Tournament Rules

1. Registration:
   • For most tournaments, registration officially begins thirty (30) minutes before seating of the event unless explicitly posted otherwise. Players are able to "Unregister" from an event at any time while registration remains open.
   • With the exception of HeadHunter Challenges™, players can continue to register for up to ten (10) minutes after the tournament has commenced provided that the tables created at the time of seating are not all full or balanced, and no player has yet been eliminated. Registration for HeadHunter Challenges™ closes once the tournament begins.
2. Seat Assignments¹:
   • All seats are assigned randomly and the button will start at Seat 1.
   • As the tournament progresses, people may at times be moved from their current seat to another table in an effort to try to maintain an equal number of players at all the remaining tables. The transferred player will receive a message alerting them that they have been moved to a new table.
3. Tournament Completion:
   • The tournament is completed when one (1) player has amassed all the chips in play. When a player loses all of their chips, they are eliminated from the tournament.
   • Tournaments promptly begin at the designated time and players who are not present will be "blinded off" in their absence. "Blinded off" is defined as an absent player being required to post blinds and antes as if he/she were present. The general rule is that in "Premium Chips™" buy-in tournaments, players are "blinded off", but in freeroll or promotional events, players who miss the entire first level of blinds will be disqualified.
4. Prize Payoffs:
   • The prize payoffs will be allocated according to the schedule as displayed in the "Tournament Lobby."
   • If two (2) or more players are eliminated on the identical hand, the player that was in possession of more chips at the inception of the hand will place higher. In the event that two (2) or more players had an identical amount of chips, those players tie for that rank, and any prizes due are equally distributed amongst them.
5. Moving Blind¹:
   • CardRoom.com uses a "moving blind" rule in all games that require them. The big blind advances after each hand resulting in no player ever being skipped by the big blind or having to pay consecutive big blinds at the same table. As a result of this methodology, the small blind goes to the seat where the last big blind was paid and the dealer button moves to the small blind seat of the last hand. In some cases there might not be a player in either the button or the small blind seat. If there is no player in the small blind seat, or if the player in that seat did not pay the big blind in the previous hand, no small blind is collected.
6. Blinds during "Heads up" Play¹:
   • When the action in the tournament becomes "heads up," meaning that there are only two (2) players remaining, the button will post the small blind and be the first to act after the flop.
7. Raise Caps:
   • In Pot and No Limit events, there is no cap on the amount of raises permitted however, in the case of structured limit (Fixed Limit) tournaments, a bet and three (3) raises are considered the maximum.
8. Time Bank:
   • CardRoom.com gives tournament participants a "time bank" of thirty (30) seconds allowing the player additional time in order to make a decision on their hand. The time bank of the player will be depleted as it is utilized over the course of a tournament. If a player elects to activate their time bank, the other tournament participants at the table are notified via the Dealer Chat.
   • If a player is not able to act within the normal allotted time, their bank is activated provided that both the tournament participant is connected to the system and they have invested money in that pot.
9. Disconnections:
   • A player, upon entering a tournament, accepts the responsibility that technical difficulties may arise that are beyond the control of CardRoom.com. This may include, but not be limited to, problems arising from the Internet and issues associated with the connection between the computer of the player and the servers. CardRoom.com does not accept responsibility for any player disconnection unless it is caused by a server crash.
   • If a player does not act before their time has expired, which may be increased in the event that the player had lost connection, his/her hand will be folded. This applies whether they are connected to the servers or not, though rules regarding the time bank as enumerated above in Section #8 may apply.
   • If for any reason a player loses his/her connection, their blinds and antes will continue to be posted automatically.
   • If a player is not connected before a hand starts, that person will still be dealt cards, and be obligated to post blinds and antes as needed.
   • In the event that a player loses connection during a tournament, he or she will be given forty (40) seconds to reconnect.
   • Players are entitled to sit out of any Premium Chips™ buy-in event at their sole election for any period of time. There is no rule prohibiting a player from proceeding as such however this individual will still be required to post antes and blinds in the due course of the event. In tournaments where there is no cost of entrance, such as a freeroll, those players that sat out for the duration of the first level will be eliminated when the blind levels are raised.
10. Uncontrollable Circumstances:
    • If the server is to crash, the hands in progress at every table will be rolled back such that the chip count of every player will be reset to the amount they had at the end of the last completed deal.
    • In those instances in which it is not possible to restart the tournament in a timely manner after the crash, the affected event is cancelled and three (3) outcomes are possible based upon the circumstances and timing of the tournament discontinuation.
      • Reimbursement. In this situation CardRoom.com is to "roll back" the tournament and all players that were registered for the event are to be refunded buy-ins, entrance fees, re-buys and add-ons. All proceeds are to be remunerated in the form in which entrance was purchased. If a player were to buy into event with both Tournament Cash and Premium Chips™, that registrant would be refunded the identical amounts of each currency with which a seat was purchased.
      • Chip Equity (no players in the money). In this scenario, CardRoom.com will refund all remaining players their entrance fees ("Vig") and then distribute fifty percent (50%) of the prize pool evenly amongst all remaining players. The remaining fifty percent (50%) of the prize pool will then be prorated and distributed to all remaining entrants based upon their chip holdings as a percentage of the total amount in play. For example in a $10 +$1 with one hundred (100) entrants there would be a total prize pool of one thousand dollars ($1,000) and 150,000 total chips in play. If at the time of cancellation there are fifty (50) people remaining in the event then $500 of the prize pool is to be split evenly amongst these players with each person being awarded $10 dollars. Then the remaining fifty percent (50%) is split proportionally amongst the remaining players. If Player A is to have 3,000 of the 150,000 chips in play then that individual is to receive 3,000/150,000 x $500, or $10, which added to the $10 equal share and the entrance fee refund of $1 would equate to a total distribution of $21.
      • Chip Equity (players in the money): In this scenario, CardRoom.com will first refund all remaining players their entrance fees ("Vig"). Then, all players will receive the minimum prize not yet awarded at the time of the tournament discontinuation. Finally, the remaining prize pool will be distributed proportionately to the percentage of each player's chip count to the total number of chips in play. For example, in a $10 + $1 with one hundred (100) entrants there would be a total prize pool of one thousand dollars ($1000) and 150,000 chips in play. With nine (9) players left at the point of discontinuation, there would be a remaining prize pool of $784 and the lowest minimum prize not yet awarded would be $30 (as determined by our standard Tournament Payout Structure). The remaining nine (9) players would each then receive $30. This would leave a remaining prize pool of $514 to be distributed according to chip equity. If Player A had 14,591 chips left, then that player would receive 14,591/150,000 x $514, or $50, which added to the guaranteed minimum prize of $30 and the entrance fee refund of $1 would equate to a total distribution of $81.
      • CardRoom.com, however, reserves the right to adjust any of the preceding, as it deems appropriate when it believes a more equitable resolution for affected tournament participants is available.
11. Tournament Etiquette:
    • CardRoom.com adheres to a policy of maintaining a friendly and professional forum for players to interact and compete ("Rules of Conduct"). By participating in a CardRoom.com event a player is partial to the CardRoom.com Rules of Conduct. If CardRoom.com considers the actions or behavior of a player to be obtrusive to or detracting from other tournament participants, it may disqualify the player from the event or take other action it deems necessary. The CardRoom.com Rules of Conduct include, but are not limited to, the following items:
      • During game play, players are prohibited from chatting about their hand and/or that of their opponents until all actions for that hand are complete.
      • "Soft playing" during tournaments is not to be tolerated. "Soft playing" occurs when a player does not bet their hand to the fullest extent when playing against another participant that may be a friend or family member.
      • CardRoom.com also does not permit players from passing or "dumping" chips to other participants in a tournament.
    • Any action that is not specifically delineated in the aforementioned or in the Rules of Conduct, but is considered to be unethical by CardRoom.com, may result in disqualification from the tournament or the termination of the account of the offender.
12. "Hand-for-Hand" Play:
    • At various times in a tournament where there are sizeable changes in the amount of cash, satellite seats or Loyalty! Points™ ("L!P") to be awarded as a result of the elimination of the next player, the event will be played "hand-for-hand," thus limiting players at opposing tables from gaining an unfair advantage by stalling. Thus, a table will not start dealing until the hand on the other table is completed.
13. Tournament Chat:
    • Players, irrespective of whether or not they are still "active," (defined as having a "live" hand), are prohibited from discussing any action of the hands until that deal is completed. This is to include, but not limited to, discussing discarded cards or hand possibilities. In regards to the aforementioned, CardRoom.com reserves the right to issue a warning or penalty at its sole discretion.
    • Tournament participants and observers ("railbirds") are reminded to utilize chat functionality in a manner that is neither obtrusive nor discourteous.
    • Members are reminded to adhere to the "one player to a hand" rule. In poker, the one player to a hand rule is an important principle of fair play, and a near universal guideline of card rooms. It states that all game decisions about each hand must be made by one player without assistance. This means, for example, that a player may not ask for advice or commentary from any other participant or observer during that hand, nor should anyone be inclined to offer such unsolicited.
    • In order to ensure compliance with the "one player to a hand" rule and general fair play, CardRoom.com may elect to utilize all-in no chat ("AINC") in tournaments that have a sizeable buy-in or payout, hereafter defined as ("Premier Events"). AINC will entail tournament participants and observers being precluded from briefly conversing when a player has become all-in and until betting has been completed, at which time chat privileges for all parties shall recommence.
14. Unregistering from a Tournament:
    • In most cases participants can unregister up to ten (10) minutes before the start of the event. If a player unregisters from an event for which that player won entrance via satellite, he/she will receive the buy-in and entry fee amounts in Tournament Cash, immediately credited to his/her account. Tournament Cash can be utilized to purchase a seat into Premium Chips™ events at CardRoom.com.
15. Deals:
    • CardRoom.com is to never participate in the coordination or establishment of any deal amongst tournament entrants, however, it shall reserve the right to execute any such agreement as reached by the players.
    • Only those players at the final table, the last remaining one in any real money tournament, and who are already in the money are allowed to organize a splitting of the prize pool. No deal is to be permissible that does not include all remaining tournament participants. No player deals are allowed in HeadHunter Challenge™ events.
    • It is the responsibility of each and every player to ascertain the totality of the agreement. Although chat logs are to be utilized to record deal negotiations amongst players, they shall not necessarily confirm the transaction.
    • The structuring of deals to adjust standings in either the Tournament Leader Board ("TLB") or HeadHunter Leader Board ("HHLB") is expressly prohibited and any such activity may result in CardRoom.com rescinding all TLB or HHLB points earned during that event for the parties in question.
    • No deals are allowed in any satellite event. Seats to target events awarded via satellite events cannot be converted into cash equivalents for the purpose of making deals.
    • When all players are to explicitly agree to split the remaining prize pool according to an agreed upon arrangement CardRoom.com shall transfer the monies upon completion of the tournament.
16. Table Balancing:
    • As tournament participants are eliminated from an event, tables are balanced to ensure that they have an equal amount, or as close as practicable, of players. This process is to be coordinated on a random basis (i.e., new seat assignments for players at a table to be collapsed are entirely random), and may result on infrequent occasions, in an entrant being necessitated to post consecutive blinds.
17. Revisions to Policy:
    • CardRoom.com management reserves the right to change any of the aforementioned, including without limitation, the Tournament Rules, Rules of Conduct or any other matter pertaining to the operation of tournaments or games without providing prior notice.
18. Dispute Resolution:
    • In any case of dispute, the decision of CardRoom.com shall be final.

Footnotes
(1) Sections #2, #5 and #6 apply only to blinds-based games, which, includes Omaha, Omaha, H/L and Hold'em.