Thursday, October 16, 2008

Not Quite Vegas Rules

NOT QUITE VEGAS (NQV) RULES and GENERAL INFORMATION


Not Quite Vegas (NQV) tournaments are FREE, non-gambling entertainment. Anyone suspected of gambling will be asked to leave immediately. Under NO circumstances will any games be played for cash or any side bets be allowed.

NQV holds multiple FREE tournaments at each venue and all standard Live Action Poker Manual rules adopted by WPT/WSOP apply.

NQV Dealers are volunteers that work for gratuities only. Although players are encouraged to tip their dealers for each tournament played, it is not required in order to play in NQV Tournaments.

ELIGIBILITY

Players must be 21 years or older to be eligible to play in Not Quite Vegas events.

REGISTRATION AND SEATING

Players will be seated on a first come, first served basis. Players arriving after the start of the first tournament will be added to the bottom of the player list.

At the start of the first tournament, the dealer may put 11 cards on the table, Ace thru Jack, for each table playing. Each player will select a card randomly and be seated in the corresponding seat at the corresponding table. The seat to the left of the dealer is seat number 1. As an alternative, the dealer may allow players to select their own seats. The dealer will then place 11 cards face up on the table, the button will start at the highest card.

All subsequent tournaments will be seated according to the order in which players are eliminated from the previous tournament. Newly arriving players will be placed on the bottom of the list as they arrive.

Players playing for the first time at any NQV venue will be required to fill out a registration form.

CHIP VALUES
  • Black = 100
  • White = 500
  • Orange = 1000
  • Blue = 5000
Players begin each tournament with 2000 chips. Players are also awarded extra chips as follows:
  • Appreciation for coming = 500 chips
  • Purchasing an appetizer or entrĂ©e at the venue = 1000 chips per tournament
  • Purchasing your first drink at the venue = 500 chips
  • Purchasing additional drinks at the venue = 500 chips (until the 500/1000 blinds are reached). Drink must be on the table, not just ordered. Players who move “All In” cannot receive additional drink chips until the hand is completed.
  • Wearing an NQV hat, shirt, or using an NQV card marker during every game.
  • Bringing a new player that has never played with NQV = 500 chips per player up to 1000 chips for the first tournament only. If a player brings in more than five new players, they will receive 1000 chips each tournament.
  • 500 chip card from any local pub poker company (one chip card per person, per tournament)
  • NQV email promotions
  • An original coupon from venue or NQV advertisements (one coupon, per person, per night. These coupons cannot be used in conjunction with a 500 chip card. No photocopies or downloaded copies from on-line circulars accepted.)
TOURNAMENT START

No tournament may begin without 7 players.

DEALER BUTTON

The dealer BUTTON for the first tournament starts at seat number 11 or the dealer will deal a card to each player. The highest card is awarded the dealer button. If there is a tie, the following standard suit order will be followed: Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs.

BLINDSThe person immediately to the left of the BUTTON will post the SMALL BLIND. The person immediately left of the SMALL BLIND will post the BIG BLIND. Under NO circumstances will a player ever be BIG BLIND twice in a row.

The BUTTON can be in a dead position (meaning a position where a player has just been eliminated).

The SMALL BLIND may also be in a dead position. The BIG BLIND may never be in a dead position.

The BIG BLIND must always advance to the next occupied seat.

When only two players remain, the player on the SMALL BLIND is the player who has the BUTTON.

The blinds will increase as follows:
  1. 100/200
  2. 200/400
  3. 400/800
  4. 500/1000
  5. 1000/2000
  6. 2000/4000
  7. 4000/8000
  8. 5000/10,000
All blinds will be run for 10-minute increments until the final table. At that point the blinds will run for the number of minutes as there are players at the table. Once the tournament is HEADS UP, the blinds will run for 5-minute increments.

In the first tournament, the timer will be started when all players that were on the list at the tournament start time have been seated. In subsequent tournaments, the timer will be started when all players that were on the list at the end of the previous tournament have been seated.

In a multiple-table venue, no player may enter a tournament once tables have consolidated to a final table.

In a single-table venue, players may no longer enter a tournament once the blinds reach 500/1000.

If a player leaves the table and has not returned by the completion of the deal, their blinds will be posted (if necessary) and their hand folded immediately.

No new player may enter into a tournament and be seated in the SMALL BLIND or BUTTON position.

MISDEAL

If a player is accidentally dealt a card face up, a card is seen by another player, or a card leaves the table, the deal is completed and the exposed card is replaced with the next card in the deck. The exposed card is shown to all players and becomes the first burn card. If two cards are exposed, a misdeal is declared, and the hand is re-dealt. If either the first or second card is exposed, it constitutes a misdeal and the hand must be reshuffled and redealt.
BETTING
  • A player may bet any amount of his chip stack during the course of play.
  • The minimum bet is the amount of the BIG BLIND.
  • The minimum raise must be double the previous bet.
  • No STRING BETS. A STRING BET is moving chips into play with more than one motion without a verbalization.
  • Players are highly encouraged to state their intentions (call, check or raise) before placing chips in front of them. All verbalizations are binding. Any forward motion towards the playing field constitutes a bet. If there is no verbalization prior to a motion, all chips moved towards the pot must be put into play.
  • Players betting out of turn must stand on the bet they make. If a player continuously bets out of turn, after being warned by the dealer, and it is believed the betting out of turn is intentional, a 10 minute time out may be assessed.

ALL IN / SIDE POTS

If a player lacks sufficient chips for a blind, the player MUST bet his/her remaining chips. If the player lacks sufficient chips for a bet, the player may bet his/her remaining chips. A player cannot win more chips from each player in the hand than he has bet. This situation creates a SIDE POT for players with remaining chips.

Whenever a player is ALL IN and all betting action is completed, all hands in play will be turned face up. When a player loses all their chips, they are eliminated from play and must leave the table. If two or more players are eliminated on the same hand, the player who started the hand with more chips will be awarded the higher finishing position.

COMBINING TABLES/RE-SEATING

As players are eliminated from the tournament, in order to keep the tables balanced, the dealer may re-seat players.

When tables are combined to form a final table, the dealer will deal for the button location.

The official time for the blind level should be paused during any significant down time.

RULES OF PLAY
  • Chips must remain on the table at all times unless a player is reassigned to another table.
  • All cards must remain above the table during play.
  • All cards and chips must be visible to the dealer and other players at all times.
  • Players may not ask advice from any player, spectator, or dealer. If a player exposes their cards to another active player during the hand their cards will be mucked. If a player shows their cards at the end of the hand, the cards must be shown to all players (show one, show all).
  • If a player exposes his cards prematurely the following applies:
    • If the cards are exposed prior to the FLOP, the hand is mucked.
    • If the hand is exposed after the FLOP, the hand must be left exposed and all other players have the option to either bet or fold. The player who exposed their cards may only call a bet or fold, they no longer have the option to initiate a bet or raise.
  • A player’s cards are considered mucked when he moves the cards towards the muck pile and releases them. Once cards are mucked they cannot be put back into play.
  • Players will be held to a 45 second decision clock. Players who do not make a decision on playing their hand in that time limit will have their hand mucked.
  • No SPLASHING the pot. Players must place their bets in front of them, so all players know exactly how much they are betting.
  • No TABLE TALK about a hand still in play. Players may not talk about their hand in any way, shape, or form while others are still playing, unless they are heads up.
  • Players who leave the table will be blinded out and their hands folded until they return or they run out of chips.
  • No player may talk on a cell phone while playing a hand, this includes text messaging.
  • All drinks must be placed in a cup holder, not on the table.
  • No ash trays maybe placed on the table. Please be courteous of non-smokers.
  • To be fair to all players playing the game, the only language allowed during play is English.

CONDUCT

Players are expected to exhibit good poker etiquette. Inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated and players may be asked to leave the tournament.

A player using the “F-bomb” will be warned once. Any further offense will constitute a 10-minute time-out. If a player is given more than 2 time-outs in a tournament, they will be asked to leave the tournament.

PRIZES
  • Winners of any NQV Tournaments played at local venues will receive an NQV Players Card. Wins will be entered on the card and one win will entitle them to a seat in the NQV Championship Event held every 4 months.
  • Players will start with 15,000 chips.
  • For each additional win in a weekly tournament, they are entitled to 500 extra chips for the Championship Tournament.
  • Second place winners will receive two 500-chip cards.
  • Third place winners will receive one 500-chip card.
  • The high hand of the night at local venues will receive a Win for the NQV Championship Event, providing the hand is Jacks full or better. The player must play tournaments 1 through 5 held during that local venue event. Once the flop occurs, the high can be awarded.
  • Any player holding one card to a Royal Flush will receive a win for the NQV Championship. A Royal Flush will not count as a high hand.
  • On occasion, one or more of the NQV Team may chose to sit in and play at a local venue as a Bounty. Any player who eliminates a member of the NQV Team will be awarded two 500-chip cards or a Win for the Championship Event.
  • NQV Championship Event - The NQV Championship Event will be held at a place to be determined before the next Championship. All players making it to the final table will receive their winnings on the following evening cruise of the SunCruz Casino Lines.
  • Players at the final table may choose to “chop the pot” at any time during play, however, this must be agreed to unanimously.

    NOTE – All Players qualifying for the Championship Tournament should bring their Players Card for verification of their Wins.

    Any player suspected of falsifying their Player Card Wins will be eliminated from the tournament.