poker

          MADISON $0.50-$1 LIMIT/NO LIMIT HOLD'EM POKER TOURNAMENT
                                        Sunday, September 7th, 4 p.m.
                     Joe, Kris, Matt, Stefan, Jake, Oleg, Brendan, Michael P.
                     G, Jason, "Steve", Zak, Baback, Timmy, Luis, Jason H.

General:
This will be our first poker tournament. The 7th is the first Sunday after we come back to classes. It shouldn't take too long (I'd estimate about 4 hours) but it might. The day is not negotiable, so if you have parties to go to or whatever, just don't sign up. Also, Sexy Kris will be there. How can you not want to come?

Format:
The buy-in will be $20. You can not leave until you have either no chips or all of the chips. Really. If something comes up, you have to just walk away from your chips, and everyone else will split them. If this is not OK, don't sign up.

Your $20 will buy you
20 25 cent chips (small blind)
10 50 cent chips (big blind, minimum bet)
10 $1 chips (maximum bet)

There will be 16 players. The first phase of the game will be a low-limit Texas Hold'em game. There will be 8 players at two different tables. The last four at each table move on. The small blind is $.25, the big blind and minimum bet is $.50, and the maximum bet is $1.

Once 8 players are out, the second phase will begin. The second phase will be a no-limit Texas Hold'em game. You can bet everything you have on any hand in this phase.

The first place winner will walk away with $160.
The second-place winner will walk away with $70.
The third-place winner will walk away with $40.
The fourth-place winner will walk away with $30.
The fifth-place winner will break even with $20.

The blinds and bets will double every hour.

You are pretty much expected to know the rules of Texas Hold'em. It's simple to find the rules anywhere. Search for the rules in Google. We will go over a practice hand or two, but that's it.

Rules of our Tournament (or, Joe's little nit-picks):
Please do not cheat. If you are caught, you will forfeit your chips and the rest of us will decide whether or not to beat your ass.

The cards speak. For example, if you call a pair and you actually had a straight, you get credit for a straight.

We are playing with a side pot. If someone is all in and can't bet anymore, everyone that wants to stay in matches him. If people want to continue bidding, a side pot, available only to the rest of the people is started. The all-in player can only win the main pot. The next best hand wins the side pot.

Don't act out of turn. If you're going to fold, don't fold until it's your turn to act. It gives other people information that can make things unfair. For example, three players, players A, B, and C are left. A and C have nothing in their hands, B has a decent hand. Player A makes a bluff and raises a pot. Player B thinks that it's a bluff, but he also thinks player C has a better hand than him, so he decides that he's going to fold. Before he can though, Player C folds out of turn. Instead of folding, Player B now knows he has player A beat, and he calls. Player C ruined the hand for Player A. What a fag he is.

If you do act out of turn, there is a 25 cent penalty. I didn't want a big penalty because it's an honest mistake, but there has to be some kind of penalty. Don't get your panties in a knot people. It's a quarter. You need two of them to make a phone call now. It'll just be thrown into the pot at the beginning of the next hand.

Every hand is Texas Hold'em. No other games.

No wild cards.

The first six people to let me know they want in are in. Let that be a lesson to you folks who go home for the summer and close yourself off from the world, spending time with "family" or "friends" when you should be on the internet.

The players may ask the dealer to flip a last card or a whole hand if everyone else folded to see what the hand would have been.

If you make a mistake based on your misunderstanding of rules, too bad. For instance, if you show your cards to everyone before it's time to show, there will be no redeal. We will play as if you never showed us.

If you fold, you don't have to show anyone your cards.
If everyone else folds and you win, you don't have to show anyone your cards.
If you're in the final round and someone shows their cards that are better than you, you don't have to show your cards. You can just concede.

Don't be a bastard. You're trying to win your friends' money, but it should still be a fun time. If you can't afford to lose $20, please don't play.