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TDA Releases Updated Poker Rules per 2022 Summit

Written by Jennifer Newell
Last updated on
Jennifer Newell

Matt Savage coordinated the first Poker Tournament Directors Association meeting since the pandemic. The last TDA Summit happened in 2019 at the time of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

Considering the large undertaking that it is, the TDA meets every two years. However, since the 2021 WSOP moved to later in the year – still with some pandemic restrictions in place in Las Vegas – the TDA decided against a summit. So, the summer of 2022, just before the WSOP Main Event, Savage gathered as many interested parties at the PokerGO Studio at Aria on the Las Vegas Strip for a summit.

There had been a lively Twitter discussion prior to the summit. And the YouTube stream of it allowed many more people to weigh in and watch.

In the end, there were several rule changes that had significant support and contributed to the latest set of TDA rules.

Summit Excitement

The Poker Tournament Directors Association started in 2001, courtesy of Matt Savage, Linda Johnson, Jan Fischer, and David Lamb. The only group of its kind to try to create a uniform set of poker rules grew in popularity year after year. By this year, there were more than 4,000 members in the TDA representing at least 65 countries.

With 2022 bringing the World Series of Poker back to its regular time slot in the summer and poker action returning to a relative normal after the pandemic, Savage knew that the 2022 TDA Summit could be big. He set the two-day affair up at the PokerGO Studio and began taking questions on Twitter leading up to the summit.

The questions and suggestions on Twitter came primarily from poker players who were unable to attend the actual summit, as most were playing the WSOP and other events around Las Vegas.

2019 Summit Reminder

Before the pandemic was even a consideration, there was the 2019 TDA Summit, hosted in Las Vegas around the World Series of Poker that had no disease-related delays. Everything was more normal than poker had any idea it would be.

2019 TDA Summit

That two-day TDA Summit at the end of June 2019 produced 71 rule recommendations, out of which the TDA members approved one new rule, edits and clarifications to 21 rules, and four new recommended procedures. The highlights of those were:

-Player Identity: Clothing or other accoutrements must not continuously obscure player identity or become a distraction to the game.

-Fouled Decks: As defined by local gaming regulations and house policy, a fouled deck, when discovered, will stop play, and all bets will be returned. The right to dispute a fouled deck ends when the hand concludes.

-Prior Bet Chips Not Pulled In: To avoid confusion, players with prior-bet chips not yet pulled in who face a raise should verbalize their action before adding chips to the prior bet. (and) If new chips are added silently and the bet is unclear to the house, the call and raise rules apply.

-Number of Players at Final Table: Events of 9-handed and 8-handed will combine from two tables of five to one nine-handed table. Events of 7-handed and 6-handed will combine from two tables of four to one seven-handed final table.

-Tournament Stud Dealing Procedures: A downcard exposed on the initial deal will be the player’s upcard and third street will be dealt down to that player; that player can be the bring-in. (and) A card exposed by the dealer on seventh street will be replaced if betting action remains on the hand. (and) If the number of cards in the current stub is less than the required number before dealing seventh street, new procedures apply.

-Big blind antes: The big blind ante format with ante-first calculation is recommended for single-payer systems.

-Dealers Announcing Bets & Raises: Dealers should routinely announce non-all-in bet values as betting proceeds around the table. All-in bets will be counted only on request of the player currently facing the action.

-Stack Chips in Split-Pot Games: Dealers should periodically stack pot chips in split-pot games where possible.

-Randomness: TDs may use the concept of randomness to design a solution for errors not covered in the TDA rules.

2022Summit Results

Savage was impressed by the turnout to the 2022 Poker TDA meetings in Las Vegas at the very beginning of July, not to mention the number of people who viewed the summit on YouTube.

At the end of the July 1-2 TDA Summit X, the majority of members agreed to ten changes to the current rules and eight changes to recommended procedures. Ultimately, the September release of the changes showed these updates:

General Concepts

-Player responsibilities: Players should verify they’re dealt the correct number of cards before taking action. They should play in a timely manner. They should inform the house if they see or experience discriminatory or offensive behavior. And players should generally contribute to an orderly event where all players feel welcome.

-Electronic devices and communications: No noises from a phone or electronic device or betting apps and charts should create a nuisance, delay the game, or create a competitive advantage. Violations are now subject to penalties.

Seating, Breaking, and Balancing Tables

-New players: New players entering the tournament, as well as those from broken tables, can get any seat, including the small or big blind or button and be dealt in, expect between the small blind and button. (Illustration addendum added.)

-Balancing tables and halting play: TDs should more tightly balance tables as able, but play will halt on tables three or more players short by elimination.

Pots / Showdown

-Playing the board at showdown: Players must table their hole cards to get part of the pot if playing the board.

-Awarding odd chips: Deleted section about splitting the pot as evenly as possible if identical hands win both high and low.

Dealing Rules

-Misdeals and fouled decks: Misdeals now include the wrong number of cards dealt to any player and a finding a non-standard card for the game type. (and) After substantial action, a hand must proceed without declaring a misdeal unless the deck is fouled. Non-standard cards found after the action should be treated as scraps of paper. (and) If two or more cards of the same suit and rank are found, the deck is considered fouled.

-Irregular flops and premature-dealt cards: The floor should be called if the flop has four rather than three cards, regardless of whether anyone knows the door card or not. (and) If there is no burn on a three-card flop and any action occurred, play proceeds with the initial three cards and only one card is burned for the turn. (and) Cards must be shuffled face-down and unexposed anytime the stub must be reshuffled during a hand to protect game integrity.

Play: Bets and Raises

-Multiple chip betting: If every chip is not needed to make a call and the player has chips remaining, the 50% standard governs the bet.

Etiquette and Penalties

-Warnings, penalties, and disqualification: Enforcement options are not limited to verbal warnings, missed hands and rounds, and disqualification.

Recommended Procedures

-Premature turn or river card: Leave the turn/river burn card and return the premature turn/river card to the deck and reshuffle the entire stub, then redeal the turn/river.

-Premature card in stud: Return the premature card to the stub, reshuffle, and deal a new street without another burn.

-Proper tournament staff communication: Outgoing dealers should inform incoming dealers of information regarding blinds, players on warnings or penalties, or disruptive behavior, as well as potential etiquette infractions or discriminatory or offensive behavior toward players or staff.

-Player absent on a breaking table: A player’s chips will be moved by a staff member if the player is not present during a table break.

-Tournament draw betting procedures: Players can limp in all single-draw games.

-Order of mixed games: Stud and stud-8 need not play consecutively in mixed game events.

-Reducing stalling: The house should clearly announce that timely play is expected. They should establish methods to reduce stalling, such as random table breaks instead of table draws, using a fixed number of hands per level, going orbit for orbit, or adding a shot clock.

Poker players, staff, and anyone in the poker community can access copies of the latest rule changes and the most updated list of TDA rules and procedures.

 

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