Official Rules - 2019
a. Big Slick Poker Circuit plays exclusively tournament style No Limit Texas Hold‘em each season. There are 10 open entry tournaments and one invitation-only League Championship Tournament to conclude the season.
b. The location of each tournament may vary based on rotating hosts.
c. Tournament clock, seating, betting schedule, tournament points, knockouts, payouts, and Power Rankings will be managed using Dr. Neau Tournament Manager software.
d. All players are required to be 21 years of age to enter any tournament. Proof of age may be required. Refer to Rule 7a for more information.
e. BUYING IN TO ANY TOURNAMENT ASSUMES THAT THE PLAYER HAS READ AND AGREES TO ALL RULES CONTAINED IN THESE OFFICIAL RULES.
a. League Director will be Leah Hodge. The League Director will be the ultimate decision-maker for all disputes in any tournament and each league season.
b. In the event that the League Director is not available for any tournament, a replacement Tournament Director will be appointed for the tournament(s) she is unavailable.
a. Governing rules of poker play will be Poker Tournament Directors Association 2015 Rules V1.0 (August 20, 2015), and a copy will be available for reference at all league tournaments. Poker TDA 2015 rules can also be read online here.
a. Entry Fee.
i. Entry to each regular season tournament will be $80 for each player.
ii. $66 of each entry (including re-buys) will be allocated to each tournament prize pool, $11 of each entry will be retained and allocated to the League Championship Tournament prize pool, and the remaining $3 will be allocated for the Player of the Year cash prize.
i. A maximum of one re-buy will be allowed per player per tournament. If there are players on the Wait List when a player is eliminated from the tournament, the eliminated player that wishes to re-buy will be moved to the bottom of the Wait List, so those wait-listed players have an opportunity to enter the tournament. If all present wait-listed players enter the tournament before the first break has started and a seat is still available, the eliminated player may re-buy into the tournament at that time.
ii. Any player that re-buys into a tournament will be seated at a random open seat. The player's new seat may or may not be the seat they just vacated, which means a re-buy may require that they move tables.
iii. Any player wishing to re-buy into a tournament must do so immediately upon being eliminated or immediately upon being eligible (if a wait-listed player enters and another seat becomes available). He or she may not opt to wait for a period of time before buying back in.
iv. If a player is eliminated on the final hand before the first break starts, that player only may buy back into the tournament immediately if he or she elects to do so, even if the break clock has started.
i. All players are required to pay the tournament entry fee before they receive their seat assignment and tournament chips.
ii. Seat assignments are randomly selected using the Dr. Neau Tournament Manager software and will be available prior to the start of each tournament.
iii. The player sitting in seat one at all tables will begin the tournament with the dealer button. The dealer and button will rotate around the table after each hand is completed.
iv. Considerations for players with handicaps (visual impairment or otherwise) may be made prior to randomly seating all other players.
i. Registration for all tournaments will begin at 6:00 pm on the scheduled tournament date.
ii. All tournaments will start promptly at 6:30 pm on the scheduled tournament date.
i. Confirmed players may forfeit their seat if they are tardy and there are wait-listed players present at the tournament. PLEASE BE ON TIME!
ii. If a player is unable to arrive before the tournament starts, he or she must notify the League Director as soon as possible. His or her chips will be collected for the applicable blinds and hands folded until the player arrives (blinded out), assumed that he or she is given a seat.
iii. If a player has announced his or her tardiness and is unable to join the tournament before the first break has completed, his or her remaining chips will be removed from the table and he or she will not be allowed to enter the tournament.
iv. Players will not be allowed to enter the tournament after the first break has started.
i. Once a tournament has 30 players confirmed, a Wait List will be started. Alternate players on the Wait List are encouraged to arrive at the tournament during the registration period as they may be seated in the tournament.
ii. Alternates will be seated into the tournament based on the order in which they are wait-listed.* Alternates will be seated under three conditions: 1) An eligible alternate must be present when a tournament seat becomes available;* 2) If a confirmed player cancels their reservation to the tournament, is late, or doesn't show up (no-shows); and 3) If a player is eliminated within the first three blind levels of a tournament (before the first break).
iii. An unlimited number of alternates may enter any regular season tournament, so long as they enter the tournament prior to the start of the first break.
*Updated January 18, 2019.
i. If a player confirms their attendance to a tournament and does not inform the Tournament Director that they cannot attend and fails to show up (no-show), that player will be placed on the No-Show List and will be automatically added to the Wait List the next time they confirm for a tournament. Other players will have priority when confirming their seats or when seating from the Wait List during the tournament.*
ii. If a player has paid for their seat and has not taken a hand by the end of the first level, their seat may be forfeited and given to a present alternate player at the League Director's discretion. If the player's seat is forfeited by the end of the first level, their buy-in will be refunded.*
iii. A player that is on the No-Show List can be removed from the No-Show List by showing up to a tournament for which they have confirmed, whether they are seated as an alternate or not.
iv. The no-show rule will roll over to following seasons if necessary (e.g. if a player is on the No-Show List at the conclusion of the current league season, they will remain on the No-Show List at the start of the following league season).
v. If a player confirms their attendance to a tournament and no-shows for two consecutive tournaments, that player will be suspended for one regular season tournament. Subsequent no-shows will be addressed by the League Director on a case-by-case basis.
vi. If a player that has enough points to qualify for the League Championship Tournament no-shows Tournament 10 (or is currently on the No-Show List), they will still be invited to the League Championship Tournament; however, they will be required to pay the entry fee(s) they missed by no-showing the previous tournament(s) to enter the League Championship Tournament. This player also has the option to not play in the League Championship Tournament and will forego the requirement to pay the missed entry fee(s) at their discretion.
*Updated January 18, 2019.
i. Players will begin each regular season tournament with 18,000 tournament chips.
ii. Players will begin the League Championship Tournament with 20,000 tournament chips. For all other information related to the League Championship Tournament, refer to Section 11.
i. All tournaments, including the League Championship Tournament, will use the following betting schedule.
| LEVEL | SMALL | BIG | DURATION | LEVEL | SMALL | BIG | DURATION | ||
| 1 | 25 | 50 | 20 min. | 13 | 4,000 | 8,000 | 20 min. | ||
| 2 | 50 | 100 | 20 min. | 14 | 6,000 | 12,000 | 20 min. | ||
| 3 | 75 | 150 | 20 min. | 15 | 8,000 | 16,000 | 20 min. | ||
| B R E A K | 10 min. | B R E A K | 5 min. | ||||||
| 4 | 100 | 200 | 20 min. | 16 | 10,000 | 20,000 | 15 min. | ||
| 5 | 200 | 400 | 20 min. | 17 | 12,000 | 24,000 | 15 min. | ||
| 6 | 300 | 600 | 20 min. | 18 | 15,000 | 30,000 | 15 min. | ||
| B R E A K | 10 min. | 19 | 20,000 | 40,000 | 15 min. | ||||
| 7 | 400 | 800 | 20 min. | B R E A K | 5 min. | ||||
| 8 | 600 | 1,200 | 20 min. | 20 | 25,000 | 50,000 | 15 min. | ||
| 9 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 20 min. | 21 | 30,000 | 60,000 | 15 min. | ||
| B R E A K | 10 min. | 22 | 40,000 | 80,000 | 15 min. | ||||
| 10 | 1,500 | 3,000 | 20 min. | 23 | 60,000 | 120,000 | 15 min. | ||
| 11 | 2,000 | 4,000 | 20 min. | B R E A K | 5 min. | ||||
| 12 | 3,000 | 6,000 | 20 min. | 24 | 80,000 | 160,000 | 15 min. | ||
| B R E A K | 10 min. | 25 | 100,000 | 200,000 | 15 min. | ||||
|
After Level 25, blinds will continue to escalate as necessary. |
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j. Table Balancing and Consolidation.
i. Table balancing will be managed by the Dr. Neau Tournament Manager software using the 'Random' method.
ii. New players to a table as a result of balancing tables are dealt in immediately unless they are seated in the small blind or button positions, where they must wait until the button has passed the player on their immediate left.
iii. Tables will be consolidated when each remaining table can contain 10 players (30 total players, 20 total players, 10 total players).
iv. When combining into the final table of a tournament, all players will be re-seated randomly without consideration for blind positions at previous tables.
a. Tournament Point System.
i. Players finishing in the top three quarters (75%) of a tournament are awarded points for their performance in accordance with the formula below. Point value is rounded to the nearest whole number.
A = Number of entries in tournament (buy-ins + re-buys)
B = Player's tournament finish
C = Player buy-in expense (not including re-buy)
D = Player re-buy expense
E = Number of eliminations
| 20 x |
( |
Sqrt ( A + (C - (D x .33))) |
) |
+ ( 10 x E ) |
| B + 1 |
ii. Players finishing in the bottom one-quarter (25%) of a tournament receive 10 points plus 10 points for any players they have eliminated.
b. League Point System (Power Rankings).
i. Players will accumulate points throughout the regular season from each tournament they attend based on the formula above (Rule 5a-i).
ii. The final Power Rankings will reflect the finishing order of the League Championship Tournament (disregarding point totals), then follow point totals starting with the 11th place finisher.
a. The Dr. Neau Tournament Manager software tracks all eliminations in every tournament.
b. In the event that you are eliminated from a tournament, please notify the Tournament Director.
c. When a player is eliminated, the eliminating player is awarded with 10 points in addition to their point total for their tournament performance.
a. All players are required to be 21 years of age to enter any tournament and proof of age may be required to enter. If it is found that a player is underage during a tournament, that player will be refunded their money, their chips will be taken off the table, and they will be asked to leave and not return until they can adequately prove they are legally 21 years of age.
b. It is the League Director's responsibility to maintain a safe, competitive, and enjoyable environment at all tournaments for all players. If a player's words or actions negatively affect the play or flow of the tournament, safety of other players, or integrity of the league, the League Director has complete and sole authority to impose disciplinary action on offending players ranging from a verbal warning to a one-round penalty up to and including expulsion from the league.
c. It is expected that all players respect other players and the flow of the game. Please refrain from using profanity, name calling, or any other offensive, abusive, or bullying language.
d. If a player is routinely taking an inordinate amount of time to act, a clock may be called by anyone at the table whether they are involved in the hand or not. The Tournament Director may also call a clock at her discretion. If a clock is called, the player to act is given 50 seconds to act. If the player does not act in 50 seconds, a 10 second countdown will follow. If the player has still yet to act at the conclusion of the 10 second countdown, that player's hand is considered dead and will be folded.
e. Players are required to be at their seat to act. Any verbal declarations from across the room are not binding and will not be allowed. In the interest of keeping the tournament moving in a timely manner, a player's hand will be folded if that player is not in their seat when the action is on them, even if the action is a 'check'.
f. Players are required to place any large denomination chips in front and/or on top of their chip stacks so they are easily visible to other players. Players are also encouraged to stack their chips in such a way as to make estimating easy for other players (e.g. same denomination chips are stacked in multiples of 10 or 20). A messy pile of chips or 'dirty' stacks are discouraged as that may make it difficult for other players to estimate the count of a player's stack.
g. Dealers.
i. The player starting each hand with the dealer button will be responsible for dealing the hole and board cards, ensuring all blinds are posted and the cards are properly shuffled prior to the cards being dealt.
ii. Only the player with the dealer button will be allowed to have his or her hands in the pot to make change, chop, count, or award a pot to the winning player(s). No other players are permitted to have their hands in the pot at any time. Any player may request a chip count of a bet, chips in the pot, or another player's chip stack, but only the dealer for that hand is allowed to touch any chips to obtain the correct count.
iii. In the event that a permanent dealer is used, no player will be allowed to touch any board cards or chips in the pot. Only the permanent dealer has this authority.
8. TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE*
Tournament 1: Saturday, January 12, 2019
Tournament 2: Saturday, February 2, 2019
Tournament 3: Saturday, March 2, 2019
Tournament 4: Saturday, April 6, 2019
Tournament 5: Saturday, May 4, 2019
Tournament 6: Saturday, June 15, 2019
Tournament 7: Saturday, July 13, 2019
Tournament 8: Saturday, August 3, 2019
Tournament 9: Saturday, September 14, 2019
Tournament 10: Saturday, October 5, 2019
League Championship Tournament: Saturday, November 9, 2019
*Tournament schedule subject to change as necessary.
a. All players are encouraged to host a tournament. Players that host a tournament in their home are rewarded with a discount into the regular season tournament they host.
b. Tournament host will provide food for tournament players. The tournament host will receive a $60 credit to aid in food costs.
c. It is highly recommended to host at least two consecutive tournaments to help reduce wear and tear of the tables and chairs while transporting between tournaments, unless a host has their own tables and chairs.
a. All regular season tournaments will use the following payout schedule:
| 5 players or less | (Pays 1) | 1st: 100% | |||||
| 6-8 players | (Pays 2) | 1st: 70% | 2nd: 30% | ||||
| 9-14 players | (Pays 3) | 1st: 50% | 2nd: 30% | 3rd: 20% | |||
| 15-23 players | (Pays 4) | 1st: 50% | 2nd: 25% | 3rd: 15% | 4th: 10% | ||
| 24-35 players | (Pays 5) | 1st: 45% | 2nd: 23% | 3rd: 15% | 4th: 10% | 5th: 7% | |
| 36-50 players | (Pays 6) | 1st: 43% | 2nd: 22% | 3rd: 14% | 4th: 9% | 5th: 7% | 6th: 5% |
| All payouts will be rounded to the nearest $5 increment. | |||||||
b. The Championship Tournament will use the following payout schedule:
| 10 players | (Pays 4) | 1st: 50% | 2nd: 25% | 3rd: 15% | 4th: 10% |
| All payouts will be rounded to the nearest $5 increment. | |||||
c. Cash Chops.
i. Cash chops will be allowed in all regular season tournaments only when all remaining players are in the money.
ii. Cash chops must be mutually agreed upon by all remaining players before money is awarded.
iii. If a cash chop agreement is made between the remaining players, those players must determine how to assign knockouts, points, and victory. One method of determining knockouts and points may be to rank players based on current chip count when the chop is announced (e.g. player with 4th most chips will get elimination for player with 5th most chips, etc.).
iv. Chopping points is not permitted.
v. The tournament will end when the agreed upon chopping arrangements have been met.
11. LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
a. Only the players finishing in the Top 10 in the Power Rankings after the conclusion of the 10 regular season tournaments will be invited to play in the League Championship Tournament.
b. For those players invited to play in the League Championship Tournament, entry is free.
c. If a player in the Top 10 in the Power Rankings is unable or chooses not to attend the League Championship Tournament, their seat is forfeited and no compensation will be provided to the absent player.
d. Players that have been invited and are unable to attend must notify the League Director as soon as reasonably possible so an alternate player may be invited in their place.
e. If a player that has been invited to the League Championship Tournament is unable to attend, a replacement player will be invited, beginning with the 11th place finisher and continuing down the Power Rankings until all 10 seats are filled.
f. If two or more players are tied in the Power Rankings and it is unclear which player will be invited to the League Championship Tournament, the following tie-breaking procedures will decide:
i. If points are tied, the player with more knockouts in the season will be invited.
ii. If knockouts are tied, the player with the higher net earnings for the season will be invited.
iii. If the net earnings are tied, the player that attended more tournaments in the season will be invited.
iv. If two or more players are still tied, a play-in tournament will be held among tied players where the winner will be the player invited.
g. The prize pool for the League Championship Tournament will be the combined amount of the $11 retained from each player entry fee (including re-buys) from each of the 10 regular season tournaments, less any league-related expenses.
i. A maximum of 15% of the League Championship Tournament prize pool will be retained and used to purchase award trophies, subscription fee for the Dr. Neau Tournament Manager software, website costs, and other miscellaneous expenses (additional chips or cards, tables, chairs, etc.).
ii. Because there is no entry fee to the League Championship Tournament, $60 will be taken from the League Championship Tournament prize pool and given to the host to help with the cost of food.
h. Refer to Rule 5b-ii for how finishing order of the League Championship Tournament affects the final Power Rankings.
a. At the conclusion of the League Championship Tournament, two trophies will be awarded:
i. The Player of the Year trophy and a cash prize will be awarded to the player with the most points after the conclusion of the League Championship Tournament. The cash prize will be the combined amount of the $3 retained from each entry and re-buy throughout the 10 regular season tournaments.
ii. The League Champion trophy and a cash prize as described in Rule 10b will be awarded to the player that wins the League Championship Tournament.
a. The rules listed in these Official League Rules are the only governing rules for Big Slick Poker Circuit. Any rules not listed in these Official League Rules are not applicable.
b. Once the first hand has been dealt in a league season, no rule changes will be permitted for the remainder of that season.
c. Any proposed rule changes, additions, or deletions will be noted for consideration for future league seasons.
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