Appendix

Poker Hands & Hand Rankings

Poker Terms & Sayings

Points System

 

Chips

Gunpowder Poker uses up to six different chips in regular play. Your starting stack is 6,300 chips, provided to you as:

3 x 1000 Chips
4 x 500 Chips
13 x 100 Chips

As the game progresses and the blinds get higher, the Gunpowder Poker Event Manager will announce "Blinds up next hand". Once the blinds are 500 & 1000 "chip up" will be announced and the lowest value chips will be changed up to higher value chips, for example, five 100 chips will be converted into one 500 chip. When there is a non exact amount of chips left, say 600 chips, this will be rounded up to the next chip amount, in this case 1,000.

Blind levels are typically 10 minutes long, although this may be adjusted depending on the number of player present on the night. Blinds start at 100 chips for small blind, and 200 chips for big blind, and will increase every 10 minutes. Blinds are used to create action within a game, and keeps the game progressing.

 

 

Blind Clock


Gunpowder Poker is one of the only leagues in the country to use a fully automated blind clock. The blind clock will make all players aware of the current blinds at a glance and will also alert all players to any blind changes, and when the next one is.

The blind clock also features the all new "Party Pop" which will be activated at a random point during the game. The wheel will spin and land on a random amount of bonus chips to be added to the next hand pre-flop. Players can then battle it out for the bonus chips, or sit back and watch the action unfold!

Basics

The Shuffle, The Deal and The Blinds

The dealer shuffles a standard 52-card deck.

(In casinos, the dealer never plays. A round disc -- known as a "dealer button" -- moves clockwise from player to player with each hand. The button marks which player would be the dealer if the deal were advanced from player to player as the game went along.)

Most Texas Hold 'Em Poker games start with the two players to the left of the dealer (the button) putting a predetermined amount of money into the pot before any cards are dealt, ensuring that there's something to play for on every hand. This is called "posting the blinds." Most often, the "first blind" -- the player to the left of the dealer -- puts up half the minimum bet, and the "second blind" puts up the full minimum bet.

Each player is dealt two cards, face down. These are known as the "hole cards."

Betting Begins

 

A round of betting takes place, beginning with the player to the left of the two who posted the blinds. Players can call, raise, or fold when it's their turn to bet.

The Flop

 

After the first betting round, the dealer discards the top card of the deck. This is called burning the card and is done to ensure that no one accidentally saw the top card, and to help prevent cheating.

The dealer then flips the next three cards face up on the table. These cards are called the "flop."

NOTE: Eventually, a total of five community cards will be placed face up on the table. Players can use any combination of the community cards and their own two hole cards to form the best possible five-card Poker hand.

After the flop, another round of betting takes place, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer (the button). During this and all future rounds of betting, players can check, call, raise, or fold when it's their turn to bet.

Fourth Street

 

The dealer burns another card and plays one more face up onto the table. This, the fourth community card, is called the "turn" or "Fourth Street."

The player to the left of the dealer (the button) begins the third round of betting.

Fifth Street

 

The dealer burns another card before placing the final face-up card on the table. This card is called the "river" or "Fifth Street."

Final Betting and The Winner

 

Players can now use any combination of seven cards -- the five community cards and the two hole cards known only to them -- to form the best possible five-card Poker hand.

The fourth and final round of betting starts with the player to the left of the dealer (the button).

After the final betting round, all players who remain in the game reveal their hands. The player who made the initial bet or the player who made the last raise shows their hand first.

The player with the best hand wins.

Actions

Fold

To fold is to discard one's hand and forfeit interest in the current pot. No further bets are required by the folding player, but the player cannot win. Folding may be indicated verbally or by discarding one's hand face down into the pile of other discards called the muck.

Check

If no one has yet opened the betting round, a player may pass or check, which is equivalent to calling the current bet of zero. When checking, a player declines to make a bet; this indicates that he does not wish to open, but does wish to keep his cards and retain the right to call or raise later in the same round if an opponent opens. In games played with blinds, players may not check on the opening round because the blinds are live bets and must be called or raised to remain in the hand. A player who has posted the big blind has the right to raise on the first round, called the option, if no other player has raised; if he declines to raise he is said to check his option. If all players check, the betting round is over with no additional money placed in the pot (often called a free round or free card). A common way to signify checking is to tap the table, either with a fist, knuckles or an open hand.

Call

To call is to match a bet or match a raise. A betting round ends when all active players have bet an equal amount or no opponents call a player's bet or raise. If no opponents call a player's bet or raise, the player wins the pot. One Chip Rule, putting a single chip onto the table that is over the current bet is considered a call, unless a raise is verbally announced. For example, if the current bet is 200, and a player places a 500 chip, it is considered a call. Should a player bet two 500 chips, it is considered a raise (assuming the amount is a valid raise, see below)

Raise

To raise is to increase the size of the bet required to stay in the pot, forcing all subsequent players to call the new amount if they wish to remain in. If the current bet amount is nothing, this action is considered the opening bet. A player making the second (not counting the open) or subsequent raise of a betting round is said to re-raise. Pre-flop the minimum raise is equal to double the big blind. Standard poker rules require that raises must be at least equal to the amount of the previous bet or raise. For example, if an opponent bets 200, a player may raise by another 200 (or more), but he may not raise by only 100. The primary purpose of the minimum raise rule is to avoid game delays caused by "nuisance" raises (small raises of large bets, such as an extra 100 over a current bet of 1500, that have little effect on the action but take time as all others must call). String Betting A call with one motion and a later raise with another, or a reach for more chips without stating the intended amount. String bets are prohibited in the gunpowder poker league. Saying call, means call. So saying "I call your 400 and raise you 1000" might sound great in a movie, but is not correct. The fact you said "call" means you call, everything else you said is dis-regarded.

Dealer Errors

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)

  1. The first or second card of the hand has been dealt faceup or exposed through dealer error.
  2. Two or more cards have been exposed by the dealer.
  3. Two or more boxed cards (improperly faced cards) are found.
  4. Two or more extra cards have been dealt in the starting hands of a game.
  5. An incorrect number of cards has been dealt to a player, except the top card may be dealt if it goes to the player in proper sequence.
  6. Any card has been dealt out of the proper sequence (except an exposed card may be replaced by the burncard).
  7. The button was out of position.
  8. The first card was dealt to the wrong position.
  9. Cards have been dealt to an empty seat or a player not entitled to a hand.
  10. A player has been dealt out who is entitled to a hand. This player must be present at the table or have posted a blind or ante.

Action is considered to occur when two players after the blinds have acted on their hands. Once action occurs, a misdeal can no longer be declared. The hand will be played to conclusion and no chips will be returned to any player whose hand is fouled.

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 flop needs to be redealt because the cards were prematurely flopped before the betting was complete, or the flop contained too many cards, 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.

If the dealer fails to burn a card before the flop, turn or river, the card will be shown to all players and then discarded, the next card will take its place.

If the dealer turns the fourth card on the board before the betting round is complete, the card is taken out of play for that round, even if subsequent players elect to fold. The betting is then completed. The dealer burns and turns 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 turns 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.

Player Errors

1. Your hand is declared dead if:

  1. You fold or announce that you are folding when facing a bet or a raise.
  2. You throw your hand away in a forward motion causing another player to act behind you (even if not facing a bet).
  3. The hand does not contain the proper number of cards for that particular game.
  4. You act on a hand with a joker as a holecard in a game not using a joker. (A player who acts on a hand without looking at a card assumes the liability of finding an improper card)
  5. You have the clock on you when facing a bet or raise and exceed the specified time limit.

2.  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 in 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 false information given to the player.

3.  Cards thrown into another player’s hand are dead, whether they are faceup or facedown.

4. A verbal declaration over-rules a physical one, annoucing a raise of 2000, and only putting 1000 chips in requires the extra 1000, even if this means going all-in.

5. Any player exposing a card(s) has effectivly folded, and must show everyone at the table the card(s). The only exception to this rule is a heads up situation. In a heads-up situation a player may expose his cards before making a decision.

6. Acting out of turn will result in you being removed from the game if you are a repeat offender.

General Rules

Players arriving late will still be allowed to play, provided there is room for them at a table. Players must arrive before the end of the third level (typically 30 minutes after the game has started) or they will NOT be allowed to play. A player arriving during the first level will start with 300 fewer chips than usual, if they arrive in the second level they will start with 900 fewer chips, and third level 1800 fewer chips. These are effectively the blinds they may have missed. The chips are kept in the chip case, and are not to be put into live play. A player that fails to show will be not be allocated any points, even if the player turns up in time for the second game (for which the full cover charge is payable). If a player notifies the event manager that he or she is on their way before play commences a stack will blinded in for them, this usually means that the player gets more chips than if they arrived late and un-announced.

 

Should a player need to leave the table, they are assumed to be returning within ten minutes. Any player not back at the table within ten minutes is declared bust out, and his/her chips are removed from the table. If a player is away from the table, and not within direct line of sight, his/her cards are folded and blinds/bets are placed in the pot. The only exception to this rule is if the Venue Manager is performing a duty; chipping up, supervising another table etc. In which case players MUST wait for him/her to return before acting.


Players arriving late for the second game will NOT be allowed entry into the small stakes cash game.

The Holy Grail

The biggest rule of them all.

The Event Managers decison is final. You agree to this rule as stated in our terms and conditions. Our Event Managers are well versed in the rules of poker, and will always act fairly.

In the unlikely event that you dis-agree with our Event Manager you should use the contact form on this website to relay your concern. DO NOT confront the Event Manager in an aggressive manner, we do not tolerate physical or verbal threats on our staff and will follow up any such threats, which could see you banned from the Gunpowder Poker and facing possible legal action.