Poker Rules

Table balancing

We move players in a tournament in two cases:

• Moving one player:
  We move one player to fix an uneven table. We try to keep moves to a minimum. The system usually picks someone who has moved less than others or someone sitting out. After picking the player, we seat them in a spot close to their previous position relative to the button.
• Moving a full table:
  We may break up a whole table to fill empty seats at other tables. This happens when enough seats open up to remove a table from play. The system assigns the new table completely at random.

Because of this, you might pay the blinds and then land right back in them, or move from under the gun to a late position. Everyone faces the same random chance when this happens.

In short, table balancing focuses on two goals:

• Spread moves evenly across players
• Keep blind positions as fair as possible

Simultaneous elimination

When two or more players bust out on the same hand, the player who started that hand with more chips ranks higher. If everyone started with the same stack, they tie for that position and split the prizes evenly.

Example: With 6 players left, two players bust on the same hand with equal stacks. They each receive (Prize 5 + Prize 6) ÷ 2.

Hand-for-hand play

Hand-for-hand play happens late in multi-table tournaments. All tables play one hand at a time. Every table waits until all other tables finish their hand before dealing the next one.

It's crucial when players are close to cashing or hitting a major pay jump. It keeps timing fair, especially near the money bubble. It stops players from slowing the game down to sneak into a payout.

Players who bust on the same hand count as busting at the same time, even if they're at different tables. You may see a player bust but not receive a finishing spot until all tables finish the hand. We then rank those players by who started the hand with the most chips.

Sitting out

You can sit out and fold every hand if you want. Doing so puts you at a big disadvantage. You fold every hand, pay blinds and antes, and never build your stack.

In rare cases, a player may blind down into a cash position. Most of the time, this strategy puts players in a much worse position than just playing normally.

For more details, check our Tournament Rules.