In my last column, I discussed rules that were revised at the recent Tournament Directors Association (TDA) meeting. In this column, I will address the new rules that were adopted.
Rule No. 33 discusses ethical play, and states: "Poker is an individual game. Soft-play will result in penalties, which may include forfeiture of chips and/or disqualification. Chip-dumping will result in disqualification." This rule was added because many new tournament players don't understand that soft-play with their friends is a violation. Every tournament player is obligated to play the same way against one player as he would against any other player.
Rule No. 34 states: "Players are entitled to be informed of the pot size in pot-limit games only. Dealers will not be allowed to count the pot in limit and no-limit games." A dealer may still spread the pot out to enable a player to count it if requested to do so. Knowing the size of the pot is a skill of the game, in my opinion, and all good players should keep track of the pot size so that they can know the pot odds.
Rule No. 35 states: "When heads up, the small blind is on the button and acts first. When beginning heads-up play, the button may need to be adjusted to ensure that no player takes the big blind twice in a row." This procedure is not new; however, it was added to the TDA rules list in order to settle any disputes and to help clarify the procedure for players.
Rule No. 36 is titled "Etiquette Violations," and it was put into writing so that tournament directors can now officially give penalties for repeated etiquette infractions. Examples of etiquette violations would be folding out of turn, delaying the game, talking too much, and touching other players' chips.
Rule No. 37 states: "At the end of the last round of betting, the player who made the last aggressive action in that betting round must show first. If there was no bet, the player to the left of the button shows first, and so on clockwise. In stud games, the player with the high board must show first. In razz, the lowest board shows first." Many of the tournament directors in attendance formerly made the last aggressive action show first, even if the last round of betting was checked, so we appreciate the fact that they were able to agree to the new wording for the sake of conformity.
Rule No. 38 states: "Players must remain at the table if they still have action pending on a hand." In other words, a player must not get up and leave the table until he has either folded or moved all in. Players also must wait until it is their turn to fold.
Rule No. 39 states: "Dealers will be responsible for calling string-raises." This rule provoked a lot of discussion, as the initial vote was almost equally divided between those who had players calling string-raises and those who had dealers calling them. Players are still allowed to call a string-raise if the dealer doesn't say anything, but it is now the dealer's duty to speak up when a string-raise occurs. This rule will received a mixed reaction from the players, but it is designed to protect everyone equally. Oftentimes, a player doesn't want to be the "bad guy" who calls a string-raise, so now the dealer will be the one who's responsible for seeing that the rule is enforced.
Rule No. 40 states: "A player must show both cards when playing the board in order to get part of the pot." Formerly, players could announce, "I'm playing the board!" and discard their cards sight unseen; however, this goes against one of the basic rules of poker, regarding having to show your cards to claim the pot. Tournament players, please make note of this new rule so that you don't make an error and fold your cards when playing the board.
The attendees of the TDA meeting worked very hard for two days, discussing and revising current rules and creating the new rules listed here. We also had a brainstorming session in which we discussed some interesting rules and some procedural ideas that I would like to share with you now. The idea of having an all-in button in the dealer's rack that is thrown into the pot when someone goes all in seemed to be liked by everyone, because there would be no doubt that someone is all in if the cardroom is noisy or the all-in player doesn't move all of his chips forward when saying he is all in. One tournament director suggested having a few key rules, including the one about not taking chips out of sight when changing tables, printed on the back of the seating cards. Many good ideas were shared, and I want to personally thank everyone who attended the TDA summit and contributed to its success.
Class dismissed!
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