NL Hold Em Deepstack $20 Poker Tourney

BUY-IN: $20 (no rebuys or add-ons, but you start with tons of chips so you'll get plenty of time to play)

OPTIONAL LAST LONGER: Players interested in more action can optionally agree to participate in a last-longer prize pool. Generally this means those players who decide will all toss in extra money for a side prize pool (usually $10-20 each) and only those participating in that prize pool will be eligible to win it. As a for-instance, if we have 10 players for the tournament and five of them agree to a last-longer prize pool, it's possible none of those five would finish in the top three in the tourney (i.e. they wouldn't cash in the money) yet someone from that group would still win money from the extra prize pool, since the remaining five players in the event aren't part of it.

FOOD: $5 from each player to cover the cost of pizza. I also provide soda and water and you are welcome to BYOB or anything you'd like to share with others

SMOKING: Our events are 100% non-smoking. Unfortunately due to issues with smokers in the past who didn't respect our home we can no longer permit smokers to attend our games.

DRUGS: Shouldn't have to be said, but not welcome.

WE HAVE CATS: They are kept out of the poker room, but if you are allergic please plan to take something just in case. Our cats are friendly, but prefer to sniff your hand first before you pet them. Their names are Ruffian (stripped Tabby) and Sir-Purrs-A-Lot (black medium hair domestic)

http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/1/d/e/600_440884574.jpeg

HAVE FUN: This is a small-stakes social setting. Players are expected to treat one another with respect and not berate or belittle other players (not everyone is going to have the same levels of skill........or luck). No one is losing a mortgage payment, so keep it friendly. Friendly ball-busting is encouraged and expected as players get familiar with one another :)

PAYOUTS:

5 or less players: Pays 1st 100% of prize pool

6-8 players: Pays 1st 60% of prize pool and 2nd 40% of prize pool

9+ players: 1st - 50% 2nd - 30% 3rd - 20%

NO LIMIT HOLD EM TOURNAMENT STRUCTURE

Levels are 15 minutes each

500/1000

1K/2K

1.5K/3K

2K/4K

2.5K/5K

color up 500 chips - 10 min break

3K/6K

4K/8K

6K/12K

8K/16K

color up 1K chips - 10 min break

10K/20K

15K/30K

20K/40K

30K/60K

40K/80K

THE GAMEROOM

http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/4/c/4/0/600_440719520.jpeg

http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/4/c/0/9/600_440719465.jpeg

SOME STANDARD RULES

Below are some basic rules we use.

STRING BETS

Ever watch a tv show where someone says "I call.......and I raise"? Well, you can't do that. In poker, a verbal declaration is considered binding if it's your turn to act.

As soon a you say "I call" your action is a call, and you cannot raise. If you want to raise, just say "RAISE" and that way there's no confusion possible.

SINGLE CHIP RULE

Anytime you put a single chip into the pot that is large enough on its own to be a raise (i.e. blinds are 100/200 and you put a chip worth 1,000 out) it is considered a call unless you announced you were raising.

However, if you put multiple chips out (same situation, 100/200 blinds, but you put out two chips worth 500 each) that would be considered a raise without you having to announce it.

SPLASHING THE POT

To ensure you don't place too many or too few chips into the pot when betting, please place all bets in front of you. If you just throw them into the pot with all the other chips right away, you may have paid too much or too little, and it can be difficult to figure out once they're mixed in.

TABLE TALK/ONE PLAYER TO A HAND

When there are multiple players involved in a hand, no one should say anything that would influence an opponent to take specific actions. Here's an example:

Joe: "I'm all-in"

Bill: You're bluffing! I know you're bluffing! But I can't call. Sally, YOU should call and bust Joe!"

Sally: "..........."

Another example:

Joe: "I'm all-in"

Bill: "I call"

Sally: "I call"

Bill: "Sally, we should just check it down and not bet anymore to give us a better chance at busting Joe!"

Table Talk also applies to not pointing out possible straights, flushes or full houses, or giving away that you folded a hand that would've been really strong.

So if the flop comes 55K or 89T you shouldn't be saying "who's got the full house?" or "who's got the QJ for the straight?" Sure, it may seem obvious to you, but not everyone may be paying as close attention as you are.

The same applies if you folded 27 and the flop comes 772. If you suddenly huff and puff and make a big deal about having folded, you've giving away information that other players shouldn't have.

However, if you are heads-up (i.e. facing only one opponent in the hand) you are welcome to talk to try and gain information. Some casinos do not permit this, but we allow it in our game.

LENIENCY

We aren't zealots. We understand sometimes people are new to the game, or just used to other games with a different set of rules.

So we aren't going to give you a ton of grief if you slip up, we just want to make sure that our players won't be walking into a casino poker room and getting in trouble for violating common rules used there.