One Player to a Hand, No Disclosure or Advice to other players. Players are obligated to protect the other players in the tournament at all times. Therefore, players, whether in the hand or not, may not disclose contents of live or folded hands,advise or criticize play before the action is complete or read a hand that hasn’t been tabled.
Poker is an individual game. Players are required to act in turn. Chip dumping and Soft Play (collusion between players) will result in penalties, which may include forfeiture of chips, disqualification, and/or suspension.
Repeated etiquette violations will result in penalties. Examples include but are not limited to unnecessarily touching other players cards and chips, delay of the game, use of foul language, use of cell phones, threatening behavior, and excessive chatter.
League Tournament Structure
Tournaments are FREE to enter or FREEROLL tournaments. All players are prohibited from placing any form of currency on the poker tables at any time. No gambling or wagering is allowed at any River Dogs Poker League event.
Players are awarded points and they have no cash value. A Points tally for each player will be kept by River Dogs Poker League. Players are encouraged to keep track of their own points. Any player wishing to contest their points tally must present their tally showing a different total. Requests that are received without a player-kept point tally will not be honored.
Tournament Directors are to consider fairness and the best interest of the game when making decisions. Unusual Circumstances can occasionally dictate that decisions in the interest of fairness take priority over technical rules. THE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR’S DECISION IS FINAL.
When balancing tables the players will be moved from behind the button to behind the button. When breaking down tables, players will be placed in the same position as closely as possible. Players cannot be placed as Small Blind and will have the option to take Big Blind.
A Penalty will be invoked if a player exposes any card with action pending, violates the One Player to a Hand rule, cases of Soft Play (collusion), abuse, Disruptive Behavior, or any other rules violations takes place. Penalties available to the Tournament Director include but are not limited to verbal warnings and “Missed Hand” or “railing” penalties. “Railing” or “Missed Hand” penalty will be assessed as follows: The offender will miss one hand for every player (including the offender) who is at the table when the penalty is given, multiplied by the number of rounds as specified by the Tournament Director for 1 to 4 rounds of play. A player that is disqualified shall have their chips removed from play. Repeat infractions are subject to escalating penalties up to suspension from River Dogs Poker League.
Break times will begin when announced by the Tournament Director. Tables may finish the current hand, and then players will be on break for the remaining time left on the clock. The Tournament Director will announce the end of the break and play will resume regardless of the number of players in their seats.
River Dogs Poker League reserves the right to change starting chip count, blind structures, antes,etc at any event in order to meet venue, host, or time requirements.
League Tournament General Rules
A player may not use any communication devices at the tables. This includes Cell Phones, Text Devices, PDA’s and etc.
Tournament seats will be randomly assigned by the Tournament Director.
All chips must be visible at all times. Players must keep their higher denomination chips visible at all times. Players may not hold their chips in any way that takes them out of view. Any player who violates this will forfeit the chips and face possible disqualification. The forfeited chips will be taken out of play.
Chips can be colored-up during play but will be officially colored-up at the time designated by the Tournament Director. Chips will be rounded to the amount of the next chip value in line.
A player must be at their seat by the time all players have been dealt complete initial hands in order to have a live hand. Players must remain at the table if they have action pending on a hand. Players must be in their seat to call time. Any player that is gone from their seat for longer than fifteen (15) minutes may have their chips forfeited and removed from play by the Tournament Director.
All players must agree to and abide by all the rules of River Dogs Poker League.
Players are obligated to take all blinds. Blinds will be raised according to the Tournament Director and when a new level is announced, the new level applies to the next hand. A hand begins with the first riffle of the cards.
League Tournament Play
Verbal declarations of bets are binding in and out of turn. Verbal declarations as to the content of a players hand are not binding; however, any player deliberately miscalling his or her hand will be penalized.
A player who exposes their cards with action pending may incur a penalty, but will not have a dead hand. The hand will be played out with the cards exposed and any penalty will begin at the end of the hand.
No Rabbit Hunting allowed. Both the Dealer and player may be subject to penalties.
Side pots will be used as needed and in the case of a split pot, all odd chips will go to the player closest to the button.
A player must show both cards in order to win any pot. All cards will be turned face up once a player is “ALL-IN” and all betting action is complete. At Showdown, the player who made the last aggressive 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 moving clockwise around the table.
Raises must be made by either placing the full amount into the pot in a single motion, verbally declaring the amount of the raise prior to the initial placement of chips into the pot or verbally declaring “raise” prior to the placement of the amount to call into the pot and then completing the action with one (1) additional motion. If a player puts out a raise of 50% or more of the previous bet, but less than the minimum raise, the player will be required to make a full raise which will the exactly the minimum raise allowed. Raises must be double the amount of the last action except when “ALL-IN”. String raises/bets (“I see and I raise” or “I call and I raise”) are not allowed. Splashing the pot is not allowed and will result in a penalty.
The ONE CHIP rule is that if a player moves into a pot without prior action, with a single chip that is larger than the amount to call without announcing a raise, he or she is considered to have bet the amount of that chip. If prior action has occurred then the single chip will be considered a call with change given back to that player. Raises using a single chip with prior action before them must be declared as a raise.
Tournament play will use the “Dead Button” rule. If the Small Blind is knocked out of the Tournament, the button will be passed to the empty seat. The players to the left of the button will be Small Blind and Big Blind as usual. Once play is at “Heads-Up” the Small Blind is on the button and acts first. At the beginning of play, the button may need to be adjusted so that no player takes the Big Blind twice in a row, and Antes will not be paid.
Unprotected hands that are “killed” by the dealer (raked into the muck) are dead and the player will have no redress and will not be entitled to any refunds of bets placed. The Dealer cannot kill a winning hand that has been tabled and is obviously the winning hand. Players are encouraged to read tabled hands if it appears that an error is about to be made in the interest of fairness.
