Rules, Rules, Rules

As a founding member and current member of the Board of Directors of the Tournament Directors Association (TDA), I often receive letters and emails asking for the correct rulings on things that happen over the green felt. Today’s column is in response to a few of the questions I recently have received.

Question: If a player is all in for the antes in a game like seven-card stud or razz and would have been the forced bring-in, who has to bring it in and who is next to act?

Answer: If the player who would be the forced bring-in is all in for the antes, there is no forced bring-in that hand. The action starts with the player to the left of the person who would have been the bring-in. His options are to call the minimum bring-in amount, raise to the amount that would be considered completing the bet, or fold.

Question: I read a well-known player’s blog criticizing the TDA for making too many “automatic penalty” situations. He felt that too many of these automatic penalties hurt the amateur players in a big way and cited a couple of examples such as automatic penalties for checking the nuts on the river in last position, excessive celebration, and for exposing your cards before the action is complete. Why would the TDA make rules like this?

Answer: The problem is that many players are uneducated when it comes to knowing the TDA rules and have never bothered to read them (they can be found at pokertda.com). The TDA is often blamed for rules that are not rules. I remember watching Poker After Dark a few years ago and hearing players blaming the TDA for the “show one, show both” rule, which is not and has never been a TDA rule.

Regarding the celebrity player’s allegation you mention above that it is a TDA rule to issue an automatic penalty to anyone who checks the nuts on the river in last position, I am unable to find anything in the TDA rules that states that a penalty in this situation would be automatic. I checked with co-TDA founder Matt Savage to see if gives an auto penalty in his tournaments for this and he said “I do not give automatic penalties for checking the nuts in the situation you describe.”

I have played in many different venues where I have seen warnings given for this, rather than penalties. I totally agree with Matt that there are lots of situations that should merit giving a warning rather than a penalty. For example, if an elderly person were to check the nuts in position on the river, and the tournament director has reason to believe that he may have overlooked his hand, he should probably get a warning, not a penalty, the first time. On the other hand, if two savvy poker pros who are friends decide to “check it down,” and one had the nuts in last position on the river and doesn’t put in a bet, I believe a penalty for collusion should be given.

Regarding excessive celebration, there is no auto penalty for this in the TDA rules. Rule #62 would probably be the closest rule pertaining to this issue and it says: “Repeat etiquette violations will result in penalties. Examples include but are not limited to: delay of game, unnecessarily touching other players’ cards or chips, repeatedly acting out of turn, betting out of reach of the dealer, abusive conduct, and excessive chatter.” Notice that it says, repeat etiquette violations. This allows the tournament director to issue one or more warnings before issuing a penalty.

The third example cited above – exposing your hand before the action is complete – is not an automatic penalty according to the TDA rules. In fact, TDA rule number 60 specifically says: A player who exposes his cards with action pending may incur a penalty, but will not have a dead hand. Again, this gives the tournament director some discretion. When I asked Matt about this issue, he replied “I do not give automatic penalties for exposing cards as long as it doesn’t affect the action.”

I am in total agreement with the celebrity player that there should be very few auto penalties. I just wish he knew that that is how the TDA rules are set up. There are very few situations that call for mandatory penalties, and these auto penalty situations are for very severe abuses. Despite what some players think, tournament directors don’t like to give penalties. The tournament directors’s job is to protect the integrity of the game, not to be “the bad guy.” Most tournament directors are players too, and they try to look out for the interest of both management and the players. Please help them out by knowing the rules and following them.

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Linda has a WSOP bracelet and is a member of the Poker Hall of Fame and the Women in Poker Hall of Fame. She hosts seminars, tournaments, and fundraisers around the country. Her Twitter name is FirstLadyPoker. To contact her, write to [email protected].