Proper Behavior

Card Room Rules - Code of Conduct

The Poker Network strives to maintain a friendly and pleasant atmosphere for our players. While we cannot be held responsible for the conduct of any player, we do reserve the right to refuse use of our cardroom to anyone who violates our codes of conduct.

The following is deemed inappropriate conduct on the Poker Network:

•  Collusion with another player of any sort or any other form of cheating;
•  Agreeing to check a hand when there is another player all-in;
•  Telling anyone your hole cards before a pot is complete;
•  Needlessly stalling the action in a game;
•  Selling play chips for cash;
•  Attempting in any way to induce a player to leave a game to play in another.

Players conducting chats that are deemed inappropriate or abusive may have chat privileges revoked temporarily or permanently. This behavior includes:

•  Verbally threatening any customer or employee of the Poker Network;
•  Using profanity or obscene language;
•  Making statements that could unfairly influence the action in a game (e.g. – discussing cards that have been folded)
•  Chatting in any language other than English during game play (trivial exceptions will be made).
•  Begging other players for play chips or real money.
•  Advertising websites or other commercial services.
•  Typing words characters or phrases that make it difficult for others to use the chat feature.
•  Spamming tables with announcements of private tournaments or sit ‘n go events.
•  Coaching players or suggesting how others should play their hand with respect to another player’s hands.

Policies

•  Management reserves the right to make decisions in the interest of fairness and players’ previous chat history with the Poker Network.
•  The decision of Poker Network Management is final.
•  When reporting player behaviour that violates our code of conduct or reporting game concerns to member services, players should include table and hand numbers to indicate when and where the violation or problem took place.

Procedures

•  Management reserves the right to start or close any game at any time.
•  Cash games are raked. To view the rake structure click here.
•  All games are table stakes. If you leave a game and return to the same game within 20 minutes you must return with the same number of chips you left with.
•  Only one person may play a hand.
•  No one is allowed to play another person's account
•  A player may sit out in a game but will be removed from the game after 15 minutes of idle time.
•  Players are expected to pay attention to the game and not hold up play.
•  Players have 30 seconds to act on their hand in limit poker and 60 seconds to act on their hand in no-limit and pot-limit poker. In limit poker, after 20 seconds have elapsed, players are warned that they have 10 seconds to act on their hand and a loud alarm sounds if the player has sounds enabled. In no-limit or pot-limit poker, after 40 seconds have elapsed a loud alarm sounds warning the player that they have 20 seconds left to act on their hand.
•  If a player has not acted on their hand within the time allotted their hand is automatically folded as long as it is determined that the player is still connected.

Connection Issues

Due to the nature of Internet play, players sometimes lose their connection to . Under these circumstances, failure to act on one's hand is treated differently.

•  If a player loses their connection during the play of the hand and manages to reconnect while it is still their turn to act the player is given the chance to act on their hand. If the player reconnects during the last 10 seconds of his allotted time during a hand of limit poker or the last 20 seconds of his allotted time during a hand of no-limit or pot-limit poker, the player is allotted an additional 15 seconds to act on their hand.
•  If a player fails to act on his hand within the allotted time because of a loss of connectivity, that player will be placed all-in as long as that player as available all-in protection.
•  All players are given two all-in protections per 24 hours.
•  If a player uses all of his all-ins before 24 hours have elapsed, that player may request more all-in protections by going to the account services page.
•  Abuse of the all-in privilege will result in suspension or permanent barring of a player's account.
•  Review our all-in protection policy here.

Seating

•  Players may take an open seat in any game that they have the minimum buy-in for.
•  If a player wishes to play in a game that is full, they can add their name to the waitlist for that game. When a seat comes open they will be automatically prompted that their seat has come open.
•  Players are permitted to play up to 3 games at once. However, if it is determined that playing multiple games cause a player to act too slowly on a consistent basis, management reserves the right to further limit the number of games that player is allowed to play in at once.

Chip Dumping

•  Players cannot willfully use the poker tables to transfer money among other players. Players wishing to transfer money (play or Real), can contact Member Services for assistance. Players with complete accounts who have been customers in good standing for 6 months will have the option to transfer chips from the account services page within the game.
•  Violation of the chip dumping policy will result in warning, temporary or permanent suspension of account.

General Poker Rules

The buy-in

When you enter a game, you must make a full buy-in for that game. In limit poker, that is 10 times the size of the maximum bet for that game. There is no maximum buy-in for limit games. In no-limit or pot-limit poker the minimum buy-in is 10 times the big blind. There is also a maximum buy-in of 100 times the big blind in all no-limit or pot-limit games. This maximum buy-in rule is suspended when a player who quit a game with more than the maximum buy-in returns to the same game within 20 minutes.

Button Movement and Blinds

In blind games, a round disk called the button is used to indicate which player has the dealer position. The player with the button is the last to receive cards in the initial deal and has the right of last action after the first betting round. The button moves clockwise after a deal ends to rotate the advantage of last action. One or more blind bets are usually used to stimulate action and initiate play. Blinds are posted before the players look at their cards. Blinds are part of the player's bet, unless a particular situation cause part or all of a blind to be "dead." Dead blinds are not part of the player's bet. With two blinds, the player immediately to the left of the button posts the small blind and the player two to the left of the button posts the big blind. The player immediately to the left of the player who posted the big blind initiates action on the first round. On all subsequent betting rounds, the player immediately to the left of the button initiates action.

Rules for posting blinds

•  In blind games, players must post a big and small blind.
•  A new player entering the game can choose to either sit out until it is their turn to post the big blind in turn or they can post an amount equal to big blind immediately and get dealt a hand right away. When a player chooses the latter option the posted money is live.
•  Blinds posted in turn are live. A player who posts the blind in turn has the option of raising the pot at the first turn to act.
•  If a player sits out in a game and misses the big and small blind, the player must post both blinds before being dealt another hand. If the player is not in the big blind position, he will be prompted to post the big and small blind and the big blind will be live and the small blind will be dead (meaning it doesn't count toward the player's bets on that round).
•  If a new player chooses to sit out and misses posting their big blind in turn, they will have to post a big blind and a small blind behind the button in order to get dealt in. They could also choose to wait again until it is their turn to post the big blind.
•  If a new player sits down in between the big blind and the small blind the player cannot receive a hand.
•  If a player sits out on a round and misses the small blind only and wishes to return before it is their turn to post the big blind, that player must post a live small blind before they are dealt in again.
•  If a player goes all-in and loses they are obligated to make up the blinds if the blinds are missed before a rebuy is made.

Betting and Raising

•  Check and Raise is permitted in all games.
•  In no-limit or pot-limit games unlimited raising is allowed.
•  In limit games there is a limit of a bet and three raises on any betting round.
•  In limit play an all-in wager of less than half the bet for that round does not reopen the action for any subsequent player who has already acted on their hand that round. A player facing less than half a bet can fold, call or complete the wager. They may not raise. An all-in wager of half a bet or more is treated as a full bet. A subsequent player can fold, call or make a full raise.
•  In no-limit or pot-limit poker, a bet that is less than the bet or raise of the previous player does not reopen the action for subsequent players who have already acted on their hands.
•  Any wager must be at least the size of the previous bet or raise in that round unless a player is going all-in.
•  The smallest chip that can be wagered is equal to the smallest chip used in the antes, blinds, or rake.

Determining the Winning Hand

•  All hands that have called on the final betting round are involved in a showdown. The hands are shown in order where the first hand shown is that of the person who initiated the last action on the final betting round and then the players' hands are shown in clockwise order if and only if their hand can beat the previous hand shown. If a subsequent player's hand does not beat any previously shown hand, the player’s hand is mucked face down for the observers at the table, and is shown in the hand history to those sitting at the table.
•  If everyone checks on the final round of betting, showing order is determined by the person who acted first on that round of betting. In button games, this would be the person closest to the left of the button. In Stud games this would be the person who has the highest board.
•  Players have the option to show winning cards in an uncalled pot.

Ties

•  Suits are never used to break a tie for winning a pot.
•  Odd chips in split pots are broken down to the smallest unit used in the game.
•  No player may receive more than one odd chip.
•  In a straight high, blind game, if two or more hands tie any odd chips will be awarded clockwise in order from the button.
•  In a straight high stud game if two or more hands tie any odds chips will be awarded in order of high card on the players' boards where suits count in determining high card.
•  In a split game, the high hand receives the odd chip in a split between the high and the low hands. The odd chip in a tie between two high or two low hands is awarded in the same manner as in the straight high version of that form of poker.
•  All side pots and main pots will be split as separate pots, not mixed together.

*Many of these rules are adapted from Robert's Rules of Poker