The purpose of this set of rules is to provide AAP players with a general knowledge of basic and advanced rules, along with modern variations taking into account the objective of AAP and the environment we play in.
CODE OF CONDUCT
Management will attempt to maintain a pleasant environment for all our customers and employees, but is not responsible for the conduct of any player. We have established a code of conduct and may deny the use of our cardroom to violators.
The following are not permitted:
* Collusion with another player or ANY other form of cheating.
* Verbally or physically threatening any patron or employee.
* Creating a disturbance by arguing, shouting, or making excessive noise.
* Throwing, tearing, bending, or crumpling cards.
*** Any verbal altercations that disturb our game or the people of the establishment will result in being barred from the game and a one week suspension.
*** Any physical altercation is grounds for being banned from the league. The situation will be reviewed by the owners and a decision will be made within one week. All decisions are final.
*** For any minor infractions, if you are a repeat offender, you will be given two chances. On the third strike, you will be banned from the league anywhere between one month and forever.
POKER ETIQUETTE
The following actions are improper and grounds for warning, suspending, or barring a violator:
*Deliberately acting out of turn.
*Agreeing to check a hand when a third player is all-in.
*Needlessly stalling the action of the game.
DECISION MAKING
*Decisions of the shift supervisor are final.
*Management reserves the right to make decisions in the spirit of fairness, even if a strict interpretation of the rules may indicate a different ruling.
*The proper time to draw attention to an error or irregularity is when it occurs or is first noticed. Any delay may affect the ruling.
*If a pot has been incorrectly awarded and mingled with chips that were not in the pot, and the time limit for a ruling request given in the previous rule has been observed, management may determine how much was in the pot by reconstructing the betting and then transfer that amount to the proper player.
PROCEDURES
*Management will decide when to start or close any game.
*Cash is not permitted on the table.
*Only one person may play a hand.
*No one is allowed to play another person's chips.
*Players must keep their cards in full view. This means above table-level.
*Any player is entitled to a clear view of an opponent's chips. Higher denomination chips should be easily visible.
*If you must leave the table for an extended period of time, you must inform the pit boss. Your chips may be distributed among the table if you are away longer than 15 minutes.
*A player is expected to pay attention to the game and not hold up play.
*A non-player may be asked to leave the table.
*All players MUST speak only English when playing.
SEATING
*You must be present to add your name to a waiting list.
*The house reserves the right to require that any two players not play at the same table (husband and wife, relatives, business partners, and so forth).
*When a button game starts, active players will draw a card for the button position. The button will be awarded to the highest card, redrawing in the case of a tie. Being away from the table at this time revokes your right to draw for the button.
MISDEALS
*The following circumstances cause a misdeal, provided attention is called to the error before two players have acted on their hands. (If two players have acted in turn, the deal must be played to conclusion.)
***The first or second card of the hand has been dealt faceup or exposed through dealer error.
***Two or more cards have been exposed by the dealer.
***An incorrect number of cards has been dealt to a player.
***Cards have been dealt to an empty seat or to a player not entitled to a hand.
***A player has been dealt out who is entitled to a hand.
***Once action occurs, a misdeal can no longer be declared. The hand will be played to conclusion, and no money will be returned to any player whose hand is fouled.
DEAD HANDS
*Your hand is declared dead if:
***You fold or announce that you are folding when facing a bet or a raise.
***You throw your hand away in a forward motion causing another player to act behind you (even if not facing a bet).
***The hand does not contain the proper number of cards for that particular game.
*Cards thrown into the muck may be ruled dead. However, a hand that is clearly identifiable may be retrieved at management's discretion if doing so is the best interest of the game. We will make an extra effort to rule a hand retrievable if it was folded as a result of incorrect information given to the player. Mixed mucked cards are dead, no questions asked. Information is by sight only; receiving cards by verbally indicating what you had will not be accepted as a proper retrieval measurement.
IRREGULARITIES
*You must protect your own hand at all times. Your cards may be protected with your hands, a chip, or other object placed on top of them. If you fail to protect your hand, you will have no redress if it becomes fouled or the dealer accidentally kills it.
*If two cards of the same rank and suit are found, all action is void, and all chips in the pot are returned to the players who wagered them (subject to next rule).
*A player who knows the deck is defective has an obligation to point this out. If such a player instead tries to win a pot by taking aggressive action, the player may lose the right to a refund, and the chips may be required to stay in the pot for the next deal.
*One or more cards missing from the deck does not invalidate the results of the hand.
*Procedure for an exposed card varies with the poker form and is given in the section for each game. A card that is flashed by a dealer is treated as an exposed card. A card that is flashed by a player will play. To obtain a ruling on whether a card was exposed and should be replaced, a player should announce that the card was flashed or exposed before looking at it.
*If a card is exposed due to dealer error, a player does not have an option to take or reject the card.
*If you drop any cards out of your hand onto the floor, you must still play them.
*If the dealer prematurely deals any cards before the betting is complete, those cards will not play, even if a player who has not acted decides to fold.
BETTING AND RAISING
*Check-raise is permitted in all games, except in certain forms of lowball.
*Any wager must be at least the size of the previous bet or raise in that round, unless a player is going all-in.
*A verbal statement denotes your action and is binding. If, in turn you verbally declare a fold, check, bet, call, or raise, you are forced to take that action.
*Rapping the table with your hand is a pass.
*String raises are not allowed. To protect your right to raise, you should either declare your intention verbally or place the proper amount of chips into the pot. Putting a full bet plus a half bet or more into the pot is considered to be the same as announcing a raise, and the raise must be completed.
THE SHOWDOWN
*To win any part of a pot, a player must show all of his cards faceup on the table, whether they were used in the final hand played or not.
*Cards speak (cards read for themselves). Deliberately miscalling a hand with the intent of causing another player to discard a winning hand is unethical and may result in forfeiture of the pot.
*Any player, dealer, or floor person who sees an incorrect amount of chips put into the pot, or an error about to be made in awarding a pot, has an ethical obligation to point out the error. Please help us keep mistakes of this nature to a minimum.
*Any player who has been dealt in may request to see any hand that has been called, even if the opponent's hand or the winning hand has been mucked. However, this is a privilege that may be revoked if abused. If a player other than the pot winner asks to see a hand that has been folded, the hand is dead. If the winning player asks to see a losing player's hand, both hands are live and the best hand wins.
*Show one, show all. During a deal, cards that were shown to an active player who might have a further wagering decision on that betting round must immediately be shown to all the other players.
RULES FOR USING BLINDS
*The minimum call is the size of the announced big blind. They remain the same even when the player in the blind does not have enough chips to post the full amount.
*In heads-up play with two blinds, the small blind is on the button.
*A new player cannot be dealt in between the big blind and the button. Blinds may not be made up between the big blind and the button. You must wait until the button passes.
*Live 'straddles' are not allowed in AAP. Dead 'straddles' or blind calls are acceptable under the gun.
RULES OF HOLD'EM
*If the first or second holecard dealt is exposed, a misdeal results. The dealer will retrieve the card, reshuffle, and recut the cards. If any other holecard is exposed due to a dealer error, the deal continues. The exposed card may not be kept. After completing the hand, the dealer replaces the card with the top card on the deck and the exposed card is then used for the burncard. If more than one holecard is exposed, this is a misdeal and there must be a redeal.
*If the dealer mistakenly deals the first player an extra card (after all players have received their starting hands), the card will be returned to the deck and used for the burncard. If the dealer mistakenly deals more than one extra card, it is a misdeal.
*If the flop contains too many cards, it must be redealt, unless it is possible to know which card is the extra one.
*If, before dealing the flop, the dealer fails to burn a card, or burns two cards, the error should be rectified if NO cards were exposed. The deck must be reshuffled if ANY cards were exposed.
*If the dealer fails to burn a card or burns more than one card, the error should be corrected if discovered before betting action has started for that round.Once action has been taken on a boardcard, the card must stand. Whether the error is able to be corrected or not, subsequent cards dealt should be those that would have come if no error had occurred. For example, if two cards were burned, one of the cards should be put back on the deck and used for the burncard on the next round.If there was no betting on a round because a player was all-in, the error should be corrected if discovered before the pot has been awarded.
*If the dealer burns and turns before a betting round is complete, the card(s) may not be used, even if subsequent players elect to fold. Nobody has an option of accepting or rejecting the card. The betting is then completed and the error rectified in the prescribed manner for that situation.
*If the flop needs to be redealt for any reason, the boardcards are mixed with the remainder of the deck. The burncard remains on the table. After shuffling, the dealer cuts the deck and deals a new flop without burning a card.
*A dealing error for the fourth boardcard is rectified in a manner to least influence the identity of the boardcards that would have been used without the error. The dealer burns and deals what would have been the fifth card in the fourth card's place. After this round of betting, the dealer reshuffles the deck, including the card that was taken out of play, but not including the burncards or discards. The dealer then cuts the deck and deals the final card without burning a card. If the fifth card is turned up prematurely, the deck is reshuffled and dealt in the same manner.
*You must declare that you are playing the board before you throw your cards away. Otherwise, you relinquish all claim to the pot.
