Tournament Rules

OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT RULES

1. Red Hot Poker Tour considers the best interests of the game and fairness as the top priority in the decision-making process. Tournament Director’s decisions and/or rulings are final.
2. All players must be registered members of the Red Hot Poker Tour, and show photo identification at every event. The Red Hot Poker Tour has the right to deny or revoke membership at its sole discretion.
3. Participants in Red Hot Poker Tour tournaments are prohibited from involving betting or gambling in any way, shape or form. Players are not permitted to place any form of currency on the table at any time. There are no exceptions to these rules. Violators will be asked to leave immediately and banned from all future Red Hot Poker Tour™ events. Chips used by the Red Hot Poker Tour™ have no value as currency.
4. When time has elapsed in a round and a new round is announced, the new blinds and ante apply to the next hand. A hand has begun with the first riffle of the cards for deal.
5. Players must keep their highest denomination chips visible at all times.
6. All chips must be visibly displayed at all times. Players may not have tournament chips in their pockets at any time. A player who has chips in his pocket will forfeit the chips. The forfeited chips will be taken out of play from the tournament.
7. Players are obligated to submit their blinds and antes before any cards are dealt.
8. Players not at their seat when the last card is dealt during the initial round of dealing will have a dead hand. This includes the blinds, which will be posted by the dealer.
9. New/Waiting List players are dealt in immediately unless they sit down in the small blind. If seated in the Small Blind, the player must wait until the deal passes them to enter the game. If a player is seated in the Big Blind position, the player must post the Big Blind to be dealt in the hand.
10. Tournament play will use a dead button. A player may come in and be the dealer at anytime.
11. An absent player is always dealt a hand, and the dealer will submit their blinds and/or antes from the player’s chips. Players at the table cannot play another players hand if absent.
12. If the first or second card off the deck is exposed on the deal, the dealer will place it back onto the deck, reshuffle, and re-cut the cards. If any other card is exposed due to dealer error, it will be replaced as follows: If a down card is flashed or exposed due to a dealer error, it can not be kept. After completing the hand, the dealer replaces the card with the top card on the deck, and the exposed card is then used for the burn card.
13. If the cards are prematurely flopped before the betting is complete, or if the flop contains too many cards, 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.
14. If the dealer turns the fourth card on the board before the betting round is complete, the card is taken out of play for that round, and the betting is completed. The dealer then burns and turns what would have been the fifth card in the place of the fourth card. 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 turns 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.
15. In Hold’em, 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 more than one extra card, it is a misdeal.
16. Play will halt on any table that is four or fewer players.
17. Players going from a “broken” table to fill in seats assume the rights and responsibilities of the position. A dead button situation may occur (see pt. 9).
18. If you are not present when it becomes your turn to act, your hand is folded.
19. The current dealer is the only player allowed to touch the discard/muck pile. No player is allowed to turn over any cards in the muck pile or view unplayed cards (“Rabbit hunting”).
20. Chips valued at 25, 100, and 500 will all be removed from play when they are no longer necessary.
21. 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 remains. In this situation, a side-pot could occur for players with remaining chips.
22. When a player loses all his/her chips, they are eliminated from play and must leave the table immediately.
23. The odd chip(s) go to the high hand. In flop games, when there are two or more high hands, the odd chip(s) will go to the first player to the left of the button.
24. Tournaments will continue until one Player wins all the chips.
25. Players’ chips must remain on the table at all times unless reassigned to another table and required to move.
26. All cards must remain on the tabletop at all times.
27. The English speaking only rule will be enforced during the play of hands.
28. No “string bets.”A player must state their intentions (Call, Check, Raise) before placing chips in front of them. You must place all chips required to satisfy your intentions in one motion. You may not go back into your chips multiple times.
29. No “splashing” the pot. You are to place your chips in a stack in front of you, and then push the chips to the centre after the dealer has stated that the “pot is right.”
30. Only the dealer is allowed to touch the chips in the pot.
31. A single oversized chip (e.g. a chip that is a higher value than the amount to call) will be considered a call if the player does not announce a raise. If a player puts an oversized chip into the pot and states raise but does not state the amount, the raise will be the maximum allowable up to the size of that chip. After the flop, an initial bet of a single oversized chip without comment will constitute the size of the bet. To make a raise with a single oversized chip, a verbal declaration must be made before the chip is entered into the pot.
32. In no-limit a raise must be made by (1) placing the full amount in the pot in one motion; or (2) verbally declaring the full amount prior to the initial placement of chips into the pot; or (3) verbally declaring “raise” prior to the placement of the amount to call into the pot and then completing the action with one additional motion.
33. Less than a full raise does not reopen the betting to a player who already has acted.
34. At the end of last round of betting, the player who made the last action in that betting round must show first. If there was no bet the player to the left of the button shows first and so on clockwise.
35. All cards will be turned face up when no additional betting action is possible.
36. One-player-to-a-hand. Players are obligated to protect the other players in the tournament at all times. Therefore, players shall:
    a. Not disclose contents of live or folded hands.
    b. Not advise or criticize play before or after the action is complete.
    c. Not read/announce the board, not announce a potential hand that hasn’t been tabled and/or identify potential hands of any player in or out of the hand.
37. Dealers cannot kill a winning hand that was tabled and was obviously the winning hand.
38. Submitting cards to the MUCK automatically forfeits the hand in any situation, even if the hand is face up. The winning hand must be shown.
39. Players must remain at the table if they still have action pending on a hand.
40. In a situation when a player chooses or is required to show their cards, including playing the board, a player must show both cards to earn any part of the pot. There is no circumstance that a player is permitted to show only one card.
41. If a Player folds, and exposes one card in the process, the players’ second card must also be exposed to all players, and both cards left on the table face up. If a player folds both cards face up, both cards must also be exposed to all players, and left on the table face up. Repeatedly folding cards face up may result in a tournament disqualification.
42. If a player shows their cards to one or more players at the table, they are required to show their cards to all players at the table. This is commonly known as the “Show One, Show All rule.
43. When heads-up, the small blind is on the button and acts first. When beginning heads-up play the button may need to be adjusted to ensure that no player takes the big blind twice in a row.
44. A player is responsible to protect their hand at all times. If a dealer kills an unprotected hand, the player will have no redress and will not be entitled to the return of any chips place in the pot. However, if the player raised and the raise had not yet been called, the raise will be returned to the player.
45. Verbally disclosing the contents of your hand, advising a player how to play a hand and/or discussing mucked cards before the hand is completely over for all players is prohibited and will not be tolerated. Repeatedly disclosing the contents of your hand may result in a tournament disqualification.
46. A player who exposes his cards with action pending will result in a verbal warning but will not have a dead hand. Repeatedly exposing cards may result in a tournament disqualification.
47. It is expressly prohibited to make a deal at the final table of any Tournament, and disqualifies all players involved.
48. Etiquette violations will not be tolerated. Examples include unnecessarily touching other players cards or chips, delay of the game, and excessive or abusive chatter. Repeatedly etiquette violations may result in a tournament disqualification.
49. Players are required to act in turn. A player who intentionally acts out of turn will be penalized. When a player decides to check when it is not their turn in the action, they are held to the check and will not be allowed to call or raise when their actual turn comes into play. Any stated action which is out of turn will be considered binding if no subsequent players choose to act within their allowed turns.
50. Red Hot Poker Tour Members are required to conduct themselves in a professional manner and be respectful of the establishments that host tournaments, other Members, as well as Red Hot Poker Tour crew. Behavior that is disruptive and/or not in the best interest of the Tour such as inserting personal chips, sharing or pooling chips, colluding, cheating, and/or behaving in an inappropriate, disrespectful or abusive manner, will result in the immediate disqualification from the Tournament and permanent loss of membership in the Red Hot Poker Tour
51. A disqualified player will have their chips removed from play.
52. Any event with eleven players or less is subject to half the final points for finishers in the top 8. (ie: 1st gets 750pts instead of 1500pts)
53. Red Hot Poker Tour retains the right to cancel any event, or alter it in a manner fair to the players and the Tournament Director’s decisions and/or rulings are final.