Pacific Poker Tournament Rules

Short Description

What is a Tournament?

A "Tournament" is a contest in which all players begin with an equal amount of chips and continue to play until one player remains and wins all the chips. Blinds/antes are raised consistently throughout the tournament. For details of the blinds/antes uplevel structure, please click here.

What is a Sit and Go Tournament?
Sit & Go Tournaments usually take place on a single table and have a maximum of 10 players. Play begins as soon as all players are seated (seats are assigned randomly) and continues until the one winning player remains. Prizes are usually also awarded to the runners up.

What is a Multi Table Tournament?

Multi-Table Tournaments have many players spread across many tables, they have set starting times and players must register in advance in order to play. The closing time of registration for each tournament will be announced in the Lobby. All seat assignments are randomly drawn prior to the start of the tournament.

As play progresses and players are knocked out, the remaining players are moved to different tables in order to keep them full. Tables will break down from the highest numbered table to the lowest numbered tables. The transferring of players from one table to another (as a result of tables breaking down) is done in a completely random fashion. This process continues until only one player remains.

Who plays first?

Hold'em and Omaha tournaments begin by dealing every player one card. The Player who receives the highest card dealt will be the dealer at his/her table for the first round of the tournament. If two Players are dealt the same high card, the suit preference of spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs will determine who starts as the dealer.

How is the winner decided?

Tournaments will continue until one Player wins all the chips.

How are players eliminated?

Players are eliminated from Play when they lose all their chips

How much does each player win?

The Prize structure is published in the Tournament Lobby and depends on the number of entrants

How many times can I raise in each betting round?

Pacific Poker's betting structure will be one bet and three raises for each betting round.

Do I have to play the Blinds?

Yes, Players are obligated to take their blinds.

What are the Blinds?

The Small Blind is the player immediately to the left of the dealer button and the Big Blind is the player to the immediate left of the Small Blind. It is possible for a player to take two Big Blinds in a row.

e.g., If one player had just played the Big Blind at a table which then broke down, the player could then be seated at the Big Blind position in the new table.

When only two Players remain, the Player due to play the Big Blind will do so and the Small Blind will inherit the button. The Small Blind or button will act first prior to the flop and second after the flop.

Are there any breaks in the tournament play?

There are no breaks during Sit & Go Tournaments. In Multi-Table tournaments, there is a 5- minute break each hour

How many chips do I start with?

In Single Table tournaments, players start with either $800 in chips for tournaments with buy-ins less than $30 or with $1,000 in chips for tournaments with higher buy-ins. The Levels for these tournaments go up after every ten hands. In Multi-table tournaments, levels are on a time basis and the time may vary depending on the tournament

Can I exchange my prize

The prize payoffs will be exactly according to the Payout Schedule (the "Payoff Structure") and there are no deals.

What happens if two (or more) players go out on the same hand?

If two (or more) players are eliminated on the same hand, the player who started the hand with the most chips will be awarded the higher finishing position.

What will happen if I attempt to cheat?

All Players are expected to abide by the House Rules. Those who do not abide by the House Rules may be asked by PacificPoker.com Personnel to leave the Tournament and/or to stop playing at PacificPoker.com. There should be no soft playing or chip dumping during Tournaments. Soft playing could be considered cheating in some instances.

What happens if I do not act on my hand in time?

Players who do not act on their hand in time ("Time Out")it will be folded.

What happens if I am disconnected?

Our standard Disconnection, Cancellation and All-in Policy applies to all Tournaments.

Can I play in more than one tournament at a time?

PacificPoker.com allows Players to participate in only one tournament at a time. If you are registered for two tournaments with overlapping scheduling, PacificPoker.com will refund your buy-in for the tournament with the later commencement time.

Can I ever play 'on the button' twice in a row?

PacificPoker.com uses a "forward moving button" rule in its tournaments. According to this rule, no player ever receives the button twice in consecutive hands; at the completion of every hand, the button is moved clockwise to the small blind. The implication of this rule is that when players are eliminated, there may be players who get a reprieve from one or both blinds. The forward moving button is common practice in online poker due to the technicalities involved in adjusting the blinds after players are eliminated. Since these are basically random occurrences, no player will receive any long-term advantage, and the rule is necessarily fair for all players.

What happens if a tournament is cancelled?

If a Tournament is cancelled due to technical issues, Players who were eliminated prior to the cancellation will lose their buy-in and entry fee. The remaining Players will be refunded their buy-ins and entry fees and will equally divide up the buy-in fees from the Players already eliminated, regardless of the chip standing when the tournament was halted.

The Small Print

PacificPoker.com reserves the right to change the rules and render final decisions on all matters herein at its sole discretion. Rule changes and relevant decisions will be communicated accordingly via PacificPoker.com via electronic and/or written means.

PacificPoker.com reserves the right to cancel or reschedule Tournaments at any time, for any reason, with or without notice.

PacificPoker.com reserves the right to amend the Tournament Rules and Policies at any time without notice to Players. Such amendments will become effective immediately upon being listed under the "Tournament Rules" section of the PacificPoker.com website. It is the Players' sole responsibility to review the Tournament Rules and Policies.

The rules and policies contained herein represent the complete understanding between Player and PacificPoker.com with respect to Player's activities at any PacificPoker.com tournament, except as otherwise specified in the any rules pertaining to a particular tournament, as posted at the PacificPoker.com website.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, all use of the website by Player is governed by the PacificPoker.com Terms & Conditions of Use. And in the event of dispute those terms and conditions shall apply.

Multi-Table Tournaments have many players spread across many tables, they have set starting times and players must register in advance in order to play. The closing time of registration for each tournament will be announced in the Lobby. All seat assignments are randomly drawn prior to the start of the tournament.

Hold'em and Omaha tournaments begin with the dealing of a "high card". The Player who receives the highest card dealt will be the dealer at his/her table for the first round of the tournament. If two Players are dealt the same high card, the suit preference of spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs will determine who becomes the dealer.

Tournaments will continue until one Player wins all the chips.

Players are eliminated from Play when they lose all their chips.

Prizes will be awarded as stated in the Tournament Lobby

PacificPoker.com's betting structure will be one bet and three raises for each betting round.

Players are obligated to take their "blinds"

The Small Blind is the player immediately to the left of the dealer button and the Big Blind is the player to the immediate left of the Small Blind. (It is possible for a player to take two Big Blinds in a row. For example, if he just had the Big Blind at his table, which just broke down and then was seated in the BB at his new table.)

When two Players remain, the Player due to assume the Big Blind will do so, and the Small Blind will inherit the button. The Small Blind or button will act first prior to the flop and second after the flop.

There are no breaks during Sit & Go Tournaments. In Multi-Table tournaments, there is a 5- minute break each hour

In Single Table tournaments, players start with either $800 in chips for tournaments with buy-ins less than $30 or with $1,000 in chips for tournaments with higher buy-ins. The levels for these tournaments go up after every ten hands. In multi-table tournaments, levels are on a 'time' basis and the time may vary depending on the tournament. Play continues until there is a winner. Chips are purchased in the Lobby, and the value of the chips varies according to the tournament.

The prize payoffs will be exactly according to the Payout Schedule (the "Payoff Structure") and there are No deals.

If two (or more) players are eliminated on the same hand, the player who started the hand with the most chips will be awarded the higher finishing position.

All Players are expected to abide by the House Rules. Those who do not abide by the House Rules may be asked by PacificPoker.com Personnel to leave the Tournament and/or to stop playing at PacificPoker.com.

There should be no soft playing or chip dumping during Tournaments. Soft playing could be considered cheating in some instances.

Players who do not act on their hand in time ("Time Out") will be folded.

Our standard Disconnection, Cancellation and All-in Policy applies to all Tournaments.

PacificPoker.com reserves the right to change the rules and render final decisions on all matters herein at its sole discretion. Rule changes and relevant decisions will be communicated accordingly via PacificPoker.com via electronic and/or written means.

PacificPoker.com reserves the right to cancel or reschedule Tournaments at any time, for any reason, with or without notice.

TOURNAMENTS: If a Tournament is cancelled due to technical issues, Players who were eliminated prior to the cancellation will lose their buy-in and entry fee. The remaining Players will be refunded their buy-ins and entry fees and will equally divide up the buy-in fees from the Players already eliminated, regardless of the chip standing when the tournament was halted.

PacificPoker.com reserves the right to amend the Tournament Rules and Policies at any time without notice to Players. Such amendments will become effective immediately upon being listed under the "Tournament Rules" section of the PacificPoker.com website. It is the Players' sole responsibility to review the Tournament Rules and Policies.

The rules and policies contained herein represent the complete understanding between Player and PacificPoker.com with respect to Player's activities at any PacificPoker.com tournament, except as otherwise specified in the any rules pertaining to a particular tournament, as posted at the PacificPoker.com website.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, all use of the website by Player is governed by the PacificPoker.com Terms & Conditions of Use. And in the event of dispute those terms and conditions shall apply.

PacificPoker.com allows Players to participate in only one tournament at a time. If you are registered for two tournaments with overlapping scheduling, PacificPoker.com will refund your buy-in for the tournament with the later commencement time.

PacificPoker.com uses a "forward moving button" rule in its tournaments. According to this rule, no player ever receives the button twice; at the completion of every hand, the button is moved clockwise to the small blind. The implication of this rule is that when players are eliminated, there may be players who get a reprieve from one or both blinds. The forward moving button is common practice in online poker due to the technicalities involved in adjusting the blinds after players are eliminated. Since these are basically random occurrences, no player will receive any long-term advantage, and the rule is necessarily fair for all players.