CHANCES POKER – HOUSE RULES

1. Management reserves the right to make all decisions with fairness in mind, even if an interpretation of the rule(s) may indicate an alternate ruling
2. Only English to be spoken at the poker tables.
3. Patrons are expected to treat staff and other players with respect and should
   expect the same from others. A patron may be asked to leave the room if
   they are responsible for creating a negative experience for others.
4. Patrons showing signs of intoxication will not be permitted to play.
5. Anyone not playing is not permitted to sit at the tables.
6. The Poker Room House-person will attempt to separate spouses or friends
   wherever possible in the interest of the integrity of the game.
7. Cell phone use is permitted at the table but not while active in a hand. If a
   player is on their phone during an active hand their cards will be mucked
   and any money already at risk will be forfeited.
   
   • Phones are not to be held over the poker table but are permitted on the bumper.
8. Cards and chips should be visible to all players and the dealer at all times.
   Higher denominations of chips are to be placed in the front of the stacks
   and easily visible.
9. When players enter a game they are required to make a full buy-in (full
   minimum). Only one short buy (50% of minimum) will be permitted per
   game.  A top up to minimum buy-in is not considered a short buy.
10. Chips must not be introduced at a table in the Poker Room, from the gaming
    floor, without approval from the Poker Room House-person.
11. A player joining play between the button and the small blind may super post
    (buy the button).
12. A time bank will be utilized only if another player feels a player is taking too
    long to make a decision. If they request ‘time’, the House-person will
    allow them 60 seconds to act.  If no action is taken by the
    expiration of the 60 seconds the House-person has the right to declare the
    hand dead and all money in play forfeited.
13. When cards are being dealt and a card is flashed, or leaves the table surface,
    that card shall be considered dead. A misdeal will be declared when:
    
    • The dealer flashed two or more cards upon initial deal out.
    • The first card to the button is flashed.
    • The dealer flashes one of the first two cards of the deck
14. Discrepancies:
    
    • If a card is dealt to a space without a player
      
      • If it is realized before they have dealt to the next player, the card shall
        be moved to that player
      • If it is not realized until subsequent players have received cards, the
        misdealt card or hand shall be deposited into the discarded cards in
        front of the dealer
    • If a player’s first card is exposed due to a dealer error, they shall not keep
      the card
      
      • After completing the deal, the dealer shall replace the exposed card with the one from the top of the deck
      • The exposed card shall be used as the first burn card.
      • When two or more cards are exposed due to dealer error the round shall be deemed a misdeal
      • Cards shall remain valid and in play if a player exposed a card, whether purposefully or accidentally.
    • If a player does not receive the correct number of cards on a deal, and no
      action has been taken on any hands, a misdeal shall be declared
      
      • If there has been action by one or more players, only the hand of the
        player with the incorrect number of cards shall be declared dead.

15. For a bet to be active, the player must place the bet over the commitment line
    or verbally announce a bet. In both cases the bet is binding.
    
    • A verbal statement indicating action is binding and takes precedent over a
      different physical action.
16. The onus is on the player to protect their own hand at all times. Cards may be
    protected by holding them in view of the dealer and other players or
    placing a chip or other object on top of their cards.  Anyone not
    protecting their cards will have no recourse if the hand becomes fouled or
    is accidentally mucked by the dealer.
    
    • Any cards touching the muck will be declared dead.
17. If multiple hands tie and there is an extra chip, that chip will be awarded
    to the first hand clockwise from the button.
18. All cards must be shown to win the pot, regardless whether only one shown is
    enough to secure a winning hand.
19. String bets are not permitted.
20. Rabbit hunting (asking the Dealer to reveal what the next card would have been)
    is not permitted.
21. All table stakes at the beginning of a hand are considered ‘Table Stakes’.
    
    • Lending of table stakes between players is strictly prohibited.
    • An additional buy-in cannot be conducted mid-hand
    • Chips
      may only be added between hands and must be purchased from the
      House-person or the Dealer
      
      • See Rule 10 for the process to introduce gaming chips purchased or obtained outside of the Poker Room
    • If you leave a table and return within 2 hours the same day, you may be
      asked to buy-in again in an amount equal or greater than the amount you
      earlier removed from the table.
    • Chips may only be removed during play at the table to make minor purchases such as drinks, food or tips.

22. Straddle bets are permitted and must by posted before the first card is dealt.

22. • Straddle bet must be double the big blind ($5 in 1-2 games)
      
      • The button has the first right to straddle
    • Double straddle bets are not permitted.
23. Commitment line: Any and all chips that cross the line are committed.  If you
    cross the line with chips in hand they are pot committed if they are
    following normal raise requirements.
    
    • The House-person may declare cards live even if they have crossed the
      commitment line. Players are expected to roll over their own cards. 
      A Dealer may only do so when requested by the player.
24. New players are not required to post blinds. This would also apply to busted
    players temporarily away from the table getting money.
25. When the action hits a position, the player is required to be seated or the
    hand will be mucked in turn.
26. Markers:
    
    • Meal Markers are good for 45 minutes
      
      • Cannot
        be requested sooner than 6 hours in between
      • Not
        accepted if the player is gaming elsewhere during this period
    • Only one player is permitted to take a meal marker at a time per table.
    • Chips in play will be counted and retained in a secure area until the player
      returns
      
      • Another player can play over the meal marker in the player’s absence
        
        • If a seat becomes available the patron playing over the meal marker is required to move.
      • If there is play over the meal marker, the returning player does not have to post upon their return.
    • Money markers:
      
      • Are good for up to 15 minutes
        
        • Other gaming is not permitted while a marker is being utilized
        • If a player vacates a table without leaving chips it will be assumed the player has forfeited their seat
        • No more than two players at a time, per table, will be permitted to vacate the table and utilize a money marker
27. Angling:
    
    • Is only permitted heads up, and must be done in a respectful manner.
    • Exposing cards with action pending is not allowed and may result in a penalty.

29. Showdown:
    
    • When determining which player must show their hand first, it will be the
      player who made the last ‘aggressive’ action (bet or raise). If there is
      no action on the river, the player who is most left of the button is
      required to show their cards first.
30. If a player shows their cards to another player during or after showdown, we
    abide by the ‘show one, show all’ rule.
    
    • If cards are shown to an inactive player at any point during the hand, upon
      request, your cards may be shown to the entire table after showdown.
    • If your cards are purposely shown to another player with an active hand,
      your hand will be treated as an exposed hand and will be shown to the
      entire table prior to any additional action. You will no longer be
      permitted to any aggressive action but will be permitted to check, call,
      or fold.
31. In No-Limit games when a player goes all in, the amount must be enough for a
    full raise in order for the betting action to be re-opened, unless a
    subsequent player already has a right to action based on their positioning
32. Raises:
    
    • The initial raise following the big blind must be a minimum of double the big
      blind
    • A verbally stated raise is to be accompanied by a single motion over the
      line or otherwise it will be considered a string bet and the player will
      be committed to a minimum raise only.
33. Any situation not covered previously will be managed by the Casino Management
    team and their decision shall be deemed final
34. Any action out of turn (check, call, or raise) will be backed up to the correct player in order. The out of turn action is subject to penalty and is binding if action prior to the out of turn player does not change.  A check, call or fold by the correct player does not change action. If action changes, the out of turn action is no longer binding; any bet or raise is returned to the out of turn player who has the option to call or fold, but can not raise.  An out of turn fold is binding.  The Houseman may declare an out of order betting action binding if there is continued abuse.

What does NLHE stand for?

No Limit Hold’ Em

What are the different kinds of tournaments?

We currently have three different kind of tournaments, “Re-buy” “Freeze-out” and “Re- Entry”. A “Re-buy” tournament allows players to buy in again up to a certain cut-off time. With each re-buy the tournament prizing grows. A “Freeze-out” tournament only permits the initial tournament fee and prizing is set based strictly on the number of participants.  A “Re-entry” is similar to the “Re-buy” with the exception of waitlisted patrons have the first option for “Re-entry”. Knocked out patrons wishing to re-enter are placed at the bottom of the wait list where in the re-buy tournaments the seated players has the first option. 

What does PLO stand for? 

Pot Limit Omaha

Do you hold any larger tournaments outside of the weekly tournaments?  

It is our intention to host three annual tournament weekends, each with three, single-day ‘feature’ tournaments, in mid-October, mid-March, and mid-June starting in October 2025.  The three single-day events are projected to have between a $300 – $500 entry fee, with NLHE events on the Friday and the Sunday and a PLO event on the Saturday.  Watch for more information as we near these dates.

 How do I register for tournaments or cash games online?  

We use the Poker Atlas application.  You can find it in the Apps store.  Once you have downloaded the application, you will have to attend the site, and the poker room staff can assist you with registering to our site specifically.  Once that is setup you can sign up online for weekly tournaments and cash games.

 What is the DC option for signing up for cash games?  

DC refers to Dealers Choice.  This is where the game has multiple game options, mainly NLHE and PLO combined.

1. The Bad Beat progressive Jackpot shall apply to the game of Texas Hold’Em only. To qualify as a Bad Beat, a hand of a Full House of Aces over Tens or better must lose to a higher ranking hand that must be Four-of-a-kind or better.

2. Both the winning and losing players must use both of their hole cards to create the highest possible hand. Example: For four of a kind to qualify, the player’s hand must include a pocket pair.

3. A maximum of $1 will be removed from each pot that totals $20 or more. For a hand to be eligible for the Bad Beat payout, the hand must go to showdown in order for the jackpot to be awarded.

4. There must be a minimum of five (5) players at the table. No jackpot rake will be taken during game play with less than five (5) players.

5. All qualifying hands are eligible for a share of the Bad Beat jackpot which means multiple hands could qualify during the same hand. It is possible that a higher and lower straight flush occurs at the same time as a four of a kind. Multiple qualifying hands would become eligible for an equal share.

a. In the rare occurrence of a Bad Beat jackpot being hit on multiple tables surveillance may be required to determine which game went to showdown first. If there is no clear evidence the jackpot will be divided among the two tables and distributed as per normal rules.

6. Players must play their hand independently. If any player, whether directly or indirectly involved in the hand, passes information or instructs another on how to act, or reveals their hand to other players, the Jackpot can be disqualified.

7. A player who removes their chips from the game prior to a showdown on a hand forfeits their right to any prize money.

8. Players are eligible to win the posted Jackpot amount. The total will be updated daily, prior to play for the day.

9. In order to collect any Bad Beat Jackpot payouts, valid (current) ID may be required.

10. The Bad Beat progressive payouts are as follows:

a. 50% of the jackpot will be awarded to the Bad Beat hand (losing player)

b. 25% of the jackpot will be awarded to the winner of the hand

c. 25% of the jackpot will be awarded equally divided among the remaining, seated players who had an active hand during the play.

11. The progressive jackpot will be capped at $100,000

a. Once the jackpot has been awarded, all available ‘seed’ funds will be utilized to ‘create’ the next progressive award, up to $100,000, whichever is greater.