Royal Flush Poker League Tournament Directors main duty is to keep the game Fun, Fair, and Organized!
Most Royal Flush Poker League Tournament Directors volunteer their time, receiving only a free meal, a small gift card, or a few dollars compensation and the chance to play in the league.
They generally take on this role for the love of the game (or perhaps because no one else would).
FOR ALL PLAYERS
Please be respectful of your Tournament Director as they are working hard to keep the game going at your bar. They may not know every rule, but rather than throwing out a ‘complaint’, consider assisting them by having the Rules and Guidelines handy on your smartphone. Players have a responsibility as well as the Tournament Director’s to maintain a fun, friendly atmosphere for all.
Let’s all help to build a great atmosphere at our bars!
Tournament Director Decisions are Final
There are times that a situation occurs that is not covered by the Rules & Guidelines. If this type of situation arises, the Tournament Director’s decision is final. If a player has an issue with their decision, they should discuss it in a friendly manner.
We are always looking for dedicated Tournament Director’s! If you or someone you know is ever interested in stepping up to be a Tournament Director, please email us at director@royalflushpokerleague.com
General Rules for Tournament Director’s
All-Tournament directors are expected to run their tournaments according to the Rules and Guidelines of Royal Flush Poker. This includes the structure of the game, starting chip stacks, Bonus Chip Program, and other aspects of the league.
Tournament Directors playing in the League
Tournament Directors are encouraged to participate in the game for several reasons. They wouldn’t be doing this if they didn’t love the game and we would never get good Tournament Directors if they couldn’t play.
ENTERING SCORES
Tournament Director is expected to submit scores within 48 hours of the end of their last tournament. There are times when it may take longer – please be patient!
SEATING
Royal Flush Poker Tournament directors have a lot going on while running their games. Seating is random and players are encouraged to set with new people when the opportunity arises.
Remember: Royal Flush Poker is a social, inclusive game. Sitting with people you may not know is part of the fun!
NO BLIND STACKS
Please do not allow blind (or “dead”) stacks to be placed for late arriving players. This often causes confusion and can result in misdeals that slow the game down for everyone. Tournament directors should wait for the customer to arrive, then give them their chips.
EQUAL PLAYERS/TABLE
The Tournament Director will attempt to keep the number of players at each table equal before and during the game. This is not always possible and play cannot stop because of it.
STARTING GAMES ON TIME
All Tournament directors should start their games on time. Ask players to be seated 5 minutes before game time to make announcements. Tournament directors should never start a tournament before the posted start time, though.
LATE POLICY ADHERENCE
At all Royal Flush venues, players arriving late can only take a seat if they arrive within 30 minutes of the scheduled start time of the tournament. This means if the scheduled start time is 7:00 pm, a player has until 7:30 pm to be seated.
All Royal Flush venues and Tournament directors are expected to adhere to this policy. The player must be in the building and checking in with the Tournament Director within 30 minutes of the game starting in order to play in that game.
COMBINING TABLES
Tournament directors should instruct players were to generally sit when combining tables. When moving to a new table, players should try to sit in a similar position to where they were previously.
If 2 or fewer players move to a new table and one sits in the Big Blind, that player has the option of sitting out until the deal passes them.
If 3 or more players move to a new table, the table will re-ace to determine a new dealer position.
CHIPPING UP AT BREAK
All Tournament directors are expected to follow the in-game guidelines of our tournaments. This includes chipping up at break (after the 150/300 blind level).
When coloring up chips at first break, Tournament Directors should always round up to reduce the potential for collusion (players should NOT share chips for any reason). This means if a player has 25 chips to ‘chip up’, the Tournament Director should give them one black chip (100). If a player has 75 chips to ‘chip up’, they should receive one black chip (100), and so on.
At the 3,000/6,000 blind level, all black chips are removed. For every 1,000 in black chips, players receive one yellow chip (worth 1,000 apiece). If a player has more than 1,000 but less than 2,000, they still receive two yellow chips. So if a player has 1,100 in black chips, they will receive two yellow chips (worth 2,000).
Additional Tournament Director Responsibilities
Tournament Director Announcements
After registration is closed (20 minutes after game start), the Tournament Director must announce to the poker customers the total # for that game. This is not only good information for the customers to know, but it also serves as a check for the Tournament Director in case they enter the wrong total when entering scores.
Tournament Director CHIP UP
Before the normal chip up on the first break, the Tournament Director must show and announce their chip total to their table. The Tournament Director will then chip up all poker customers, including themselves. Before the next hand is played after the break ends, the Tournament Director must again show and announce their chip total to their table. This informs and displays to customers that Tournament directors are chipping themselves up properly in a transparent way.
These rules for Tournament Director are in place to both protect the integrity of our game, and to make it more transparent to poker customers. Tournament directors can be falsely accused of adding more chips than needed at chip up or inflating numbers at their games. We want our Tournament directors to be able to show they are doing it right, and our players can help by being attentive but allowing them to do their job. Players and Tournament directors helping each other is what continues to make Royal Flush Poker fun
BLIND TIMES & BAR HOURS
As noted in the League Guide, Tournament Director’s generally run their blinds based on the starting times and the time available according to a host venue’s operating hours.
We highly recommend that the Tournament directors adhere to these timeframes in order to give players the most time to play while getting games started and ended on time.
Reasoning: This effectively gets games done on time, AND gives the bar ample opportunity to sell menu items while a high number of players remain in the game. By keeping the times, there are more opportunities for food and drink sales.