House Rules

Rebuys and reloads follow the posted blind structure for that event. A reload is available only while the window is open and your stack is at or below 20% of the starting stack. Once the window closes, the cashier has left the building—even if Chris O is still asking, “Can I still rebuy?”

Late arrivals are treated like late registration: no stack is bought in, seated, or blinded down until the player arrives and pays. If plans change and a player cannot make it, no ghost stack—and no chips—ever enter play. NASA Al can still be “five minutes late” without donating blinds to an empty chair.

The posted payout schedule governs the event. Any chop requires every remaining player to agree; otherwise, play continues and the cards settle it like civilized people. Alex C can keep it friendly; the posted numbers keep it accurate.

When an event includes paid bounties, they are tracked separately from tournament profit. Every elimination is still a knockout; only qualifying eliminations also earn bounty credit. Through his first five entries, Kishan logged four knockouts and still sat $30 underwater—useful proof that the hit list and the bankroll belong in separate ledgers.

A clear verbal declaration made in turn is binding. Announce calls, raises, and all-ins before moving chips when possible. Brad R has already perfected the approved speech: “I raise.”

Put the full wager forward in one motion or announce the amount first. Red can bring all the aggression he wants; it still has to arrive in one trip.

Action out of turn may be binding if the action before it does not change. If the action changes, back it up and let the proper player decide. Hiro will already have stopped play, identified the offender, and opened a one-man disciplinary hearing before the chips finish landing.

A raise must be at least the size of the largest full bet or raise increment in that betting round. At 500/1,000, opening to 2,000 is the minimum. An opening raise to 2,500 increases the wager by 1,500, so the next minimum raise is to 4,000. Cougar is free to overbet his way into folklore; the minimum is a floor, not a recommendation.

An all-in for less than a full raise is action, but it does not reopen raising for players who already acted. Multiple short all-ins reopen action only when their combined increase reaches a full raise. Hayden D may find $400 in the kitchen and decide it is “time to shove”; the math still decides whether action reopens.

Facing a bet, putting out one oversized chip without first saying “raise” is a call. To raise, say it before the chip touches the felt. With no bet to you, that same silent chip is a bet for its full value. Vish may shout “Vamos,” but only “raise” changes the ruling.

Without a declaration, if every chip is needed to make the call, the wager is a call. Otherwise, an amount less than half of a minimum raise is a call; half or more must be completed to the full minimum raise. Even PhattedCalf’s three-doctor consult cannot diagnose a silent pile of chips; the 50% rule does.

Players are responsible for following the action and calling the correct amount. A player facing an all-in may ask for an exact count; keep every stack visible and countable. Jeff T is still entitled to ask, “On my big blind?!”—preferably after hearing the number.

This is a friendly home game, so a clock should be considered only when Tony is deep into the third sequel of his tank: The Tank III — This Time It’s Still a Fold. The host decides whether the countdown begins.

Keep your hand visible and protected. If unprotected cards are pulled into the muck and cannot be identified with certainty, they may be dead. Pat should probably look at his cards first—and then protect them.

If the dealer exposes exactly one hole card during the initial deal, finish the deal, replace that card with the next card off the deck, and use the exposed card as the first burn. A card exposed by its player is not automatically replaced. Nitro may be a weather event; this card is merely the burn.

Two or more dealer-exposed hole cards, a wrong number of cards, or a player improperly dealt in or out may require a misdeal. Stop immediately and call the host. Once substantial action has occurred, the hand normally continues with the fairest available correction. A.I. Dave may diagnose the incident; the host ships the patch.

If a flop, turn, or river appears before betting is complete, stop the action and leave every card in place. The host will restore the proper betting order and reconstruct the board. BuffaloMike’s “Sure, I’ll play” does not extend to the turn card acting early.

When at least one player is all-in and no further betting is possible, every remaining hand is tabled face up immediately, including hands contesting only a side pot. Vic may not like it when you call; once the action is over, he still has to show.

The last player to make an aggressive action on the final betting round shows first. If there was no bet, the first live player left of the button shows first. BostnMike’s patience may outlast the table; showdown order will not wait it out.

Table both hole cards face up to claim a contested pot. The cards determine the hand even if it is announced incorrectly, but keep them identifiable and protected until the pot is awarded. Wild Bill may call it a skill game; the cards remain the official witnesses.

When a split pot leaves one indivisible extra chip, it goes to the first live player left of the dealer button. ProvidenceMike may build a compelling emotional case for it; the chip still goes left.

Heads up, the button posts the small blind, acts first before the flop, and acts last after the flop. Griffin is dangerous late, but even he does not get to rewrite the heads-up sequence.

For multi-table events, the host balances tables and assigns moves. The field merges to one table at nine players unless the event page announces otherwise. The Architect may submit a blueprint; the host still approves the floor plan.

Keep every chip visible and reasonably countable, with larger denominations in front or on top. BostnMike may protect chips like limited-edition Marchand memorabilia; he still has to let the table see them.

No advice, coded reactions, hand discussion, or coaching while action is live. Tim S may be “good at everything,” but he is still limited to improving his own hand.

Keep phones and other devices off the felt. A player with a live hand may not use a phone. The sole exception is Ahmed, who may play a separate tournament at the same time because apparently one stream of variance is not enough. He is still responsible for following the TLPT action.

The host may use fairness and the best interest of the game when a situation is not covered exactly. The ruling is final for the event. Chris F opened his TLPT career with cashes in both of his first two appearances and may feel qualified to overrule the room; the host remains unimpressed by small-sample jurisprudence.