Coldsprings Poker Tour Presents

The Fourth Mighty Mighty Fourth Annual Coldsprings Poker Fourth of July Firecracker No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em Tournament (presented by Kathleen Williams Interiors)

Introduction

Once again, I'm hosting a no-limit Texas Hold'em tournament “near” the Fourth of July. The tournament will be held on Saturday, July 5th, with the first deal at 8:00 PM.

Tournament game play is a little different than our usual dealer's choice games, and so I've put together this document help you be ready to go.

Once again, we wont be using dedicated dealers. If there are multiple tables the deal will start at the number one seat and move one chair to the left after each level of blinds. As players are eliminated from the final table they will deal until the next player is eliminated, which should spread the work of dealing around a bit.

As players bust out of the tournament they are welcome to start a side games as they see fit, however, my chips will be in use as tournament chips and will not be available for use as betting tokens. I will do my best to make another set of chips available for any players that wish to start a side game.

Game Rules

The game to be played is Texas Hold ‘Em. Each hand will be played as follows:

1. The player to the left of the dealer button posts the small blind.

2. The player to the left of the small blind posts the big blind.

3. Each player, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer button, is dealt two cards face-down (The Pocket Cards).

4. The first betting round begins with the player to the left of the big blind. The small and big blinds may fold, check, call, or raise, as appropriate, when called upon to act.

5. The dealer burns one card and turns three community cards face-up (The Flop).

6. The second betting round begins with the player to the left of the button.

7. The dealer burns one card and turns one community card face-up (The Turn).

8. The third betting round begins with the player to the left of the button.

9. The dealer burns one card and turns one community card face-up (The River).

10. The fourth, and final, betting round begins with the player to the left of the button.

11. Card showdown with the pot being awarded to the winner(s).

12. The dealer button is advanced clockwise one player.

House Rules

As the House Rules normally in force for games deal largely with hand ranking and betting for dealer’s choice limit poker, they will be superseded by these rules and the tournament rules set forth below:

1. Be kind to the dealer, the other players, and especially the Lady and Scions of the Manor

2. Cards speak for themselves

3. Check-raising is allowed

4. Cards and chips must remain in full view of other players at all times

5. At no time should a player or spectator make statements that could unfairly influence the play of a hand. Examples would be "I can't believe I just threw out (insert specific cards here)" or "The board is looking good for the straight draw."

6. Your first verbal announcement regarding betting is binding

7. Do not act out of turn

8. Do not splash the pot

9. The number of raises in any betting round is unlimited

10. Any bet must be at least equal to the big blind, unless a player is going all-in

11. All raises must be at least equal to the size of the previous bet or raise on that betting round

12. If a player cannot cover a blind, the player shall be placed all-in. This does not reduce the specified blind for the purposes of Rule 10.

13. These rules may be amended or added to at any time at the tournament director's discretion.

Commentary on House Rules

Rule six above is a prohibition on what is called "string betting." We all do this in our monthly games when we say, "I call your bet and raise you another (insert amount here)," but it's bad form nonetheless. In a nutshell, if you say "I call and raise" your first statement was "I call" and that statement is binding.

Rule eight is another thing I like to do - tossing your chips into the pot with verve and style - but it makes the dealer's job that much harder. For the tournament, please place all blinds and bets on the table in front of you and wait for the dealer to rake them into the pot once they have verified the bets are right.

Tournament Rules

* Buy-in/Rebuys.

The initial buy-in shall be $20. This buy-in shall purchase 1000 in tournament chips, which have no monetary value. You may rebuy into the tournament if you have lost all your chips before the first hand of the fourth level of blinds is dealt. Rebuys will be the same as the initial buy-in, $20 for 1000 tournament chips. Each player is allowed only one rebuy per tournament.

* Payout

All monies paid in (buy-ins plus any rebuys) will be paid out. The prize structure shall be posted in plain view of the playing table(s). The prize structure is dependent on the number of players and shall be similar to the following:

Players	1-10	11-20
First	50%	50%
Second	30%	25%
Third	20%	15%
Fourth		10%

* Winning the Tournament

The final player remaining will be the first prize winner. The last player eliminated will be the second prize winner; the second-to-last player eliminated will be the third prize winner, etc. If more than one player is eliminated on the same hand, they shall split the combined prize money for the appropriate places. Players may cut side deals to split prizes but these deals are done at the sole discretion of the players and are not sanctioned or guaranteed by the Tournament Director.

* Late Players

Players who arrive late will be allowed to buy-in with the following conditions:

At any time during the first level of blinds a late player may buy into the tournament for $20 with a late start penalty of three big blinds, which will be posted to the player’s first pot. This penalty is in addition to any other blinds the player would otherwise be responsible for posting.

At any time during the second and third level of blinds a late player may buy into the tournament for $40 (simulating a $20 bust-out and a $20 rebuy) with a late start penalty of three big blinds, which will be posted to the player’s first pot. This penalty is in addition to any other blinds the player would otherwise be responsible for posting.

* Chip Values

The chip values shall be posted in plain view of the playing table(s). The values shall be as follows:

Color	Value
White	5
Red	25
Blue	100
Green	500
Black	1000

* Blinds Schedule

The blinds schedule shall be posted in plain view of the playing table(s). Each blinds level will last 20 minutes, as tracked by the tournament timer. The schedule shall be similar to the following:

Level	Small Blind	Big Blind
1	10	20
2	15	30
3	20	40
4	25	50
5	50	100
6	75	150
7	100	200
8	200	400
9	300	600
10	400	800
11	500	1000
12	600	1200
13	800	1600
14	1000	2000
15	1200	2400

* Timer Use and Breaks

When the blinds timer expires, it shall be immediately restarted. The next hand will be dealt at the new blind level. (For the purposes of this rule, a hand is considered currently in play once all blinds/antes are posted and the dealer is shuffling.) Breaks will be at the discretion of the Tournament Director, who will make every attempt to coincide breaks with blind level changes. The timer is stopped during breaks and during any disputes that require the attention of the Tournament Director to resolve. No additional hands at any table should be started during such a break, although hands in progress should be completed.

There will be scheduled breaks after blind level 3 and 6 to "color up unneeded small denomination chips.

* Seating

Each Table will seat a maximum of 8 players. Players will be distributed as evenly as possible between all tables. At the outset of the tournament, players will be randomly assigned seats.

The last eight players will be randomly seated at the final table upon the elimination of the ninth-place player.

* Dealer

The player drawing Seat One at a table will act as the dealer for that table for one blind level (20 minutes of play). When the blind level expires, the deal will pass to the player to the dealer’s left, who will deal until the blind level expires. If the dealer is eliminated from the tournament the deal will pass to the player on his left, except as noted below.

If a player is unwilling to act as dealer he may pass the deal on to the player to his left. If a busted player wishes to assume the responsibilities of the dealer he is welcome to do so, with the consent of the remaining players at the table.

The initial dealer at the final table will be the player drawing Seat One. The deal at the final table will proceed in the same manner until a player is eliminated. A player eliminated from the final table will assume the duties of the dealer until another player is eliminated, at which point that player will act as dealer.

* Moving Players

If the number of players differs by two or more between any two tables, one player will move from the most populated table to the least populated table.

When forced to choose between moving a player from more than one equally populated table, one card will be dealt by the lower populated table's dealer to each table in question. The table with the lower card will move a player.

When a player is eliminated and a move must be made, the player playing a hand in the same position relative to the button at the most populated table must move to the eliminated player’s seat. The move must occur before the next hand is dealt at any table. For the purposes of this rule, a player is playing a hand once all blinds/antes have been posted and the dealer is shuffling.

A moved player will be dealt a hand at the start of the next deal and assume any obligation of the new seat, including posting blinds or dealing.

* Dead Button Rule

If the big blind busts out and is not replaced by a player from another table, the button moves to the player who posted the small blind and the player to the left of the former big blind assumes the big blind, and there is no small blind for that hand. On the following deal, the button moves to the now empty seat (vacated by the eliminated big blind player) and the two players to the left of post the normal blinds. This will result in the same player being dealer two hands in a row.

If the small blind busts out and is not replaced by a player from another table, the button does not move. The player who was the big blind will now post the small blind and the player to his left will post the big blind. This will result in the same player being dealer two hands in a row.

If both the big blind and small blind bust out and are not replaced by players from another table, the button does not move. The player to the left of the former big blind assumes the big blind, and there is no small blind for that hand. On the following deal, the two players to the left of the former big blind assume the big and small blind. This will result in the same player being dealer three hands in a row.

* Players Leaving

If a player leaves the table for any reason and will return before 20 minutes are up, they can opt to drop every hand that occurs during this absence. They will be responsible for all blinds and antes but will not be dealt cards and cannot win any hands. Players remaining at the table, or another person designated by the absentee, will post all blinds and antes for the absent player. If the missing player is moved to another table, their chips will move and they will continue to post blinds and antes as appropriate at the new table.

If a player leaves the table for any reason and is away for longer than 20 minutes, the player forfeits all remaining chips, which will be split evenly among the remaining players at that table, with odd chips returning to the bank. There will be no refunds or cash-outs given to players who leave after the first hand of the tourney is dealt.

* Tournament Director

The Tournament Director is responsible for all table, seating, and dealer decisions. The Tournament Director is responsible for handling the blind timer, although they may delegate this task to any player at their discretion. In the case of disputes and rules interpretations, the Tournament Director will have final authority. If the dispute directly involves the Tournament Director, a third party will be appointed to resolve the dispute.

Appendix A: Dealer Errors, Misdeals, and Dead Hands

* Dealer Errors

If the first or second hole card dealt is exposed, a misdeal results. The dealer will retrieve the card, reshuffle, and recut the cards. If any other hole card is exposed due to a dealer error, the deal continues. The exposed card may 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. If more than one hole card is exposed, this is a misdeal and there must be a redeal.

If the flop needs to be re-dealt because the cards were prematurely flopped before the betting was complete, or the flop contained 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.

If the dealer fails to burn a card before the flop, turn or river, the card will be shown to all players and then discarded, the next card will take its place.

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, even if subsequent players elect to fold. The betting is then completed. The dealer burns and turns what would have been the fifth card in the fourth cardBs 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 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.

* Misdeals

The following circumstances cause a misdeal, provided attention is called to the error before the two players after the blinds have acted on their hands. If these two players have acted in turn, the deal must be played to conclusion.

(a) The first or second card of the hand has been dealt face-up or exposed through dealer error

(b) Two or more cards have been exposed by the dealer

(d) Two or more extra cards have been dealt in the starting hands of a game

(e) An incorrect number of cards has been dealt to a player, except the top card may be dealt if it goes to the player in proper sequence

(f) Any card has been dealt out of the proper sequence (except an exposed card may be replaced by the burn card)

(g) The button was out of position

(h) The first card was dealt to the wrong position

(i) Cards have been dealt to an empty seat or a player not entitled to a hand

(j) A player has been dealt out who is entitled to a hand. The player must be present at the table or have posted a blind or ante

* Dead Hands

Your hand is declared dead if:

(a) You fold or announce that you are folding when facing a bet or a raise

(b) You throw your hand away in a forward motion causing another player to act behind you (even if not facing a bet)

(d) You act on a hand with a joker as a hole card in a game not using a joker. (A player who acts on a hand without looking at a card assumes the liability of finding an improper card.)

Cards thrown into the muck may be ruled dead. However, a hand that is clearly identifiable may be retrieved at the Tournament Director’s discretion if doing so is in the best interest of the game. An extra effort will be made to rule a hand retrievable if it was folded as a result of false information given to the player.

Cards thrown into another player’s hand are dead, whether they are face up or face down.