In Texas Hold Em, the Action always rotates clockwise around the poker table. On every hand there is a Dealer and two forced bets, called the Small Blind and Big Blind. The first player to the left of the Dealer is always the Small Blind, the second player the Big Blind. After every hand, the Dealer button rotates to the next player, as well as the Blinds. Cards are dealt from left to right, one at a time, twice around the table. If the Dealer does not receive the last card dealt, the hand is considered a misdeal.
To begin, all players are dealt two down cards, which are called Hole Cards. It is then up to the player Under the Gun (first person to the left of the Big Blind) to either call the minimum blind required to play the hand, fold, or raise. The minimum Raise a player may make is the size of the Big Blind.
Next, it is up to the player to the left of Under the Gun to call, fold, or raise. The action continues around the table until it reaches the Small Blind, who only has to pay the difference between their forced bet and the Big Blind (i.e. 15/30 Blinds means that the Small Blind would owe 15 more to call the Blind). The Small Blind may fold or raise as well. If there are no raises, the Big Blind may check and see the Flop, or raise.
Now the Dealer burns one card face down and places the next three cards off the top of the deck face up in a row. These cards are called the Flop, or Community Cards because every player who is in the hand will use them to make the best five card hand.
The Small Blind is always first to act after the Flop. If the Small Blind is not in the hand, the first player to the left of the Dealer who is in the hand must act first. They may choose to Check or Bet. If they Check, the next player in the hand may Check as well. It is possible for everyone to Check around the table. If this happens, the Dealer moves on to the next card. Otherwise, any player may bet when the action is on them. The minimum bet is the size of the Big Blind. Once a player bets, all players must choose to either Call the bet, Fold their hand, or Raise (the minimum raise is the size of the Bet made).
After the Flop round is over, the Dealer burns another card and places another card face up. This is called the Turn, or Fourth Street. Another round of betting occurs where players Check, Bet, or Fold.
Next, the Dealer burns one final card and places the next card face up. This is called Fifth Street, or The River. After a final round of betting all remaining players in the hand must make the best five card poker hand to determine who wins the pot. Players must use one of the following combinations to make the best five card hand:
- Both Hole Cards and 3 Community Cards
- One Hole Card and 4 Community Cards
- No Hole Cards and 5 Community Cards
Finally, there is a Showdown to determine who wins the pot. The first player to Bet on the River Round must show their cards first. The action then goes around the table. If the next player cannot beat the previous player's hand, they may Muck (fold their hand without showing) their cards. To be determined the winner of a poker hand, both hole cards must be exposed for the whole table to see. If there was not betting on the River Round, the closest player to the left of the Dealer Button that is in the hand must show their cards first.
Gameplay Rules 2) The minimum bet is always the size of the Big Blind. The minimum raise is always the size of the bet (i.e. if a player bets 250, the minimum raise would be 250 unless a player moves all-in). In regards to All-In raises that are less than the initial raise: Player A raises, Player B re-raises All-In for less than the initial raise. Player C may raise as they have not acted yet, Player A may not raise, only call. 3) A player who would like to raise must either put the full amount of the raise out all at once or verbally say "raise." If the player says "raise", they may either put the raise amount out in one additional motion or declare the size of the raise before doing so. 4) If the dealer flips a card up when dealing, that card is used as the burn card for the flop, unless it is in the first two cards dealt (blinds) which in this case a mis-deal is called. The player that would have received the flipped card then receives the last card off the deck after the rest of the table has received their cards. 5) All players at the table must be dealt two hole cards whether they are present or not. If a player is not present at the table when it is their turn to act, their hand is mucked. 6) If one of the Burn cards is revealed during the hand, the card must be flipped over and shown to all players. The card is then placed back in the burn pile. In the case a card is accidentally/pre-maturely exposed that card is then placed in the deck shuffled twice and a new card will be turned. 7) If a player bets out of turn, they must take their bet back and wait until it is their turn to act. Multiple violations may result in a 10 minute penalty at the tournament director's discretion. 8) If a player is taking too long to make a decision and the rest of the players in the hand agree, time may be called on this player. At that point, a countdown of 30 seconds begins (Tournament director is responsible for the countdown). If the player has not made a decision after 30 seconds, their hand is considered dead. 9) If one or more player is all-in at any time during a hand and no more betting can occur, the hole cards of all players must be turned face up. 9) Side Pots occur when a player moves all-in but cannot cover the entire bet made. For example, if Player A bets $100, Players B and C call, and Player D goes all-in for $50, a Side Pot containing $200 ($50 x 4) is made. The remaining chips ($150) go into the Main Pot. Player D may win ONLY the Side Pot. The rest of the hand is then played out. The player with the best hand of the 3 remaining players (A B C) wins the Main Pot. If Player D cannot beat the winning hand of the Main Pot, the all-in player loses and is out of the tournament. If Player D has a better hand than the winner of the Main Pot, they collect the Side Pot. 10) The Dead Button rule is applied at all league tournaments. 11) If the game is down to Heads-Up play (2 players left) the Dealer Button rotates back and forth after every hand. The player with the Dealer Button is the Small Blind and acts first before the Flop and last after the Flop. The player who is not the Dealer for the hand is dealt the first card. When going from three handed to heads up play, please note that no player may be the Big Blind twice in a row.. 12) Player chips and cards must remain on the table at ALL times. The players' largest valued chips must be in plain sight for other players to see. 13) Only one player may play their hand. Players are allowed to share their cards with a family member, friend, etc as long as that person is not advising actions or looking at other players' cards. Players may not ask for advice from anyone during the hand. If a tournament director feels this rule is being abused, they may request the player to cease sharing their cards. 14) Show one, show all rule. A player who shows their hole cards to another player must then show their cards to the entire table. 15) Splashing the pot is not allowed. This means that when a player makes a bet, the chips must be placed in front of the player for everyone to view, not splashed into the current pot. Multiple violations of this rule can results in a penalty. 16) String bets are not allowed. An example of a string bet would be to put chips in the pot and then reach back and put more in. You MUST always announce your intention. Also, 'straddle bets' are NOT allowed. 17) Table talk is not allowed during the hand and may result in a 10 minute penalty. After the hand is finished players may talk about their hands. 18) The odd chip(s) will go to the high hand or the person closest to the left of the dealer. 19) Tables are allowed to use two decks simultaneously ONLY if all tables agree to do so. 20) In order to claim a winning pot, both hole cards of the winning hand must be turned over and viewable for the entire table. The only time a player doesn't need to show both hole cards to claim a winning pot is if every other player has folded. 21) A player who exposes their cards during a hand may incur a 10 minute penalty if it was thought to be intentional, however their hand will not be considered dead. The only time it is OK for a player to show their cards is if there can be no more betting after their action. 22) Rabbit Hunting is allowed only if the player who won the pot agrees to allow it. 23) When moving a player to even out tables, the player in the big blind will be selected to move. 24) A player who assumes a seat at a new table may be seated anywhere at the table. However, if their position is either the small blind or on the button, they may not be dealt a hand until the button has moved past their position. A dead button situation may occur. 25) Any player who is thought to be purposely dumping their chips, whether to another player or because they wish to leave, will be asked to forfeit their chips. This decision can only be made by the tournament director. 26) If a player folds their hand, the cards must be placed in the muck pile and remain there. Players are not allowed to fish through the mucked cards, etc. 27) Players are not allowed to flash their cards to other players, spectators, etc. before they fold their hand if there are still other players to act in the hand. 28) There are no official color-ups during the tournament because of the use of antes. Players with an overwhelming amount of the same denomination chips may request to be colored-up. 29) If two players are eliminated during the same hand, the player with the higher starting chip count before the hand began will receive the higher finish place. 30) There are two situations in which the dealer position must be established: either when the tournament begins or when three or more players move to a table. In both situations, all players at the table randomly draw a card from the deck. The players who draws the highest cards (Aces are high) will win the dealer position. If two players draw the same highest card they must draw again. 31) A tournament is not complete until one player has all the chips. If the tournament is down to the final three players or less, an agreement can be made to 'chop the pot.' In this situation, players must come to an agreement on how much prize money each player will receive. Regarding points, the players' finish ranks will be based on how many chips each player has at that point. All players must agree in order for this to take place. 32) The tournament director has the final decision on all disputes, rules, etc. League Regulations Eligibility In order to participate in these Texas Hold ‘Em tournaments players must be 18 years of age or older. However, in order to qualify to win our championship grand prizes (unless it is strictly cash), a player must be 21. Anyone who wins a championship tournament prize but is under the age of 21 will win a cash amount equal to 50% of the prize package. The establishment has the right to refuse service to any person for any reason.
Registration Players must sign in on the registration sheet each week in order to play. Late arrival is allowed ONLY within the time frame of the first blind level. Chips must be set up and blinded in for anyone arriving late. A person forfeits their spot if the first blind level expires before they arrive.
Scoring System
1) Each hand, the player with the Dealer Button must shuffle the cards and act as the dealer for that hand. The Dealer Button rotates to the left after each hand. The person dealing must shuffle the cards a minimum of three times. The player to the right of the dealer gets the first option to cut the deck before each hand. Bottom cards are provided to conceal the bottom card of the deck and must be used.
Each season lasts for 16 weeks. Throughout each week players compete to earn points based on their tournament finishes. Each night, the top 30% of the field earn points. These points are recorded and tracked. After the last week of the season, the top percentages of point earners at each location are invited to take part in our Main Event. Players may participate at multiple locations, however they may only qualify once each season (i.e. if a player qualifies at two locations, it will be counted as one qualifier).
Circuit Events
If a circuit event is announced during any season, all qualifying players at all league locations will be eligible to play in a circuit event week, where each league location will host a qualifiers only tournament with various prizes. Please check the current season to see if this is being offered.
Main Event Tournament
If a Main Event tournament is announced for a season, a championship event with all league location qualifiers will take place as the end of a season. Players MUST qualify in order to take part in this tournament. ID’s will be checked and verified at this tournament. Please check the current season to see if this is being offered and what prizes are being given away. League Penalties/Violations
Remember, this is bar poker and that means free poker. Player's attitudes toward the seriousness of the game will vary. However, all league players are expected to treat others with full respect. This means no swearing at other players, cursing bad play(s), or any other type of disrespectful actions. Our goal is to create a comfortable atmosphere where everyone feels welcome. We have set into place a penalty system that our tournament directors will use to discipline players who break the rules.
1st violation- 10 minute forced break away from the table.
2nd violation- player is asked to leave for the night and forfeit their chips.
3rd violation- player is asked to leave for the night and given a one-week suspension from that league location.
4th violation- player is suspended for one-month from league location.
5th violation- player is expelled from league location and not allowed to play for one year.
The SFPT will abide by these penalty violations in order to make poker fun for everyone. The violations do not expire or reset, so when you're at the table and want to explode, step away from the table in order to avoid these penalties.