Octobermuck
No Limit Texas Hold ’Em Tournament Rules and Information
Game:No Limit Texas Holdem
Buy in: $50 - $45 towards the main prize pool, $5 towards the Bounties (see below)
Starting Stack: 5000T$
Red(10 @ 5T$ ea = 50T$
Green (10 @25T$ ea = 250T$)
Black (7 @100T$ ea = 700T$)
White ([email protected]$ ea = 4000T$)
Re-Buys: None (When you are out of chips, you are out of the tourney.)
Over: When one player has all the chips. Players at the final table may make deals (agreeing to a result without finishing the tourney) if they like.
Payout Structure (Tentative)
No. of Players Places Paid Percentages
24-27: 6 places - 30%, 23%, 15%, 13%, 10%, 9%
28-32: 7 places - 28 %, 21%, 14%, 11%, 10%, 9%, 8%
Bounties
This tournament will feature Bounties. Every player will have a Bounty which can be collected by another player when a player is knocked out. Each player will have one Bounty chip. When a player goes all-in, the Bounty chip is placed in the pot with the other chips. If the all-in player loses the hand (and is covered by the victor) the victor gets to add the departed player’s Bounty chip to his collection. At the end of the tourney (or when a player busts out) he will collect $5 for each Bounty chip he holds. If a player has collected additional Bounty chips along the way, only one Bounty chip is placed in the pot when All-In – the rest are paid off. The Bounty chip will also be used to signify an All-In bet. If the player has too many chips too easily put in the pot, simply placing the Bounty chip in the pot is considered an All-In bet. This will be a clearer signal to the whole table than the traditional waving of the hands or the statement of “All-In” that may not be audible to the entire table.
High Hand Jackpot
We will also have an optional High Hand Jackpot (HHJP) for the tourney. If you wish to participate in the HHJP, you must pay an additional $5 entry fee to the HHJP director before the tourney begins. Your name will be added to the list of eligible players. The player who has the highest hand over the course of the tourney, will collect the HHJP regardless of how they finished in the tourney. The HHJP prize pool will be the sm of all HHJP entrants. (If all 30 players participate, the HHJP prize pool will be $150.) We will start keeping track of high hands when the first flush is made. In order to have your hand considered, it must be shown. You do not have to be called, but you have to show the hand. If you make a high hand, report it to the HHJP director. It is your responsibility to see that your hand is posted. It must be recorded before the next hand is dealt. The full 5 card hand will be posted (including kicker if applicable) until another higher hand is made. If you are posting a flush, the ranks of the cards will be recorded (KJ854 for example). In the event that 2 players have the exact same high hand, the HHJP money will be split – suits will not be used to break a tie. You do not need to stay until the end of the tourney. If you want leave after you bust out and you have a high hand that holds up, we’ll get you the money.
Getting Started
Plan to arrive at least 20 minutes before scheduled start. If you are late we’ll assign you a seat and you will lose blinds as your turn comes around. You’ll be picked up after the third round (unless you have made specific arrangements regarding late arrival). If you have not made arrangements to be late and there is an alternate player present, your seat will be sold.
When you arrive, get your entry fee to the tourney director. You will be given a bag of chips. That bag will contain your random seat assignment. Go to your seat, empty the bag, count and stack your chips. Leave the seat card and bag on the table – they’ll be collected prior to the start of the tourney. If you wish to participate in the HHJP, get your $5 to the HHJP tourney director (will likely be some one besides the main tournament director).
Blind Structure and Schedule (20 minute rounds)
5/10
10/25
Buy Down Red Chips
25/50
Break-10 minutes
50/100
Buy Down Green Chips
100/200
200/500
Break-40 Minutes for Food – Determine if antes will be implemented.
Buy Down Black Chips if no antes.*
500/1000 + 100 Ante (if used)*
1000/2000 + 200 ante (if used)*
2000/4000 + 400 ante (if used)*
Breaks as needed
*To ensure that the tourney doesn’t go longer than expected, we’ll use the end of round 6 as a checkpoint. If there are still 16 or more players active after the sixth round, antes will be instituted for the rest of the tourney and the black chips will stay in play.
Chip Buy-downs
At end of buy down rounds, players will receive higher denomination chips for smaller chips in even amounts. Any odd chips are forfeited to the next pot. (The buy-downs are done to speed up play and there’s no practical use for chips smaller than the minimum bet)
Example:
Player 1 has 5 green chips after round 4. He will receive 1 black chip and forfeit the remaining green chip to the next pot.
Player 2 has 11 green chips. He will receive 2 black chips and forfeit the remaining 3 to the next pot.
All odd green chips in the pot will be replaced with black chips and awarded to the winner of the next hand. (In this case, there would be 1 extra black chip in the next pot.) Since these chips just represent fractions of bets in later rounds, it is of no consequence to "lose" these chips. If losing odd chips bothers you, then manage your stack accordingly.
General Procedures
Tourney will feature a dedicated player/dealer for each table. If the dealer busts out, he/she will continue to act as designated dealer until table is vacated.
Each table will have 2 decks of cards in play. One deck will be used for the game, while the other deck is being shuffled. This helps to get more hands in. Please help out in the shuffling duties.
When blinds or button positions are interrupted by bust outs, a "dead button" will be implemented and players will post their blinds per their regularly scheduled turn. This means that there may only be one blind in some rounds.
When play becomes heads up, the button moves. Button posts the small blind (SB) and the other player is the big blind (BB), regardless of who had what blind position on the previous hand. Hands are dealt to the BB first. Button is first to act before the flop; BB is first to act in all other betting rounds.
When tables are combined, we’ll take a break as needed to facilitate setup of side game.
Seating
Seats will be assigned randomly. Designated player/dealers will be assigned a table - others will be assigned tables and seats randomly. When you get your chips, there will be a card in the bag that holds your seating assignment.
Table balancing will be done randomly. When it is discovered that a table needs balancing (one table has 2 or more fewer players than another), the players at the table with extra people will draw for high card. If there is more than one table to draw from and the number of players at these tables is the same, the table to draw from will be chosen randomly (high card will reseat a player). The chosen player will move to the empty seat. If there is a choice of seats, they will be seated as close as possible to the position (in relation to the button) that they were in on the original table. Dealers are exempt from relocation. A relocated may be forced to post blinds at the new table. They must do so regardless if they had just posted blinds on the previous table – it’s just the breaks.
When combining for the final table, all players except the dealer (if he is still playing) will be reseated randomly and a new button will be randomly assigned. It’s possible that someone may get stuck with back to back blinds, but that’s just the luck of the draw.
General Rules (that we all should know - but for the record):
- Check/raising allowed
- Minimum bet is equal to that round's BB.
- Raises can be no less then the previous bet (unless all-in)
-A short All-In bet does not open the action for the original bettor to re-raise unless the All-In is at least 50% more than the original bet. Example: Player A opens for 2000. Player B goes All-In for 2800. Player A may not re-raise based on that action. Players behind the All-In have the option of re-raising and other players may have raised enough to allow Player A to re-raise.
- One player to a hand (No kibitizing with other players or railbirds)
- Do not coerce (or even suggest) other players into calling, folding, or going all-in.
- Railbirds will abide by requests of players asking them not to look over their shoulder (or in any other way interfere with a hand).
- Show one, show all (if you show your cards to one player, you show the whole table)
- Act promptly and in turn. (please don't muck early and don't Hollywood every action - there are sometimes when you need to think a bit, but please don't abuse this on every hand)
- Announce your actions (say "call" and you owe the previous bet, say "raise" followed by "X$" and you can raise the amount you state) Once you state your raise amount it is binding. No string raises. If you don't announce your amount, you can not raise anymore than the amount of chips you take with you into the pot. You may say “raise”, put the amount of the call in the pot and then determine your raise amount.
-One chip rule. There are two ways a one chip bet may be interpreted: calling a bet or opening the action. If you put a $500 chip in the pot to call a $100 bet and do not announce any other intention, it is a call and you’ll get change. If you open the action by placing a $500 chip into the pot and do not announce otherwise, the full amount of the chip is in play, regardless of the minimum bet of that round. For least chance of a misunderstanding, always announce your exact intentions.
- Do not comment on your cards, speculations on other's holdings or the board while the hand is in play. Muck your cards face down, if the hand is still in play. Saying stuff like “I wonder who has the nine”, “Damn I folded a four.”, “Looks like Bob hit his flush.” etc, etc, can be a big deal. Just because something is obvious to you, it may not be obvious to everyone and any reference to your hand is critical information (sometimes very harmful) to the players still in the hand. Save it for after the hand. If it's heads up, the active players can say or show anything they want, but others should stay out of the action.
- No rabbit hunting (we will not see what the rest of the hand "would have been")
- Protect your cards - place a chip or other marker on top of your cards (if your hand is mixed into muck or another player’s cards hit your unprotected hand, your cards it will be dead).
- Keep your cards visible to others at the table so there is less confusion as to who is in the hand
- If a player pitches his cards towards the dealer with the intention of folding, the hand is considered mucked. The dealer may NOT advise a player that his hand should stay in play. Period.
- Dealer will control the action. This will be a little more difficult since the dealers will be playing (for at least part of the tourney), so be patient.
- If a card is exposed during the deal, the card is taken out of play and the player is dealt the top card after everyone has been dealt. The exposed card becomes the first burn card.
- If a player exposes his own cards(s), everyone has the opportunity to see the card(s). PROTECT YOUR CARDS!
- Chips and cards are to remain on the table at all times (exception (duh): players will be allowed to move their chips to the next table when re-seating, using racks if necessary – no chips in the pockets please.)
- All-Ins – You can call any bet even if you don’t have enough chips to match the bet. You will be eligible to receive any matching bets and a side pot(s) will be created for bets over and above your All-In amount. If a player is All-In and there is no further action, both (all) players will expose their cards for the remainder of the hand (so we can all live vicariously through you for a few seconds!)
No Limit Texas Hold ’Em Tournament Rules and Information
Game:No Limit Texas Holdem
Buy in: $50 - $45 towards the main prize pool, $5 towards the Bounties (see below)
Starting Stack: 5000T$
Red(10 @ 5T$ ea = 50T$
Green (10 @25T$ ea = 250T$)
Black (7 @100T$ ea = 700T$)
White ([email protected]$ ea = 4000T$)
Re-Buys: None (When you are out of chips, you are out of the tourney.)
Over: When one player has all the chips. Players at the final table may make deals (agreeing to a result without finishing the tourney) if they like.
Payout Structure (Tentative)
No. of Players Places Paid Percentages
24-27: 6 places - 30%, 23%, 15%, 13%, 10%, 9%
28-32: 7 places - 28 %, 21%, 14%, 11%, 10%, 9%, 8%
Bounties
This tournament will feature Bounties. Every player will have a Bounty which can be collected by another player when a player is knocked out. Each player will have one Bounty chip. When a player goes all-in, the Bounty chip is placed in the pot with the other chips. If the all-in player loses the hand (and is covered by the victor) the victor gets to add the departed player’s Bounty chip to his collection. At the end of the tourney (or when a player busts out) he will collect $5 for each Bounty chip he holds. If a player has collected additional Bounty chips along the way, only one Bounty chip is placed in the pot when All-In – the rest are paid off. The Bounty chip will also be used to signify an All-In bet. If the player has too many chips too easily put in the pot, simply placing the Bounty chip in the pot is considered an All-In bet. This will be a clearer signal to the whole table than the traditional waving of the hands or the statement of “All-In” that may not be audible to the entire table.
High Hand Jackpot
We will also have an optional High Hand Jackpot (HHJP) for the tourney. If you wish to participate in the HHJP, you must pay an additional $5 entry fee to the HHJP director before the tourney begins. Your name will be added to the list of eligible players. The player who has the highest hand over the course of the tourney, will collect the HHJP regardless of how they finished in the tourney. The HHJP prize pool will be the sm of all HHJP entrants. (If all 30 players participate, the HHJP prize pool will be $150.) We will start keeping track of high hands when the first flush is made. In order to have your hand considered, it must be shown. You do not have to be called, but you have to show the hand. If you make a high hand, report it to the HHJP director. It is your responsibility to see that your hand is posted. It must be recorded before the next hand is dealt. The full 5 card hand will be posted (including kicker if applicable) until another higher hand is made. If you are posting a flush, the ranks of the cards will be recorded (KJ854 for example). In the event that 2 players have the exact same high hand, the HHJP money will be split – suits will not be used to break a tie. You do not need to stay until the end of the tourney. If you want leave after you bust out and you have a high hand that holds up, we’ll get you the money.
Getting Started
Plan to arrive at least 20 minutes before scheduled start. If you are late we’ll assign you a seat and you will lose blinds as your turn comes around. You’ll be picked up after the third round (unless you have made specific arrangements regarding late arrival). If you have not made arrangements to be late and there is an alternate player present, your seat will be sold.
When you arrive, get your entry fee to the tourney director. You will be given a bag of chips. That bag will contain your random seat assignment. Go to your seat, empty the bag, count and stack your chips. Leave the seat card and bag on the table – they’ll be collected prior to the start of the tourney. If you wish to participate in the HHJP, get your $5 to the HHJP tourney director (will likely be some one besides the main tournament director).
Blind Structure and Schedule (20 minute rounds)
5/10
10/25
Buy Down Red Chips
25/50
Break-10 minutes
50/100
Buy Down Green Chips
100/200
200/500
Break-40 Minutes for Food – Determine if antes will be implemented.
Buy Down Black Chips if no antes.*
500/1000 + 100 Ante (if used)*
1000/2000 + 200 ante (if used)*
2000/4000 + 400 ante (if used)*
Breaks as needed
*To ensure that the tourney doesn’t go longer than expected, we’ll use the end of round 6 as a checkpoint. If there are still 16 or more players active after the sixth round, antes will be instituted for the rest of the tourney and the black chips will stay in play.
Chip Buy-downs
At end of buy down rounds, players will receive higher denomination chips for smaller chips in even amounts. Any odd chips are forfeited to the next pot. (The buy-downs are done to speed up play and there’s no practical use for chips smaller than the minimum bet)
Example:
Player 1 has 5 green chips after round 4. He will receive 1 black chip and forfeit the remaining green chip to the next pot.
Player 2 has 11 green chips. He will receive 2 black chips and forfeit the remaining 3 to the next pot.
All odd green chips in the pot will be replaced with black chips and awarded to the winner of the next hand. (In this case, there would be 1 extra black chip in the next pot.) Since these chips just represent fractions of bets in later rounds, it is of no consequence to "lose" these chips. If losing odd chips bothers you, then manage your stack accordingly.
General Procedures
Tourney will feature a dedicated player/dealer for each table. If the dealer busts out, he/she will continue to act as designated dealer until table is vacated.
Each table will have 2 decks of cards in play. One deck will be used for the game, while the other deck is being shuffled. This helps to get more hands in. Please help out in the shuffling duties.
When blinds or button positions are interrupted by bust outs, a "dead button" will be implemented and players will post their blinds per their regularly scheduled turn. This means that there may only be one blind in some rounds.
When play becomes heads up, the button moves. Button posts the small blind (SB) and the other player is the big blind (BB), regardless of who had what blind position on the previous hand. Hands are dealt to the BB first. Button is first to act before the flop; BB is first to act in all other betting rounds.
When tables are combined, we’ll take a break as needed to facilitate setup of side game.
Seating
Seats will be assigned randomly. Designated player/dealers will be assigned a table - others will be assigned tables and seats randomly. When you get your chips, there will be a card in the bag that holds your seating assignment.
Table balancing will be done randomly. When it is discovered that a table needs balancing (one table has 2 or more fewer players than another), the players at the table with extra people will draw for high card. If there is more than one table to draw from and the number of players at these tables is the same, the table to draw from will be chosen randomly (high card will reseat a player). The chosen player will move to the empty seat. If there is a choice of seats, they will be seated as close as possible to the position (in relation to the button) that they were in on the original table. Dealers are exempt from relocation. A relocated may be forced to post blinds at the new table. They must do so regardless if they had just posted blinds on the previous table – it’s just the breaks.
When combining for the final table, all players except the dealer (if he is still playing) will be reseated randomly and a new button will be randomly assigned. It’s possible that someone may get stuck with back to back blinds, but that’s just the luck of the draw.
General Rules (that we all should know - but for the record):
- Check/raising allowed
- Minimum bet is equal to that round's BB.
- Raises can be no less then the previous bet (unless all-in)
-A short All-In bet does not open the action for the original bettor to re-raise unless the All-In is at least 50% more than the original bet. Example: Player A opens for 2000. Player B goes All-In for 2800. Player A may not re-raise based on that action. Players behind the All-In have the option of re-raising and other players may have raised enough to allow Player A to re-raise.
- One player to a hand (No kibitizing with other players or railbirds)
- Do not coerce (or even suggest) other players into calling, folding, or going all-in.
- Railbirds will abide by requests of players asking them not to look over their shoulder (or in any other way interfere with a hand).
- Show one, show all (if you show your cards to one player, you show the whole table)
- Act promptly and in turn. (please don't muck early and don't Hollywood every action - there are sometimes when you need to think a bit, but please don't abuse this on every hand)
- Announce your actions (say "call" and you owe the previous bet, say "raise" followed by "X$" and you can raise the amount you state) Once you state your raise amount it is binding. No string raises. If you don't announce your amount, you can not raise anymore than the amount of chips you take with you into the pot. You may say “raise”, put the amount of the call in the pot and then determine your raise amount.
-One chip rule. There are two ways a one chip bet may be interpreted: calling a bet or opening the action. If you put a $500 chip in the pot to call a $100 bet and do not announce any other intention, it is a call and you’ll get change. If you open the action by placing a $500 chip into the pot and do not announce otherwise, the full amount of the chip is in play, regardless of the minimum bet of that round. For least chance of a misunderstanding, always announce your exact intentions.
- Do not comment on your cards, speculations on other's holdings or the board while the hand is in play. Muck your cards face down, if the hand is still in play. Saying stuff like “I wonder who has the nine”, “Damn I folded a four.”, “Looks like Bob hit his flush.” etc, etc, can be a big deal. Just because something is obvious to you, it may not be obvious to everyone and any reference to your hand is critical information (sometimes very harmful) to the players still in the hand. Save it for after the hand. If it's heads up, the active players can say or show anything they want, but others should stay out of the action.
- No rabbit hunting (we will not see what the rest of the hand "would have been")
- Protect your cards - place a chip or other marker on top of your cards (if your hand is mixed into muck or another player’s cards hit your unprotected hand, your cards it will be dead).
- Keep your cards visible to others at the table so there is less confusion as to who is in the hand
- If a player pitches his cards towards the dealer with the intention of folding, the hand is considered mucked. The dealer may NOT advise a player that his hand should stay in play. Period.
- Dealer will control the action. This will be a little more difficult since the dealers will be playing (for at least part of the tourney), so be patient.
- If a card is exposed during the deal, the card is taken out of play and the player is dealt the top card after everyone has been dealt. The exposed card becomes the first burn card.
- If a player exposes his own cards(s), everyone has the opportunity to see the card(s). PROTECT YOUR CARDS!
- Chips and cards are to remain on the table at all times (exception (duh): players will be allowed to move their chips to the next table when re-seating, using racks if necessary – no chips in the pockets please.)
- All-Ins – You can call any bet even if you don’t have enough chips to match the bet. You will be eligible to receive any matching bets and a side pot(s) will be created for bets over and above your All-In amount. If a player is All-In and there is no further action, both (all) players will expose their cards for the remainder of the hand (so we can all live vicariously through you for a few seconds!)
