Corner Pocket Billiards: Randy Sullivan Indialantic Florida

Poker Rules

The “Corner Pocket Poker League” is for educational purposes only. All session fees and weekly practice fees are for your participation in this educational league and not any type of “consideration”.

This league is not for gambling. It’s designed to teach you how to become a better poker player. The best way to improve your game is with practice. Gambling of any type is not permitted and will not be tolerated.

The “Corner Pocket Poker League” is for practicing the skills needed to become a better poker player. Each week a written lesson will be given to each league member. A tournament will then be held to practice these skills, then at the end of the tournament (time permitting) a discussion of the weekly topic.

At the end of each session a final tournament will be held, free of charge, to determine the top players in the league. League members should improve over time by utilizing the literature and taking advantage of the practice opportunities each week.

The poker chips carry no monetary value. Each member participating in the practice tournament will be awarded points, which carry no monetary value, used to determine the top players in the League.

Basic Play

A. Dealer Button

There is a marker (normally a small plastic disc) called the dealer button that indicates which player is the dealer. Action is always initiated to the left of the dealer and continues in a clockwise manner.

At the end of each hand the button is moved clockwise to the next player, who then becomes the dealer.

B. Blinds

Before the cards are dealt the two players to the left of the dealer place initial bets called the 'small blind' and the 'big blind' in order to create a pot to play for.

The small blind (to the dealers left) places a bet equal to half the smallest structured bet, and the big blind (to the small blinds left) places a bet equal to the smallest structured bet.

C. Pocket Cards

Each player is dealt two cards called 'pocket cards' which should not be revealed to other players.

D. First Betting Round

Because the small & big blinds have already started the pot, the player to the left of the big blind is the first to bet. Each player has these options:

FOLD - Throw in their hand.
CALL - Make a bet equivalent to the last bet - at the start of the game the 'last' bet placed was by the big blind.
RAISE - Make a bet equivalent to the last bet plus an additional bet.

Betting continues in a clockwise manner until all players remaining in the hand have an equivalent stake in the pot.

E. The Flop

After the initial betting round, three community cards are dealt face up in the center of the table - this is called the 'flop' and can be used by all players to make up their hand.

The second betting round is now started by the player to the dealers left. Players now have another betting option called 'check'.

CHECK - If no bets have been made then the player can opt to make no bet and control is then passed onto the player to their left.

F. The Turn

At the end of the second betting round the fourth community card is dealt which is called the 'turn'.

The third betting round is now started by the player to the dealers left.

G. The River

After the third betting round is finished the fifth and final community card is dealt, this is called the 'river' or 'fifth street'.

A final betting round is now initiated by the player to the dealers left.

H. End of the Hand

Once the final betting round is complete the remaining players must show their cards to see who wins the pot. The player who made the last bet must first show their cards and then the remaining players, in order, can opt to fold or show their cards.

The player with the highest 5 card poker hand made up from their 2 pocket cards and the 5 community cards wins the pot. In the event of 2 or more players having equivalent high hands the pot is split equally.

General Rules

A. All cards must remain on or above the table and in front of the players' chips at all times.

B. A player that loses all of their chips is out of the tournament and finishes in the order they were eliminated. If two or more players are eliminated in the same hand, the player who began the hand with the higher chip count will finish higher.

C. If a player is going to be late to arrive, he must call thirty-minutes prior to the starting time to confirm his participation. Late players who call to confirm will have a seat drawn for them and will be responsible for paying their participation fees. When play commences, players who are not present will have hands dealt (and folded) and blinds posted (as dead money) in turn until they arrrive,are blinded out or the tournament reaches level eight, unless prior arrangements have been made.

D. Players must only act on their hands in turn. Acting out of turn gives an unfair advantage to players still to act. Acting out of turn results in lose of those chips, no warning will be given. Acting out of turn as the result of another players act will not result in lose of chips. Deliberately acting out of turn is a violation of the etiquette of poker, multiple offensives will result in a penalty.

E. If a player acts out of turn ahead of a player still to act, the dealer or player to act should stop the action by calling "time." Failure to stop the action before two or more players have acted behind may cause a player to lose the right to act. A player cannot forfeit the right to act if no player in front has yet to act.

F. One player to a hand. When a player intends to fold a hand, he is not permitted to flash the cards to another player, even if that player has already folded. Although the information cannot be helpful in the current hand, the danger is that someone still involved in the pot may accidentally get a view of the exposed cards. In addition, the player who is seeing the flashed cards will get information on someone's play that is not available to the other players at the table. Discussing a hand while the hand is in progress is also not permitted. Showing one's hand to any player at any time (even after the hand is completed) requires showing the hand to the entire table.

G. Both cards must be shown face up on the table in order to win any part of the pot. Only hands that make it to showdown must be shown to the table. The person to put in the last bet/raise shows first at showdown and the other players show in turn. If there is no action on the river, the showdown begins with the player in earliest position. It is impolite and impermissible to peek at hands folded before a showdown. If only one card is shown by a player any other player may ask to see the other card.

H. "Cards speak," which means the cards read for themselves and override any oral hand declaration. Players are responsible for holding onto their cards until the winner is finally declared. Throwing one's cards face down into or towards the muck, even at showdown, folds one's hand. Although oral declarations as to the contents of a hand are not binding, deliberately miscalling a hand with the intent of causing another player to discard his hand is unethical and multiple offenses will result in a penalty.

I. If a player is absent from his seat when it is his turn to act, for any reason, his hand will be immediately folded.

J. English only at the table for games in the United States.

K. Players may not exchange chips for any reason. Ask dealer for assistance.

L. A player who wants to use a cellular phone or any communication device must step away from the table.

M. Rabbit hunting (asking to see additional board cards after play is over) is forbidden as it can give insight into players’ hands by reducing the possible number of unknowns.

N. The tournament coordinator reserves the right to cancel or alter any event at its sole discretion in the best interest of the tournament and/or its players.

O. All chips must be visibly displayed at all times. Players may not have tournament chips in their pockets at any time. A player who has chips in his pocket will forfeit the chips. The forfeited chips will be taken out of play from the tournament. Any other form of “ratholing” will be dealt with similarly.

P. The organizer of the tournament is to consider the best interest of the game and fairness as the top priority in the decision-making process. Unusual circumstances can, on occasion, dictate that the technical interpretation of the rules be ignored in the interest of fairness. Their decision is final.

Before Play Begins

A. Each player will draw a card at random and be assigned a seat at the table corresponding to his card. The #1 Seat will be the button.

B. Each player will be given 20,000 chips in the following denominations:

a. 10 Red Chips = 500 Red Chips = 50

b. 10 White Chips = 1000 White Chips = 100

c. 10 Green Chips = 2500 Green Chips = 250

d. 10 Black Chips = 5000 Black Chips = 500

e. 11 Purple Chips = 11,000 Purple Chips = 1000

Yellow Chips = 10,000

Dealing

A. Dealer responsibility rotates around the table clockwise; the button indicates the dealer position.

B. Two decks, a red one and a blue one, are provided for each table. You should alternate decks. The player on the dealer button will be responsible for shuffling the unused deck while a hand is being played with the other.

C. Prior to dealing the flop, the turn, and the river, the dealer shall burn the top card (deal it face down into the muck pile) and then deal the appropriate amount of cards.

D. If the dealer neglects to burn a card there will be no burn card for that round and the card dealt stands.

E. If the first holecard dealt is exposed, a misdeal results. The dealer will retrieve the card, reshuffle, and recut the cards. If any other holecard is exposed due to a dealer error, the deal continues. The exposed card may not be kept. After completing the hand, the dealer replaces the card with the top card on the deck, and the exposed card is then used for the burncard. If more than one holecard is exposed, this is a misdeal and there must be a redeal.

F. If the flop contains too many cards or was prematurely flopped (before betting was complete), it must be redealt. (This applies even if it were possible to know which card was the extra one.) The boardcards are mixed with the remainder of the deck. The burncard remains on the table. After shuffling, the dealer cuts the deck and deals a new flop without burning a card.

G. A card found face up in the deck (boxed card) shall be treated as a “scrap of paper". A joker that appears in a game that does not use a Joker is also a "scrap of paper". A card being treated as a “scrap of paper” is replaced by the next card below it in the deck when possible. If not possible, it is replaced by the top card of the deck after completion of the round. If a player does not call attention to the Joker among his down cards before acting on his hand, then he has a foul hand and forfeits all rights to the pot and all chips involved.

H. If a player is dealt more or less cards than the game is playing calls for, and it is discovered before two players act on their hands, it is a misdeal. If it is discovered after two players have acted, then all chips bet, antes and blinds are forfeited by that player.

I. If the dealer burns up the fourth card on the board before the round of betting is completed, the card is not in play. After the completion of the betting, the next card is burned and the fifth card is put in the fourth card's place. After betting is completed, the dealer will reshuffle the deck, including the card that was taken out of play but not the burn card or discards. The dealer will then deal the fifth card without burning.

J. If the fifth card is turned up before betting is complete, it shall be reshuffled in the same manner as the previous rule.

Blinds

A. Blind bets should be out prior to the deal of any cards. It is the dealer's responsibility to ensure the blinds are paid and the pot is correct before dealing the next card(s) and moving the bets.

B. Absent players may not avoid the blinds. An absent player in the small and/or big blind will have his blind posted and his hand folded in turn.

C. Blinds and antes will be announced according to the timer. If the cards have been gathered up, shuffled, and cut, but no card has yet been dealt to a player, then the limit increase is effective immediately. Otherwise, if any cards have been dealt, the increase will take effect on the very next hand. Increases occur according to the tournament structure schedule.

D. In the hand after a big blind is eliminated, the button will move normally and there will be no small blind. The following hand, the button will move into the position where the eliminated player was, creating a dead button situation.

E. In the hand after a small blind is eliminated, the button will move into the position where the eliminated player was, creating a dead button situation.

F. In the hand after both blinds are eliminated, the button will move into the position where the former small blind was and there will be no small blind. The following hand, the button will move into the position where the former big blind was.

G. Through players being eliminated, no player should miss a big or small blind.

Level	Small Blind	Big Blind	Ante	Time	Color Up
1	50	100	0	15min
2	100	200	0	30min	Red Out
3	250	500	0	45min
4	500	1000	0	1hr
5	750	1500	0	1hr 15min	White Out
6	1000	2000	0	1hr 30min
7	1500	3000	0	1hr 45min
8	2000	4000	500	2hr	Green Out
9	2500	5000	1000	2hr 15min
10	5000	10000	2000	2hr 30min
11	10000	20000	3000	2hr 45min	Black
12	15000	30000	5000	3hr
13	30000	60000	10000	3hr 15min

Going up in Levels and Chip Racing

A. When time has elapsed in a round and a new round is announced, the new limits apply to the next hand. The hand begins when the first card is dealt.

B. Excessive stalling during a hand to receive a favorable position prior to a limit change may result in a penalty.

C. As levels progress it may be necessary to exchange chips of a low denomination for chips of a higher denomination. When this happens, players may have odd chips. These are chips which, due to an insufficient sum, cannot be traded to the higher denomination. To determine what happens with these odd chips, a “chip race” is performed by the dealer.

1. Players trade in their odd chips for an equal value of higher denomination chips.

2. Any leftover chips that cannot be traded in will be part of the chip race. These chips are placed in front of the payer.

3. Starting with the small blind of the next hand, each player who has chips in front of them will be dealt a card for each chip. The highest cards win the race. In the case of a tie, the player who was dealt the high card first will win. Only one chip per person.

D. A player cannot be raced out of a tournament. In the event that a player has only one chip left, and loses the race, he will be given one chip of the smallest denomination still in play.

Betting.

A. All lead bets must be for a minimum of the big blind amount. All raises must be for a minimum of the most recent of the lead bet amount or the amount of a raise during that betting round. For example: on the flop, if the big blind is 200, the lead bettor must bet a minimum of 200. If he bets 200, the next player must raise at least an additional 200 if he chooses to raise. If he raises it to 500 (a 300 raise), the next raise must be for a minimum of 300 more. If the next player raises to 1000 (a 500 raise), the next player to raise must raise a minimum of 500. Play continues from there until every player has squared the pot.

B. Pre-flop, the player immediately to the left of the big blind must fold, call the amount of the big blind, or raise. All players then act in turn accordingly. There is no option to check before the flop. Your only choices are to call, raise, or fold.

C. Bets should be placed in front of the player, not thrown into the pot. This permits all players to easily verify the current bet status. Also, players should keep their bets/raises neatly stacked so that the amount can be easily verified. Once a round of betting is completed, the pot should be moved to the center of the table.

D. An oral statement denotes a player's action and is binding. It is best for a player to orally declare his intentions to avoid confusion. A player should orally declare: fold, check, bet, call, or raise. It is best to orally declare the amount of a bet/raise (e.g., "I bet 100" or "I raise 300"). That being said rapping the table in turn constitutes a check.

E. A player who bets or calls by releasing chips onto the table in front of him rather than by orally announcing his intent is bound by that action. However, if a player is unaware that the pot has been raised, the player may withdraw those chips and reconsider the action, provided that no one else has acted after the player.

F. If a player makes a forward motion with chips towards the pot and, by doing so, causes another player to reasonably believe it is his turn to act and such player then acts out of turn, the player making the forward motion is forced to complete the action.

G. If a player folds in turn by tossing his cards toward the dealer and/or at or into the muck, the cards are dead and may not be retrieved (even if they are identifiable). Players should protect their cards, chips, and bets at all times.

H. If a player releases a single chip into the pot that is larger than the bet, but does not announce a raise prior to releasing the chip, the player is assumed to have only called. Example: At the 100-200 level, one player opens for 100 and the next player puts a 250 chip in front of him without saying anything. The second player has merely called the 100 bet, and the dealer would make change.

I. String bets are not allowed. A string bet is a bet that initially looks like a call, but then turns out to be a raise. It can cause other players to react and give away information providing an unfair advantage to the bettor and other players. Once the player's hand has put some chips out, the player may not go back to his stack to get more chips and increase the size of the bet. If the player always declares "call" or "raise" as you bet, he will be immune to this problem. Note that an oral declaration in turn is binding, so an oral string bet is possible and also prohibited. A player cannot say "I call your 50, and raise you another 50!" Once "call" is said, that's it. The rest of the sentence is irrelevant.

J. Checking and raising is permitted.

K. All-in situations:

A player is never obligated to drop out of contention because of insufficient funds to play or to call the full amount of a bet. The player may call a bet for the total amount of chips possessed by that player. The excess part of the bet is either returned to the bettor or used to form a side pot with another player or players who matched the amount called, as applicable. There is no limitation on the number of side pots. A player who has put all remaining chips in play into the pot is said to be all-in. It is common for the player to verbally declare "All-in" when going all-in. If a player is all-in and there is no further action possible, all hands must be turned face up on the table before the deal is completed.

L. When play becomes heads-up at the end of the tourney, the dealer posts the small blind and has first action pre-flop (small blind on the button). For all play after the flop the player who posted the big blind acts first.

M. An all-in wager of less than half a bet does not reopen the betting for any player who has already acted and is in the pot for all previous bets. A player facing less than half a bet may fold, call or complete the wager. An all-in wager of half a bet or more is treated as a full bet and a player may fold, call or make a full raise.

Winning a Hand

A. No pot may be awarded until all losing hands have been killed. The winning hand should remain face up until the pot is awarded.

B. Playing the Board: A player may play the board by throwing his hand away only if: (1) the hand has been checked around, or (2) there has been a bet and a call, and the best hand is on the board. The player must CLEARLY declare that he is playing the board before throwing his hand away; otherwise the player relinquishes all claims to the pot.

C. The winning hand must show both cards face up on the table; one card up and the other face down is not a valid hand. "

Call for a Clock

A. Another player may call for a clock against a player who is taking an unreasonable amount of time to make a decision.

B. Once a clock is called for, the player with action will be given one minute to make a decision. If a decision has not been made by the time the minute is over, there will be a 10-second countdown. If a player has not acted on his hand by the time the countdown is over, the hand will be dead.

C. A player who calls "time" will act on the same rules as above.

Dead Hands

A. If a live hand touches the muck, it will immediately be ruled dead.

B. If a dealer kills an unprotected hand, the player will have no redress and will not be entitled to his money back. An exception would be if a player raised and his raise had not been called yet, he would be entitled to receive his raise back.

C. Dealers cannot kill a winning hand that was turned face up and was obviously the winning hand.

Verbal Discussion

A. Verbally disclosing the true contents of your hand will cause the hand to be killed and a penalty will be assessed.

B. A player cannot verify the contents of a live hand that was verbally disclosed. Only a director or floorperson may check those contents after the hand is over, but before the pot has been awarded. If the hand is verified but is not in violation of the previous rule, the contents will not be revealed by the floor or director to anyone.

C. If a verbally disclosed hand is killed through verification after the hand, the pot goes to the best hand among the remaining players at the showdown, or to the last player to fold.

D. By definition, verbal disclosure must include the actual ranks or suits, or any synonym to the ranks or suits. Nicknames for specific two-hand combinations like “Big Slick” or “American Airlines” will also constitute verbal disclosure. Furthermore, only a definitive declaration will constitute a verbal disclosure. Language like “may”, “might”, or “could” could nullify a declaration as verbal disclosure.

E. Advising a player how to play a hand is not permitted.

F. Verbal declarations as to the content of a player’s hand at the showdown are not binding (cards speak); however at management’s discretion, any player deliberately miscalling his hand to induce other players to reveal their cards may be penalized.

G. Players are obligated to protect their hands from the other players in the tournament at all times. Discussing cards discarded or hand possibilities is not allowed.

Exposing Cards

A. A player who exposes his cards during the play will have his hand killed and immediately folded. If any player at the table saw the exposed cards, any other player has a right to know what the exposed card or cards were.

B. At the showdown players begin the show their cards starting with the player who made the last bet/raise. A player may “muck” his cards if they cannot win over a previously shown hand. If the house suspects cheating or collusion, you may be asked to expose your cards to the dealer, coordinator, and/or the other players.

C. Any player, during the showdown, may ask to see both pocket cards from a player who reveals only one.

D. Any player may ask another player to reveal his or her pocket cards if they were exposed to any player at the table.

E. A player may not ask to see both pocket cards from another player who revealed them to a spectator.

Penalty Situations

A. Penalties available for use by the tournament organizers are verbal warnings, 10, 20, 30, and 40 minutes away from the table and may be used with discretion. These may be utilized up to and including disqualification. A player who is disqualified shall have his chips removed from play.

B. A penalty may be invoked if a player exposes any card with action pending, if a card(s) goes off the table, if soft-play occurs, or similar incidents take place. Penalties WILL be invoked in cases of abuse, disruptive behavior, or similar incidents.

Multi-table rules

A. Players going from a broken table to fill in seats assume the responsibilities of their new position. They may receive any position from blind to button.

B. The only place a moved player cannot be placed is between the small blind and the button. If it is necessary for a player to be moved to this position, that player must sit out that hand.

C. A player moved to balance two tables will be the player who will not lose position as a result of the move. Play may be halted temporarily to accommodate for the move. In a case where multiple seats are open, the worst positioned seats are the most preferable to be moved.

League Structure

A. A session fee of $5 will be charged at the beginning of each session.

B. A weekly participation fee of $10 will be charged each week.

C. Each session will last 11 weeks, 10 weeks of practice tournaments & week 11 the Final Tournament.

Point System

A. Players will be awarded points by their finishing position in the practice tournament as follows:

Finishing Position	Points Awarded
1	20
2	19
3	18
4	17
5	16
6	15
7	14
8	13
9	12
10	11
11	10
12	9
13	8
14	7
15	6
16	5
17	4
18	3
19	2
20	1

B. A player will receive one point for each player he eliminates from the practice tournament.

C. A player must play in 6 of the 10 practice tournaments in order to qualify for the Final Table.

D. 10 points will be awarded for perfect attendance. A player can pay their weekly participation fee to qualify for the ten attendance points and receive that week’s lesson, but the player must participate in at least 6 practice tournaments to qualify for the Final Table.

Final Tournament

A. Each player will receive chips according to the follow chart:

Place Finished	Chips Awarded
1	20,000
2	19,000
3	18,000
4	17,000
5	16,000
6	15,000
7	14,000
8	13,000
9	12,000
10	11,000
11	10,000
12	9,000
13	8,000
14	7,000
15	6,000
16	5,000
17	4,000
18	3,000
19	2,000
20	1,000

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Corner Pocket Billiards
2368 N. Hwy A1A Indialantic, FL 32903
URL: http://cornerpocketinc.com

Telephone: 321-779-0323