Princeton Intramural No-limit Texas Hold'em Tournament (Official Page)
Below you will find information regarding the Princeton Intramural No-limit Texas Hold'em Tournament. Any questions you have regarding this event should be directed to imsports@princeton.edu.
Contents
- Tournament overview
- How/when to sign up
- Tournament schedule
- How seating works
- The rules of play
- Dealing
- On being eliminated
- Blinds schedule and chips
- Prizes
1. Tournament overview
- The game is No-limit Texas Hold'em.
- The tournament will take place in Dillon Gym over two days: Thursday, April 7th and Saturday, April 9th, 2005.
- Entrants are limited to 200 players. A stand-by list will be kept. Sign up early!
- Professional dealers will be brought in when 16 players remain.
- There is no entry fee.
- Sign up as soon as possible, but no later than Monday, April 4th, 2005.
2. How/when to sign up
You must pre-register in person at the IM Office, Dillon Gym Room 3 by
Monday, April 4th by 4:45pm. Due to limited space, a $50 penalty
will be imposed on your student account if you fail to show up for
the tournament.
3. Tournament schedule
| Day 1 - Thursday, April 7th |
| 6:45 PM | Players show up to get chips and seat assignments. |
| 7:15 PM | All players must be present by this time. Unclaimed seats will now be given out to stand-by entrants. |
| 7:30 PM | Rules review (attendance required). Players will be invited to ask rules questions during this. |
| 8:00 PM | 1st day's play begins. See the blinds schedule (below) for details. |
| 2:00 AM | Estimated end of Day 1 of the tournament. (Actual end dictated by blinds schedule.) |
NOTE:
- Any registered player not present by 7:15 PM forfeits their seat.
- All players must attend the 7:30 PM rules review.
- Play is scheduled to start at 8:00 PM but may start earlier if the rules review does not take the full 30 minutes. In other words, be ready to get started!
| Day 2 - Saturday, April 9th |
| 7:30 PM | Players show up to reclaim chips and seats. |
| 7:50 PM | Any relevant announcements. |
| 8:00 PM | 2nd day's play begins. See the blinds schedule (below) for details. |
16 players
remaining | 20 minute break to switch to two professionally dealt tables. |
| 2:00 AM | Estimated end of tournament. Tournament will end when only one player remains. |
4. How seating works
(NOTE: Seating assignments and reassignments will be handled by the tournament director. If you are a player, you may want to read this section just so that you understand why you are being told to change seats mid-tournament. Otherwise, you may freely skip this section.)
The tournament will begin with 25 tables each holding 8 players. The tables will be numbered 1 through 25 and the seats will be labeled A through H. When a player arrives at the registration desk, they will be issued a seat card at random. The seat card will indicate their starting seat (example: 13C means Table 13 Seat C). As players get eliminated from the tournament, tables will be broken up to fill empty seats, as described below.
When a player is eliminated, that player should turn in their seat card to the tournament desk. The collected seat cards will be used in the seat reassignment process.
There are two conditions which cause a table to be broken up and the players at that table to be reassigned to other seats. (However, see below for the end-of-tournament exceptions.)
- Condition 1: The highest numbered table in the tournament (which will initially be Table 25) will be broken up when enough people have been eliminated at other tables to accommodate the table's players. The tournament workers can keep track of this via the collected seat cards.
An example: Hours into the tournament, Table 18 is the highest numbered table. The player in seat 7D was just eliminated, and the tournament desk workers note that they now hold the following eight seat cards: 14H, 10F, 6A, 3B, 12B, 9E, 18D, 7D. Table 18 must have seven players left (since card 18D has already been turned in). Since there are seven other seat cards on hand, Table 18 is now ready to be broken up. Card 18D is discarded (as Table 18 will soon no longer exist), and the other seven cards are distributed randomly to the seven players at Table 18 (all of whom will give back their now useless table 18 cards.) The players will pick up their chips and occupy their new seats.
- Condition 2: A table which has five (5) or fewer players will be broken up as soon as enough other seats are available. Again, the tournament workers can keep track of this via the collected seat cards.
An example: At some point in the tournament, the tournament workers note that they now hold these eight seat cards: 10H, 10F, 6A, 10B, 12B, 9E, 13D, 7D. Since three cards have been turned in from Table 10, there must be five players left at Table 10. Since five additional seat cards have been turned in from other tables, Table 10 is ready to be broken up as described in the previous example.
NOTES:
- The above conditions imply that a table is ready to be broken up anytime the tournament desk has eight seat cards on-hand.
- If the tournament desk has more than eight cards, any cards not handed out in the reassignment process are held until the next table is ready to be broken up.
- Once a table is notified by the tournament director of its imminent breakup, the current hand at that table should be completed and no additional hands should be played.
- A reassigned player assumes all blinds responsibilities that may be upon him at his new seat.
- Tournament play at other tables can continue during a table breakup, but if the reassignment process is taking too long, the tournament director may (at his discretion) choose to stop all tournament play until the reassignment process is complete. "Stopping all tournament play" means that no new hands are to be started, but current hands should be played to completion.
Seating rules when 16 or fewer players remain
The above procedures are to be used until two tables are left in the tournament. Once two tables remain, the following seating rules apply:
- The 16 players will be seated randomly at two tables.
- The two tables play independently of one another unless, at some point, the number of players differs by two or more. If this happens, the overpopulated table will send the player who is next due the big blind over to the underpopulated table. The player will take the empty seat that will face the big blind the soonest.
- Once the tournament has eight or fewer players remaining, the eight players will be randomly distributed at a final table. No additional seat reassignments will occur in the tournament.
5. The rules of play
Overview
It is expected that all entrants are familiar with the game of No-Limit Texas Hold'em. Rules and tournament decisions will be based on Robert's Rules of Poker version 5. If a discrepancy exists between Robert's Rules of Poker and this Princeton Tournament document, then this document takes precedence. If a rules dispute occurs during play, the tournament director shall have final authority. If the tournament director is directly involved in the rules dispute, a third party shall be appointed to resolve the dispute.
Robert's Rules of Poker
The rules for the tournament are detailed in Robert's Rules of Poker version 5 (available at this link and many other places. A less user-friendly PDF version is here.) Note that Robert's Rules covers all forms of poker, so many of the sections do not apply to this tournament. Some particularly important sections, though, are:
The following sections of Robert's Rules have nothing to do with this tournament:
- (6) Omaha
- (7) Omaha high-low
- (8) Seven-card stud
- (9) Seven-card stud low (razz)
- (10) Seven-card stud high-low
- (11) Lowball
- (12) Draw high
- (13) Kill pots
Specific rules and situations
While you are expected to understand all of the rules, here are some worth noting. (These are rules which either differ from house to house or which relate to particularly confusing situations.)
A. Leaving your seat
You are free to leave your seat during the tournament if necessary. If you are not present to act on your hand, your hand will be folded by the dealer. If you are not present when the deal starts, you will not be dealt cards, but you will continue to owe blinds. The dealer should ensure that all blinds are posted before each deal. If an absent player owes a blind, the dealer shall take chips from the absent players stack and post the blind. If a player is absent for more than 30 minutes of live play, the tournament director may, at their discretion, eliminate that player from the tournament and distribute that players chips among the other players at that table (with odd chips returning to the bank.) (A reasonable effort should be put forth to locate the player first.)
B. Dead button
- If the big blind player is eliminated and his seat is not filled before the next hand, the button moves as normal and the big blind moves to the eliminated player's left. There is no small blind for the hand. On the subsequent hand, the button does not move and the two active players to the left of the button post the normal blinds. This results in one player dealing twice in a row.
- If the small blind player is eliminated and his seat is not filled before the next hand, the button does not move and the two active players to the left of the button post the normal blinds. This results in one player dealing twice in a row.
If the eliminated player's seat is filled, the button moves to the next occupied seat and the blinds follow to the left. This may result in one or more players posting blinds twice in a row.
C. Ties
If two hands tie, the pot is chopped (split) among the players involved in the tie. Change may be made down to the smallest chip currently in play to accommodate even chopping. If an odd chip remains, it is awarded to the first player left of the button.
D. Betting/raising
All bets must be at least equal to the big blind. All raises must be equal to or greater than the previous bet or raise on that betting round, except for an all-in wager. All bets/raises should be placed in front of the player (not in the pot) until the betting round is complete.
E. Verbal declarations
If in turn you verbally declare a fold, check, bet, call, or raise, you are forced to take that action.
F. String raises
String raising is not allowed. That is, you are not allowed to make a valid call/raise and subsequently reach back into your stack for more chips unless you have already verbally declared your intended action.
G. The showdown order
If everyone checks (or is all-in) on the final betting round, the player who acted first is the first to show his hand. If there is wagering on the final betting round, the last player to take aggressive action by a bet or raise is the first to show his hand. In order to speed up the game, a player holding a probable winner is encouraged to show the hand without delay. If there is a side pot, players involved in the side pot should show their hands before anyone who is all-in for only the main pot.
H. Folding losing hands
A player may choose to fold their hand at the showdown, giving up any claim to the pot. If only one live hand remains, that hand wins the pot, and that player does not need to show their cards. A player who has folded their hand or who has won the pot without showing their cards is not obligated to show their cards upon request (contrary to Robert's Rules.)
I. Coloring up and racing off chips
(NOTE: The color up procedure will be handled by the tournament staff during an appropriate break. If you are a player, you may wish to read this section to understand why your chip stack has changed appearance and/or value during a break.)
The lowest denomination of chip in play will be removed from the table when it is no longer needed in the blind or ante structure. All lower-denomination chips that are of sufficient quantity for a new chip will be changed up directly. The method for removal of odd chips is to deal one card to a player for each odd chip possessed. The player with the highest card by suit gets enough odd chips to exchange for one new chip, the second-highest card gets to exchange for the next chip, and so forth, until all the lower-denomination chips are exchanged. A player may not be eliminated from the event by the chip-change process. If a player has no chips after the race has been held, they will be given a chip of the higher denomination before anyone else is awarded a chip. If an odd number of lower-denomination chips are left after this process, the player with the highest card remaining will receive a new chip if they have half or more of the quantity of lower-denomination chips needed, otherwise nothing. This race will be held independently at each table.
6. Dealing
The player on the button will be the dealer for the hand. (The final few tables may have full-time dealers.) Among the dealer's obligations:
- ensuring that blinds are correctly posted before the deal
- ensuring that bets and raises are correct
- scooping bets into the pot after each betting round
- prompting players to act when it is their turn
- collecting folded hands
- awarding the pot
The deal:
- Blinds are posted.
- Each player is dealt two down cards.
- The first betting round takes place, starting left of the big blind.
- The dealer burns one card and turns three community cards face up (the flop). The cards should not be left overlapping.
- The second betting round takes place, starting left of the button.
- The dealer burns one card and turns one community card face up (the turn).
- The third betting round takes place, starting left of the button.
- The dealer burns one card and turns one community card face up (the river).
- The fourth and final betting round takes place, starting left of the button.
- The showdown takes place and the pot is awarded.
- The button moves left.
If two decks are being used, the dealer should subsequently shuffle the deck they just dealt.
To reduce dealing errors, dealers should lightly tap the table before burning a card to draw attention to the fact that community card(s) are about to be dealt.
Players should familiarize themselves with dealing Texas Hold'em prior to the event.
7. On being eliminated
A player is eliminated from the tournament if they have gone all-in and have lost the pot. Their rank in the tournament is equal to the number of players left just before they were eliminated. If two players are eliminated in the same or concurrent hands, the player starting their hand with more chips shall be awarded the higher ranking.
8. Blinds schedule and chips
Players start with T1000. (T="tournament dollars".) The blinds schedule and chip colors shown below represent the current plan. However, everything in this section is subject to change. The official blinds schedule and chip values will be posted at the event.
Blinds schedule
| Level | Small Blind | Big Blind | Duration |
| 1 | 10 | 15 | 40 min |
| 2 | 15 | 30 | 40 min |
| 3 | 25 | 50 | 30 min |
| 20 minute break - race off T5 chips |
| 4 | 50 | 75 | 30 min |
| 5 | 50 | 100 | 40 min |
| 6 | 75 | 150 | 40 min |
| 20 minute break - race off T25 chips |
| 7 | 100 | 200 | 30 min |
| 8 | 100 | 300 | 30 min |
| 9 | 200 | 400 | 40 min |
| end of Day 1 / start of Day 2 |
| 10 | 300 | 600 | 40 min |
| 11 | 400 | 800 | 40 min |
| 12 | 500 | 1,000 | 40 min |
| 13 | 700 | 1,500 | 40 min |
| 20 minute break - race off T100 chips |
next break occurs when 16 players remain
(final two tables)
If past level 15, race off T500 chips |
| 14 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 40 min |
| 15 | 1,500 | 3,000 | 40 min |
| 16 | 2,000 | 4,000 | 40 min |
| 17 | 3,000 | 6,000 | 40 min |
| 18 | 5,000 | 10,000 | 60 min |
| 19 | 7,000 | 15,000 | 60 min |
| 20 | 10,000 | 20,000 | until end |
Chips
Expected chip colors and denominations:
| Value | Color |
| T5 | red |
| T25 | green |
| T100 | black |
| T500 | purple |
| T1000 | yellow |
| T5000 | pink |
Players will start will T1000 in chips, most likely in the form of these 27 chips:
- 10 red T5 chips
- 10 green T25 chips
- 7 black T100 chips
9. Prizes
Prizes will be awarded to the top finishers in the tournament. The prizes are not assigned to a particular ranking. Rather, the 1st place finisher gets first choice of items in the prize pool. The 2nd place finisher chooses next. This continues until the the prize pool is empty. Additionally, the top finishers will receive T-shirts.