A free social poker league.
Poker is a game, and games should be fun — win or lose. No grudges. Just good poker and good people
Player Agreement: By participating in Potbuilder Poker, all players agree to abide by every rule and etiquette standard listed below. Violations may result in removal from the game, suspension, and/or ban from Potbuilder Poker.
♥ Table Behavior
No discussion of the hand in play. There is absolutely no talking about the active hand until the action is complete. Do not talk about your cards, and do not speculate about what would have happened after folding. Exception: two-player (heads-up) situations may discuss freely.
Watch your language. Removal / Suspension Obscene language, verbal abuse, and excessive criticism of another player's play are not tolerated.
Do not be rude or mean. A bad day does not give you the right to curse at or disrespect other players. Everyone came out to enjoy a game — not to manage your attitude.
Limit mobile phone use during hands. Let it go to voicemail, or fold. Extended calls should be taken away from the table. Everyone does not need to know what your mamma drama or baby daddy issue.
Middle-of-table players, help when you can. When there is no dedicated dealer and the button is at the far end of the table, it is difficult to pitch cards cleanly. Assist your neighbors — we are not Inspector Gadget.
Keep the table clean. No sticky, greasy, or messy food at the table. Keep drinks secured to prevent spills on cards and chips. We are not your mom — clean up after yourself.
No over-criticizing or coaching other players — etiquette violation. Warning → Penalty → Disqualification Continuously berating, instructing, or criticizing another player's actions is strictly prohibited under This applies whether you are in the hand or not.
Etiquette Violations: Players must act civilly at all times. Excessive chatter, abusive conduct, and unnecessarily criticizing or advising other players' actions are strictly forbidden.
No Disclosure / One Player to a Hand: Players are obligated to protect the integrity of the game. No player — in or out of the hand — may advise, instruct, or criticize another player's decisions.
Penalties: The Tournament Director has full discretion to escalate as follows:
1. Verbal warning
2. Missed hand or missed round penalty
3. Forfeiture of chips and outright disqualification for repeat or severe behavior
♠ Gameplay Rules
Be at your seat when the first card is dealt. "At your seat" means within reach of your chair. A player not seated at the initial deal will receive a dead hand.
All-in hands must be shown — showdown is mandatory. When a player is all-in and all betting action is complete, both players must table their cards face up so the dealer can determine the winner and award the pot. Neither player may muck their hand.
Showdown required: Once no further bets or folds are possible, the hand has reached its conclusion. Both players must turn their cards face up — no exceptions.
No mucking: The player with the losing hand cannot throw their cards away face-down to hide them. With all chips committed to a contested pot, both hands must be exposed to verify the winner.
Who shows first — tournaments: The dealer will instruct both players to turn cards face up simultaneously, or wait until cards are placed on their backs before dealing remaining community cards.
Early exposure: If a player prematurely reveals their cards before all community cards are dealt, it is generally treated as a call. In heads-up, it only hurts the revealer by giving information. In a multi-way pot, it is a penalizable offense.
At showdown, turn over both cards — without delay. You must show both cards to claim the pot. No exceptions. This rule prevents chip dumping and collusion.
Heads-up rule: When only two players remain, the small blind is on the button.
Rebuy commitment: If a player announces a rebuy before cards are dealt, they are playing behind and are obligated to complete that rebuy.
Tickets in play: When a player puts tickets on the table, they must announce it to the table. Once on the table, tickets are in play and cannot be removed except by the TD in exchange for chips. Ticket values are assessed with all bonuses applied.
Accidental 4-card flop: If the dealer accidentally exposes 4 cards face up on the flop, the following procedure applies :
Scramble: The dealer turns all 4 cards face down and scrambles them.
Select burn card: A floorperson or dealer randomly selects one card to serve as the new burn card.
Deal the flop: The remaining 3 cards are placed face up as the corrected flop.
♦ Card Handling
Protect your cards at all times. Use a chip or card protector. Cards that enter the muck — even accidentally — are dead. Cards pushed toward the middle of the table or muck pile are dead. This is not basketball; no fake-outs.
Keep your cards visible on the table, in front of your chip stack. Do not cover cards with your hands, hide them behind your stack, or take them off the table. If other players act out of turn because your cards were hidden, you will be forced to muck.
Do not show cards from a live hand. Dead Hand Deliberately showing a card during an active hand will result in that hand being ruled dead. Cards may only be shown when no further action is possible or at showdown. Exception: heads-up (two remaining players) only.
Show One, Show All. If a player shows cards to any player at the table — during or after a hand — any player has the right to see those cards after the hand concludes. If you show your winning hand, show the whole table.
Rabbit hunting is strictly prohibited. Not Allowed Revealing cards that would have come if the hand had not ended is not permitted under Poker : "Rabbit hunting (revealing cards that would have come if the hand had not ended) is not allowed." Why it's banned:
Game delay — Exposing extra cards and running out the board slows the game and reduces hands per hour.
Competitive integrity — Showing future cards can leak information about mucked hands, inadvertently compromising the strategy of players still in the tournament.
♠ Betting & Action
Substantial action — out-of-turn actions generally stand. Once substantial action occurs out of turn, the action stands. In flop games, substantial action is defined as either three actions (checks, calls, bets, or folds) or any two actions that put chips in the pot. Out-of-turn action before substantial action is reached may be backed up at the floor's discretion.
No string bets. A player must make one continuous motion when betting. Pushing chips forward without a verbal declaration, then returning to your stack to add more, is not allowed. Verbal declaration of the amount is binding — always announce your bet before moving chips.
Verbal declaration: State the total amount or say "raise" before putting chips in the pot. Saying "raise" locks you into completing the action.
One motion: Push the full raise amount in a single continuous movement.
Responsibility: It is the player's responsibility to make their intentions clear.
Potbuilder re-raise rule: The first re-raise after a player has already raised must be at least double the initial raise amount. House Rule Example: if the initial raise is 200, the first re-raise must be at least 400 total. This keeps action meaningful and prevents trivial min-raises.
The 50% / Min-Raise Rule. Chip placement without a verbal declaration is governed by the following:
50% or more: Placing chips equal to 50% or more of the previous bet silently is treated as a forced minimum raise — you must add enough to complete a full valid raise.
Less than 50%: Placing less than 50% of the previous bet silently in a single motion is ruled a call.
Sizing the raise. Raise amounts are governed by three standards:
Minimum: A raise must be at least equal to the largest previous bet or raise in that betting round.
All-in exception: Going all-in for less than the minimum raise still re-opens betting for players who have already acted.
No cap: There is no cap on the number of raises in No-Limit and Pot-Limit play.
Multiple chip rule. Chip placement without verbal declaration is interpreted as follows:
Single oversized chip: Tossing one higher-denomination chip (e.g. a $500 chip into a $100 bet) silently is a call, not a raise.
Multiple chips: Pushing out multiple chips without a verbal declaration — where removing any single chip would leave less than the required call — is also ruled a call.
When in doubt, declare your intention verbally before touching your chips.
♦ Tabling & Showdown
Protect your hand — dealers may kill unprotected cards. Hand Killed Dealers and floor staff have the right to kill a hand that is accidentally mucked, even if it is the winning hand. Players are solely responsible for protecting their hole cards at all times. Use a chip or card protector — no exceptions.
Both hole cards must be fully tabled to win. Pot Forfeited At showdown, both hole cards must be turned face up to claim the pot. If a player mucks their cards face down — even believing they have won — they forfeit the pot. Cards speak, but only if they're shown.
♣ Chip & Bet Handling
Do not splash the pot. Place your bet immediately in front of your cards, not into the pot.
Keep high-value chips visible. Highest-value chips must be at the front of your stack, visible to all players. Do not hide large-denomination chips behind smaller ones.
Stack chips after the hand. Shuffling, dealing, and playing take priority over stacking chips. After winning a pot, move your chips aside and get on with dealing or playing first. Stack later — act like it's not your first time winning.
♣ Tournament Management
Be in your seat when the last card is dealt. Hand Killed To keep the tournament moving, a player must be at their seat — within reach of their chair — by the time the last card is dealt on the initial deal. If they are not seated in time, their hand is killed immediately. No exceptions. Being "in your seat" does not excuse being absent while already involved in a hand. Return to the table promptly at all times.
Tournament Director's discretion — "best interest of the game" is the final rule. In situations not explicitly covered by these rules, the TD will make a ruling based on the best interest of the game. Common-sense fairness takes priority over strict technicalities. All TD rulings are final. Disputes should be raised calmly and immediately — not after the hand is over. Accept the ruling and move on.