Hold'em champs
Poker Rules at the WSOP
If a poker player enters the World Series of Poker (WSOP) for the first time, he should be aware of several salient rules about the tournament. Not all the WSOP poker rules are listed here. The whole long list can be read from the official site of the Harrah's, the organizer of this year's World Series of Poker. This long list can be quite daunting to read. Still, a meticulous and prudent poker player must take the time to read the complete list of poker rules, at least once. To point out basic ideas, here are some of them:1. How are side pots dealt with? Side pots are always considered separate pots and these will never be mixed before they are split.
2. How long should a poker player take before he must make a decision during the betting round? Obviously, the poker player must not take forever. If a considerable amount of time has passed, and other poker players are restlessly waiting for one player to make a decision, a clock is usually called. When the clock is called, the indecisive poker player is given one full minute to decide. After such a minute and the poker player have not made a decision, there will be a 10-second countdown. After the 10 seconds and no decision are still made, then the hand is declared dead.
3. Can poker players talk to each other? Yes, the poker players can talk to each other as long as their topic is not about the poker game. That is, the poker players cannot discuss discarded cards or hand possibilities. While in the game, a poker player must never reveal his cards, nor tell another player about how to play his hand. All these actions will force the Harrah's to implement a penalty.
4. What are the usual penalties? The penalties depend on the actions of the players. Some penalties are mild, such as the poker player having to spend 10 up to 40 minutes away from the poker table. The worst penalty is when the poker player is declared disqualified. That is, the poker player can no longer be in the tournament. When a poker player is disqualified, his chips are removed. Of course, the decision about which penalty to impose remains at the discretion of the Harrah's.
5. What are the other general rules of the tournament? Here are the general rules:
- There will be a one-player-to-a-hand
- Seats are randomly assigned
- The English language is the sole language to be used in the United States when at the poker table
- If a poker player has to use the cellular phone, he has to step away from the poker table. Likewise, headphones are not allowed.