APPT - Rules & Regulations

In the following list, items in Section A relate to the television production and 'APPT' Ltd. requirements, and apply to each event on the 'APPT'. Section B covers the 'APPT' Tournament Rules and Regulations guidelines and may differ slightly from venue to venue.

Please note that the APPT Sydney event has a distinct set of rules which supersede the standard rules of our other tournaments.

Section A:

Regulations relating to the wearing of branded logos by players at any event on The Asia Pacific Poker Tour 'APPT':

1. Players will be allowed to wear company logos/brandingon their shirts provided that the following restrictions are accepted andimplemented:
   • One breast pocket logo no larger than 70 square cm
   • Two upper shirt sleeve logos no larger than 25 square cm. (One on each sleeve)
2. No other branding on any part of the clothing or body.
3. Baseball caps and card protectors with logos will beallowed but no logos must be visible on them on the TV table.
4. Players can be sponsored by a company only before thetournament start. Any un-sponsored player, not wearing branded clothing orlogos at the beginning of a 'APPT' tournament, can only be sponsored bythe headline sponsor (Pokerstars.net) ("The Sponsor").
5. No more than 10% of the overall entry field at any eventon the 'APPT' can wear the branding/logos of any single company with theexception of the headline sponsor of that event. If more than 10% of theplayers from any single company are wearing the branding/logos of anysingle company, then the players themselves or a company representativemust decide which players wear the branded clothing. If no decision ismade, then APPT will high card the players to make a decision.
6. No more than 2 players on the final table can wear thelogos of any single company. If more than 2 players from any singlecompany reach the final table then the players themselves or a companyrepresentative must decide which 2 players wear the branded clothing. Ifno decision is made, then APPT will high card the players to make a decision.Any player starting the final table with no logos must remain wearing nologos throughout the final.
7. Asia Pacific Poker Tour and the Tournament Directorwill have absolute discretion to approve the clothing and apparel worn bythe players during the event. They will also have the right to remove anylogo, image or words on the players' clothing and apparel, which in theopinion of Asia Pacific Poker Tour or the Tournament Director contravenesthe requirements of the commissioning broadcaster, APPT or any regulatorybody.
8. Players that win an event forming part of the APPT willbe offered by the Sponsor a seat in the Grand Final event of the APPT (the"Final") subject to such Player consenting to wear the Sponsorbranded clothing provided by the Sponsor exclusively throughout theentirety of the Final.
9. For the avoidance of doubt any winning player thatreceives a seat in the Final from the Sponsor will remain entirelyresponsible for the costs of accommodation and travel to, from and at theFinal.
10. In the event that a winning player is not able toparticipate in the Final or refuses to wear Sponsor branded clothingexclusively at the Final such player will forfeit his/her seat in theFinal and shall have no claims against either of the Sponsor or Asia PacificPoker Tour Ltd. in such regard and neither the Sponsor nor Asia PacificPoker Tour Ltd shall have any obligation to compensate the winning playerin any way.
11. Seats in the Final granted to winning players areneither transferable nor exchangeable and cannot be exchanged for money ormoney's worth,
12. Some preliminary rounds, and the final table, will befilmed for transmission and broadcast as a delayed television series.
13. Players competing in any event on the APPT are requiredto permit their image to be shown on television internationally, withoutrestriction and in all forms of media. Entry into each tournament is takenas that player giving their consent to participate in the TV coverage.
14. Furthermore, all consents under the UK PerformersRights Protection Acts 1958 to 1972, or under similar legislation in othercountries of the world in connection with the player's performance in anyevent forming part of the APPT, and the exploitation of the player'sperformance in any event on the Asia Pacific Poker Tour by any means andin all media including (but not by way of limitation) all forms oftheatrical exhibition, television broadcast, internet, and video gramexploitation are hereby granted and assigned by the player to Asia PacificPoker Tour Ltd.
15. Any player playing in any event on the APPTacknowledges to Asia Pacific Poker Tour Ltd that the entire copyrightthroughout the world in any film and /or video or other recordings ofthemselves taken or made during any event on the 'APPT' shall belong toAsia Pacific Poker Tour Ltd.
16. The player warrants to Asia Pacific Poker Tour Ltd thatthey are able to assign all such rights and give such acknowledgements.
17. Any player in any event on the 'APPT' agrees to carryout any reasonable request by Asia Pacific Poker Tour Ltd during the eventto assist in publicizing, televising or promoting the event.
18. Any player playing in any event on the 'APPT' agrees todisclose their hole cards to the hidden camera at the final table and anyrefusal to do so could lead to disqualification from the event with noprize money being awarded and no refunds given.
19. Players must make themselves available to attend pressconferences and/or television interviews at any reasonable time during anyevent on the 'APPT' if requested by Asia Pacific Poker Tour Ltd or theTournament Director.
20. Asia Pacific Poker Tour Ltd reserves the right to addor amend any tournament rules, as they l appropriate. This will be donefor the benefit of the game and all contestants will be informed of suchchanges as and when they occur.
21. A condition of entry into any tournament on the 'APPT'will be the completion and signing of a release form detailing all the aboveand distributed at the individual events by 'APPT' and the eventorganisers.

Section B:

In the first series of the Asia Pacific Poker Tour ("APPT") it is hoped that each venue will adhere to the following rules and regulations. However, due to local gaming body guidelines there may be minor differences between events, but it is our ultimate intention to have a standardised set of rules applying to all poker tournaments within the tour schedule.

In the event of any disputes, the Tournament Director's decision at each venue on the 'APPT' is final.

Players are advised to familiarise themselves with any local rules and regulations before entering the tournaments held there.

POKER COMPETITION RULES:

1. Seating assignment will be determined by random drawand will not be transferable.
2. A draw for the button will be held at each table at thebeginning of the tournament and also at the final table.
3. Players will be allocated the exact same number ofchips as all other players and this amount bears no relation to the buy-inof the event.
4. All chips must be visibly displayed at all times. Aplayer's highest denomination chips cannot be 'hidden' and must be visibleat all times. Players may not have tournament chips in their pockets atany time. A player who has chips in his pocket will forfeit the chips andwill receive a penalty as per (31). The forfeited chips will be taken outof play from the tournament.
5. There will be no foreign chips allowed on the tableexcept for a maximum of one card cap.
6. When it is time to colour-up chips, they will be racedoff with a maximum of one chip going to any player. The chip race willalways start in the No 1 seat. A player cannot be raced out of atournament. In the event that a player has only one chip left, the regularrace procedure will take place. If that player loses the race, he will begiven one chip of the smallest denomination still in play.
7. Betting will be in clockwise order and must be in turn.
8. Verbal declarations in turn are binding. Action out ofturn may be binding:
   • If a player bets, raises or calls out of turn the bet stands.
   • If the player who should have acted first chooses to bet more than the out-of-turn bet, the player who acted out of turn can either make up the difference to call, or take back his bet and fold, or re-raise.
9. If a player puts in a raise of 50% or more of theprevious bet, he will be required to make a full raise. The raise will beexactly the minimum raise allowed.
10. An oversized chip placed in the pot before the flopwith no verbal declaration will be considered a call; after the flop anoversized chip put into the pot will constitute the size of the bet.
11. When raising, a player must put the amount of the raiseout in one motion or state the raise amount. By stating the word 'raise' aplayer protects his right to raise, but the raise must be made in oneadditional motion unless the player states the amount of the raise.
12. Over-blinds (straddles) are not permitted in tournamentplay.
13. Under-raises are only permitted if a player is going"all-in". Less than a full raise does not re-open the betting toa player who has already acted.
14. Players must be in their seat when the dealer finishesthe deal. If the player is not in their seat then the dealer will mucktheir hand immediately.
15. All cards will be turned face up once a player isall-in and all action is complete.
16. Tournament play will use a 'dead button'.
17. When time has elapsed in a round and a new round isannounced, the new limits apply to the next hand. A hand has begun withthe first riffle.
18. Players may not ask for deck changes.
19. The one player to a hand rule will be enforced.
20. No rabbit hunting is allowed.
21. A player who intentionally dodges his blinds whenmoving from a broken table may forfeit the blinds and incur a penalty. Themoney will be put into the next pot and considered dead money.
22. A player wanting to use a cellular phone must step awayfrom the table.
23. Verbal declarations regarding your own hand are notbinding and commenting on the possible contents of an opponent's hand isallowed for the purposes of the televised tournament. However this onlyapplies to players involved in the hand and not to players who havealready passed their hand.
24. Players who are not in the hand may not discuss thehand in play until all action is completed. Discussing cards discarded isnot allowed.
25. No player will be allowed to expose his or her cardsduring a hand.
26. It is a player's responsibility to protect their ownhands at all times. If a dealer kills an unprotected hand, the player willhave no redress and will not be entitled to his money back. An exceptionwould be if a player raised and his raise had not been called yet, hewould be entitled to receive his raise back.
27. Dealers cannot kill a winning hand that was turned faceup and was obviously the winning hand.
28. Floor people are to consider the best interest of thegame and fairness as top priority in the decision making process. Unusualcircumstances can, on occasion, dictate that the technical interpretationof the rules be ignored in the interest of fairness. The floor manager'sdecision is final.
29. If two or more players are eliminated at the sametable, the player with the higher chip count will receive the higherfinishing place. During regular play, if two or more players areeliminated at separate tables, they will be assigned a finishing placebased on the order of his/her elimination. In the event it is impossibleto determine the order of elimination, they will equally split the prizesinvolved. During "Hand for Hand" play, if two or more playersare eliminated at separate tables, they will equally split the prizesinvolved.
30. Management reserves the right to cancel or alter anyevent at its sole discretion in the best interest of the tournament or itsplayers.
31. Tournament tables will be balanced all the time.Players will be moved from the big blind to the worst position.
32. A player can be issued the following penalties: (a)verbal warning, (b) missed hand penalty, (c) have a hand declared dead,(d) disqualification, or (e) elimination.
    
    A missed hand penalty will be assessed as follows: At the beginning of thenext hand, the offender will be required to miss one hand for every player(including the offender) who is at the table. A floor supervisor canassess a one-, two-, three-, or four-round penalty (For example: 7 playersx3-rounds = 21 missed hands). While on a penalty, the offender must remainaway from the table. Repeated infractions are subject to escalatingpenalties.
    
    Note: If a player is moved while on a penalty, he/she will sit-out theremainder of the penalty at the new table. This action may require aplayer to miss and pay more than one set of blinds.
    
    Players who are disqualified will not be entitled to a refund, their chipswill be removed from play and their standing in the tournament will beestablished based on the time the chips are removed from play. A severeinfraction of the rules may also result in a player being eliminated fromthe tournament meaning additionally the player will not be entitled to anyprize money.
33. Calling for the clock procedures: Once a reasonableamount of time has passed and a clock is called for, a player will begiven one minute to make a decision. If action has not been taken by thetime the minute is over, there will be a 10-second countdown. If a playerhas not acted on his hand by the time the countdown is over, the hand willbe dead.
34. The use of bad language is strictly forbidden and willlead to penalties being imposed on the offending player/s.
35. In the event of any disputes arising during anytournament on The Asia Pacific Poker Tour the Tournament Director'sdecision is final.
36. A player who leaves a tournament at any stage and forwhatever reason is deemed to have forfeited any right to the cost ofentry. The chip stack of such player will continue to be blinded off,however, should the player finish in the money once all chips have beenblinded off, the player shall remain eligible for the prize whichcorresponds to the order of his/her finish.
37. In circumstances where there is a guaranteed prizepool, such guarantee will not apply in the event where player attendance at the tournament is affected as a result of acts, events, omissions or accidents beyond the reasonable control of Global Poker Tours Limited such as acts of God, including but not limited to fire, flood, earthquake, windstorm or other natural disaster; war, threat of or preparation for war, terrorist attack, civil war, civil commotion or riots; voluntary or mandatory compliance with any law (including a failure to grant any licence or consent needed or any change in the law or interpretation of the law); fire, explosion or accidental damage; adverse weather conditions.

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