(a) Deal. — (1) When a table is opened for play, the deck of cards in a game of Texas Hold’em Poker must be verified by the dealer as 1 new sealed complete standard deck of 52 cards. The design on the backs of the cards in the deck must be identical, and no card may contain any marking, symbol, or design that enables a player to know the identity of any element printed on the face of the card. The backs of the cards may contain a logo. The backs of the cards in the deck must be designed to eliminate the ability of any person to place concealed markings on them. No sponsoring organization may use cards that are taped, cut, shaved, marked, defaced, bent, crimped, or deformed. All jokers are to be discarded from the deck of cards.
(2) Texas Hold’em Poker cards are dealt by a dealer on a poker table. The dealer must protect the deck to avoid exposure of the cards (hands). A player bets on the cards (hand) the player holds. All the bets placed by the players are collected together in the center of the table which is known as the pot. There may be a required initial ante and there may be required blind bets by the players. After all the dealing of cards and betting has occurred for a pot and there are 2 or more players still in contention, there is a showdown to determine which player has the best hand. The object of the game is for a player to win the pot either by making a bet no other player is willing to match or by the player having the most valuable hand after all the betting is over. The winning player shall be the player who holds the hand of highest rank.
(3) The dealer shall deal 2 cards to each player, face downward and 1 at a time. The first player to receive a card is the player to the left of the player who has the button. A button shall be moved around the table, clockwise, so that the player who has the button receives the advantage. The last player to receive cards is the player assigned the button. Play must proceed in a clockwise direction with each player’s turn following the person on the player’s immediate right. After all players have received their 2 cards, there is a betting round. The player to the left of the last blind bettor may call, raise, or fold and each following player may call, raise, or fold in a clockwise order.
(4) The dealer burns the top card of the deck and deals 3 community cards from the deck 1 at a time face downward and turns them face upward all at once in the center of the table. Community cards are common to the hand of every active player in the pot.
(5) After the flop, the betting continues for another round. The first player still in the pot sitting left of the player assigned the button is the first to act and then each player in a clockwise order may act in turn until all bets are equal. Any player may call, check, raise, or fold in accordance with the house rules.
(6) The dealer burns a card and deals a fourth community card, known as the turn card, face upward in the center of the table. Another round occurs. The dealer then burns a card and deals a fifth community card, known as the river card, face upward in the center of the table for the final round.
(7) After all bets are made and if there are 2 or more players remaining in the game, there is a showdown and in Texas Hold’em Poker, the best qualifying high hand wins the pot.
(8) The 5 community cards shall be combined with none, 1, or 2 cards from each player to determine the player’s best 5-card hand.
(9) There is no limit as to the amount a player can raise or bet during any round. At any time following the first deal, a player can go all-in.
(b) Conduct. — The following rules shall apply to all Texas Hold’em Poker tournament play and must be included in the printed rules for each tournament:
(1) All players will receive an equal number of tournament chips for their entry fee and any subsequent rebuys or add-ons.
(2) Initial table and seat assignments shall be determined by random draw or assignment. As tables are combined following player elimination, the remaining players shall also draw or be reassigned to new seating assignments. The tournament director shall be permitted to provide for the reasonable accommodation(s) of those individual(s) with special need(s).
(3) Players are eliminated from the tournament when they lose all their chips. Players who lost in the multitable tournament are then eligible to participate in a sit and go game.
(4) Play will continue until only 1 player has not been eliminated.
(5) No agreement concerning division of prizes shall be made.
(6) The sponsoring organization shall have 2 separate decks of cards available at each table. The color or markings of the backs of the cards of the 2 decks must be different.
(7) All cards used to play Texas Hold’em Poker must be dealt out of the hand by the dealer.
(8) The dealer, at least once each hour, shall count the cards in the sealed deck to verify that the sealed deck is complete. The dealer, at least once every 2 hours, shall change the sealed deck of cards. When the 2 separate sealed decks of cards at the table have been used, the sponsoring organization or licensed third-party vendor dealer shall replace the used sealed decks with a new set of 2 separate sealed decks of cards.
(9) All pots are to be awarded by the dealer only. When the dealer has awarded a pot and it has been taken in by that player without a claim made against it, the award stands. No player may make an agreement with any other player regarding the pot. Each game must be played to conclusion and the pot awarded to the actual winning player.
(10) Each player shall be permitted to play only 1 hand and the player shall make all decisions without advice from any other person. Any communication between a player with a live hand and a spectator about the play of the hand or other players at the table is prohibited.
(11) No player may allow a person to sit in on a tournament game on the player’s behalf. No player may wager on another player’s hand, nor may any player play other than the player’s own hand. No player may exchange or otherwise transfer their chips to any other player during the tournament.
(12) No player shall have a camera, cell phone with camera or recording device at the poker table.
(13) Only tournament chips on the table at the start of a game may be in play for that pot. Concealed chips may not be used in play.
(14) A player may assemble chips in front of the player before acting. A player must be considered to have made a bet if the player pushes assembled chips forward or releases chips into the pot at a sufficient distance from the player to make it obvious that the player intends it as a bet. If the situation is unclear and the player allows the dealer to pull the player’s chips into the pot without making an immediate objection, it must be considered a bet by the player.
(15) If a player is absent from the table they will be dealt in and all antes, forced bets and blinds will be posted as required. A player’s hand will be immediately declared dead if the player is not in the player’s seat when it is the player’s turn to act.
