All players in the Irish Open were given a flyer which contained the Rules to which the Tournanment would be played. What a great idea. You may not agree with his Rules - too bad, that's not the point - he clearly stated these WOULD be the Rules, like it or not.
I asked him why omitted the showdown Rule. He said it was obvious, if someone calls a bet on the end, the hands must be shown. "Surely that's obvious tikay?". Yup, it is, but you'd be suprrised how many don't see it that way.
Anyway, here are the Rules Liam gave us, & remember, it does not matter if you disagree with them, not one iota. As long as there are a known, clarified, set of Rules, that's all that matters. TD's & CardRoom Managers take note!
1) Seating assignment will be by random draw and is not transferable.
2) Each player will start with 10,000 chips.
3) Tables will start with 10 players, & as players are knocked out, they will revert to tables of 9.
4) There will be a randow draw for seats when it gets down to 2 tables. There will be a re-draw when it gets to the Final Table.
5) Players must keep their highest denomination chips visible at all times.
6) English must be spoken at all times during a hand.
7) Players must protect their cards at all times. If a dealer takes a hand by mistake, the hand is dead & there is no redress.
Players are not allowed to show their cards to others during a hand. If a player reveals their hand, it will be dead.
9) Players not involved in a hand may not discuss a pot in progress. If they do, they may get a PENALTY at the discretion of the tournament diector.
10) A new hand commences when the dealer does the first riffle.
11) A player must ber SITTING AT THE TABLE when the last card is dealt to take part in a hand.
12) Players wishing to use Mobile Phones must step away from the table.
13) Players may not ask for a change of deck.
14) Players must have respect for other players, the dealers, & the Tournament directors. Players may be subjected to 15 minute or 30 minutes away from the table at the discretion of the Tournament Director.
15) The minimum bet is the amount of the Big Blind.
16) The minimum raise is DOUBLE THE PREVIOUS BET.
17) When there is a race for odd chips, a player may only win one chip. A player may not be raced out of the tournament.
18) Players may not put chips in their pockets at any time. When moving tables, players may get a chip tray to carry their chips, & they must go straight to their new table.
19) When a player is being moved from a table, they will be the next on the Big Bliind, and will go to the WORST POSITION ON THE NEW TABLE. Players can move to the Button, the small blind, or the big blind. A player who intentionally dodges his blinds when moving from a broken table may forfeit the blinds and incur a penalty.
20) If a player is taking too much time to make a decision, another player involved in the pot may ask for the clock. If this happens, the player has 60 seconds to make a decision, and afer the 60 seconds the hand will be dead.
The flyer also included all the structure details - levels 1 to 23, & stated it would be a "1 hour clock throughout".
Ignoring the correctness or otherwise of these Rules, or their completeness or not, I just think it makes sense to set out the Rules in advance. It's not rocket science, surely? If, heaven help you all, I ever ran a Tourney, that's what I'd do. "These are the Rules, now behave, & enjoy yourselves. Shuffle up & deal".
Hehe, it's easy from this side of the fence!
Author