League Overview
The league comprises ten players and operates over a twelve-month season. Each season is divided into four tournaments, typically played on Tuesday evenings over the course of about three months. Cash prizes are awarded to the top three finishers in each tournament, and all players receive league points based on their performance.
At the end of the season, the overall points leader is crowned League Champion and receives entry into a local WSOP Circuit Main Event. If the League Champion cashes in the event, they share five percent with each of the other players and keep the remainder for themselves.
League Registration & Buy-ins
New players must register by buying in 48 hours before the start of the first tournament to secure their seat in the league. The league buy-in for each player is $200 per tournament.
Payments can be made through PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle. Electronic methods are preferred, but players may also pay in cash on the first night of each tournament. Subsequent tournament buy-ins can be paid just before each respective tournament begins.
Tournament Payouts
For each tournament, assuming ten players participate, the league collects $2,000 in buy-ins. Out of this amount, $500 is contributed to the season jackpot, and the remaining $1,500 is distributed among the top three tournament finishers.
| Position | Payout |
|---|---|
| 1st Place | $800 |
| 2nd Place | $500 |
| 3rd Place | $200 |
Additional money collected from rebuys is evenly distributed among the payouts for the top three tournament finishers.
Season Jackpot & WSOP
At the end of each season, the jackpot totals $2,000. From that amount, $1,700 is needed for the WSOP Circuit Main Event buy-in. The remaining $300 may be used by the League Champion at their discretion.
The League Champion agrees to share WSOPC prize money, retaining the balance after paying five percent to each of the other players in the league. If the League Champion is unable to participate in the WSOPC event due to scheduling conflicts or any other reason, the next highest-ranked player based on league points will take their place.
In 2017, our Season 2 League Champion finished 4th in the WSOP Circuit Main Event held at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana. Each league player received about $5,500, and the League Champion took home more than $60,000 from a total payout of $114,101. The WSOP Circuit Main Event typically pays out to more than ten percent of its participants.
Tournament Structure
The league tournaments follow the same blind structure used by the WSOP Circuit Main Event, making them an excellent training ground for the event. Each player begins the tournament with 40,000 chips, providing ample opportunity to play real poker before the blinds escalate too high. A fifteen-minute break occurs after the third level of play each day.
If a tournament does not conclude after the last level, the undecided places are determined by player chip counts. In the unlikely event of a tie, the winner is determined by drawing the highest card from a shuffled and cut deck.
Day 1
| Level | Big Blind Ante | Small Blind | Big Blind | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 200 | 100 | 200 | 40 |
| 2 | 300 | 200 | 300 | 40 |
| 3 | 400 | 200 | 400 | 40 |
| 4 | 500 | 300 | 500 | 40 |
| 5 | 600 | 300 | 600 | 40 |
| 6 | 800 | 400 | 800 | 40 |
Day 2
| Level | Big Blind Ante | Small Blind | Big Blind | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1,000 | 500 | 1,000 | 40 |
| 8 | 1,200 | 600 | 1,200 | 40 |
| 9 | 1,500 | 1,000 | 1,500 | 40 |
| 10 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 40 |
| 11 | 2,500 | 1,500 | 2,500 | 40 |
| 12 | 3,000 | 1,500 | 3,000 | 40 |
Day 3
| Level | Big Blind Ante | Small Blind | Big Blind | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 4,000 | 2,000 | 4,000 | 40 |
| 14 | 5,000 | 3,000 | 5,000 | 40 |
| 15 | 6,000 | 3,000 | 6,000 | 40 |
| 16 | 8,000 | 4,000 | 8,000 | 40 |
| 17 | 10,000 | 5,000 | 10,000 | 40 |
| 18 | 12,000 | 6,000 | 12,000 | 40 |
Starting Chips & Denominations
Each player begins the tournament with 40,000 chips. Additional forest-colored chips are introduced when rebuys occur.
| Chip Color | Value | Starting Qty | Total Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 100 | 15 | 1,500 |
| Purple | 500 | 15 | 7,500 |
| Orange | 1,000 | 16 | 16,000 |
| Forest | 5,000 | 3 | 15,000 |
Absent Players
A player who temporarily leaves the table is considered an absent player. Players may leave the table at any time. Cards dealt to absent players will be mucked, and missed blinds and antes will be collected as usual.
Acting in Turn
Players must act in turn at all times. They should not reach for chips or stage a bet before it is their turn to act. Action out of turn will be binding if the action to that player has not changed. A check, call, or fold is not considered action-changing. If a player acts out of turn and the action changes based on a bet or a raise, the player who acted out of turn may change their action by calling, raising, or folding and may have their chips returned.
Players may not intentionally act out of turn to influence play before them and may incur a penalty.
A player skipped by out-of-turn action must defend their right to act. If the skipped player has not spoken up by the time substantial action occurs to their left, the out-of-turn action is binding.
Big Blind Ante
The player in the big blind pays an ante in addition to the big blind. The ante is dead and is immediately added to the pot, while the big blind is live and is part of the pre-flop betting. The big blind is always paid before the ante. If a player does not have enough chips to pay both, they first pay the big blind, and then any remaining chips are applied toward the ante.
Burn Cards
The dealer must burn the top card before dealing each round of community cards. The dealer may not deal any cards off the top of the deck and stage them face down on the table in advance of a betting round. If the dealer fails to burn the top card and exposes the burn card, the card is shown to all players and is burned anyway. If the dealer fails to burn a card and a player acts before the mistake is realized, then the deal stands and play continues.
Card Handling
Players must keep their hole cards on or above the table at all times. Dealers must keep the deck on or above the table at all times.
If a player exposes any cards with action pending, all players at the table are entitled to see the exposed cards. When folding, cards should be pushed forward low to the table, not deliberately exposed or tossed high.
Cheating
Cheating and collusion are strictly prohibited. Cheaters will be immediately removed from the game, permanently banned from the league, and forfeit all rights to any and all refunds and cash prizes.
Chip Handling
Players are entitled to a reasonable estimation of an opponent's chip count; thus, chips should be kept in countable stacks. Clean stacks in multiples of 20 are recommended as a standard. Players must keep their higher denomination chips visible and identifiable at all times.
Clock
Players are encouraged to make decisions in a timely manner. Calling the clock on another player is not an option, but the House reserves the right to pause the tournament timer for any reason, including settling split pots, rebuys, disputes, or pending action that requires additional time.
Declarations
The cards speak to determine the winner. Verbal declarations of hand value are not binding at showdown. However, deliberately miscalling a hand may be penalized. Any player, whether in the hand or not, is encouraged to speak up if they believe a mistake is being made in the reading of hands.
Disputes
The House will settle all disputes between players. If the House is involved in the dispute, then the dealer will have authority. If the dealer is involved in the dispute, then the first player to the left of the dealer who is not in the hand will settle the dispute. If all players are in the hand, then authority defaults to the House.
Folding
Once a player folds, their cards are dead. No player may be allowed back into the hand after folding. This includes folding by mistake, instead of checking, when in the big blind. Players may not show folded cards to other players, whether they are still in the hand or not.
Food & Drink
Please have dinner before you arrive and bring whatever you want to drink during the game. Eating at the poker table is prohibited, as it distracts other players and slows down the game. This is a poker league, not a pizza party.
Heads Up
When only two players remain in the tournament, the dealer is the small blind and acts first before the flop. The dealer acts last for each betting round after the flop.
Late Arrivals, Early Departures, No-Shows & Forfeits
A late arrival is a player who arrives for the day after play officially starts. An early departure leaves for the day before play officially ends. A no-show misses an entire day of play.
Blinds and antes will not be collected from these players, and cards will not be dealt to them. Instead, players who miss an entire level shall forfeit 5% of their stack for each level missed on Day One, 20% for each level missed on Day Two, and 50% for each level missed on Day Three.
Percentages for late arrivals and no-shows are based on starting stacks, while percentages for early departures are based on ending stacks. Percentages are rounded up to the nearest chip denomination still in play.
This rule applies equally to late arrivals, early departures, and no-shows. Early departures, however, shall forfeit the same percentage of chips for partially missed levels as well.
Forfeited chips are removed from the tournament before the player starts or resumes play. A player eliminated due to forfeited chips may not place higher than attending players, regardless of when those players finish.
League Points
League points are calculated for each tournament using a proven formula that has been employed by poker leagues since 2005. This formula takes into account the number of participants in the tournament, the buy-in cost, each player's total expense (buy-in plus rebuys), and each player's finishing position.
Where: n = number of participants, b = buy-in cost, e = individual player's total expense (buy-in + rebuys), f = individual player's finish, p = point factor (2.0)
Misdeals
In the event of a misdeal, the dealer must reshuffle the deck and deal again.
If the dealer exposes the first hole card or one of their own hole cards, it is a misdeal. If the dealer exposes any other hole card, the deal continues. After dealing the hole cards, the dealer must replace the exposed card with the top card on the deck and discard the exposed card. The exposed card may not be kept and will be used as the burn card. If more than one hole card is exposed, it is a misdeal.
If the dealer mistakenly deals an extra card to any player, the card will be taken out of play until all players have received their starting hands. If the card was exposed to one or more players, it must be shown to all players. The card must then be returned to the deck, which the dealer must shuffle and cut before dealing the flop. If it is unclear which card was the extra card or if the dealer mistakenly deals more than one extra card, it is a misdeal.
If the dealer mistakenly deals one or more cards to a vacant position on the table, it is a misdeal.
If the flop contains too many cards, the dealer must shuffle all the community cards and deal the flop again. This applies even if it were possible to know which card was the extra card.
If the flop is dealt prematurely, the dealer must shuffle all the community cards and deal the flop again.
If the turn card is revealed prematurely, the card is taken out of play even if subsequent players elect to fold. Once all players have acted, the dealer must deal a new turn card off the top of the deck. The dealer must then shuffle the remaining deck, including the card that was taken out of play, and deal the river card. If the river card is revealed prematurely, the dealer will remedy the situation in the same manner.
Partial Seasons
A partial season occurs when a player does not participate in all tournaments in a season. If a player exits the league before the end of the season, their spot may be filled by a new player. A new player entering the league for a partial season starts with zero points for the season. A new player may enter a tournament in progress only if the exiting player has not already participated in that tournament. A new player entering a tournament in progress is subject to no-show rules and penalties for any missed days.
Players who participate in partial seasons are ineligible to win the league championship. If a WSOPC payout occurs, players who participated in partial seasons will receive a percentage of the five percent payout share proportional to the number of tournaments they played that season.
Pot Penalty
Players who violate House Rules may be required to pay a pot penalty equal to the amount of the big blind, regardless of whether or not they are still in the hand. A pot penalty may be waived if the player does not have enough chips to cover the penalty. Pot penalties are issued at the sole discretion of the House.
Rabbit Hunting
Rabbit hunting, which involves revealing any cards that would have come if the hand had not ended, is not permitted. This practice can disclose information about a player's hand and slow down the game.
Raising
All raises must be equal to or greater than the size of the previous bet or raise during that betting round. An all-in wager of less than a full raise does not reopen the betting for a player who has already acted.
Random Seating
At the beginning of each day, players draw cards to determine their seating positions. The player who draws the first seating position (Ace) starts the day with the button. If a player is absent or running late, the House draws a card on their behalf.
Rebuys
If a player is eliminated on the first day of a tournament, they have the option to rebuy at a discounted rate of $150. If the same player is eliminated again they may rebuy a second time for $150. Players who rebuy receive 40,000 chips. Rebuys must be executed before the next blind level begins. Rebuys are not permitted after the first day of a tournament. No more than two rebuys are allowed per player per tournament. No more than ten total rebuys are allowed per tournament.
Scheduling
The league schedule is designed to be as predictable as possible and is posted in advance to allow everyone ample time to plan. If a scheduling conflict arises, the House will make a reasonable effort to accommodate a reschedule.
If a player has a conflict with a scheduled league date and wishes to request a reschedule, they must notify the House via email at least two weeks before the scheduled date. The House will then send an email to all players with the subject "Poker League Reschedule Request" proposing an alternative date, which will typically be the next available Tuesday.
Players will have one week to respond, indicating whether they accept the proposed date. Responses should be sent via "Reply All" to ensure transparency. If a player does not respond within the one-week period, their acceptance will be assumed. If any player rejects the proposed date within the one-week period, the league will proceed with the original schedule.
Smoking
Absolutely no smoking or vaping is allowed inside.
Splashing the Pot
Players should not splash the pot. Instead, they should place their bets in front of them rather than tossing chips into the pot. Splashing the pot makes it difficult to determine the number of chips owed when one or more players raise in a later position.
Spectators
Players who have been eliminated from the tournament are welcome to attend subsequent game days as spectators, dealers, shufflers, or waiters. No other spectators are allowed. This includes spouses, girlfriends, children, or pets.
String Bets
Players should announce their intentions to call or raise before making the play, and move all the chips they intend to bet in a single motion. Players may not call and then raise in two separate steps, as this provides an opportunity to read the reactions of other players. This is known as a String Bet and is prohibited.
Table Talk
Except when heads-up, players may not talk about their hand or another player's hand while the hand is still in progress, as this may provide an unfair advantage to some players. This applies whether the player is in the hand or not. Please avoid facepalms or other reactions when seeing community cards after folding.
Tie-Breakers
There are no ties in poker. If at the end of the season multiple players are tied as the points leader, the points factor (p) in the formula will be reduced by 0.1 until a winner is determined.
Winning by Default
If everyone folds except for one player then that player wins the pot by default. The winning player is not required to show his hand to the other players.