Gundam Poker is a micro-stakes private home game that generates zero profit. No rake is taken, there is no hourly rate and there are no membership fees. It is a legal Florida poker home game.
- Unless noted below, the house rules will follow Robert’s Rules of Poker
- Starting Game
- No player, even the host, is allowed to buy themselves into a cash game or tournament. Purchasing chips or buying into a tournament must always involve two people. The player buying chips should announce how many chips they want and give an amount of US currency that equals or exceeds the amount of desired chips to the host/cohost. The host/cohost should repeat verbally the amount of chips requested and then verify (by counting) the money received and state the money count verbally and return any change, also stating the change amount verbally. The player, in turn, should verify the change amount they received by counting it immediately and then promptly count the chips they received before being dealt their first (or next) hand. If there is any discrepancy it should be immediately brought to the attention of the host/cohost before the player’s chips are in play. This is also true when “topping off” or re-buying. Note: This process is more about catching errors than cheating, and it has been very successful.
- Player must exchange United States currency ($) for chips (credit is not allowed.) The amount of chips on the table (or total prize pool in a tournament) must always equal the amount of money in the kitty (referred to the Monkey in the Gundam Game.) House-rake or house-credit are NOT allowed. If a player (including the host/cohost) is going to spot another player, they must do so by presenting their own cash. The monkey doesn’t accept credit.
- Seats will be randomly selected (see Random Seat Selection & Buy-in Receipt Guidelines, below.)
- Ending Game
- No player leaving the game, even the host, is allowed to cash themselves out of a cash game or tournament.
- Cashing-out before End-of-Game: A player cashing out or collecting tournament winnings before the game has ended must always involve a host/cohost. The player cashing out should announce how many chips they have, keeping their chips on the table in front of their seat. The host/cohost should then verify (by counting) the amount, keeping the chips on the table in front of the seat. The host/cohost should then retrieve the amount in cash from the monkey and place it on the table in front of the player’s seat. No money or chips should be moved off the table from the seat position of any player cashing out. If change is needed it is placed on the table. The player, in turn, should verify the amount they received by counting it on the table and determine it is correct. If there is any discrepancy it should be immediately brought to the attention of the host/cohost before the player’s chips or cash leaves the table. Once at least two people are in agreement the money and chips can be taken off the table. If a player who has cashed-out decided to re-join the table, they must sit down with at least the amount they cashed-out but greater than the minimum buy-in. Note: This process is more about catching errors than cheating, and it has been very successful.
- Cashing-out at End-of-Game: At the end of the night, when the game has ended, all player’s should count their chips in front of them. They should then have at least one other player count their chips (preferably the host/cohost). Once a chip-stack is counted by at least two people the host/cohost can then retrieve cash from the monkey and place an equal amount of cash on the table near the stack the money represents. No money or chips should be moved off the table from the seat position of any player cashing out. This process should be repeated for every remaining player at the table. Once all the money is distributed to each stack and the count considered good by the host/cohost, the player’s can then, and only then, remove their cash from the table and start collecting the chips. Note: This process is more about catching errors than cheating, and it has been very successful.
- Buy-ins, Top-offs and Re-buys etc.
- New Table: A game will typically have a Maximum Buy-In-Amount (MBIA) based on # of big blinds (bb) (100 or 200 bb is typical) which represents the initial maximum buy-in amount. By default, a player must buy-in for a minimum of 20bb.
- Top-Offs & Re-buys: Once a table has established action, any player can top-off their chip stack in multiple increments of 10 big blinds never to equal or exceed the BIA + 10BB. The host is allowed to estimate and approximate stack-sizes and amounts to speed-up game, so the criteria values are approximate guidelines.
- Players not in their seat
- Player Out-of-Seat when Not in a Blind or Ante: Any player who has chips on the table and is NOT in a blind seat or ante position should always be dealt into the hand. Players should not be denied a “free” hand independent on whether or not they are seated. (Note: Yes, this differs from Robert’s rules and most casino rules)
- Player Out-of-Seat when In a Blind or Ante : Any player not in their seat when their seat location does require a blind or ante shall not be dealt into the hand UNLESS they have verbally stated they want to post their blind/ante OR they are in a tournament. Otherwise the player’s stack should never be touched without their permission (exception is while in a tournament) and thus cannot be dealt into the hand since their antes and/or blinds haven’t been posted (per Robert’s Rules.) If a player misses a blind, they have the option to post the missed blind(s) if they want to be dealt into a following hand OR they must wait until they are on the big blind.
- During a hand when action is established: If a player (who is neither the host nor performing host duties) is out of their seat when it is their turn to act, any other player at the table (whether or not they are in-a-hand) can immediately call “clock” have the empty seat’s hand folded in 30 seconds (the 30 seconds is independent of established “clock-time” for the game.) If a player’s hand is folded from not being in their seat and they remain out of their seat, upon their next action, their hand is folded immediately until they return to their seat. If the player out of the seat is the host or a player performing host duties, their hand should not be folded unless they request it to be folded. A player who is performing host’s duties include any action that is of benefit to the host or any player(s) at the table. By definition, the host is always performing host duties, whether or not it is benefiting other players.
- Time-to-Act “Clock” and Time-Banks: By default, the time-to-act clock is set to 30-seconds, unless otherwise specified. However, the time-to-act clock is not activated unless a player calls “clock.” Any player at the table (whether or not they are in a hand) can call “clock” on a player who’s turn it is to act. The player who has action is then given 30-seconds to act with a 10 second count down to zero at which their hand is folded (unless time-banks are being used.) If time-banks are used in the game then any player with a remaining time-bank will NOT have their hand folded when clock goes to zero, and instead the amount of the time-bank will be used to extend the time-to-act (a time bank will be used and returned to dealer, whether or not the player states they want to activate it.) By default, time-banks are NOT used in the home game, but if used the time is 60 seconds by default. Note: Time-to-Act should not expected to be exact so the tolerance on starting clocks and extended time-banks can be off significantly. However, at the end of the count down, if the player hasn’t acted by the time the dealer finishes saying the word “zero”, the hand is to be folded.
- Some Rule Reminders
- No discussion of the current hand should be made by anyone when the hand is not heads-up. Important Note: When heads-up the two players in the hand are allowed to say anything they want and even show their cards, however, no other players or spectators should discuss any aspect of the current hand.
- Placing a Single-Chip into the pot will be determined a CALL no matter the chip value IF there is No Verbal indication of a RAISE. The host may elect forgiveness and warning to new players.
- Very first action is binding: This means that if a player says, “I call your bet, and raise…”, the very first action was CALL, thus the player will NOT be allowed to raise. Also, if the player makes a bet with chips, they cannot go back for more chips (string-bets are not allowed.) However, If a player verbally states, RAISE, before betting with chips, they are allowed to put up to a call amount into the pot, and then go back to get chips for the raise amount. This is because the first action of stating RAISE is binding.
- Errors and Misdeals:
- When there is “an error”, such as a mistake made by the dealer, a flipped card, the situation will be first rectified by following Robert’s Rules. Most errors will NOT be rectifiable and the negative consequences remain as-is. Yes, this means that outcomes will be “unfair” to some players, however, it is expected over the long-term every player will be subjected to “unfair” outcomes equally. Basically following the guidelines of Robert’s Rules of Poker.
- Any card that is determined as inadvertently exposed during a deal will be out-of-play. Exposure only requires the possibility of another player seeing the card, it doesn’t require any player actually seeing the exposed card. Any card that leaves the surface of the table during a deal is always considered an inadvertent exposed card and will be out-of-play.
- The host may deal any player out of the hand or game, remove any player from the game, or remove any player from the game location for any reason. Typically the reasons will be a player is acting outside the spirit of the game by being offensive, disruptive (slowing play down, being loud or obnoxious) or refusing to follow house-rules.
- No collusion of any kind. This includes chip dumping, playing soft against particular opponents or speaking privately to other players about their hands.
- If a player is backing another player, both players should make this known to all the other players at the table.
- During a session players must leave all their money on the table if they continue playing. No ratholing or “going south”. If a player who has cashed-out decided to re-join the table, they must sit down with at least the amount they cashed-out but greater than the minimum buy-in.
- Random Seat Selection & Buy-in Receipt Guidelines:
- Max-Number-of-Seats & Max-Number-of-Tables: The maximum number of seats (MNoS) per table and maximum number of tables (MNoT) should be determined before start of game. The maximum number of players (MNoP) is MNoS*MNoT.
- Seat-Deck for standard game: The Seat-Deck should be a separate deck of cards that is very visually distinct from the cards that will be dealt at the tables during the game. The number of pips on a card represent their relative value with jack, queen and king having values of 11, 12 and 13, respectively (ace has a value of 1.) The Seat-Deck should only contain the number of suits equal to MNoT. Each suit should contain a sequential number of cards, lowest (ace) to highest pip where the highest pip value is equal to MNoS. For example, if MNoS=7, then each suit should have ace thru 7 and if MNoS=9, each suit should have Ace thru 9. Each table should be assigned a suit before game begins. If there are more than 4-tables with more than 4 players at each table, then two distinctive decks can be used to increase MNoT up to 8, adding decks as needed. When MNoT=2, suits with different colors are recommended.
- Seat-Deck for heads-up (or MNoT < 5): For events with MNoT < 5 (e.g. heads-up thru 4-top) pips can represent table #’s ace(1) thru king(13) and suits can represent seat #, club(1), diamond(2), heart(3) and spade(4). Each table should be assigned a pip value before game begins.
- The Seat-Deck should be randomly shuffled and remain in the possession of the host/cohost so the cards can be used as buy-in receipts.
- Drawing for Seats: Immediately after a player finishes the process of buying into a game or tournament, they should randomly select their Seat-Card from the Seat-Deck, and should maintain possession of the Seat-Card until the table is filled. The Seat-Card establishes that they have already bought-in and will determine what table they will sit at and what relative seat position they will have at the table.
- Physical Location: The host is always given 1st choice of the physical seat location otherwise the 1st choice in picking the physical location goes to the player who has the lowest seat draw at their table (again, ace is low) before the game begins (after game begins, this rule no longer applies.) The host can physically remove (or add) seat positions and rotate the entire table at any time.
- Seat Position: The highest seat value is the button. The player with the lowest seat value ALWAYS sits to the left of the button and the seating continues clock-wise increasing in seat value.
- New Players: If a new player enters the game (after the first hand is dealt), they will still need to draw a card and sit in their proper relative position. This may require adding a seat back at the table and players’ adjusting their physical location. It is why it is important for players to keep possession of their Seat-Cards until the table is full so new players can be inserted properly (and randomly) into the game. The host always has the option of over-ruling this and choosing where the new player sits in order to prevent slowing down the game. Note: If a new player has the lowest seat draw, they do not get to choose their physical location. It is a perk that is only available for players seating before first hand is dealt.
- Slow rolling McClary is highly encouraged.