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TOURNAMENT SETUP - HOUSE RULES

CHEATING

Cheating is broken up into 3 main areas:
      People: This is uaully done 2 different ways. Collusion and chip dumping. Collusion is when 2 player conspire to play in a way to make it unfair for another player in the hand. It is essentually team play. Chip dumping is a result of 1 player purposefully getting into a hand that he is way behind in for the purpose of losing his chips to a player he prefers. These are the toughest forums of cheating to prove.

      Chips: This is done when a player steals another players chips or bring in foreign chips into the game. Or if a player steals chips from the box that you hold them in. If you are playing a high buy-in tournament or especially a high stakes cash game, you will want to hide the extra chips well. Getting custom chips is the best, although most epensive, solution.

      Cards: This is done by marking the cards or, if dealing, dealing favorable cards to certain people. Some people may argue that looking at another players cards is illegal. But some may argue it is a person's own responsbility to hide their cards enough say that people don't see them. Looking at other's cards is defintely imoral, but illegal is questionable.

Cheating in home games is definitely some people worry about too much. There simply is no incentive for people to cheat at low-limit games. Obviously if you think people are cheating then you shouldn't play in their game but also don't be paranoid if someone flops quads twice in 1 nite. It happens. Any punishments and penalties dealing with cheating should be at the complete discretion of the host.

POKER ETIQUETTE

Aside from any rules that have to do with the game, there are rules that must follow to get along with people. These are completely different for each game. Some games are formal where if you splash the pot they yell at you, whereas some "fun" home games that allow out-of-turn folding, 2-players-to-a-hand usually don't have any rules. Some possible rules are:

Smoking.
Swearing.
Sexist talk if there are women playing - or even if there aren't.
Any generally roudy behavior.
Using drugs.
Any insulting of a player for playing a certain way.
Reading the board out loud.
Not being at your table when the action is to you.
Talk on a cell phone.
Splshing the pot.
Acting out of turn.
Rabbit hunting if it is not allowed.
Not paying attention to the hand.
Turning over another players mucked cards without his permission.