Home Game Rules Question

Playing the other night when this situation came up.

The game's always usually friendly but someone brought someone new that just wanted to treat the game like the WSOP.

This was a $20 buy-in tourney with about 16 people playing. Blinds were 50/100. New guy in mid position raised it to 400. Buddy of mine on the button meant to call but didnt verbalize it. He accidently grabed one chip too many and threw in 500. He then reached and pulled the one chip back when new guy claims that it was a raise and he must complete the raise to at least 800.

The guy was pretty jerky about it so my buddy ended up finishing the raise then sucked out on jerk on the turn.

But anyways, what is the ruling here?

If he put too much money in the pot then its considered a bet and if that bet is under the minimum then he is required to put in the rest of his raise.

The exception to this is if he threw in only one chip in total. If a single chip is thrown in and no action is announced, its considered to be a call. So that's something to watch out for if that single chip is intended to be a raise.

Its acceptable to demand that the raise stands. Really its to stop angle shooting, and anyway, he should really be announcing his intention before action to avoid confusion.

That's never a raise in Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun unless you put in at least 1/2 the amount necessary to constitute a raise. In this case the raise was 300, so if he'd put $150+ extra in along with the $400 to call, and tried to pull it back, it's a raise and he can't.

Also if he'd thrown in a $500 or $1000 chip and said nothing, that's also a call.

I agree. The Casino I play has similar rules. If he didn't announce and one extra chip dropped in it is considered a call.

The rule is it's a reraise and you must at least double the amount of the raise. Since it's a home game, you can be flexible. Home games are meant to be fun and usually have different rules on certian situations.

Should be just a call. In either case, the house owner has the final say, and since it's a home game and an obvious mistake was made, he'd most likely just rule it a call.

OK here is the 110% final solution.


Roberts Rules:

Section 3
Betting and raising
Rule 13 and 15

13. A player who bets or calls by releasing chips into the pot is bound by that action and must make the amount of the wager correct. (This also applies right before the showdown when putting chips into the pot causes the opponent to show the winning hand before the full amount needed to call has been put into the pot.) However, if you are unaware that the pot has been raised, you may withdraw that money and reconsider your action, provided that no one else has acted after you. At pot-limit or no-limit betting, if there is a gross misunderstanding concerning the amount of the wager, see Section 14, Rule 8.

15. If you put a single chip in the pot that is larger than the bet, but do not announce a raise, you are assumed to have only called. Example: In a $3-$6 game, when a player bets $6 and the next player puts a $25 chip in the pot without saying anything, that player has merely called the $6 bet.

Section 14
No limit rules
Rule 11

11. If a player tries to bet or raise less than the legal minimum and has more chips, the wager must be increased to the proper size (but no greater). This does not apply to a player who has unintentionally put too much in to call.

Section 2
Decision making
Rules 1 and 2

1. Management reserves the right to make decisions in the spirit of fairness, even if a strict interpretation of the rules may indicate a different ruling.
2. Decisions of the shift supervisor are final.




Rule 13 states that a player who releases chips into the pot without verbalising an action is bound by the action he makes with the chips. Rule 15 allows for a call to be made with a single chip of higher denomination that the call. However rule 15 does not cover instances when multiple chips are released into the pot.

Rule 11 states that if a bet is made and it is less than the minimum bet required the player is obliged to make up the rest of the bet. However rule 11 also contains a get out clause if the player was intending to call rather than bet.

So here we have a point of contention. It is possible to legally make a bet without verbalising it. All the player needs to do is to release chips into the pot. Further more if the player bets less than the required amount the player is required to make the bet up to the minimum required.

However if the player did not intend to bet then rule 11 contains a get out clause allowing him to take the extra chips back.

Because the player did not verbalise his action, the house needs to make a decision under rule 1 of the spirit of fairness.

Without a house ruling its entirely possible to interperate the extra chips as either an honest mistake or a legally binding raise. The players cannot resolve this themselves and therefore a ruling is required.

Under rule 2 whatever decision is made by the house is binding and not up for negotiation.

So in short both players are correct in what they say and the house needs to act.

Thanks guys

My house my rules... whoever was running the game should have made the call on that issue. The new guy should have a little more respect for his hosts and try not to be such a dick on his first night playing with you guys.

I agree with Ecomdan, if its a friendly home game then it should have been ruled a call. The owner of the house should have then said something like, "if it happens again it will be a raise". If the new guy wasn't happy he can get out.