OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT RULES

The official game of the Hickory Poker Showdown is No-Limit Texas Hold’Em, a seven-card poker game where each player tries to create the best five-card hand from two face-down “hold” cards and five face-up “community” cards that all players share. Each player will start with $10,000 in chips.

THE DEAL

The dealer is marked by a disk called the button. After each hand, the button rotates to the left. When present, the house dealer actually shuffles and deals the cards and the button rotates around the table simply to mark the rotation of theoretical dealer. The game starts with the deal of two face-down hold cards (also called pocket cards) to each player. The deal rotates clockwise around the table beginning with the player to the dealer’s left. Each player is dealt their first pocket card in turn, then their second.

BETTING

The player sitting left of the dealer is the small blind and must bet the small blind amount, which starts at $100 and will increase throughout the tournament. The player to the left of the small blind (two seats to the left of the dealer) is the big blind and must bet the big blind amount, which starts at $200 and is generally twice the amount of the small blind. Since the blinds opened with their forced bets, the player to the left of the big blind starts the bidding, and may fold, call (match the big blind bet), or raise. The minimum raise amount is equal to the amount of the big blind. The blinds can call, raise, or fold when the betting has returned to them.

THE FLOP

Once the first betting round has completed, the dealer lays out the first three community cards in the center of the table. This is called the flop. Betting begins with the first remaining seat to the dealer's left. Players may check (neither bet nor fold) until the first bet has been made. Bets and raises must be equal to or greater than the amount of the big blind.

THE TURN

The dealer lays the fourth community card on the table. Betting begins with the blinds, as before. Bets and raises must be equal to or greater than the amount of the big blind.

THE RIVER

The dealer lays the fifth community card on the table. Betting and raises follow the pattern for the turn.

ALL IN

At any time, a player may bet all of his/her chips and go all-in. A player who is all-in cannot be forced out of the pot by more betting, but is only eligible to win that portion of the pot to which he/she has contributed. If other players continue to raise the betting, a side pot is created.

THE SHOWDOWN

Players create the best hand using any combination of the five community cards and their own pocket cards. The highest hand wins the pot.

Hands are ranked, from highest to lowest:

Royal flush – A-K-Q-J-10, all of the same suit

Straight flush – Five cards in sequential order, all of the same suit (highest straight breaks ties)

Four of a kind – Four cards of the same rank (highest set breaks ties)

Full house – Three of a kind and two pair (the highest three-of-a kind breaks ties)

Flush – Five cards of the same suit (highest card breaks ties)

Straight – Five cards of any suit in sequential order (highest card breaks ties)

Three of a kind – Three cards of the same rank (highest set breaks ties)

Two pair – Two pair of cards of identical rank (highest pair breaks ties)

Pair – A pair of cards of identical rank (highest pair breaks ties)

High card – The best card in the hand

Remaining ties are broken by the cards remaining in each player’s five-card hand

Aces can be high or low but cannot be used in a “wrap-around” straight (e.g., Q-K-A-2-3 is not a valid straight).

No suit is higher than any other. If a tie cannot be broken, the pot is split by the players with the best hand. If the pot cannot be split evenly, the remaining amount stays in the pot and goes to the winner of the next hand.

THE END OF THE GAME

The game will end at midnight or when one player possesses all of the chips, whichever comes first. The player with all of the chips or the most chips at midnight is the winner. The player with the second-most chips, or the last player eliminated, is the runner-up, and so forth. The chips have no cash value and must be returned to the contest organizers at the end of the tournament.

PRIZES

Trophies will be awarded to the winner, runner-up and others, as determined by the tournament director. No cash or other prizes will be awarded based on the results of the tournament, in accordance with North Carolina law.

ROLES OF THE DEALERS AND THE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR

It is the dealer’s responsibility to resolve any disputes among players. If a player disagrees with the dealer’s decision, he/she may appeal to the tournament director. The tournament director is ultimately responsible for the interpretation of the rules and his decision is final. The tournament director may update the official rules at any time, as he deems appropriate.