Quiz: How Well Do You Know TDA Rules?

My previous columns have gone over most of these rules. Let’s see if you were paying attention.

Questions

1. Blinds are 100-200. There are a couple of limpers, and when it gets to the small blind, he pushes out a 500 chip on top of his 100 chip without saying anything. The dealer says, “Call.” The player protests that his intention was to raise. Is it a call or a raise?

2. Blinds are 300-600. Seat 2 folds. Seat 3 doesn’t have any 500 chips, so he pushes out a 1,000 chip and a 100 chip. The dealer says, “Raise.” The player protests that his intention was to call and get change. Is it a call or a raise?

3. Blinds are 100-200. A player says, “Raise – 500” and then pushes out a 500 chip and two 100 chips. The dealer says the bet is 500. The player protests that her intention was to raise to 700. Is it a raise to 500 or to 700?

4. Blinds are 100-200. A player bets 500. An inexperienced player pushes out a 500 chip while saying, “I’ll see your 500,” and then pushes out another 500 chip, saying, “and raise you 500.” The dealer says it is a call. The player protests that his intention was to raise to 1,000. Is it a call or a raise?

5. Blinds are 100-200. There is 500 in the pot. Before the flop, a player pushes out a 5,000 chip and says, “Five.” The dealer asks him if it was his intention to bet 5,000. The player then realizes that he had mixed up the chips and says that he had intended to bet 500. Is the bet 500 or 5,000?

6. Same facts as #5, but the action is on the turn. There is 3,000 in the pot when the player pushes out the 5,000 chip and says, “Five.” Is the bet 500 or 5,000?

7. After the flop, Seat 1 bets 500. Before Seat 2 can act, Seat 3 pushes out 1,500 and says, “Raise.” She then realizes her mistake and pulls back her bet. Seat 2 then folds. Does Seat 3 have to put in the raise?

8. Same facts as #7, but Seat 2 raises to 1,000. Does Seat 3 have to put in the raise?

9. When he is finished with a hand, a player leaves the table. On the next hand, after the cards are dealt, but before any action, a player informs the dealer that she has three cards. The dealer says, “Misdeal” and the players all muck their cards. Before the dealer starts the shuffle for the next hand, the player returns to the table. Should the player be allowed to play the hand?

10. Same facts as #9 except between the misdeal and the shuffle, the TD announces that the blinds have gone up. Is the next hand played at the old level or the new level?

Answers

1. The “oversized chip” rule comes into play here. Since it is ambiguous whether the action was a call or a raise, it is held to be a call unless the player announces a raise. Intentions don’t matter. See Rule 44.

2. This happens so often that it has its own rule. Rule 61 is appropriately captioned “Over-Betting Expecting Change.” Intentions don’t matter. It is a raise. (The player would be obligated to either complete the min-raise to 1,200, or forfeit the 1,100 in the pot.) Rule 43A would also be applied here. Even though the player did not push out enough chips to constitute a raise, it was 50% or more of the amount required for a raise.

3. The amount a player announces is the amount of the total bet, not the amount of the raise, so it is a raise to 500. Intentions don’t matter. See Rule 43B.

4. This is a classic string bet. Intentions don’t matter. A raise must be announced or pushed out in one motion. Since the player first announced “See,” which will be interpreted to mean “Call,” the attempt to raise will be of no effect. See Rules 42 and 56.

5. Do you notice a theme here? Intentions don’t matter, so a dealer should never ask a player what their intentions were. Let’s quote Rule 57: “Players use unofficial betting terms and gestures at their own risk. These may be interpreted to mean other than what the player intended. Also, if a declared bet can legally have multiple meanings, it will be ruled the highest reasonable amount that is less than or equal to the pot size before the bet.” Here, since there is less than 5,000 in the pot, the bet will be ruled to be 500.

6. Remember Rule 57? Even though when there is 3,000 in the pot, it is more likely that a player would bet 5,000 rather than 500, since there is less than 5,000 in the pot, the bet will be ruled to be 500.

7. When a player acts out of turn, the bet is binding unless there is further action behind them. A check, call or fold is not further action, so the raise is binding. The player may also be subject to a penalty. See Rule 53.

8. Here the action changed behind her, so the player in Seat 3 is free to do whatever she wants. See Rule 53.

9. In the words of Rule 35C, “the re-deal is an exact re-play.” Therefore, a player who was not in their seat for the misdealt hand does not get a hand in the re-deal.

10. If you got the last one you probably got this one. “The re-deal is an exact re-play.” Therefore, the level would remain at the old level.

How many did you get right?

1-2 Yikes! Do you even play poker?
3-4 It’s time to brush up on the rules. My columns are available in the Card Player archives online.
5-6 Pretty good, but it’s probably best to let the floor handle things.
7-8 Great job! You just might be a pro!
9-10 Wow, maybe you should become a Tournament Director! ♠

Scott J. Burnham is Professor Emeritus at Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane, Washington. He can be reached at [email protected].