Common References (Quick Links):
Points & Scoring
Starting, Extra Chips
The Deal and Betting
Blinds and Antes
Misdeals, Mucks
Player Conduct
Heads-Up
TOC
Hand Rankings
1. GENERAL RULES
A. Money and Side Bets
No money is to be placed on the table at any time. All players and spectators are prohibited from placing or stating any form of currency bet on the table. NO EXCEPTIONS shall be made to this rule and violators will be asked to immediately leave. Any person found placing currency bets shall be banned from the league permanently. Any host location allowing such activity shall be removed from the league.
B. Eligibility
a. Player Eligibility
b. Owner’s Eligibility
The league owner reserves the right to play in any nightly regular season tournament. The Owner shall not be eligible for points or the nightly prize. The Owner shall be considered ineligible for the Tournament of Champions and shall not compete or win prizes. Family members of the owner shall be considered regular players and are eligible for all tournaments and prizes.
c. Tournament Director Eligibility
Tournament directors shall be eligible for all regular season tournaments and the Tournament of Champions. Tournament directors shall be entitled to any points and prizes earned from playing.
C. Points and Scoring
The league uses a points-based system for scoring during the regular season. Points can be either Regular Points or Bonus Points.
a. Regular Points
1) Players earn Regular Points (RP) by finishing in the top 16 in a regular season tournament. The points breakdown shall be as follows
| Finishing Position | Regular Points Awarded |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1,200 |
| 2 | 800 |
| 3 | 700 |
| 4 | 600 |
| 5 | 500 |
| 6 | 400 |
| 7 | 300 |
| 8 | 200 |
| 9 | 100 |
| 10 — 13 | 75 |
| 14 — 16 | 50 |
2) Players earn Regular Points (RP) by winning one of the following premium hands. The hand must be fully played out (must have a showdown after the river) in order to have points awarded.
| Premium Hand | Regular Points Awarded |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 200 |
| Straight Flush | 150 |
| Any Quads | 100 |
3) Players earn Regular Points (RP) by turning in Bounty Chips (50 RP each).
b. Bonus Points
Bonus Points (BP) shall be awarded to the top 3 finishers in a regular season tournament. The points breakdown shall be as follows:
| Finishing Position | Bonus Points Awarded |
|---|---|
| 1 | 250 |
| 2 | 200 |
| 3 | 150 |
Bonus points shall also be awarded for winning a Second Chance table (250 BP), redeeming your receipt from food & drink purchases (20 BP for every $1.00 spent).
Royal Flush: If the conditions are met for the award of regular points on a Royal Flush, 100 bonus points will also be awarded. Bonus points are not awarded for any other premium hand.
D. Problem Resolution
The tournament director shall settle any disputes that may arise during tournament play. The tournament director’s decision is final, even if the decision happens to be incorrect. Any further disputes shall be settled by emailing the league at: tourneyinfo.btownpoker@gmail.com
E. Registration
a. Players shall sign-in for each event by printing their name on the registration sheet. The player’s table assignment will be to the right of the player’s name.
b. Players shall not skip lines for any reason. If a player wants to be at a certain table, or wants to avoid a certain table, the player shall wait until the next appropriate line is available.
c. Substitutes are not allowed; each person can only play for themselves.
d. Late players shall have until the end of the first break to register. The late player shall be responsible for notifying the tournament director of their arrival. Late players shall be seated at a table with an empty seat and a chip stack that has been chipped down by an amount equal to twice the blind level in which they are seated. Late players shall not be entitled to any bonus chips.
Example: A player seated during the 300/600 blind level will start with 1200 in chips removed.
e. Reserve players shall be defined as those who show up and register, and due to all tables being full, are put on a wait-list to be seated should a position become available. Reserve players are entitled to extra starting chips if they arrive and sign in before the start of the nightly tournament. In the event all tables are still full at the end of the first break, wait-listed players are still entitled to sit and play when a seat opens.
F. Smoking Policy
Smoking is prohibited at the tables. This includes electronic cigarettes (Vaping).
G. Cell Phone Usage
a. Players shall not use their phone while at the table. This includes making or answering calls, sending or viewing a received text, and the use of data at the table. Players shall step away from the table if they need to use the phone.
b. Players will be given one verbal warning if caught using a phone at the table. Subsequent violations of this rule shall result in penalties up to and including, but not limited to: a play through penalty (dealer button going around the table once, players hands are automatically folded, and blinds posted), or removal from the tournament.
c. Exceptions: The tournament director and/or designee shall be allowed to use their phone(s) at the table for purposes of monitoring the blind levels schedule and timer.
2. TOURNAMENT STRUCTURE AND RULES
A. Style of Poker
BTown Poker plays no-limit Texas Hold-em Poker at all regular season tournaments and at Tournament of Champions events.
B. Blind Schedule and Antes
BTown Poker uses the following blind and break schedule.
| Small Blind | Big Blind |
|---|---|
| 100 | 200 |
| 200 | 400 |
| 300 | 600 |
| 400 | 800 |
| 500 | 1,000 |
| — 1st BREAK — | |
| 1,000 | 2,000 |
| 2,000 | 4,000 |
| 3,000 | 6,000 |
| 4,000 | 8,000 |
| — 2nd Break — | |
| 5,000 | 10,000 |
| 10,000 | 20,000 |
| 20,000 | 40,000 |
| 30,000 | 60,000 |
| 40,000 | 80,000 |
| 50,000 | 100,000 |
| 100,000 | 200,000 |
| 200,000 | 400,000 |
The length of the blind levels may change as needed to accommodate contractual agreements with the host locations. The tournament director shall add additional blind levels as necessary. The director also reserves the right to add an ante, to be paid by all remaining players during the later blind levels. The ante shall not exceed the small blind:
C. Poker Chips
BTown Poker uses the following chips and denominations:
| Chip Color | Value |
|---|---|
| White | 100 |
| Red | 500 |
| Black | 1,000 |
| Green | 5,000 |
| Yellow | 10,000 |
| Orange | 50,000 |
| ——— | ——— |
| Blue | Bounty |
a. Starting Stack
Players shall receive a starting stack worth 18,000 at the start of a tournament. The stack is broken down as follows:
| Chip Color | Quantity | Denomination | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 5 | 100 | 500 |
| Red | 5 | 500 | 2,500 |
| Black | 10 | 1,000 | 10,000 |
| Green | 1 | 5,000 | 5,000 |
| Starting Stack Total: | 18,000 | ||
b. Extra Starting Chips
Players may earn extra starting chips for the following:
1) Up to 9000 extra starting chips may be awarded when combining any of options A), B), and C) in this section:
A) Players who show up at least 15 minutes prior to the location’s stated start time and sign-in can take a plastic chip that is worth an additional 2,000 in extra chips. It is the player’s responsibility to take the plastic chip when they sign in. The chips will be located next to the sign-in book.
B) Players who show up on time and are seated before the tournament director starts making announcements shall receive 2,000 in additional starting chips.
C) Players shall receive an additional 5,000 in extra starting chips when they play in one tournament event of their choosing that is within two (2) weeks of their birthday.
2) New players shall receive 4,000 in extra chips on their first night playing. (NOTE: These chips are in addition to any other extra starting chips earned.).
3) Players who bring new players shall receive 8,000 in extra starting chips. (NOTE: These chips are in addition to any other extra starting chips earned.).
4) Players who arrive after the start of an event are not entitled to any extra starting chips (except in the case where they brought a new player).
c. Chip-Up
During breaks, a majority of the chips of smaller denominations will be removed and replaced with larger denomination chips. The tournament director reserves the right to chip up players during play as necessary.
For example, during the first break (after the 500/1,000 blind), players will have all white and red chips removed and replaced with black, green, and/or yellow chips (based on how many chips of each lower denomination the player has).
d. Bounty Chips
1) Poker shall occasionally have nights where bounty chips are issued. These chips are redeemed for 50 regular points each
2) Points earned from bounty chips shall count toward the nightly regular points leaderboards.
D. Combining Tables and Reseating Players
a. As the tournament progresses, players will be eliminated. To keep tables balanced with the same number of players, the tournament director shall re-seat players as needed. When possible, players shall be moved “in position”. Whenever possible, the player in the small blind position will not be moved.
b. Reseated players are to be dealt in immediately unless they sit down in the small blind position. In this instance the player must sit out until they are on the dealer button. The exception to this rule is when a player assuming the small bind position is being moved from the small blind position at their previous table. In this case, the player is dealt into the hand as the small blind.
c. Players moved into the Big Blind position shall be required to post the big blind and shall be dealt in the hand.
d. If three (3) or more players get moved to a table, that table shall re-draw for the dealer button position [see section #2-G-a]. High card shall determine the dealer button position, and all players shall be dealt into all subsequent hands. The tournament timer shall be paused during the re-draw.
E. Leaving Early and Absent Players
a. The dealer shall deal cards to all chip stacks at the table, even if a player is absent.
Examples, to name a few: Players are outside smoking; Players are using the phone; Players are using the restroom; or an extra stack is set at the table at start of the game (such as placing 8 stacks when only 7 people are signed up at a table).
b. If a player is not present for a hand, their hand shall be folded when it is their turn to act, even if they are the small blind. If there is no raise, the big blind is considered to have checked, and remains in the hand until any bet or raise occurs.
c. Players must be physically present to sign up, take a seat, and shall be required to play at least one hand to be eligible for regular points. The league shall reserve the right to disqualify players from receiving points if it is clear that the player has no intention of playing (Example: registering, then immediately leaving). Also, chip dumping (playing “all-in” for the sole purpose of busting out to leave early) shall be considered bad etiquette and may be grounds for dismissal from the tournament.
d. Players shall not post and fold for a period exceeding one (1) full blind level. If a player leaves the tournament and fails to return within this time frame, their chips shall be removed and their position shall be forfeited. [See paragraphs #e, #f and #g below for more details.]
e. Any player who must withdraw from the tournament early shall declare their intent to do so to the tournament director.
f. Exception: Any player who withdraws from a tournament AFTER they have made it to the points round shall be awarded the points for the position in which they finish.
g. Posting and folding (leaving temporarily) and permanently leaving (withdrawing from) a tournament are two separate actions. Players shall declare their intention if posting and folding.
F. Ending the Tournament
a. Each tournament shall continue until one player wins all of the chips. If the tournament is still in progress at the end of the contractual time limit (typically 4 hours), the tournament director shall be required to stop all play, count each player’s chips, and award first place to the player with the most chips. To speed up the tournament, the tournament director reserves the right to impose an ante to be paid along with the blinds [See Section #2-B; “Blind Schedule and Antes”].
b. When heads-up, the player with the most chips reserves the right to offer a chop of the nightly prize with the other remaining player. The offer to chop shall come from the chip leader only. If the chop is accepted, the chip leader gets the first place points, and the remaining player shall receive second place points.
G. Tournament Rules
a. Starting Dealer Position (Dealer Button)
To begin play at the start of the tournament, players shall draw cards to determine the dealer button position. The highest card drawn shall be awarded the position. In the event that multiple high cards of the same rank are drawn (Example: 2 Kings get drawn), suit preference shall break the tie. The suit hierarchy, high to low, is: Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs.
b. Posting Blinds
The player to the immediate left of the dealer shall post the Small Blind. The player to the left of the Small Blind shall post the Big Blind. BTown Poker will use the “Dead Button” rule if a player is knocked out in the blinds. Straddles are not allowed. If the Tournament Director announces that an ante is to be paid, all players shall pay the ante. The ante shall not exceed the Small Blind.
c. Dealing Procedure
1) The Dealer:
The tournament director shall assign designated players as dealers, one for each table. The dedicated dealer shall be the only player at the table who is allowed to make change from the pot, if necessary. The dealer is also responsible for raking the pot to the winner of a hand. The person to the right of the dealer button shall shuffle the deck of cards used in the previous hand. Any issues involving the dealing procedure shall be handled by the tournament director as stated in Section #1-D; Problem Resolution.
2) The Deal:
A) A hand shall officially start with the cutting of the deck. The cut shall be made at least 25% from the top of the deck. The dealer shall ensure that the cut card remains at the bottom of the deck at all times after the cut has been made. After the cut, the dealer shall start with the small blind position and deal everybody two (2) cards, one at a time.
B) Once the first betting round is complete [See Section #2-G-d) “Betting Procedure” below] and the pot is “right”, the dealer shall burn (discard) the top card and turn over the next three (3) cards (“the flop”).
C) After another betting round, the dealer shall burn the top card and turn over the next card (“the turn”).
D) After another betting round, the dealer shall burn the top card and turn over the next card (“the river”). After the river, a final betting round shall occur.
E) After the final betting round, assuming at least 2 players are still holding cards, the showdown will occur. The player who took the last AGGRESSIVE action (bet, raise, or all-in) shall show their cards first. If the round of betting after the river is a check all around, the player to the left of the dealer button must show their cards first.
[See Section #2-G-d-4] “After the last round of betting” below]
3) Heads-Up:
When only two (2) players remain in the tournament, the player due to assume the Big Blind shall do so, and the Small Blind will get the button. The first card dealt shall go to the big blind. The Small Blind/Button shall act first before the flop. After the flop, the Big Blind shall act first.
d. Betting Procedure
1) In no-limit Texas Hold-em, a player may bet any amount of his chip stack during the course of play.
2) Before the flop: the player to the left of the Big Blind has the first option to act (call, raise, or fold). If a raise is made, the minimum total bet must be a minimum of twice the Big Blind. Any subsequent raise must be a minimum of double the previous total bet.
Example 1: blinds are 100/200, raise 200 to a total bet of 400, re-raise at least 400 to a total bet of at least 800.
Example 2: blinds are 100/200, raise 300 to a total bet of 500, re-raise at least 500 to a total bet of at least at least 1000.
3) After the flop: The first player to the left of the dealer that is in the hand has the first action (check, bet, fold). The first bet shall be equal to or greater than the big blind. Any raise or re-raise must bring the total bet to at least double the most recent overall bet.
Example: Player A bets 500, Player B raises 1,500 to a total bet of 2,000, Player C must raise to a minimum total bet of 4,000 if electing to re-raise.
4) After the last round of betting (after the river), the player who made the last aggressive action (bet, raise, all-in) shall show their cards first. If no action occurs after the river (everybody checks), the first player to the left of the dealer shall be the first to show their cards. Remaining players form the best five (5) card hand using their two (2) hole cards and the five (5) community cards. The best hand wins the pot. Players must show both hole cards to claim the pot, even if one, or both cards are not used in the final 5 card hand. Verbal declarations as to the content of a player’s hand are not binding, CARDS READ THEMSELVES.
5) If a pot is to be split between two (2) or more players, and “extra” chips remain (pot not evenly divisible), the player(s) to the left of the button is(are) awarded the extra chip(s).
6) A single over-sized chip placed in front of a player shall be considered a call if the player does not first verbally announce a raise. If a player states a raise, then places an over-sized chip in the pot, but does not state an amount, the raise will be the maximum allowable up to the size of that chip. After the flop, an initial bet of an over-size chip without comment will constitute the size of the bet. To make a raise with a single over-size chip, a verbal declaration must be made before the chip hits the table surface.
7) If a player puts in a raise of 50% or more of the previous bet, but less than the minimum raise, the player shall be required to make the full raise. The raise shall be exactly the minimum raise allowed.
8) An all-in bet of less than half the next minimum allowable raise does not reopen the betting to a player who has already acted. Players who have acted on the original raise may only call the all-in amount. Players who have not acted on the original raise are allowed to raise above the all-in.
9) If a player folds their hand, the cards must be placed in the muck pile and remain there. Players shall not fish through the mucked cards. Cards thrown into the muck pile may be ruled dead. Players fishing through the muck pile shall be penalized a play through penalty (dealer button going around the table once, players hands are automatically folded, and blinds posted). Repeat offenses may result in additional punishment up to and including, but not limited to removal from the tournament.
10) If the dealer rakes in a player’s active cards, the dealer calls the director over to the table. The director or director’s designee will be told by the player what the cards were (both value and suit), and the director or designee will retrieve the correct cards and return them to the player. An active player in the hand cannot perform this activity. Should either or both of the declared cards not be found in the muck pile, at least two people will resolve the issue and decide on a course of action based on the specific circumstances. The two people (or more if available) should include any combination of: the owner, tournament director, and/or Senior BTown Poker League Advisors who are not active in the hand.
11) If an active player exposes their cards for any reason, that player remains in the hand with their exposed cards known to the other players. (The exposed cards are not considered mucked.)
12) If at any time the dealer exposes a burn card, the card is shown to all players and is then burned.
13) If the dealer exposes a card during the initial deal (before the flop), the hand is considered a misdeal.
14) If the dealer exposes cards on the Flop before all players have acted in the betting round, the hand is considered a misdeal.
15) If the dealer exposes the turn card or river card before all players have acted in the betting round, the card is shuffled back into the remaining portion of the deck. The turn or river card is then dealt from the top of the deck after the betting round has been completed.
e. All-In and Side Pots
1) When a player lacks sufficient chips for a blind or a forced bet, the player shall be entitled to get action on whatever amount of chips the player has remaining. In this situation, a “side pot” could occur for players with remaining chips. The “all-in” player shall only be entitled to win the amount he has remaining from each player (even if one or both blinds are more than the players all-in, the extra would be placed in the side pot).
2) When a player is All-In and all betting action is complete, all hands in play shall be turned face up. When a player loses all of their chips, they are eliminated from play and must leave the table. IN CASE OF A TIE: In the event multiple players bust out on the same hand, the player with the most chips at the start of the hand will finish higher. In the RARE case where both players had the same amount of chips, the better poker hand shall determine the better finish. In the EXTREMELY RARE CASE that both players had the same hand, points will be split between the players.
3. CONDUCT, WARNINGS AND PENALTIES.
A. Conduct
a. Players shall conduct themselves with poker etiquette. Inappropriate behavior, such as throwing cards that go off of the table, yelling, using excessive inappropriate language, or violating any league rule repeatedly may be penalized by the tournament director. This includes taking into consideration the other patrons in the host establishment not involved with poker.
b. No verbal abuse, sexual harassment, demeaning, excessively vulgar, excessively sexually explicit, or threatening language will be permitted at the tables. This includes, but is not limited to: religion, politics, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation. Continued behavior will result in suspension or removal from the league entirely.
c. It is ultimately at the discretion of the tournament director to determine if a player is unable to play in a timely or undisruptive manner.
1) Prior to involving the tournament director, a player who is disruptive, very slow, or both, shall be asked very calmly and politely by the dealer and any “BTown Poker League Senior Advisor” at the table to calm down and play in a more timely manner (Check, Bet, Call, Raise, etc.).
2) If the player fails to comply, the dealer will ask the tournament director to evaluate the situation and establish the next course of action.
d. Penalties for infractions shall range from warnings, suspensions, to expulsion from the league, depending on the severity of the infraction. [See details in Section #3-B below]
e. Severe infractions, such as chip dumping, fighting, or abusive behavior may be punished by eviction from the tournament and possibly the league.
f. Host locations shall reserve the right to impose their own discipline toward players they consider disruptive or conducting themselves inappropriately. Should the host location ban a player from their establishment, said player is ineligible to play in all tournaments at that location.
B. Suspensions
a. Suspensions shall be issued to players for severe rules violations at the discretion of the tournament director. Suspensions work on a “Three Strikes” system, where the length of the suspension increases with each strike. If a player reaches Strike Three, the Player shall be suspended for the rest of the current season and the season ending Tournament of Champions. All points for the season shall be forfeited and no season ending prizes shall be earned by the suspended player.
b. The Suspension Committee reserves the right to skip directly to Strike Two or Strike Three based on the severity of the infraction.
c. The suspension committee consists of the league owner and the tournament directors. If there is a conflict of interest or other reason to disqualify any of the suspension committee members, BTown Poker League Senior Advisors will be selected as replacements.
d. Suspension Levels.
| Strike Level | Suspension Length |
|---|---|
| Strike 1 | 3 BTown Poker Events |
| Strike 2 | 9 BTown Poker Events |
| Strike 3 | Remainder of Current Season, Including TOC |
e. Players with strikes on their record will maintain those strikes for the remainder of the current season plus the entirety of the next full season. After that next season, strikes are removed and the player shall have a “clean slate”.
f. Player shall have the right to appeal suspensions to the Suspension Committee. After the player meets with the Committee, the Committee shall meet in private to discuss the matter. Any decision by the Suspension Committee shall be final.
g. The Suspension Committee shall also have the right to remove strikes from a player at their discretion, with or without meeting with the affected player.
4. TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS.
A. Each Season shall last for a period of 15 to 18 weeks. The season concludes with a Tournament of Champions (TOC).
B. To qualify for the TOC, players must meet the minimum points requirement for the season. Typically, players must have at least 1,500 Regular Points and 1,500 Bonus Points to qualify. The Owner reserves the right to alter these requirements depending on the season and the number of host locations in a given season.
C. Players with more than the minimum required Bonus Points shall receive extra starting chips for the TOC. The extra starting chips will be an amount equal to the number of Bonus Points a player has, rounded to the next hundred.
Example: If a player needs 1,000 Bonus Points and has 2,725 Bonus Points, the player will receive 2800 in extra starting chips. Players who win points championships shall start with the following extra starting chips:
| Title Won | Extra Starting Chips |
|---|---|
| Overall Regular Points Champion | 27,000 |
| Overall Bonus Points Champion | 27,000 |
| Location (Nightly) Champion(s) | 18,000 |
If a champion earned more bonus points than they would get for winning the title, they shall start the TOC with the amount that is larger. Players who win multiple championships shall only be entitled to one extra starting stack.
Example: If the leader has 32,000 bonus points, instead of only receiving 27,000 extra starting chips, they are entitled to receive the higher amount, 32,000.
Note: They can’t have both, but rather the higher of the two.
D. Players who do not have the required number of Regular Points for qualification may still qualify by converting Bonus Points to Regular Points. To qualify for the conversion, the player shall have a minimum of half of the required amount of regular points. Players who convert Bonus points shall start the TOC with no extra starting chips.
Example: (1,000 RP & 1,000BP to qualify) Curly has 600 RP and 3,000 BP. Curly converts BP to RP to cover the remaining 400 RP needed to qualify and starts with no extras.
Example: (1,500 RP & 1,500BP to qualify) Moe has 700 RP and 4500 BP. Because he is 50 RP shy of 750 (half of 1500), Moe does not qualify for bonus point conversion.
Example: (1500 RP and 1500 BP to qualify) Larry has 1250 RP and 1700 BP. Larry does not have enough BP to convert to RP as he is 300 BP shy of the 2000 total BP necessary to cover the conversion.
Example: (1500 RP and 1500 BP to qualify) Shemp has 1250 RP and 4500 BP. Shemp has more than enough BP to qualify by conversion. Shemp qualifies for the TOC but has no extra starting chips.
E. Blind Levels at the TOC are longer. Late registration for TOC shall end at the end of the 100-200 blind level. There shall be no exceptions to the late registration cutoff.
F. The following players shall have 250 point bounties placed on them at TOC: Overall Points Winner, Bonus Points Winner, Each Location Winner, Previous Season’s TOC Champion, Previous Season’s Heads-up Tournament Champion.
G. Tournament Directors, employees/managers of host locations, and league sponsors/investors shall be eligible to play in the TOC. These players shall start TOC with an extra starting stack equal to the league average extra stack, or whatever they earn, whichever is greater.
4. Second Chance Table.
After players have been eliminated from the main tournament, they have an option to play poker at the Second Chance table. This is an excellent opportunity to hone poker skills, especially for newer players. The rules of play are the same as for the regular tournament except as follows:
A. Starting chip stack is 3,500 (six red chips, five white chips). No bounty chips are used.
B. The blinds remain the same and do not change during the period of play. The small blind is 100 and the big blind is 200.
C. The winner of a Second Chance game is awarded 250 Bonus Points. No cash and no Regular Points are awarded to the winner.
D. To encourage practice and learning, the person with the dealer button deals the cards, and as the dealer button moves around the table, so does the actual dealer. Players may opt out of dealing, and another player can deal in their place. The alternate dealer will deal the cards based on the location of the dealer button and posted blinds..
E. Players can join the game at a Second Chance table any time unless there are already 9 players in the game.
F. When a person is eliminated from the Second Chance game, they cannot rejoin the game: Once the game is over and a winner declared, a new game can be started and the person can join into the new game. In cases where there are multiple second chance tables, a person eliminated from a game at one table can join a game at another table, as long as they haven’t played earlier in the game currently underway.
G. Regular Points are awarded for premium hands [see, section 1.C.a.2)].
5. FUN POLICY.
Remember, BTown Poker is free-to-play poker league. If you cannot handle losing, you should not play. Have fun and good luck.
6. SYNOPSIS OF POKER HAND RANKING
Poker hands are ranked based on standard poker rules used at virtually all poker venues. The following list synopsizes the card and hand rankings.
A. Order of Cards, highest value to lowest value
A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2
Suits all have the same value in all poker hands. There is no higher or lower value suit.
When multiple 5-card hands are exactly equal in value they are considered a tie (chop).
[See BTown Poker League Rules, section #2-G-d-5]
B. Order of hands, highest to lowest.
A poker hand is exactly 5 cards: in Texas Hold’em, each player will only use 5 of the seven cards.
All references below are based on the highest 5 card hands resulting from play.
Royal Flush An Ace high straight flush (specifically, 10, J, Q, K, A; all of the same suit)
Straight Flush (A straight with all five cards of the same suit) If multiple players have a straight flush, the straight flush with the highest value card in the suit wins, except:
a special case occurs with the Ace treated as a “1”, making A, 2, 3, 4, 5 of the same suit a straight flush. If there are multiple straight flushes, the A through 5 straight flush is considered the lowest.
4 of a Kind (Of the five card hand, four cards have the same value; such as 4 sixes.)
If multiple players have a 4 of a kind, the hand with the highest value 4 of a kind wins.
If the 4 of a kind is entirely on the board, then the player with the highest 5th card wins the hand.
Full House (Three cards of the same value accompanied by a pair)
If multiple players have a full house, the full house with the highest value 3 of a kind wins.
If multiple full houses have the same 3 of a kind, then the hand with the highest accompanying pair wins.
Flush (5 cards of the same suit)
If multiple players have a flush, the flush with the highest value card in the suit wins.
Straight (5 cards in sequence based on the order of cards noted above).
If multiple players have a straight, the straight with the highest value card in the straight wins, except: a special case occurs with the Ace treated as a “1”, making the card sequence A-2-3-4-5 a straight. If there are multiple straights, the A through 5 straight is considered the lowest.
3 of a Kind (Three cards of the same value)
If multiple players have a 3 of a kind, the hand with the highest value 3 of a kind wins.
If multiple players have the same 3 of a kind, then the player having the highest card that is not part of the 3 of a kind wins the hand.
If multiple players have the same 3 of a kind and also the same high card, then the player having the next highest card wins the hand.
If the 3 of a kind and highest card are entirely on the board, then the player with the next highest card wins the hand.
Two Pair (Two sets of two of a kind)
If multiple players have two pair, the hand with the highest value pair wins.
If multiple players have two pair with the same highest value pair, then the player having the highest second pair wins the hand.
If multiple players have the same two pair, then the player having the highest card that is not part of the two pair wins the hand.
Pair (Two of a kind)
If multiple players have a pair, the hand with the highest value pair wins.
If multiple players have the same pair, then the player having the highest card that is not part of the pair wins the hand.
If multiple players have the same pair and also the same high card, then the player having the next highest card wins the hand.
If multiple players have the same pair and also the same two high cards, then the player having the next highest card wins the hand.
High Card (The five cards do not result in any hands that are a pair or better.)
If no player has a pair or higher hand, then the player with the highest card wins the hand.
If multiple players have the same high card, the player with the next highest card wins the hand.
If multiple players have the same two high cards, then the player having the next highest card wins the hand.
If multiple players have the same three high cards, then the player having the next highest card wins the hand.
If multiple players have the same four high cards, then the player having the next highest card wins the hand.
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