RIVERCHASERS ENTERTAINMENT POKER LEAGUE GUIDE For best viewing when online, download this document.
POKER LEAGUE GUIDE Welcome to Riverchasers, the home for Poker, People, and Prizes. Join us at local venues to play in social poker tournaments to compete for points, prizes, and your chance to earn your invitation to compete for thousands in semiannual cash and prizes. This guide is your tool for everything Riverchasers. CONTENTS 1. Welcome 2. Tournaments 3. Rules and Etiquette 6. Rankings and Points 7. League Prizes & Promotions 10. Being Riverchasers Player and Venue Services We have an open line of communication to our players and our venues. If you have a question or feedback we want to hear from you. Hotline 800.205.0850 Players - playersmatter@riverchasers.com Venues - sales@riverchasers.com Become a Member If you haven t done so already, visit us online at www.riverchasers.com to join the league. Register to begin tracking your points and to receive local game and league announcements. 1. At the top of the website, click REGISTER 2. Enter your profile information 3. Remember your username and password for future logins to view your personalized MY PLAYER REWARDS page 4. Find a local game and join us; No online pre-tournament registration necessary for each tournament. Stay in Touch Our website is a vital tool for communicating with our players for active game schedules and league promotions, but we also use for promotional announcements, reminders, photos, and player recognition. Additionally, download our Free Mobile APP (ios and Android) to receive urgent notifications. V.17
Tournaments Playing our Tournaments All participating venues (bars/taverns/pubs/clubs/etc ) can be found on our website under the League Locations tab. Though there is no buy-in for our events, they are supported by your patronage of the venues. If you like the entertainment we provide and would like to see it continue at your local establishments please support the venue and the service staff each time you come to play. Your valued support is appreciated. Tournament Structure We play No-Limit Texas Hold em. Each player starts with a stack of chips and when the chips run out you are eliminated from the tournament. Late players are permitted to enter the tournament within the first two blind levels and will have 10 chips removed for each 10 minutes they are late. Seating may be limited and is never guaranteed at any tournament. We recommend arriving early to ensure your seat. 2
Rules and Etiquette We invite all players to our tournaments to HAVE FUN and PLAY POKER. Many new players attend our events to learn the game. Remember, we were all new at some point and we all make mistakes, so help educate other players in the proper way if they make an error. This isn t a TV tournament and we are not in your basement. We play poker in public restaurants and pubs, therefore we have to act appropriately at all times. Foul language, unruly behavior, excessive noise, and verbal abuse is not tolerated. Bad beats happen; It s part of poker. If you are unable to act appropriately at our events we will ask that you find another place to play. Let s have fun and not worry about having the conversation about 30-day, 1 year, or lifetime suspensions. The Tournament Host makes the final decision for all rule enforcements at the venue. Hosts are human and some are volunteers, so please be respectful to them at all times. A full list of Table Etiquette and Tournament Rules is available online. Here are the basics: Table Etiquette We ask that you: Be at your seat to post your blinds and deal on your turn Be patient for players in view returning to the table Clearly communicate your bets Place large denomination chips in the front of your stack Report suspicious activity Announce irregularities in action Make new players feel welcome Count your own chips to expedite Color-Up Only sit at the table if you are playing Three Card Flop - not one card at a time The following actions are not permitted: Deliberately acting out of turn Splashing the pot Viewing folded cards Revealing the contents of your hand to anyone while betting continues Stalling the hand because of distractions (cell phone, headphones, talking, TV, etc...) Rabbit Hunting or running it out Repeated All-In because I have to go Code of Conduct The following is not tolerated and results in immediate removal from tournament: Collusion, chip dumping, or any other form of cheating Verbal or physical threat or abuse Profanity, foul language, creating a disturbance, arguing, or shouting Throwing, stealing, defacing, or destroying ANYTHING Bringing in or going outside to eat or drink non-venue food or beverage; (You should be supporting the venue) Berating or harassing a player for any reason Trying to obtain rewards you did not earn No Gambling Gambling in venues is an illegal activity and we will take full and appropriate action with anyone caught violating this rule. If you attempt to gamble, be prepared to say good-bye to our league. 3
Rules and Etiquette Age Requirements League Members must be 21+ to earn league points, invitations, and rewards as our Championships are typically hosted on casino property. The venue owner may permit players under 21 to participate in their events based upon state laws and their discretion. One Player Per Hand Please do not solicit or give advice on how to play during a hand. Asking a rule or betting question is always permitted at any time; asking strategy during a hand is not. Protect Your Hole Cards They are your responsibility. Cover them with a chip or a card protector. Accidentally folded cards are only retrievable if they are obvious. If they are not obvious, they are folded. Do Not Expose Cards To Anyone During the Hand It is poor etiquette. Exposing cards (accidentally or on purpose) will result in a warning. Multiple violations will result in a dead hand and forfeiture of the pot. Show One, Show All If during the course of the hand a player exposes his/her hole cards to any player involved in the hand, then all players have the right to see the cards immediately. If the hand is exposed to any player not in the hand or to a bystander, then all players have the right to see the cards after the hand is completed. If you don t want to have to expose your hand to anyone else, then don t expose it to anyone at all. Showdown (Non-All-In) In promotion of fair play a player must show his/her hole cards to the table at showdown if requested. Any player dealt cards in the hand has the right to make the request. Note: This request is considered poor etiquette in a casino and should only be done when suspected cheating is involved. Showdown (All-In) Once all betting is completed in the hand, all pots will be properly created and cards exposed. Best Hand Wins At Showdown, the best hand wins, even if a hand is verbally misrepresented. Misdeals Accidents happen even to professionally trained dealers. Any exposed card or card dealt off the table during the deal is a dead card and will be replaced with the Burn Card. Multiple misdealt cards result in a reshuffle and re-deal of the hand. Split Pots and the Extra Chip If there is an extra chip during a split pot scenario, the extra chip goes to the left of the dealer. 4
Rules and Etiquette Betting Make all actions on your turn. Out of turn actions will be binding if there is no change in the action prior to your turn. When making a bet, be clear about your intentions. Make all bets and raises in one forward motion. If a new player makes an error in voicing or a betting action, allow them to make their intended action but then review the proper way to make a bet for future actions. Remember, we all had to learn sometime, please help educate players in a polite manner. Minimum Bets and Raises (Click to view Tournament Rules for a Full Description) The general rule of thumb is that the minimum bet/raise is the greater of: 1) the value of the Big Blind, or 2) the value equal to that of the previous raise. Remember, the value of the Raise is important, not the value of the total bet. Seating In most cases, players are permitted to choose their first seat into the tournament. In most cases, players are permitted to save a maximum of ONE ADDITIONAL Seat (up until 5 minutes prior to start time, at which point the seat must be made available to another player). Occasionally, in the best interest of the tournament, a Host will have to balance tables prior to the start of the tournament. We ask that the last player to arrive at the venue be the first person to move to a new table if requested, even if the seat was saved for that player earlier. LATE ENTRY: Players are permitted to enter the tournament up until the end of the 2 nd Blind Level and will have 10 chips removed for every 10 minutes he/she is late, effective after 1 st hand. Balancing and Consolidating Tables We attempt to move players by position from one table to another, though, this is not always possible. When balancing or consolidation a seat number is assigned to each seat. The dealer position is Seat 1, and continues clockwise around the table. When moving to a new table, you should be directed to a similar seat number at the new table if possible. Final Table At the start of the final table, players will high-card for 1 st dealer. In some cases, random seating may be used by the Host or the Venue prior to seating at the final table to ensure integrity. Heads Up At the start of Heads-Up action, the Big Blind will advance one position to the left from the previous Big Blind Position. The Small Blind is the Dealer and will act first pre-flop. The Big Blind will act first post-flop and for the remainder of the hand. I Have To Go If you have to leave the venue at any time or wish to stop playing while you still have playing chips, we ask that you turn them into the Tournament Host. Giving away any chips to other players that were not earned through the course of play is cheating and is not permitted. Continually going All-In every hand to try and lose your chips is poor etiquette, is a disruption to the game, and is not in the interest of fun and fair play. The Tournament Host may remove all playing chips from any player using this tactic according to our Etiquette policy. 5
Rankings & Points Player Rankings and Leaderboards Leaderboards are available to track your results. Log in to view your personal MY PLAYER REWARDS page. Seasonal Ranking Players earn cumulative league points at all venues for our Seasonal PCT. Venue Ranking Compare against players at each venue; Compete for PCT Venue Championship. Earning Points -League members earn points based upon their finishing position and the quantity of players in the tournament. A player must be a registered league member to earn points. Final Table Bonus Points The Top 3 players earn +5, +3, +2, and players 4-8 earn +1. 2X Points Your finishing position points are doubled and then added to the Final Table Bonus. 6
League Prizes & Promotions Players Championship Tournament Each Season our league members compete for PCT Player Points at each venue to become eligible to advance into our PCT Final. Points accrue each Season for all venues cumulatively in our League Leaderboard and individually at each Venue in our Venue Leaderboard online under Rankings. THREE WAYS TO QUALIFY Venue Championship The top 15 point earners (and all ties) from each Venue are invited to compete in the Venue Championship held after the Season completes at that Venue. Players will earn their starting stack based upon their STATUS (see below). THE WINNER of each Venue Championship will advance to the PCT Final. Regional Championship All players with 100+ League Points in the current Season are invited to participate in a Regional Championship. View our website to find the closest Regional Championship to you. THE TOP 10% at each Regional Championship will advance to the PCT Final. Instant Access The top 10 Point Earners in the League each Season advance directly into the PCT Final. Venue Championship: Earn Your STATUS and your Starting Stack Based upon the final Seasonal ranking at each respective venue, players will earn the following: Status ACE KING WILD CARD Earned By Ranked 1-5 at Venue Ranked 6-10 at Venue Ranked 11-15 at Venue Starting Stack 315 Chip Stack 265 Chip Stack 215 Chip Stack Season Schedule Our PCT Prize Pool, Seasonal qualifying dates, Venue Championship dates, Regional Championship date(s), and PCT Final date are available on our website. Typically, our PCT Final is hosted at a casino in Atlantic City, NJ which is partially why all players are required to be league members with accurate information in their profile. If we invite you, you ll need to prove who you are in order to participate. *Once a player wins his/her PCT Final Invitation they are ineligible to participate in other qualifying events. *Bonus Chip Cards and Early Bird promotions are not valid during Venue or Regional Championships. *Championship and Final Invitations are non-transferable to other players or future promotions. 7
League Prizes & Promotions Satellite Tournaments Our Satellite promotions are pretty simple: Win One Tournament and Compete for Huge Prizes! Some of our Satellite Promotions offer prizes larger than some poker leagues do all year long! About the Satellite Promotion Each Season there are specific weeks that are dedicated to Satellite qualification. Instead of competing for the standard nightly prizes, league members are competing for a Seat into our Satellite Final. Win a tournament during the qualifying period and you earn your Seat and advance to our Satellite Final. You must be a registered league member in order to win a Seat. Prizes The Satellite Final prize pool will vary by promotion and will be announced at the same time as the promotion qualifying dates. Previous Satellite promotions have included a variety of prizes: $500.00 - $1500.00 poker tournament buy-ins Atlantic City and Las Vegas Vacation packages Seats into fundraiser poker tournaments Poker Training sessions $1000.00 - $2,500.00 Cash And more. Satellite Final The Final is either hosted in Atlantic City, NJ or at a convenient location near the center of our League. Our website announces the date, time, and location of the Final. During each promotion, you can view the Satellite Leaderboard for the list of Finalists that have won their Seat. All Finalists must provide valid profile information in their online riverchasers.com profile to be eligible. Information Each venue will receive customized promotional materials describing the promotion. As for all league promotions, full participation rules, eligibility, and information is available on the website. Be sure to read the details as sometimes we invite more than just the winner of each qualifying tournament and there are incentives to win more than one seat. *Note: Satellite Seats are non-transferable and are valid for the current Satellite only. 8
League Prizes & Promotions Bonus Promotions Some venues choose to offer their players a chance to win additional prizes by participating at their venues specifically. These promotional details and prize pools vary by the Venue and promotion. Some may be one-night-only promotions while others have 4-8 week qualifying periods. Additionally, Riverchasers may offer promotions like this league-wide from our sponsors. Our website provides the details about these promotions under the Bonus Promotions section. Some bonus promotion examples: Progressive Pot Poker: More Players, More Prizes Some Venues may opt-in to a promotion in which the tournament prizes are increased as more players attend. Prize Tiers for each PPP event are displayed at the sign in table at each participating venue. These venues love giving away big prizes, but they need your high-level support to continue this week to week. Please support with food purchases, beverage purchases, and an optional contribution. All support is optional and not required to play or win prizes. 2X PCT Points or 2X Satellite Seat Days Throughout each Season, specific days are announced as 2X Points or 2X Seat Days at either a specific venue or league-wide. View the website for the special dates that help give you a bump in the standings while trying to compete for your venue STATUS. Bankroll Builders Venues may opt-in to a promotion in which the nightly prize pools may be weighted more heavily towards the last day of the month and will offer bonus chips for the players who attend the weekly tournaments leading up to the last day of the month. Win the end of month tournament for the big payday! Big Day Tournaments Venues may opt-in to hosting 1-day tournaments for some added excitement. Most tournaments like this have special playing rules such as Tag Team, Shootout, Knockout, or Re-Entry. Additionally, the prizes are larger and more unique than a standard weekly tournament. Gather your friends for these events as they are a great change of pace and are always a great time! Diners Reward Cards (DRC) Our venues truly appreciate your patronage. Some venues have opted-in to a DRC frequent diner promotion which gives you a discount or reward from the venue where the Card is completed. Each venue offers it s own type of reward, so collect your Cards and fill them up with Stamps by making purchases at those venues. Redeem a completed card with venue staff and management. 9
Being Riverchasers SUPPORT YOUR VENUES The Poker, People, and Prizes that you can enjoy from our League would not be possible without the Venues that have chosen to provide this entertainment to you. If you enjoy coming to our events and would like them to continue then please show them your support with your patronage each time you come to play. REPRESENT YOUR VENUES Players from all over the League join us at our Seasonal Championships and Satellite Finals. What better way to show the support of your venue (besides buying food and drinks each night) than to wear a shirt or hat from your local venues at the Finals? If you earn your seat into one of our Finals, we encourage you to go to your venue and ask for some swag to wear during our Finals. Wear their gear and bring back the trophy to show it off! LOCAL PLAYERS Not everyone will be a Finalist each Season but we bet that someone you play against on a regular basis will be. You may battle across the felt during the qualifying events but when it s all said and done show them your support by joining all of us at our Championship Finals. Occasionally, we ll have an Invitation-Only RC Buy-In Tournaments at the casino where you can compete against other RC players for cash and prizes. The bigger the group, the better the party! DON T JUST PLAY: BE A PART OF THE LEAGUE! Join us for poker, bring your friends, and support the venues. We provide you with the opportunity to have a fun time with other people who share a common interest, but ultimately your experience will be what you make of it. This is a great opportunity to meet other great people, have fun doing something you enjoy, and at the end of the day take home some prizes and the chance to win much bigger prizes. It s up to you to be a part of the league and not just a player. Welcome to the League! Thank you for being RIVERCHASERS! 10
Thanks for being RIVERCHASERS Join the community online www.riverchasers.com