Pokerfest TERMS OF USE

The Pokerfest Terms of Use are comprised of the Pokerfest Group rules and regulations governing live poker tournaments and cash games („Tournament”) during tour events („Event”). Registering to a Tournament : a player („You”) aprove and accept the Pokerfest Terms, filming and Image Rights in order to receive a , in accordance with the terms and conditions set out herein („Agreement”). „Pokerfest Group” shall mean any company within the Pokerfest group including its subsidiaries and affiliates.

Event Entry and Registration

You hereby acknowledge and agree that you are not entitled to be sponsored (either directly or indirectly) into any Event by a third party that is an Unauthorised Satellite Operator (as defined below) nor are you entitled to wear the branded logos of any Unauthorised Satellite Operator. If Pokerfest determines, in its sole discretion, that you have been sponsored into an Event by an Unauthorised Satellite Operator and/or you are wearing a branded logo or logos of an Unauthorised Satellite Operator it is entitled to require (including by instructing the Venue and/or the Tournament Director at an Pokerfest festival to give effect to its determination) that you immediately remove the branded logos and/or to disqualify you from the festival. You waive any claims you may otherwise have against Pokerfest in this regard.
An „Unauthorised Satellite Operator” shall mean a third party (including, but not limited to online poker operators and offline casinos and poker rooms) which conducts tournaments which offer as a prize a free buy-in to, or registers players to, an Event without obtaining the requisite licence in the form provided by Pokerfest or, if such third party is a holder of such licence, is not in full compliance with the terms of such licence.

Players who enter a Tournament will be required to register with the Pokerfest System in order to enter the tournament.

You will need to provide Pokerfest with certain personal details about yourself for the purpose of registering with the Pokerfest System. You acknowledge and accept that your personal information is correct and shall be stored by us and used on the Pokerfest System and may be processed by us, our affiliates, our agents and third parties providing services to us. Your personal information may be used by us for any of the following purposes:

to identify you upon arrival at a Tournament;

to display data relating to the results of Tournaments online and on leaderboards;

to send you events and news information regarding live events or other marketing materials regarding our services or services of our affiliates;

to communicate with you regarding payment of prizes;

for internal administrative purposes and;

for the performance of commercial agreements with third parties to whom the rights to the Contribution as subsequently defined can be transferred or licensed.

You also expressly agree that we share your personal information with our affiliates for the purposes outlined above. We and other members of our corporate group may occasionally send you events and news information or information regarding new services and to provide you with customer support services. If you do not wish to receive our newsletters, you may opt-out of receiving them by following the instructions included in each newsletter.

Branded Logos

No player will be permitted to wear at any Event any logo or branding of any gambling operator which is not permitted to legally advertise according to local laws.

Players will be allowed to wear approved gaming operator logos/branding on their shirts provided that the following restrictions are accepted and implemented:

One breast pocket logo no larger than 70cm squared

One upper shirt sleeve logo no larger than 40cm squared

No other branding on any part of the player’s clothing or body will be permitted during an Event.

Certain Events have specific local legal regulations with regards to branding. Please see the Event homepage for any specific legal requirements for that event.

Subject to the other terms and conditions hereof, a player will be permitted to wear gaming logos which are not those of the headline Sponsor („Pokerfest „) provided that such player informs Pokerfest what these logos are prior to the Event.

Players can only be sponsored by a company, subject to clause 12 above, prior to the beginning of a tournament. Any non-sponsored player, not wearing branded clothing or logos at the beginning of any Event, can only wear the Pokerfest logo. For the avoidance of doubt the beginning of a tournament shall be defined as the moment all players are first dealt their hole cards („shuffle up and deal”) on the first day of said Event.

As per the Pokerfest terms, officially Sponsored players must ensure that the logo of their Sponsor is worn at the beginning of any Event in line with the above clauses and such Sponsored players must clearly reference their Sponsor’s logo in the appropriate field on the Event waiver form, prior to the start of the Event. Any Sponsored player who does not wear their Sponsors logo before a tournament starts and then tries to subsequently wear the logo in a later stage of any tournament will need to provide written proof of their Sponsored Affiliation prior to such player being permitted to wear the logo in question.

All players who choose to wear the branded logo of an approved gaming operator during the Event must abide by clause 17 above.

No more than 10% of the overall entry field at any Event can wear the branding/logos of any single company with the exception of Pokerfest. If more than 10% of the players in any Event are wearing the branding/logos of any single company other than Pokerfest, then the players themselves or a company representative must decide which players will continue to wear the branded clothing. If no decision is made, then Pokerfest will high card the players to make a decision.

Pokerfest reserves the right to televise, webcast or record any Event at any time. Players may be asked to sit at a poker table which has been created for the purpose of televising or webcasting the Event (herein referred to as “TV Table”).

No more than 2 players on the TV Table of an Event can wear the logo(s) of any single company with the exception of Pokerfest. If more than 2 players from any single company are at the TV Table then the players themselves or a Pokerfest company representative must decide which 2 players will continue to wear the branded clothing during the Event in question. If no decision is made, then Pokerfest will high card the players to make a decision. Any player starting the final table wearing no logos must remain as such throughout the Event.

Pokerfest and the Tournament Director will have absolute discretion to approve the clothing and apparel worn by the players during the Event. They will also have the right to remove any logo(s), image(s) or word(s) on the players’ clothing and apparel, which in the opinion of Pokerfest or the Tournament Director contravenes the requirements of the commissioning broadcaster, Pokerfest or any regulatory body.

Branded Logos during all filming

Players will be allowed to wear logos/branding on their shirts and apparel provided that they comply with the logo restrictions described above and abide by the following additional restrictions:

One breast pocket logo no larger than 4cm x 5cm

One upper shirt sleeve logo no larger than 4cm x 5cm

Baseball caps and card protectors with logos will be allowed only if the logos on such apparel and/or items are not visible

No other forms of company names and/or brand logo(s) are permitted on the TV Tables and during any form of filming including, but not limited to, sports and fashion brands. Any player wearing clothing or in possession of items (e.g. card protectors) in violation of this rule will not be able to participate in a televised table until said article of clothing and/or item is replaced and/or removed. Pokerfest reserves the right to remove or alter player sponsor logos at their sole discretion if said logos do not comply with local regulations or broadcast standards.

Filming and Image Rights

You irrevocably grant to Pokerfest and to the companies within the Pokerfest Group and our affiliates all rights, consents and licenses necessary to enable Pokerfest, the companies within the Pokerfest Group, and their assignees to make the fullest use (including, without limitation, to reproduce, distribute, amend, alter, publicly display, transmit on TV, via Internet and through any other means of communication and make derivative works thereof) of your photograph, likeness, appearance, image, voice, name, film footage and sound recordings that feature you, as photographed, recorded, or broadcasted by or on behalf of Pokerfest or the companies within the Pokerfest Group or their assignees (the „Contribution”) throughout the universe in perpetuity and royalty-free by any and all means in any and all media, whether now known or hereinafter developed or devised, in any programme for which your contribution has been recorded and any other programmes and any other content including, without limitation, in relation to the streaming of our coverage of a Tournament on the Internet, the production and distribution of videoblogs of a Tournament on the Internet and the production and release of promos of, or other marketing materials related to, a Tournament, or poker tournaments or online poker websites associated with the Pokerfest brand. You agree to the photography, recording, broadcasting and/or live relay of the Contribution.

You hereby release Pokerfest, its affiliates, and their permitted designees from and against any claim, damage, liability, cost and expense arising from any violation of any right to privacy, publicity or personality that you have, or infringement of any copyright or other proprietary right that you own or hold, based upon or related to any use of the Contribution under the licenses and rights granted herein. The foregoing release shall be binding upon you and your heirs, assigns and legal representatives.

You acknowledge and agree that Pokerfest or its affiliate (if the Tournament is organised and operated by such affiliate) solely owns all right, title and interest, including, without limitation, all copyrights and other intellectual property rights, in and to the Contribution and any derivative works thereof. To the extent ownership of the Contribution does not automatically vest in Pokerfest or such affiliate, you hereby grant and assign to Pokerfest and such affiliate all right, title and interest in and to the Contribution and agree to execute all documents reasonably requested by Pokerfest or such affiliate to effectuate the foregoing.

In recognition of the needs of film and television production, Pokerfest and its affiliates shall be entitled to edit, copy, add to, take from, adapt or translate the Contribution in its sole discretion, and in respect of the Contribution, you irrevocably waive the benefits of and agree not to assert any provision of law known as “moral rights” or any similar laws of any jurisdiction. You agree that Pokerfest and its affiliates are under no obligation to broadcast, exhibit and/or otherwise exercise any of the rights and licenses granted herein.

You represent and warrant to us that (a) you are fully entitled to grant the rights and licenses granted to us and our affiliates hereunder, (b) nothing in the Contribution (whether by way of inflection or gesture or otherwise) will infringe the copyright or any other right of any person, breach any contract or duty of confidence, constitute a contempt of court, be defamatory or be calculated to bring Pokerfest, other companies under the same corporate ownership, any broadcaster, and/or the Pokerfest brand into disrepute and (c) all facts expressed by you in the Contribution are, to the best of your knowledge and belief, true and insofar as the Contribution contains any opinions, these opinions are your own and are genuinely and truly held by you.

You agree to indemnify Pokerfest, the companies within the Pokerfest Group, their assignees and any broadcaster against all and any costs, claims, expenses and liabilities (including without limitation, legal fees and any sums paid on the advice of counsel) resulting from breach by you (or anyone acting under your authority) of any of the representations, warranties and/or undertakings on your part contained in this Agreement.

Any player playing in any Event acknowledges to Pokerfest that the entire copyright throughout the world in any photograph, film and /or video or other recordings of themselves taken or made during any Event shall belong to Pokerfest and/or any related company.

The player warrants to Pokerfest that they are able to assign all such rights and give such acknowledgements.

Any player attending any Event agrees to carry out any reasonable request by Pokerfest during the Event to assist in publicising, televising or promoting the Event.

Any player playing in any Event agrees to disclose their hole cards to the hidden camera at the final table and any refusal to do so could lead to disqualification from the Event with no prize money being awarded and no refunds given.

Players must make themselves available to attend press conferences and/or television interviews at any reasonable time during any Event if requested by Pokerfest or the Tournament Director.

Pokerfest reserves the right to add or amend any tournament Event rules, as they deem appropriate. This will be done for the benefit of the game and all contestants will be informed of such changes as and when they occur.

Final Table

You acknowledge and agree that any player who plays at a TV Table during any Tournament must surrender any and all electronic devices (whether they have a messaging or communication capability or not) to an appointed tournament representative prior to taking their seat before play begins. Any player found in violation of this rule will be immediately disqualified from the Tournament and all such player’s monies accrued up to the time of disqualification, and such player’s Main Tournament buy-in, will be forfeited subject to the discretion of the Tournament’s director.

During all broadcasts you acknowledge and agree that players at TV Tables are not allowed to communicate with, approach, or in any way make contact with any person, including, without limitation, any audience members and appointed TV production representatives, unless such communication is related to technical issues with the filming, throughout the duration of the TV Table, and that any player found in violation of this rule will be subject to penalties.

During all broadcasts you acknowledge and agree that, if so requested by Pokerfest or an affiliate (if the Tournament is organised and operated by such affiliate), all players must remain within pre-designated locations whilst on all breaks in play throughout the duration of the TV Table, and that in such event, the players will not be allowed to leave these locations, at any point, without being accompanied by an appointed tournament representative. You further acknowledge and agree that players might be required to show their hole cards to the hole card cameras on the TV Table on each hand they are dealt, unless the player has declared that they are playing the hand ‘blind’. Pokerfest, or the affiliate, shall have the right to halt play, within reason, on the TV Table until all hole cards are displayed by all players in play.

You acknowledge and agree that Pokerfest, an affiliate (if the Tournament is organised and operated by such affiliate), or any of their appointed representatives, shall have the right to stop or delay play on the TV Table at any time, and that players are required to grant Pokerfest or such affiliate the right to add cancel or amend breaks in play as and when reasonably required. You further acknowledge and agree that profanity is not permitted at any time during the TV Table event, including, without limitation, verbal expressions, gestures or any other known form of anti-social behaviour, and that any player violating the foregoing rule will be subject to penalties as set forth in the Tournament Rules.

You acknowledge and agree that players at the final table of the Event are only permitted to discuss any form of settlement deal or redistribution of any remaining prize pool whilst seated at the table, and that an appointed tournament representative must be present during any discussions and subsequent decisions related to prize pool redistribution.

Miscellaneous

Pokerfest reserves the right to cancel or alter any event at its sole and absolute discretion.

Pokerfest Terms will in certain circumstances be superseded by house rules or local gaming regulations. Any changes to the rules will be posted on the Tour website and announced to the players prior to the start of the Event.

Management reserves the right to refuse any person entry into any and all Events as well as the Tournament area(s). Individuals who are excluded by the Tournament Sponsor, Partner or Venue are not eligible for entry into any Events or the Tournament Area(s).

Employees of Pokerfest and its parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, owned, operated or managed properties, contractors hired for the operation of the Event or parent companies and immediate family members of such employees are not eligible to play in any events, unless approved in advance by Pokerfest. Immediate Family is defined as: spouse, children and any relative or other person residing in the employee’s place of residence.

Prizes and entries are non-transferable. Winners are responsible for payment of any and all taxes, licenses, registrations and other fees associated with tournament prizes. If prizes are being paid through wire transfers players will be required to provide identification documentation to comply with Anti Money Laundering international regulations.

If the player is disqualified from the Event, they shall forfeit their entire buy-in and shall not be entitled to any tournament prize monies or any other prize consideration that he or she may have qualified for at the point of disqualification.

Force Majeure – In circumstances where there is a guaranteed prize pool, such guarantee will not apply in the event where player attendance at any Event is affected as a result of acts, events, omissions or accidents beyond the reasonable control of Pokerfest such as acts of God, including but not limited to fire, flood, earthquake, windstorm or other natural disaster; war, threat of or preparation for war, terrorist attack, civil war, civil commotion or riots; voluntary or mandatory compliance with any law (including a failure to grant any licence or consent needed or any change in the law or interpretation of the law); fire, explosion or accidental damage; adverse weather conditions.

TOURNAMENT POKER RULES

General Rules

The Tournament Director and Floor Personnel are to consider the best interest of the game and fairness as the top priority in the decision-making process. Unusual circumstances may on occasion dictate that decisions in the interest of fairness take priority over the technical rules. The decisions of the Tournament Direct and/or Floor Personnel are final.
2. Player Responsibilities – Players are expected to verify registration data and seat assignments, protect their hands, make their intentions clear, follow the action, act in turn, defend their right to act, keep cards visible, keep chips correctly stacked, remain at the table with a live hand, speak up if they see a mistake being made, transfer tables promptly, follow one player to a hand, know and comply with the rules, follow proper etiquette, and generally contribute to an orderly tournament.

Official Terminology of Tournament Poker – Official betting or action terms are simple, unmistakable, time-honoured declarations, like: bet, raise, call, fold, check, all-in, pot (in pot-limit only), and complete. Regional terms may also meet this standard. The use of non-standard language and gestures is at player’s risk because it may result in a ruling other than what the player intended. It is the responsibility of players to make their intentions clear.
Electronic Devices – For the avoidance of doubt, the term Electronic Device includes, but is not limited to, the following devices, both known and unknown. Electronic Devices are not permitted to be placed on the playing surface, which includes any part of the poker table, at any time. Players are allowed to place items on the rail.

a. Telephone – Players may not speak on the telephone while at the table whether in a hand or not in a hand. They must step away from the table to conduct their call.

Phones, tablest and laptops – Players may use these devices at the table, however not while in a hand. Laptops may not be plugged into to an external power source while at the table.
Periscope, Twitch, etc… – The use of Apps or any other type of broadcast capability to broadcast the tournament while in play is not allowed.
Wearable Recording Devices – These devices and the use of recording devices of any kind are prohibited throughout the poker room.
There will be no electronic devices permitted on any Featured Televised Tables or Main Event Final Tables.
Table Distractions – PSLive reserves the right to ask players to cease using any and all Electronic Devices or any other items if the Floor Staff determines you are slowing down the pace of play, or otherwise affecting other players at your table. Players may request the Dealer contact Floor Personnel if they believe a player is causing the game to slow down due to outside influences including, but not limited to, books, magazines and Electronic Devices.

Deal Making – Deals will be allowed in all venues where it does not conflict with local gaming regulations. All deals will be reported to media.

TOURNAMENT SEATING

Seating/Stacks – All tournament seating will be randomly assigned and non-transferable. Tournament staff reserves the right to adjust seating to accommodate players with special needs throughout the tournament and to balance tables at the start of the tournament. Players are responsible for verifying their registration receipt to ensure accuracy.
1. Alternates, late entries and re-entries will receive full stacks. They will be seated and assume the rights and responsibilities of any position, except between the small blind and the button.
2. Where applicable, players who collect their table and seat assignments will have their stacks put into play when all of their seat numbers have been collected.

Example – If a player receives Table 4/Seat 8, once all the #8 seats have been collected, all of the #8 seats in the tournament will have their stacks put into play.

Identification – All players are responsible for having valid picture identification to take their tournament seats for the start and all subsequent restarts at all Pokerfest Live Events. Any player using a fraudulent form of identification will be penalized, up to and including disqualification from the event.
Re-buys – Players wishing to re-buy may not miss a hand. If a player announces the intent to re-buy before a new hand, that player is playing chips behind and is obligated to make the re-buy.
Table Breaking – The breaking order for a tournament will be made available when registration for the tournament has closed. Pokerfest reserves the right to alter the breaking order. Players going from a broken table will assume the rights and responsibilities of the position (button, small blind, big blind). They will not receive a hand between the small blind and the button.
1. Tables will be broken by randomization. The floor person will mix the seat cards and pass them out starting with seat 1 in clockwise order around the table.
Table Balancing – Play will halt at any table that is at least three players short. In flop and mixed games, players will be moved from the big blind to the worst position, including taking a single big blind when available. Worst position is never the small blind. In stud only games, players will be moved by position (the last seat to open up at the short table is the seat to be filled).
1. In later stages of tournament play, tables will be balanced at Tournament Director discretion.

MISDEALS

Misdeals include but are not necessarily limited to:
1. 2 or more boxed cards on the initial deal
2. first card dealt to the wrong seat
3. cards dealt to a seat not entitled to a hand
4. a seat entitled to a hand is dealt out
5. if either of the first 2 cards dealt off the deck or any other 2 downcards are exposed by dealer error

Players may be dealt 2 consecutive cards on the button
In a misdeal, the re-deal is an exact re-play: the button does not move, no new players are seated, and limits stay the same. Cards are dealt to players on penalty or who were not at their seats for the original deal, then their hands are killed. The original deal and re-deal count as one hand for a player on penalty, not two.

Four-Card Flops and Premature Cards -If the flop has 4 rather than 3 cards, exposed or not, the floor will be called. The dealer then scrambles the 4 cards face down, the floor randomly selects one as the next burn card and the other 3 are the flop

PROCEDURES

Button – A draw for the button will be held at one table at the beginning of each event and also for restarts, redraws and at the Final Table. This draw will determine the button position for the entire tournament field.
1. Dead Button – All events will be played using a dead button. Dead button is defined as a button that cannot be advanced due to elimination of a player or the seating of a new player into a position between the small blind and the button.
2. Heads-Up Button – During heads-up play, the small blind is on the button and acts first. When beginning heads-up play, the button may need to be adjusted to ensure no player takes the big blind twice.
3. Incorrect Button – If the Dealer button was incorrectly placed and it is discovered after substantial action (Rule #38a) has taken place, play will continue and the button will move clockwise for the next deal. If it is discovered before substantial action, the hand will be declared a misdeal and the button will be corrected.
Chip Race -When it is time to colour-up chips, they will be raced off with a maximum of one chip going to any player. The chip race will always start at the first player left of the Dealer. A player cannot be raced out of a tournament. In the event that a player has only one chip remaining and if that player loses the race, he or she will be given one chip of the smallest denomination still in play. Players found to have lower denomination chips remaining in their stack after the chip race will forfeit those chips unless they are equivalent in value to a chip still in play. Players are encouraged to witness the chip race.
Discretionary Colour Up – Tournament staff reserve the right to colour up any player at any time at their sole discretion. The player has the right to witness the colour up and is encouraged to do so. Discretionary colour-ups should be announced to the players so they may stay and watch the colour-up if they choose to.
Odd Chips – In split-pot games, the odd chip will go to the player close to the button.
Visible Cards, Chips and Stack Counts – Players must keep their cards visible at all times. Players are entitled to a reasonable estimation of an opponent’s chip count; thus chips should be kept in countable stacks. PSLive recommends clean stacks in multiples of 20 as an industry standard. Players must keep their highest denomination chips visible at all times.
1. Players are only entitled to an exact count of actual bets and may only receive a full countdown of an opponent’s chips if that player has bet all in.

Moving Chips – All chips must be transported in chip racks and remain visible at all times. Players may not hold or transport tournament chips in any manner that takes them out of view. A player who does so will forfeit the chips and could face disqualification. The forfeited chips will be taken out of play.
Deck Changes – Deck changes will be on the Dealer push, or as determined by Pokerfest. Players may not ask for deck changes.
Folded Hands – A hand is considered folded upon being touched to the Dealer “muck”, the burn cards, the board, or the discard pile while face down, by either the player or the Dealer. Utilizing Rule #1, the Floor Person may retrieve a technically mucked hand and declare it live if they believe there is good cause to do so and the correct hand is clearly retrievable. When facing a bet, a player who releases their cards with a distinct forward motion will be deemed to have folded their hand. The decision of the Floor Personnel is final. Out of turn folds will be binding provided the circumstances described in Rule #27 are met.
1. Disputed and Killing Hands – The right to dispute a hand ends when the new hand begins. A new hand begins with the first riffle. For tables using a shuffle machine, the start of a new hand will be determined by the dealer pushing the retrieve deck button.
  1. Killing Hands – A Dealer cannot kill a winning hand that was tabled and was obviously the winning hand. Players are encouraged to assist in reading tabled hands if it appears that an error is about to be made.
  2. Unprotected Hands – If a Dealer kills an unprotected hand, the player will have no redress and will not be entitled to any refund. An exception could be if a player raised and the raise had not been called yet, that player could be entitled to receive the raise amount back. However, if the raise has been called, that player could be eliminated.

Side Pots – Each side pot will be split as a separate pot. Pots will not be mixed together before they are split. Players may not touch the pot for any reason.

Calling for Clock – Once a reasonable amount of time has passed, a player may request a clock. Upon the Floor Person approving the request, the player will be given one total minute to act. This minute will consist of a 50 second time limit, and if action has not taken place, there will be a 10 second countdown. If a player has not acted on his hand by the time the countdown is over, the hand will be dead. Tournament Supervisors reserve the right to speed-up the amount of time allotted for a clock if it appears that a player is deliberately stalling. Any player believed to be deliberately stalling the progress of the game may incur a penalty.
1. For Pokerfest tournaments with a level time of twenty minutes or less, the clock will be twenty-five seconds, followed by a five second countdown.
2. In case of a perceived tie between the countdown and the player’s action, that tie will customarily go to the player, pending review under Rule #1.

End of Day Play – For tournaments over multiple days, the following procedure will be used to prevent stalling. Between fifteen and five minutes remaining in the last level of play, the Tournament Director will stop the clock. The Tournament Director will announce the number of hands remaining to be played to the field and all tables will play this number of hands, beginning on the next riffle or push of the retrieve deck button on a shuffle machine, before completing that days play.
Hand-for-Hand Play – Approaching the point at which prize money will be distributed (the “Money Bubble”); the tournament will switch to a hand-for-hand procedure. Once the Tournament Director has announced hand-for-hand play, all tables will finish the hand they are currently playing and stop the action. Once all tables have completed that hand, the Dealer at each table will deal one hand only and upon completion of that hand, stop the action again. This will continue until enough players have been eliminated to reach the prize money stage of the tournament.
1. Called All-In – During hand-for-hand play, when a Dealer has a called all-in at their table, they are instructed to freeze all action remaining at that table, including asking the players to not reveal their hands. This All-In Table will wait to finish its hand until all other tables remaining in the tournament have completed that specific hand. At that point, Floor Personnel will attend the All-In table and instruct them to complete the hand. In the case of multiple tables having called all-ins, they will all be paused and played out one at a time until all tables have completed that specific hand.
2. If two or more players are eliminated during the same hand at different tables, all players will “tie” for that place finish.
3. If two or more players are eliminated during the same hand at the same table, the player who began that hand with the highest chip count will receive the higher place finish.

ACTION

New Tournament Level – When time has elapsed in a round and a new round is announced by a member of the Tournament staff, the new limits apply to the next hand. A new hand begins with the first riffle. When using a shuffle machine, the new hand will be determined by the dealer pushing the retrieve deck button.
At Your Seat – A player must be at his or her seat when the dealer delivers the last card to the button in order to have a live hand. Dealers are instructed to muck the hands of players not at their seats immediately after the final card is dealt to the button, or in Stud Games, the final up card is dealt on third street. Players must be at their seats to call time. “At your seat” is defined as being within reach of your chair. In case of doubt, Floor decision is final.
Action Pending – Players must remain at the table if they are still an active player in a live hand. This includes being all in. If you are all in, you may not leave the table to go to the rail, wander the room, talk to the media, etc… If a player leaves the table while actively involved in a hand they may be assessed a penalty.
Raise Limit – There is no cap on the number of raises in no-limit games. In limit events the maximum number of bets will be the house rule. If there is no house rule, it will be one bet and three raises. Once the tournament becomes heads-up, the number of raises becomes unlimited.
String Bets – Dealers will be responsible for calling string bets or raises. All players at the table are encouraged to assist in calling a string bet or raise if a Dealer fails to identify it. String bets and raises called by a player must be verified by a floor person. A string bet or raise is defined as attempting a bet or raise in multiple movements that may include a return to a player’s stack without a prior verbal declaration of intent or visual deception intended to induce action out of turn before a player’s action is complete.
Substantial Action – Substantial action is either any two actions in turn, at least one of which puts chips in the pot; or any combination of three actions in turn (check, bet, raise, call or fold).

Verbal and Physical Action in Turn (including Undercalls) – Verbal declarations in turn regarding wagers are binding.All chips put into the pot in turn stay in the pot. Players must act in turn at all times.
1. Undercall – An undercall (betting less than the current call amount) is a mandatory full call if made facing an opening bet multi-way on any betting round, or facing a bet heads-up. In all situations, TD discretion applies. For purposes of this rule, in blind games the posted big blind is the opening bet on the first round
Verbal and Physical Action out of Turn (inclusive of Undercall) – Verbal declarations in turn regarding wagers are binding. All chips put into the pot in turn stay in the pot. Players must act in turn at all times. Players who intentionally act out of turn to influence play before them may receive a penalty. Action (both verbal and physical) out of turn may be binding if the action to that player has not changed. A call, check or fold will not be considered action changing. If action does change, the out of turn bet will be considered non-binding and will be returned to the out of turn player. The out of turn player will then have all their betting options (call, fold, raise) restored to them.
1. If a player has raised and his or her hand is killed before the raise is called, the player may be entitled to the raise back, but will forfeit the amount of the call.
Accepted Action – It is the caller’s responsibility to determine the correct amount of an opponent’s bet before calling, regardless of what is stated by others. If a caller requests a count but receives incorrect information from a dealer or player, then pushes out that amount, the caller has accepted the full correct action & is subject to the correct wager or all-in amount. As with all tournament situations, Rule 1 may apply at TD’s discretion.
Oversized Chips – Putting a single oversized chip into the pot will be considered a call if the player doesn’t announce a raise. If a player puts an oversized chip into the pot and says, “Raise,” but doesn’t state the amount, the raise will be the maximum allowable up to the denomination of that chip. To make a raise with a single oversized chip, a verbal declaration must be made before the chip hits the table surface. After the flop, if you are the first player to make a bet and you use a single oversized chip without comment, it will signify a bet equal to the size of the chip.

Multiple Chips – When facing a bet, unless a raise is first declared, multiple same-denomination chips is a call if removing one chip leaves less than the call amount. For example, with the blinds at 200-400, player A makes it 1200 (an 800 raise), player B puts out two 1000 chips without declaring raise, thus making it a call. If player B had put out four 500 chips, then he or she would have raised to 2000 (another 800 raise).

Method of Calling- Standard and acceptable forms of calling include:
1. saying “call”;
2. pushing out chips equal to a call
3. silently pushing out an overchip
4. silently pushing out multiple chips equal to a call under the multi-chip rule(rule 36)
5. Silently betting chip(s) relatively tiny to the bet (ex: blinds 2k-4k. A bets 50k, B then silently puts out one 1k chip) is non-standard, strongly discouraged, subject to penalty, and will be interpreted at TDs discretion, including being ruled a full call.
Method of Raising – It is the player’s responsibility to make his intentions clear. Players are strongly encouraged to verbally declare their exact bet or raise amount. In no-limit or pot-limit, a raise must be made by…
1. Placing the full amount in the pot in one motion.
2. Verbally declaring the full amount prior to the initial placement of chips into the pot.
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 back to the player’s stack.

Conditional Statements- Conditional statements of future action are non-standard and strongly discouraged. At TDs discretion they may be binding and/or penalized. Example: “if – then” statements such as „If you bet, I will raise.”

Half-Bet Raising – If a player puts in a raise of 50 percent or more of the previous bet but less than the minimum raise, he or she will be required to make a full raise. The raise will be exactly the minimum raise allowed. If a player puts in a raise of less than 50 percent of the previous bet, without verbally announcing “raise”, he or she will be required to call the previous bet.
All-In Raising – An all-in wager of less than a full raise does not re-open the betting to the previous bettor
All-In with Hidden Chips – An acknowledged all-in wager commits a player’s entire stack to the hand, including any hidden chips. However, the all-in player is not allowed to benefit from the hidden chips, any chip or chips.
1. Example – Player A goes all in for 21,000 and player B calls with a stack of 100,000. Upon pushing the chips to the middle, player A discovers two 1,000 chips under his arm. If player A wins the pot, he or she will only be paid 21,000 in chips. If he or she is eliminated from the tournament on that hand, his opponent will receive the entire 23,000 stack.
2. Exception – Player A goes all in for 50,000 and player B calls with a stack of 55,000. Upon pushing the chips to the middle, player A discovers a 10,000 chip under his arm. If player A wins the pot, he or she will only be paid 50,000 in chips. If he or she loses the pot, his opponent will receive the entire 55,000 of his actual stack for the double up.

SHOWDOWN

Verbal Declarations – Cards speak. Verbal declarations as to the content of a player’s hand are not binding; however at Tournament Staff discretion, any player deliberately miscalling his or her hand may be penalized.
All-In Showdown – All cards will be turned face-up once a player is all-in and all action is complete. If a player accidentally folds/mucks their hand before cards are turned up, tournament staff reserves the right to retrieve the cards if they are clearly identifiable. Players intentionally mucking their cards in all-in situations may be subject to a penalty.
1. Side Action – In scenarios where multiple players are playing on the side with an all-in player in the main pot, all side pot players who make it to the river showdown will be required to show as well as the all-in player. No player is allowed to fold at river showdown of the side pot with an all-in player in the main pot. The Dealer is instructed to turn up all hands as live and the hands will retain the ability to collect the pot.
Showdown – After all action is completed, the player who made the last aggressive action must show first and it proceeds clockwise. If there was no aggressive action on the entire hand, the player to the left of the button (for Flop games) must show. If there was no bet on the final street, then the player who should be first to act in that betting round will now show first and it proceeds clockwise.
Winning hand – A player must show all of their cards to collect the pot. This includes playing the board. If there is only one player remaining with cards, they do not have to show a winning hand to collect the pot. For example, player B bets the river and player A calls. Player B then mucks leaving player A as the only player remaining in the pot with cards. Player A then collects the pot without having to show his or her hand.
1. Tabled Hand – A hand is considered tabled when all cards are placed face up on the table. Flashing cards, waving them around, etc… are not considered tabling your hand. Hands will not be read and cannot win the pot until they are tabled.
2. Refusal to Show – If a player refuses to show all of their hole cards, the Dealer may not flip the remaining cards over and is instructed to call the Floor. The Floor will instruct the player to show all his cards or they will be folded. The player will receive a five second countdown before the Floor will announce the player’s hand as dead and issue a penalty to the player for stalling the progress of play. Other players at the table may not flip the other player’s cards over. If they do, the hand will play as live, but the player who flipped up cards that were not their own may receive a penalty for an etiquette violation.
Showing the Winner – Any player who has made it to the showdown may ask to see any other player’s cards provided they still retain their cards. If they release their hand into the muck, they no longer retain the right to ask to see another player’s cards. All hands requested by showdown players will be turned up live and may still claim the pot. Any player who has not made it to the showdown stage of the hand may not request to see any hands.
1. If there is legitimate concern about collusion between individuals, players may request the dealer hold the cards aside and ask the floor personnel to review the hand.

PENALTIES AND PLAYER ETIQUETTE

Disclosure – Players are obligated to protect the other players in the tournament at all times. Therefore, whether in a hand or not, players may not:
1. Disclose contents of live or folded hands.
2. Advise or criticize play before the action is completed.
3. Read a hand that hasn’t been tabled.
4. Discuss hands or strategy with any spectator.
5. Seek or receive consultation from an outside source.
6. The one-player-to-a-hand rule will be enforced.
Televised Feature Tables and Hole Cards – Players who enter a tournament that is a webcast or televised tournament, are required to cooperate with the filming personnel. This includes showing your hole cards to the card camera on the table. Failure to do so may result in a penalty.
1. Exposed Cards – A player exposing his or her cards with action pending may incur a penalty, up to and including a dead hand. The penalty will begin at the end of the hand. All players at the table are entitled to see any exposed cards.
2. Exposing and Mucking -Players who show their cards to a player who has already folded and then fold their cards themselves may receive a penalty. Dealers upon seeing this are instructed to hold those cards outside of the muck and show them to the entire table when the hand is completed. Players doing this repeatedly will be penalized.
Collusion – Poker is an individual game. Soft play, chip dumping, colluding to allow players to survive the bubble (i.e. a table continually folding to the big blind on the bubble), etc. will not be allowed and may be subject to penalties.
Etiquette Violations – Repeated etiquette violations will result in penalties assessed by the tournament staff. Examples include, but are not limited to, unnecessarily touching other players’ cards or chips, delay of the game, repeatedly acting out of turn, splashing chips, intentionally betting out of reach of the Dealer, or excessive chatter. In addition, excessive celebration through extended theatrics, inappropriate behaviour, or physical actions, gestures, or conduct may be penalized. These violations also include abusive behaviour towards other players’ playing styles and/or berating players for how they have played or are playing the tournament.
Foul Language – The abuse of other players, tournament staff, venue staff or other personnel will not be tolerated. Foul, obscene or offensive language directed at any player or staff member may result in a penalty. Repeated non directed foul, obscene or offensive language may also result in a penalty.
All participants must behave in a courteous and civil manner during all Events and in all tournament areas. Any individual who encounters inappropriate behaviour on the part of another individual should immediately contact the Tournament Staff. This shall include, but is not limited to, any player whose personal hygiene or health has become disruptive to the other players seated at their table. The determination as to whether an individual’s personal hygiene or health is disruptive to other players shall be determined by the Tournament Staff which may, in its discretion, implement sanctions upon any such player who refuses to remedy the situation in a manner satisfactory to Pokerfest.
Pokerfest and/or the Tournament Director or Tournament Staff may penalize any act that, in the sole and absolute discretion of Pokerfest and/or the Tournament Director or Tournament Staff, is inconsistent with the official rules or bests interests of the Event.
Penalties – In its sole and absolute discretion, Pokerfest and/or the Tournament Director or Tournament Staff may impose penalties (listed below) ranging from a verbal warning escalating up to disqualification and exclusion from all Pokerfest Live Events. Penalties will be invoked in cases of soft-play, abuse or disruptive behaviour. A penalty may be imposed if a player throws a card off the table, forcefully mucks their cards causing one or all cards to turn over, violates the one-player-to-a-hand rule or engages in similar behaviour. Abuse of other players, tournament staff, venue staff or other personnel will not be tolerated.
1. Penalties – Will include, but not be limited too – Verbal warning, single or multiple hand penalties, single or multiple orbit penalties (an orbit consists of one hand for every player remaining at that players tournament table – 6 players = 6 hands missed), dead hand, elimination from the event, disqualification from the event (forfeiting any prize monies won), being banned from the event, being excluded from all events run by the tournament sponsor.
2. Escalation – Penalties may not always be imposed in a sequential order of severity. Tournament staff may disqualify a player for a first offense if the actions are considered severe enough. Players should know any actions worthy of a penalty may result in a wide range of discipline even for a first offense.
3. Missed Hand/Orbit Penalty – The player will be instructed to miss one or more hand(s) or one or more orbit(s) of hands away from the table. The player’s missed hand is counted as part of the round when a penalty is given. Players who receive a missed-hand/orbit penalty of any length must remain outside the designated Tournament area(s) for the length of their penalty. The Dealer must notify the appropriate Floor staff when a penalized player returns to their seat.
4. Penalties Move – All player penalties move with the player. If player A receives a two orbit penalty (16 hands) at the end of the night and only serves 5 hands of this penalty, it will be noted and he/she will serve the remaining 11 hands the following day. This holds true for broken tables, seat moves, etc.
5. Elimination Penalty – Players eliminated from the tournament will receive the finishing place their elimination equals.
  1. Example – 15 players left (paying 100 spots), player A is barred from returning to the casino for actions unrelated to the poker tournament. This player will have his chips removed from the event and will be entitled to 15th place.
  2. Disqualification – Players who are disqualified from an event shall have their tournament chips removed from play, their buy-ins will remain part of the prize pool and they will be ineligible for any prize monies. The disqualified player must immediately leave the Tournament area(s).
Tournament Property – Pokerfest Tournament chips have no cash value and are the exclusive property of Pokerfest and may not be removed from the Tournament area(s) or the assigned event. Players found to be transferring chips from one event to another or from one player to another will be subject to penalties up to and including disqualification and exclusion from all Pokerfest Live Events.