hand is a check.
  7. Acting out of turn will not be tolerated. The following rules apply based on situation:
    • A player who checks out of turn may not bet or raise when it is their turn to act.
    • A player who bets out of turn must then check if all other players check. If another player places a bet then the player gets all options back.
    • A player who raises out of turn can only call the current bet when it is their turn to act, unless another player raises, then the player gets all options back. A player who has called out of turn may not change his wager to a raise under any circumstances.
  8. String bets are not allowed. To protect your right to raise you should either declare your intention verbally or place the proper amount of chips to raise into the pot prior to calling the current bet. Otherwise, it is a string bet and will be considered a call.
  9. If a player puts a single chip in the pot that is larger than the bet, but does not announce a raise, is assumed to have only called. Example: If the bet is 400 and you place a 1000 chip without announcing a raise then it will be ruled that you are calling.
  10. Change for a larger chip used to call a bet should not be taken from the pot until all betting for that round has finished.
  11. All wagers and calls of an improperly low amount must be brought up to proper size if the error is discovered before the betting round has been completed. This includes actions such as betting a lower amount than the minimum bring-in (other than going all-in) and betting the lower limit on an upper limit betting round. If a wager is supposed to be made in a rounded off amount, is not, and must be corrected, it shall be changed to the proper amount nearest in size. No one who has acted may change a call to a raise because the wager size has been changed.

THE SHOWDOWN

  1. To win any part of a contested pot, a player must show both of their cards face up on the table, whether they were used in the final hand played or not.
  2. Cards speak (cards read for themselves). The dealer assists in reading hands, but players are responsible for holding onto their cards until the winner is declared. Although verbal declarations as to the contents of a hand are not binding, deliberately miscalling a hand with the intent of causing another player to discard a winning hand is unethical and may result in forfeiture of the pot.
  3. Any player, dealer, observer or Tournament Director who sees an incorrect amount of chips put into the pot, or an error about to be made in awarding a pot, has an ethical obligation to point out the error. Please help keep mistakes of this nature to a minimum.
  4. All hands should be either exposed or mucked before a pot is awarded to a winner.
  5. Show one, show all. Players are entitled to receive equal access to information about the contents of another player’s hand. After a deal, if cards are shown to another player, every player at the table has a right to see those cards. During a deal, cards that were shown to an active player who might have a further wagering decision on that betting round must immediately be shown to all the other players. If the player who saw the cards is not involved in the hand, or cannot use the information in wagering, the information should be withheld until the betting is over, so it does not affect the normal outcome of the hand. Cards shown to a person who has no more wagering decisions on that betting round, but might use the information on a later betting round, should be shown to the other players upon request at the conclusion of that betting round. If only a portion of the hand has been shown, there is no requirement to show any of the unseen cards.
  6. If everyone checks (or is all-in) on the final betting round, the player who acted first is the first to show the hand. If there is wagering on the final betting round, the last player to take aggressive action, by a bet or raise, is the first to show the hand. In order to speed up the game, a player holding a probable winner is encouraged to show the hand without delay. If there is a side pot, players involved in the side pot should show their hands before anyone who is all-in for only the main pot.

SECTION 4 – PROPER BEHAVIOR

CONDUCT CODE

Tournament Directors will attempt to maintain a pleasant environment for all our members and employees, but is not responsible for the conduct of any player. We have established a code of conduct, and may deny entry to future events if required. The following are not permitted:

  • Collusion with another player or any other form of cheating.
  • Verbally or physically threatening any member or employee.
  • Using profanity or obscene language.
  • Creating a disturbance by arguing, shouting, or making excessive noise.
  • Throwing, tearing, bending, or crumpling cards.
  • Throwing chips at people
  • Destroying or defacing property.
  • Using an illegal substance.
  • Carrying a weapon.

POKER ETIQUETTE

The following actions are improper, and grounds for warning, suspending, or barring a violator:

  • Deliberately acting out of turn.
  • Deliberately splashing chips into the pot – throwing chips into the pot before the betting round has completed. Chips should be placed in front of each player until the betting round is complete.
  • Agreeing to check a hand out when a third player is all-in.
  • Reading a hand for another player at the showdown before it has been placed face-up on the table.
  • Revealing the contents of a live hand in a multi handed pot before the betting is complete. Revealing the contents of a folded hand before the betting is complete. Do not divulge the contents of a hand during a deal even to someone not in the pot, so you do not leave any possibility of the information being transmitted to an active player.
  • Needlessly stalling the action of a game.
  • Deliberately discarding hands away from the muck. Cards should be released in a low line of flight, at a moderate rate of speed.
  • Looking through mucked cards. While a player may only be looking for their own cards, they are inappropriately viewing other players’ folded hands.
  • Stacking chips in a manner that interferes with dealing or viewing cards.
  • Making statements or taking action that could unfairly influence the course of play, whether or not the offender is involved in the pot.
  • Looking at the cards to come out before the appropriate betting round has completed.

SECTION 5 – POLICIES

DECISION MAKING

  1. The Tournament director reserves the right to make decisions in the spirit of the game, even if a strict interpretation of the rules may indicate a different ruling.
  2. Decisions of the Tournament Director are final.
  3. The proper time to draw attention to an error or irregularity is when it occurs or is first noticed. Any delay may affect the ruling.
  4. If an incorrect rule interpretation or decision by a Tournament Director is made in good faith, the league has no liability.
  5. A ruling may be made regarding a pot if it has been requested before the next deal starts. Otherwise, the result of a ruling must stand. The first hole card dealt marks the start of a deal.
  6. If a pot has been incorrectly awarded and mingled with chips that were not in the pot, and the time limit for a ruling request given in the previous rule has been observed, Tournament Director may determine how much was in the pot by reconstructing the betting, and then transfer that amount to the proper player.
  7. To keep the action moving, it is possible that a game may be asked to continue even though a decision is delayed for a short period. In such circumstances, a pot or portion thereof may be impounded by the Tournament Director while the decision is pending.
  8. The same action may have a different meaning, depending on who does it, so the possible intent of an offender will be taken into consideration. Some factors here are the person’s amount of poker experience and past record.

RULES FOR POSTING BLINDS

 

  1. The minimum bet and blind amounts set at each blind remain the same even when the player in the blind does not have enough chips to post the full amount.
  2. Each round every player must get an opportunity for the button, and meet the total amount of the blind obligations. The big blind is posted by the player due for it, and the small blind and button are positioned accordingly, even if this means the small blind or the button is placed in front of an empty seat, giving the same player the privilege of last action on consecutive hands.
  3. A player posting a blind in the game’s regular structure has the option of raising the pot at the first turn to act. Although chips posted by the big blind are considered a bet, this option to raise is retained if someone goes all-in with a wager of less than the minimum raise.
  4. In heads-up play with two blinds, the small blind is on the button. There is never a ‘dead position’ in heads-up play.
  5. A new player to the table cannot be dealt in between the big blind and the button. They must wait until the button passes.

 

GLOSSARY

ACTION: A fold, check, call, bet, or raise. For certain situations, doing something formally connected with the game that conveys information about your hand may also be considered as having taken action. Eg. showing your cards at the end of the hand.
AGGRESSIVE ACTION: A wager that could enable a player to win a pot without a showdown,eg. a bet or raise.
ALL-IN: When you have put all of your playable chips into the pot during the course of a hand, you are said to be all-in.
ANTE: A prescribed amount posted before the start of a hand by all players.
BET: The act of placing a wager in turn into the pot on any betting round.
BIG BLIND: The largest regular blind in a game.
BLIND:  A required bet made before any cards are dealt.
BOARDCARD:  A community card in the center of the table, as in Texas Hold’em or Omaha.
BOXED CARD: A card that appears face up in the deck where all other cards are facedown.
BURNCARD: After the initial round of hole cards are dealt, the first card off the deck in each betting round is placed face down on the table (not in the muck). To do so is to burn the card; the card itself is called the burn card.
BUTTON: A player who is in the designated dealer position. See dealer button.
CARDS SPEAK: The face value of a hand in a showdown is the true value of the hand, regardless of a verbal announcement.
CHECK: To waive the right to initiate the betting in a round, but to retain the right to act if another player initiates the betting.
CHECK-RAISE: To waive the right to bet until a bet has been made by an opponent, and then to increase the bet by at least an equal amount when it is your turn to act.
COLOR CHANGE:  A request to change the chips from one denomination to another.
COMMUNITY CARDS: The cards dealt face up in the center of the table that can be used by all players to form their best hand in the games of Texas Hold’em and Omaha.
CUT: To divide the deck into two sections in such a manner as to change the order of the cards.
CUT-CARD: Another term for the card used to shield the bottom of the deck.
DEAD HAND: A hand that is not legally playable.
DEALER BUTTON: A flat disk that indicates the player who would be in the dealing position for that hand
DECK: A set of 52 playing-cards.
FACECARD: A king, queen, or jack.
FLASHED CARD: A card that is partially exposed.
FLOP: In Texas Hold’em or Omaha, the three community cards that are turned simultaneously after the first round of betting is complete.
FLUSH: A poker hand consisting of five cards of the same suit.
FOLD: To throw a hand away and relinquish all interest in a pot.
FREEROLL: A chance to win something at no risk or cost.
FULL HOUSE: A hand consisting of three of a kind and a pair.
HAND: (1) All a player’s personal cards. (2) The five cards determining the poker ranking. (3) A single poker deal.
HEADS-UP PLAY: Only two players involved in play.
HOLECARDS: The cards dealt facedown to a player.
KICKER: The highest unpaired card that helps to determine the value of a five-card poker hand.
MISCALL: An incorrect verbal declaration of the ranking of a hand.
MISDEAL: A mistake on the dealing of a hand which causes the cards to be reshuffled and a new hand to be dealt.
MUCK: (1) The pile of discards gathered facedown in the center of the table by the dealer. (2) To discard a hand.
NO-LIMIT: A betting structure allowing players to wager any or all of their chips in one bet.
OPENER: The player who made the first voluntary bet.
OPTION: The choice to raise a bet given to a player with a blind.
PLAY THE BOARD: Using all five community cards for your hand in Texas Hold’em.
POSITION: (1) The relation of a player’s seat to the blinds or the button. (2) The order of acting on a betting round or deal.
RAISE: To increase the amount of a previous wager.
RERAISE: To raise someone’s raise.
RIVER CARD: The fifth card in Texas Hold'em or Omaha.
SCRAMBLE: A facedown mixing of the cards, also referred to as washing the deck.
SIDE POT: A separate pot formed when one or more players are all in.
SHOWDOWN: The showing of cards to determine the pot-winner after all the betting is over.
SHUFFLE: The act of mixing the cards before a hand.
SMALL BLIND: In a game with multiple blind bets, the smallest blind.
SPLASHING THE POT: Throwing chips into the pot before the betting round has completed. Chips should be placed in front of each player until the betting round is complete.
SPLIT POT: A pot that is divided among players because of a tie for the best hand.
STACK: Chips in front of a player.
STRAIGHT: Five cards in consecutive rank.
STRAIGHT FLUSH: Five cards in consecutive rank of the same suit.
STRING BET: A wager made in more than one motion, without announcing a raise before going back to your stack for more chips (not allowed).
STUB: The portion of the deck which has not been dealt.
TURN CARD: The fourth card in Texas Hold'em or Omaha.