Poker Project Nights

• All players must agree to abide by the rules as published below and by the Texas Hold’em rules as published on our website and available in hard copy on request.

 • No gambling is permitted during the first session. Any member found to be breaching this rule will receive a lifetime ban from the Poker Project and will be asked to leave the current session they are playing in.

• All participants of any Poker Project league night are prohibited from placing any cash on the table (even when ordering drinks money MUST be kept off of the table at all times). There will be no exceptions to this rule and anyone found breaching this rule may receive a lifetime ban from the Poker Project and will be disqualified from the current session they are playing in.

 • Each Poker Project League night will have 2 sessions of play. The first session will be for points only and the second session will be a small stakes cash game in line with the Gambling Act. Players can bet a maximum of £5 and the pot can be no bigger than £100. The pot total will be divided by the venue manager between the top 3 players in the second session.

 • The Poker Project representatives retain the right to cancel or alter any event.

 • The Poker Project venue manager’s decisions are final.

 • Mobile phone use is to be kept to a minimum at the table.

 • Inappropriate or threatening behaviour is not acceptable.

 • All players who are seated at the start of a session will all have an equal amount of 4000 chips.

 • Blinds are raised every 10 minutes throughout the session. At each blind change the raise is effective on the next live hand.

 • Late arriving players can join the first session up until the end of the 3rd blind session but will be start with fewer chips if they join in the second or third blind. If the player arrives during the 2nd blind session, they will receive 500 less chips. If a player arrives during the 3rd blind session they will receive 1000 less chips.

 

Poker Project League Rules

 • New players are dealt in immediately when they join a new table. New players arriving at a table will be seated by the Venue Manager away from the blinds, to ensure no disruption is caused and so that they can play the next hand.

• A player must state their intentions (Call, Check, Raise) before placing chips in front of them. If a player does not state his/her intention to raise, any chips placed in front of them will be assumed as a call. Any extra chips will be returned to their stack

.• A player must place all chips required to satisfy his/her intention in one motion. String betting is not allowed.

 • Players making bets must put their chips in front of them and not directly into the pot. Chips are pushed into centre of the table after the dealer has stated that the “Pot is Good”.

 • The minimum raise must equal the Big Blind.

 • Any further raise must be at least equal to the previous raise.

• Under Raise Rule
This occurs when a player raises a prior bet but has to go all-in to do so. If the player under-raising - going all-in to raise - has less than half of the expected raise for that betting round, the betting round is locked. The term locked here means that any player who has already acted in the round (checked, called, or raised) may no longer raise. They may only call or fold. However, players who have yet to act (betting has not reached them yet) may raise the expected raise for that betting round, after calling. If the under-raise is half or more than the expected raise, the lock rule does not apply.
An all-in wager of HALF THE BET OR MORE, but still below the full amount, is treated as a full bet and therefore considered a raise for betting purposes. A subsequent player can fold, call or make a full raise and any player, who had already acted prior to the "all in" bet, also has the full range of options open to him.

• When all players are “all-in” and all betting action is complete, all hands in play will be turned face up before any more cards are dealt.
 • Players’chips must remain on the table at all times, the only exception to this is when a player gets moved to another table by a PPL representative.

 • All cards must remain on the tabletop, as well as remain visible.

 • Players must keep their highest value chips in view to all players at all times.

 • Players may not ask advice as to how to act during a hand. If a player shows his/her cards to another player at the table, the player must show all players.

 • If a player is not present when it becomes their turn to act, their hand is mucked (folded). This includes situations in which a live blind is not present to act, since an absent player cannot exercise the option to raise.

 • The dealer is the only player allowed to touch the muck pile. No player is allowed to turn over any cards in the muck pile. If at any time a player’s cards touch the muck pile, the cards are dead and must remain in the muck pile and the player loses all action on that hand.

 • Only the dealer is allowed to touch the chips in the pot. Any player who needs change should do this before a hand is started. If a player can’t do that between hands, then the player should state their intended action (Check, Call, Raise) then put down the chip/s they wish to change. The dealer will sort out the change from the pot and give it to the player after the action has been completed by all players. The dealer must state that the “Pot is Good” all players should then place their chips into the appropriate pot (side or main).

• The dealer must shuffle the cards at least three times, and the deck of cards must be cut with the joker card before each hand is dealt. The pack is cut by the player to the right of the dealer.

 • During a hand the Joker card must be placed on the bottom of the pack at all times to eliminate anyone being able to see the bottom card.

• An absent player is always dealt a hand, and will be put up for blinds.

 • After completion of the hand, the dealer will collect all cards and pass the cards to the next dealer.

 • Players will rotate dealer responsibilities in a clockwise rotation after each hand.

 • The burn cards and muck pile must be kept separate until the hand is completed.

 • If the first or second hole card dealt is exposed, a misdeal results. The dealer retrieves the cards, reshuffles, and re-cuts the cards.

 • If any other hole/pocket card is exposed due to a dealer error, the deal continues. The exposed card 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. If more than one hole/pocket card is exposed, this is a misdeal and there must be a re-deal.

 • If the dealer mistakenly deals the first player an extra card (after all players have received their starting hands), the card is used for the burn card.

 • If the flop contains too many cards, it must be re-dealt.(This applies even if it is possible to know which card is the extra one.)

 • If the flop needs to be re-dealt 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 turns the fourth (turn) 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 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 deck is cut in the usual way and the dealer turns the final card without burning a card.

• If the fifth (river) card is turned up prematurely, the deck is reshuffled and dealt in the same manner.

• After the 5th blind is complete (500/1000) the 100 value chips will be chipped up and removed from the table, as they will no longer be needed in play.

 • All remaining odd chips will be rounded up to the next chip denomination.

 • After the 6th blind is complete (1000/2000) the 500 value chips will be chipped up and removed from the table, as they will no longer be needed in play.

 • If the player in the small blind is eliminated then the button moves to the empty position and the person behind the button deals for the phantom player. The other players post blinds as usual. If the player in the Big Blind position is eliminated, the Small Blind position is dead and only the Big Blind is posted.

 • Session play is continuous, except when a break is called by the Venue Manager.

 • When a Player loses all his/her chips, they are eliminated from play and must leave the table and sign out with the Venue Manager.
 • As players are eliminated tables will be consolidated as evenly as possible by the venue manager.

 • If a table is reduced to 3 players, play can no longer continue on that table unless at the final table.

 • When a table is re-seated and 3 or more players are new to the table, then the players “high-card” for the dealer button.

 • When there are 8 players left in the tournament session a “final table” will be announced.

 • Points sessions will continue until one Player wins all the chips.

 • In order for a player that has been called to claim a pot, the winner must show both hole cards to all the players in the hand.

 • In the case of a split pot that cannot be divided equally, if two players have an equal chip count, the extra chip will be given to the person to the left of the dealer involved in the split.

 • If two (or more) players are eliminated on the same hand, the player who started the hand with the most chips will be awarded the higher finishing position.

 • If you are playing the board, you must so declare before you throw your cards away; otherwise you relinquish the pot.

 • Calling the clock procedures: Once a realistic amount of time has passed and a clock is called for, a player will be given one minute to make a decision. If action has not been taken by the time the minute is over, there will be a ten second countdown. If a player has not acted on his hand by the time the countdown is over the hand will be dead.

• Penalties: A penalty may be called upon if a player's depiction of any card with action pending, if a card(s) goes off the table, if soft-play occurs or related incidents take place. Penalties will be invoked in cases of maltreatment, disruptive behaviour or similar happenings.

 • If a player puts in a raise of 50% or more of the previous bet he will then be required to make a full raise. The raise will be precisely the minimum raise allowed.

 • Verbal affirmations as to the content of a player's hand are not binding however at management's discretion, any player intentionally miscalling his hand may be penalized.

 • A player who intentionally avoids his blind(s) when moving from a broken table will forfeit the blind(s) and or incur a penalty. The money will be put into the next pot and will be considered dead money.

 • If a dealer kills an unprotected hand the player will have no redress and will not be entitled to his money back. Immunity would be if a player raised and his raise had not been called yet, he/she would be entitled to receive his raise back.

 • Dealers cannot kill a winning hand that was turned face-up and was evidently the winning hand.

 • Verbal declarations in turn are obligatory and action out of turn may be binding.

 • Venue Mangers are to consider the best interest of the game and fairness as the top priority in the decision-making process. Uncommon circumstances can on occasion dictate that the technical explanation of the rules be ignored in the interest of fairness. The venue manager’s decision is final.

 • Penalties available for use by the Venue Manager  are verbal warnings, 10,20,30, and 40 minutes away from the table and may be used with discretion. These may be develop up to and including disqualification. A player who is disqualified shall have his/her chips removed from play.

 • Players are obliged to protect the other players in the tournament at all times. Discussing cards discarded or hand possibilities are not allowed.

 • A player who exposes his cards during the play may incur a penalty but will not have his/her hand killed.

 • Verbally revealing the contents of your hand or giving an opinion to another player how to play a hand may result in a penalty.

 

Texas Hold’em – How the game works

 • In a Texas Hold’ em game, players receive two down cards as their personal hand (hole cards/pocket cards), after which there is a round of betting. Three board cards are turned simultaneously (called the flop) and another round of betting occurs. The next two board cards are turned one at a time, (turn and river cards) with a round of betting after each card. The board cards are community cards, a player can use any five-card combination from among the board and personal cards to make the highest hand available. A player can even use all of the board cards and no personal cards to form a hand ("play the board").

 • At the start of a Texas Hold’em game a dealer needs to be determined. All of the cards are spread face down on the table. Each player picks one card and the player who draws the highest card is the dealer. In case two players pick the same high card, the suit preference will determine the dealer. The suit order is as follows: Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs.

 • The game begins with two players, left of the dealer, placing an initial bet. This is called “posting the blinds”. In Texas Hold’em there are no antes but forced bets, or blinds are used.

 • The person to the left of the dealer posts a bet called the “Small Blind”, which is equal to half the minimum bet.

 • The person to the left of the “Small Blind” posts the “Big Blind”, which is equal to the full minimum bet.

 • The Dealer shuffles one full deck of 52 playing cards. (In a Texas Hold’em game a disc known as the “dealer button” is used to indicate which person is the “dealer” for the round).

 • Each player is dealt two cards face down, which, are known as hole cards or pocket cards.

 • The first round of betting starts with the player to the left of the two players who posted the blinds. This round is usually referred to by the term “pre flop”. Players can call the big blind amount, fold or raise.

 • Players can re-raise any amount equal or greater than the minimum bet, which should also equal the big blind. The player who posted the big blind has the option to raise an otherwise un-raised pot.

 • In No Limit Texas Hold’em, the number of chips you have in front of you determines the maximum bet. A player can go “All in” by placing all of their chips in front of them on the table. At this point, either the player or the dealer should calculate the amount of the player’s all-in bet. To call, the other players at the table must match the value of the chips.

 • In the event a player cannot match the value of another player’s bet, but would still like to call, he or she can go all-in and play for a portion of the pot. Should this happen, the dealer should divide the original, larger bet into two stacks: the first stack should match the amount of the caller’s all-in bet. This stack is pushed into the original pot along with the caller’s all-in bet. The second stack is placed into a side pot-for which the all-in caller is not eligible. This enables the rest of the table to continue play-raising and re-raising as they normally would. At the conclusion of the hand, the all-in player is eligible to win the original pot, but not the side pot.

 • After the initial betting round ends, the dealer discards the top card of the deck. This is called a “burn card”. This is done to prevent cheating. The dealer then turns the next three cards face up on the table. The first three cards are referred to as the flop. These are community cards that any player can use in combination with their two pocket/hold cards to form a poker hand.

 • Next is another round of betting starting with the player to the left of the dealer, each player can check or bet. Once a bet has been made, each player can raise, call, or fold.

 • After the betting has concluded the dealer burns another card, and then adds a fourth card face-up to the community cards. This card is known as the turn card.

 • Next is another round of betting starting with the player to the left of the dealer.

 • Once the betting has finished, the dealer burns a card and places the fifth and final card face up on the table. This card is known as the river card. Players can now use any of the five community cards or the two cards in their hole/pocket to form a five card poker hand.

 • There is now a final round of betting starting with the player to the left of the dealer.

 • After this round of betting, all of the players remaining in the pot reveal their hands. This begins with the player to the left of the last player to call. It’s called the showdown.

 • If two or players have the same hand, the next highest card in the player’s hand is used to break a tie. This is called the kicker. If there is no kicker card and the tied players have used both hole cards, or have the exact same hand, then the pot is split between them.

 • The dealer button is then passed clockwise to the next player and another round of play begins.

Hand Rankings

Here are the poker hands from highest to lowest.

		Royal Flush A, K, Q, J, 10, all the same suit.
		Straight Flush Five cards in a sequence, all the same suit.Highest ranked card at the top of the sequence wins.
		Four of a Kind All four cards of the same rank.
		Full House Three of a kind with a pair. Highest three matching cards wins the pot.
		Flush Any five cards of the same suit, but not in a sequence.The player holding the highest ranked card wins. If necessary, the second, third, fourth and fifth highest ranked cards can be used to break the tie.
		Straight Five cards in a sequence, but not of the same suit.Highest ranking card at the top of the sequence wins. Note: The Ace may be used at the top or bottom of the sequence, and is the only card which can act in this manner.
		Three of a Kind Three cards of the same rank. Highest ranking three of a kind wins.
		Two Pair Two different pairs. Highest pair wins.,If players have the same highest pair, highest second pair wins. If both players have identical pairs, highest fifth card wins.
		Pair Two cards of the same rank.Highest pair wins. If players have the same pair, the highest side card wins, and if necessary, the second-highest and third-highest side card can be used to break the tie
		High Card When you haven't made any of the hands above, the highest card plays.