Tournament Rule #1
There are several sets of what are clearly not uniform poker tournament rules of play. Slowly the various casinos and card rooms around the world are moving towards a set of standardized rules. One such set of rules has been proposed by the Tournament Director’s Association and these are in use in many major tournaments today. We will review these rules, each in a separate post over the next several months. Today TDA Rule #1:
Floor people are to consider the best interest of the game and fairness as the top priority in the decision-making process. Unusual circumstances can on occasion dictate that decisions in the interest of fairness take priority over the technical rules. The floor person’s decision is final.
This rule was moved up to #1 during the most recent TDA rules meeting. It was felt by nearly all members that floor staff needed to have flexibility in applying the rules since unique circumstances can and do occur during the course of tournament play.
The other important point for players to understand is that these rules are not open to debate and that “The floor person’s decision is final.”
It is also important to remember that these rules are by no means universal and many poker tournaments have varying rules. It is always wise to ask about the rules in play for each tournament you enter.
-This is Beginner’s Poker Forum Post #99
