Poker Miscellaneous Rules

HOUSE BUTTONS

(Player Absent, Missed Blinds, Lock-up, Playing Behind, Overs, Openers, Kill) House buttons are distinguished from the dealer button. They are among other thingsused to indicate absence from the table, missed blinds, locked up seats, playing behind and overs.

PLAYER ABSENT BUTTON, A.K.A. NO PLAYER BUTTON

This is used to indicate a player has been absent from the table. It is white in most card rooms.

LOCK-UP BUTTON A.K.A. RESERVE BUTTON

This identifies an open seat so that prospective players, floorpersons and others are aware there is an open seat at the table. It is yellow in most card rooms. A new player shall not be placed in a seat with a yellow button in front of it without consulting the floorperson or other person responsible for the player list.

BIG BLIND BUTTON

This button indicates the player has missed both the Big and Small Blinds. (If a player misses his big blind he cannot put in the small blind, but must wait and post both behind the button, or wait a full round until his blind comes to him again, or may straddle, pursuant to rules relating to blinds.) It is orange in most cardrooms, though red in many card rooms.

LITTLE BLIND BUTTON

This indicates a player has missed his small blind and only the small blind. It is tan/light brown in most cardrooms. Players most often miss the little blind when they have paid their big blind and lost all their money or been called away from the table. When made up this blind is dead. A player moving out of the little blind shall post it in his new seat. See Caro & Cooke's Rules relating to blinds. Note that there is no middle blind button. In games with three blinds (most often pot limit or no-limit) the small blind is posted on the button (where a player may not re-enter the game) and a player who misses the small and middle blinds can enter the game by posting one big blind. See Article 12 of Caro & Cooke's for more details.

OVERS BUTTON

This is used to indicate that a player is participating in overs. At the time Overs begins each player participating is given an Overs button. If some players are playing Overs and other players are playing Super-Overs, then the Super-Overs players shall be given two Overs buttons. There is no standardization of color for Overs buttons. See the provision of this article relating to Overs play.

PLAYING BEHIND BUTTON

Some establishments use a Playing Behind button to advise other players at the table that a player actually has more money in play than is in front of him. The use of Playing Behind buttons is recommended, but not required.

OPENERS BUTTON

This button shall be used to indicate who opened a particular pot in a draw game that has qualifiers to open. See Article 5 of Caro & Cooke's Rules relating to draw games. The use of this button is recommended, but not required.

KILL BUTTON

A kill button shall be used in games with kills to indicate the person who has fulfilled the first part of the requirements which might require that player to put the kill on in the next hand, where there are two parts to the kill procedure (IE winning two pots in a row.) In all kill games the kill button is placed into the pot to show that betting limits have increased when the conditions of the kill game have been met. See Article 8 of Caro & Cooke's Rules relative to kill pots for more details.

SEAT CHANGE REQUEST BUTTON

This button indicates that a player has requested a seat change, in establishments or games that prioritize seat change requests based on the order of the request. These buttons are not commonly used, but they are very helpful for efficiently managing the game, and are recommended.

TABLE SIGNS

Any time the normal rules or procedures of the house are not in effect a placard shall be posted on the table so advising all players in the game and entering the game. Common table signs restrict the number of deck changes and prohibit pot splitting or insurance. A table sign stating what game is being played, what the limits and minimum buy-in are, and the maximum rake shall be posted on all tables.

OVERS

When two or more players wish to play for higher stakes than offered in the game, they shall be permitted to play overs. Overs are typically (although not necessarily) double the stakes of the game being spread (for example in a $20-$40 game overs would typically be $40-$80.) Overs shall not go into effect on any street in which a player who is not in overs is active and contesting for the pot, unless the non-overs player is all in. Notwithstanding this, however, if on the final round of action (i.e. the river or seventh street) a non-overs player is in the pot and folds his hand when facing a wager, then overs shall come into play. (Alternate Rule. If there is a non-overs player in on the river, then overs shall not be permitted regardless of whether all non-overs players have dropped out.) Overs shall not be optional; when overs players are the only ones contesting the pot the stakes automatically increase. If players are playing super-overs (meaning stakes over and above the overs stakes) then all the same rules shall be in effect. A player shall not be permitted to play super-overs unless he is also playing overs. Overs and Super-overs are sometimes played pot-limit and even no-limit. (IE. $15-$30 with $30-$60 overs and pot-limit or no-limit super overs.) Overs are primarily played in smaller cardrooms to enable players to play for different stakes that are not available in the cardroom. Where a variety of games at different stakes are offered, there is no reason for overs and they should not be permitted.

SHILLS AND PROP PLAYERS

Any player put in action by the house in any manner, way, shape or form shall be identified by the dealer when the player enters the game. (Alternate Rule. The house shall post a sign in the room advising whether proposition players are used, but they do not have to be identified when entering a game, however must be identified at the request of any active player.)

SMOKING

In all games without exception the two seats to either side of the dealer shall be non-smoking seats. Cigar and pipe smoking shall be prohibited. Smoking by spectators seated behind a player shall be prohibited. (Alternate Rule. The two seats to the right of the dealer shall be non-smoking seats.) Where State or local law prohibits smoking, smoking is of course prohibited.

SPECTATORS

Only players, employees and guests of players shall be permitted on the poker room floor. Spectators who are guests of players shall be permitted, however any player within two seats of a player who has a guest at the table can object to a spectator being seated behind a player. A new player entering a game may not object to a spectator already seated. Objections to spectators must be raised at the time the spectator is seated. Notwithstanding any of the foregoing the house has the right to not allow spectators generally or any particular spectator, regardless of the presence or absence of objections.

COLLUSION

A player shall act only in his own-self interest, and shall make no action for the benefit of another player. The following actions shall be considered collusion, and any player participating in a collusive effort may forfeit all interest in the pot and is subject to ejection from the game and even being barred from the establishment:

• 1 Imparting information about one's hand to a player in the pot.

• 2 Advising someone how to play or suggesting a particular betting action.

• 3 Rendering a verbal opinion about a player's holding when he bets.

• 4 Agreeing to check out a hand when a third player is all-in.

• 5 Agreeing to save a certain amount of money with another player if either wins the hand, when there is potential betting remaining for one or both of the players and other players are involved in the pot.

• 6 Encouraging another player to turn his hand over face-up at the showdown so that he has a claim on the pot.

• 7 Soft-play agreements not to bet or raise another player when head's up.

• 8 Refunding money won to a player, such as the last bet.

DISCUSSING CARDS IN PLAY

A player shall not make any statement that could unfairly influence the play of the hand, whether or not the offender is involved in the pot. (IE Two queens flop and a player whispers to the person next to him "I had a Queen" or slaps the table in disgust indicating he had a queen.)

READING

Reading at the poker table is prohibited as (a player who is reading will not act in turn, and this slows down the game to the detriment of other players. Notwithstanding this, at establishments that also offer pari-mutuel wagering or sports betting, players may consult such periodicals as racing forms or sports forms, but only when they do not have cards.

ENGLISH ONLY

During the play of a hand all players seated at the table and all spectators shall speak only in the language of the country where the game is being played, regardless of whether or not the player is contesting for the pot. In the United States this means English. During the shuffle and between hands players and spectators may speak in other languages.

RABBIT HUNTING

Rabbit hunting--asking the dealer to show the next card even though an unmatched wager has been made and the hand is over--is prohibited. (Alternate Rule. Rabbit hunting shall be permitted by contributing one minimum betting unit to the next pot, dead money. Second Alternate Rule. Rabbit hunting shall be permitted, however if this permission is abused then the privilege of rabbit hunting shall be revoked. Where rabbit hunting is permitted the card shall not be shown until all live hands have been surrendered to the dealer.)

CARDS REMAIN ON TABLE

All cards must be visible at all times. In button games, a card dealt off the table shall be deemed an exposed card. In Stud games, a card dealt off the table plays, as more fully set forth pursuant to Article 6 of Caro & Cooke's Rules. A player's hand which is removed from sight or has a card dropped on the floor shall be declared dead. If a card falls to the floor for any reason other than being dealt off the table by the dealer, that player's hand is automatically dead.

BACK MAN OUT

Sometimes a game can be spread with the "back man out," meaning that each player in rotation takes a turn sitting out a hand, where there would otherwise not be enough cards to deal the full hand. If the back man out rule is in effect, a table sign indicating this shall be posted, and a dealer button shall be used to indicate the person sitting out the hand, which button shall be advanced one player position each hand. The back man out rule can be used in any poker game where there may not be enough cards to deal all players at the table a hand.

ROVERS

A procedure may be used wherein one player each lap or each pre-determined period of time gives his seat up to the first player on the waiting list. Typically the waiting player replaces one seated player for one lap, then the player to that player's left for the next lap, etc. The point of the rovers rule is to get players into action. It is common in home games, rare in public cardroom games. In public games it is most often used in one or two table cardrooms.

TELEPHONES AT TABLE

Telephone calls at the table, whether on cell-phones or house phones, shall be limited to two minutes. Further no player may speak on the telephone more than six minutes in an hour. If a player is speaking on the phone in violation of this rule the dealer shall deal around him.

PROFANITY, VERBAL ABUSE

Players shall not use profanity or obscenities at the table, or create a disturbance by arguing or shouting.

ANNOUNCING IRREGULARITIES

 A player should speak up immediately when he sees an error such as incorrect amount going into the pot or the pot about to be awarded to the wrong person, a card going to the wrong person or a flashed card. A player who knowingly takes advantage of an irregularity to gain an unfair advantage should be disciplined and forfeit any interest in the pot in question.