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Frequently Asked Questions

Tournaments

Q. How many chips do we start with?
A.
The start stack may differ depending on where you play. In Auckland, the starting stack is 15k and the blinds start at 50/100.

Q. Is there any minimum spend at the bar?
A.
There is no minimum spend at the bar, however we encourage you to support your venues through food and drinks so that they may continue to host poker.

Q: Are the NPPL rules different to other leagues?
A.
Where possible we use a standard set of Texas Hold'em rules, that can be found here. At times our Tournament Hosts may make a ruling or make tough decisions in order to adapt the game to the amatuer and fun environment that we play in. To the best of our ability we will teach you and apply our rules, which have been adapted from Robert's Rules of Poker by Bob Ciaffone, the leading authority on Texas Hold'em rules.

Regionals/Nationals

Q: Where do I find information on the Regionals/Nationals?
A.
Please check the Special Events page of the website from the menu at the top of this page titled 'Special Events'.

Q. I won entry into a Regional/National tournament, when will you contact me?
A.
If your phone number is up to date in the database, you will get a text reminder a week before the event.

Q: I didn't win a weekly tournament, but made many final tables during the season. Any hope I can go to the Regionals?
A.
Yes, there is hope. If you finish in the top 8 point scorers at your venue (which excludes those who have automatically won a seat) you will win entry into the Regional Finals.

Q: I'm a good player, but haven't qualified. Can I go to the Regionals?
A.
No.

Q: How do I qualify for the National Finals?
A.
You must finish in the Top 40 in any Regional Final or be a top 200 point scorer across NZ across the entire year. List of those who have qualified via Regionals.

Points and Rankings

Q: I won a tournament but my points are not showing up, why?
A.
If you won in the last 2-3 weeks, it's likely the Top 8 sheet for that venue simply hasn't been entered into the system yet. If it has been longer than that, please Contact Us as it may be missing for a different reason.

Q: I am appearing twice in the rankings, what should I do?
A.
If your name appears twice or is mis-spelt, you need to Contact Us. You may have multiple accounts on the system which is causing a split in your points and ranking. Simply let us know and we will consolidate them for you.

Q: What is my Player ID/Membership #/Username for?
A.
This is used by data entry to identify your account when the points are entered from the top 8 sheet. If your name is something common, say Joseph Smith, and you put Joe Smith on a Top 8 sheet with no other details, how can data entry tell if you and Joseph are the same person? Your Player ID, Membership # and Username are more unique - whereas your name may not be - so please always include your Player ID or Username on any Top 8 sheet you fill out.

Rules

Q: Why is the small blind on the button during head's up?
A.
Pre-flop, you must always deal away from the button so therefore you must deal to the big blind first. Post-flop, although the big blind is first to act (when normally the small blind would be), the dealer is a more important position and must always retain the right to act last.

Q: I heard/read/saw that if a player acts out of turn, they are forced to check. Is this correct?
A.
In professional tournaments - yes. This is so players cannot deliberately force other people out of a hand, e.g. if you go all in and they intended to just bet minimum. Some players use out of turn as a strategy and this is why that rule was invented. However, at your events there will be players who act out of turn simply because they are excited, they don't know the rule about going out of turn, or because players before them do not make their action clear. If players act out of turn, the rule will be explained to them and they will be given a warning. If the same player acts out of turn again, the TD has the discretion to enforce a penatly.

Q: Can a player fold their hand at any time?
A.
NO! Folding is an action, therefore it can only be done in turn. It does not matter who is at your table, or how friendly you are, it's the rules! Why? Some players make their decisions based on how many people are in the hand. If you need to get up from the table during a folded hand, you shouldn't throw it away before the action gets to you.

Q: If a player puts a single chip out that is greater than the current bet without saying anything, is it just a call?
A.
If you put out a single chip greater than the current bet it is considered a call only. If a player puts out a single chip without announcing how much they are betting or raising, the bet/raise will be equal to a minimum bet (big blind). Players must verbalise their intentions before putting chips in the pot.

Q: If a player exposes one or both of their cards while the hand is still being played, is their hand dead?
A.
This depends on whether the action was accidental or deliberate. If a player exposes their hand and doesn't realise there are other players in the hand - their hand will continue to be live. They suffer the disadvantage for that hand. However, players cannot reveal their hand deliberately while the hand is still in play. Some player do this to get a 'read' on the other player/s in the hand.

A hand will be ruled dead where cards are deliberately exposing cards without the player putting chips into the pot or verbalising an action.

Q: Why is it bad if I or a player says something like "who has the Ace for the flush?!"?
A.
If you have played poker before, and gotten into the danger of flopping a straight without seeing the flush draw on the board, you'll know the pain of being beaten at showdown when you thought you had the best possible hand. It is a player's responsibility to read the board, and if you're the player with the sneaky little flush, you can suckout a lot of money from a hand if other player's don't suspect you of having anything. This is why you should NEVER read the board. You should never point out what cards are needed to make a certain hand or what hands are possible. Not only is it bad etiquette, you could be destroying someone's game plan.

Q: If a player goes all in above the current bet amount, but less than the minimum raise, can the other players just call the all in amount?
A.
As per the betting rule - all bets must be equal to or greater than the previous bet or raise - the subsequent players after the all in must make sure that the player going all in has met these criteria. For example: BB 200, player 1 raises to 500 (300 raise), player 2 minimum raise is (800). If player 2 goes all in for 650, he has not met the minimum raise. Therefore all subsequent players must match the 800 bet, not the 650, as 800 is the minimum raise. (please note this variation is not played in the North Island. North Island play - you may flat-call the all-in raise).

Q: Why has the host made a ruling that is different to that stated in the rules?
A:
The host is expected to make a ruling that is in the best interests of the game. On occasion this may necessitate them not following the rules as stated. An example may be that a new player mucks their cards on the big blind where there is no raise. A host may allow the player to retrieve their cards the first time this happens with a warning that the next time they will not be allowed to do so.

Other

Q: What should I do if I have a problem or complaint?
A.
Please Contact Us so we can help you resolve it.

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