2004 Tournament Directors Association Rules - Part III

by Linda Johnson | Published: Mar 26, 2004

In my last two columns, I presented the 2004 Tournament Directors Association (TDA) rules. In this column, I will discuss some of the reasons for the new rules and changes to pre-existing rules. The changes are in bold, and my explanation is in parentheses after each rule that has been added or changed.

2. Chip-race rule: When it is time to color-up chips, they will be raced off with a maximum of one chip going to any player. The chip race will always start in the No.1 seat. A player cannot be raced out of a tournament. In the event that a player has only one chip left, the regular race procedure will take place. If that player loses the race, he will be given one chip of the smallest denomination still in play.

(In previous TDA rules, players could be raced out of tournaments. After trying this rule for the past 12 months, many tournament directors expressed that their players did not like the rule and believed that being raced out of a tournament was unfair. They also believed that it would "turn off" many of the new players entering tournaments and we might lose them forever. After discussion concerning the fairest way to effect the rule change, it was determined that it would be best to have the player participate in the race to see if he would receive a chip through the normal process, since that would not involve introducing a chip to the tournament. Then if the player didn't receive a chip in the race, he would be given a chip.)

3. Odd chips: The odd chip(s) will go to the high hand. In flop games, when there are two or more high hands or two or more low hands, the odd chip(s) will go to the left of the button. In stud-type games, the odd chip will go to the high card by suit. There will be an exception to this rule: An attempt will be made in identical-hand situations to split the pot as evenly as possible; for example, a wheel in Omaha eight-or-better.

(Most directors agreed that identical hands merit splitting the pot as evenly as possible. Under the old rule, if two players had A-2-3-4-5, for example, the pot technically should have been split for the high side first (the straight) and then the low side (the wheel). If there were six chips in the pot, the player to the left of the button would have gotten four of the six chips if the pot was split correctly according to the previous rule. With the rule change, each now gets three chips.)

8. A player must be at the table by the time all players have complete hands in order to have his hand live. Players must be at the table to call time. In stud-type games, the forced low hand will be immediately dead if the player is not there to act on his hand at the time he is required to put money in the pot (the minimum bring-in will be posted and the hand will be killed).

(This rule change sparked the most discussion. At first, I argued against the change, but it really does make sense, for the following reasons: First of all, players have the right to know how many people they are up against before they take action. For instance, suppose there are only six people at the table when you raise, and all of a sudden three more people show up after you have raised; they really shouldn't have live hands, since you raised believing you were up against only six opponents. Second, under the old rule, there were many times when players either played very slowly in order to give their friends time to get back to their seats or played fast if the missing player was someone they didn't like. Another reason for this rule is to stop players from being able to see their opponents'; cards when they are rushing back to the table.)

11. In limit games, an oversized chip will be considered a call if the player does not announce a raise. In no-limit, an oversized chip before the flop is a call; after the flop, an oversized chip put in the pot by the initial bettor will constitute the size of the bet. In pot-limit and no-limit, if a player states raise and throws in an oversized chip, the raise will be the maximum amount allowable up to the size of that chip.

(This was basically just to clarify the previous wording, since it was not clear.)

23. A player who intentionally dodges his blind(s) when moving from a broken table will forfeit the blind(s) and/or incur a penalty. The money will be put into the next pot and will be considered dead money.

(The word "may" was changed to "will" because TDA members felt strongly that players who intentionally violate this rule must be penalized.)

33. Players going from a broken table to fill in seats assume the rights and responsibilities of the position. They can get the big blind, the small blind, or the button. The only place they cannot get a hand is between the small blind and the button. A player moved to even out a table will take the worst position. A dead button situation may occur.

(The wording "seat" was changed to "position" to make the rule easier to understand. The additional sentences were added for the same reason.)

37. In no-limit or pot-limit, when raising, a player must either put the amount of the raise out in one motion or state the raise amount. By stating the word raise, a player protects his right to raise, but the raise must be made in one additional motion unless he states the amount.

(This additional verbiage was included to further define the rule.)

38. Verbally disclosing the contents of your hand or advising a player how to play a hand may result in a penalty.

(This rule was made so that tournament directors who believe that players are "soft-playing" can issue a penalty. Example: If you and I are friends and I say something like, "I have aces," or, "Throw your hand away, I made a flush," a director can issue a penalty if he believes soft play is occurring.)

39. In no-limit, less than a full raise does not reopen the betting to a player who already has acted.

(This simply puts into writing a rule that always has been observed in most cardrooms.)

Good luck in your next tournament!

Now, let's play poker!