Official Tournament Rules

1. Welcome and Ground Rules

• Ozarks Poker League is a free-to-play league. There is no entry fee, no buy-in, and no purchase is required to play.
• Chips have no cash value and cannot be bought, sold, traded, or cashed out. Chips are only for play. Players compete for bragging rights, season prizes, and nightly cash prizes.
• Players must meet the age requirements of the host venue. Please drink responsibly. Venue staff have the final word on anything involving the venue.
• The Tournament Director (TD) makes all rulings. The TD’s decision is final. If you have a question, ask the TD or dealer, not other players.
• By sitting down, you agree to follow these rules and to treat everyone with respect.

2. Starting Stack

Every player receives the same $1,000 in 20 chips:

Count your chips when you receive them. Once play begins, your stack stands as counted.

3. Bonus Chips

Bonus chips are our thank-you to the players who support our venue partners and help us grow. We run on the honor system, so please be honest. A player who makes up claims can lose bonus chips or be removed.

• Round 1 is the start of the game through the first break. The TD goes around the table at the start and asks what each player has earned so far.
• Every round after that, a player can claim bonus chips for up to 3 drinks per round. Claims are made at the break that ends the round. You cannot save drinks and claim them later, and nobody can claim more than 3 in a round.
• The TD announces the bonus amounts for each round, and the same amounts apply to every player.
• Bonus chips are paid in whatever chips the TD has on hand, to match the total value.
• The final table is straight poker. There are no bonus chips, no rebuys, and no add-ons once the final table begins.
• Show the TD your phone for a follow or review bonus, and the chips are paid right away.
• Review bonuses are limited to one review per player per night for each business, no matter how many accounts you have. Please leave an honest review. We never ask for a particular rating.
• No purchase is necessary to play. Players can earn bonus chips by following our pages, bringing a friend, or playing for the first time.

3b. Rebuys

• For the first hour only (until the first break), a player who has been eliminated can buy back in.
• To rebuy, buy something from the bar or the kitchen first. A soda, a drink, or a meal all count, and even a $1 purchase works.
• A rebuy gets the same starting stack of $1,000 in 20 chips, plus any bonus chips the player earns for that purchase.
• Rebuys close at the start of the first break.

4. Blind Levels

The TD may adjust levels or breaks if needed. When the clock hits zero, the hand in progress is finished and the new blinds start with the next hand.

5. Color-Ups

• When the TD announces a color-up, the chips being removed are exchanged for higher chips. Nobody loses anything.
• Any leftover chips are rounded up for you. For example, if you have $1 or $2 in $1 chips left, you get a $5 chip. The same goes for any leftover $5 chips, which round up to a $25 chip. This is a free upgrade for everyone, so there is no odd chip race.
• Keep all your chips in view, with the biggest on top, until the TD finishes the color-up.

6. Late Registration and Seating

• Players are seated by random draw. Late players start with the same starting stack and are seated by the TD, with the blind position in front of them.
• Late registration closes at the end of the first break. Rebuys are covered in Section 3b.
• If your seat is open when it is your turn, your hand is dead and you post blinds and antes while you are away. If you are away for a long time, we will keep dealing without you.
• Tables are balanced by the TD. A player moved to a new table may be dealt in immediately, in any position except the button, unless that player is about to post a blind.

7. Table Rules

Acting in turn

• Act in turn and keep your cards on the table where the dealer can see them. A verbal statement of action is binding. If you say “raise,” you must raise.
• Do not act out of turn. If you do, the action stands only if nothing changes before your turn comes. A fold out of turn is binding.
• Betting must be made in one motion. A “string bet” (reaching back for more chips) is not allowed. To raise, say “raise” first, or put the full amount in at once.
• A single chip that is thrown in without a declaration is a call, unless it is a higher chip than the bet, in which case it is a call only (not a raise).
• The minimum raise must be at least the size of the previous bet or raise. An all-in for less than a full raise does not reopen the betting for a player who has already acted.
• Do not talk about what you folded, or what you think another player has, while a hand is in progress.

Protecting your hand and showdown

• You are responsible for your own hand. Use a card protector. A hand that is thrown into the muck by mistake may be dead.
• At showdown, cards speak. Show both cards, and if all players are all-in, all hands are shown right away, so please don’t flip your cards early.
• Show your hand to the table before you muck if another player asks and a call has been made, or if you are told to by the TD. Do not slow-roll anyone.
• One player, one hand. No advice and no coaching during a hand, from you or from a friend.

Chips

• Keep your chips in clear sight. Large chips must be visible and not hidden. Chip counts are open to any player on request, but do not count another player’s chips for them.
• No chips may be taken from the table, passed to another player, or shared. Chips stay at your table until you are eliminated.

Misdeals and dead hands

• The dealer or TD will correct a misdeal as soon as it is noticed before the first betting action: exposed cards, wrong number of players, or the button in the wrong spot.
• If a card is exposed by the dealer, the TD decides how to fix it. If a player exposes a card by accident, that player’s hand plays on, and the TD decides if it needs to change.
• A dead button is used to keep the blinds fair. No player gets to skip a blind, and no player is charged two blinds in a row.

8. Etiquette and Conduct

• No collusion, soft play, chip dumping, or angle shooting. Players who do so will be removed.
• No electronics at the table during a hand. Phones, headphones, and other devices are for breaks and for after you are out.
• No cursing at players or staff, no throwing cards or chips, and no harassment of any kind. Win or lose, be gracious.
• No touching the deck or another player’s cards.
• Be a good guest. Our venue partners host us. Please be kind to their staff and stay on top of your tab.
• Players who break the rules may be warned, penalized by the TD, or removed from the tournament.

9. Short-Handed, Final Table, and Winners

• When we reach one table, the button is set by a draw for seats, and the blinds keep going from the current level.
• When two players are left (heads-up), the button is also the small blind. The button acts first before the flop and last after the flop, per standard rules.
• If a player busts out, the player with the larger stack before the hand finishes is placed higher. If two players bust on the same hand, the one who started the hand with the bigger stack finishes higher.
• Family Pot: at the final table, the TD may call a Family Pot hand. Every player at the table is dealt in, and the TD adds extra chips to the pot to make it more fun. The TD announces how each Family Pot is played.
• Nightly cash prizes are paid by Ozarks Poker League: 1st place $50, 2nd place $20, 3rd place $10. Season prizes and leaderboard standings are announced by the TD. Results are final once announced.

10. Questions?

Ask the dealer or Tournament Director at any time. We want everyone to have a great night and come back next week.

Dalton Hill, Founder | 417-536-0404 | daltonhpoker@gmail.com | ozarkspokerleague.com