This article is the application of the rules to PKR4U self deal tournaments! 

We follow the TDA as closely as possible and this each time according to the latest TDA published. On the other hand, we will adapt certain rules to the self-deal. The undercall rule is the one that differs the most at PKR4U from the TDA.

Whenever a dispute appears during our tournaments, we will explain the rule that will be applied so that this dispute no longer appears, or that when it does appear, the solution is obvious!

Feel free to comment or ask your questions under this article. We will respond to them and the article will evolve over time, in order to serve as an appendix to the rules.


1. It is good to remember that rule 1 is that the decisions of the Tournament Director will be the decisions applied WITHOUT DISCUSSIONS.


2. The undercall, which is the most recurrent problem, is renamed at PKR4U as UNATTENTION BET!

This name is much more appropriate, and so we're not just talking about a CALL anymore:

Since we are playing without a dealer, and the atmosphere is always good-natured, we have decided to modify the undercall rule at PKR4U. From now on, when a player calls a bet he did not want to call (for lack of attention), he can call the penultimate bet, and abandon his bet, if he does not want to call the amount he did not want to call (did not see).

If the inattentive player wanted to raise, he can abandon his chips, which must be at least those of a raise of the bet preceding the bet he did not see.

If he has committed more than the minimum raise of the bet preceding the bet he did not see, it will be this amount that he will have to give up!

We believe that this rule is much more in harmony with the game and the PKR4U spirit than the "hard" rule of the TDA.

To supplement this: if the inattentive player is the last to act, and he called an all-in, and at that moment the all-in reveals his cards, the inattentive player must call the all-in.

If the call is made on an opening bet, the call will be effective, since the player cannot have called anything else.

In all of those situation it is recommended to call immediately the TD so he can clarify the situation without any doubt.


3. The line! It is only decorative with us in self deal.During the final tables with a dealer, the dealer will explain how it works.


4. You can't show your cards! If you show your cards before the showdown  the cards will not be dead, but the offending player will take a penalty .This penalty is defined by the TD, and will often be a number of hands where the player will pay the big blind and the full ante without being able to play the hand. Chips will be placed as an ante on the table.


5. Abandonment of stack during the break for a re-entry: the stack will be removed from the tournament.


6. Abandonment of stack during the break for a re-entry during a bounty tournament: the stack will remain at the table and the blinds will rotate until exhaustion. When the stack pays its last chip for its blind or its ante the bounty will also be put as an ante.The player who abandons his stack will not be placed at his old table and will not be able to win the bounty he has abandoned.


7. If a card flips the deal is continued and the flipped card will be replaced by the card that should have been the flop burn. The accidentally turned over card will become the first flop burn card.

If one of the first 2 cards dealt to SB or BB turn over, there is a misdeal.

If the upturned card is the first dealt to the dealer, the dealer will receive 2 cards in a row.

If 2 cards are turned over during the distribution, there is a misdeal.


8. When a card is revealed prematurely:


A. on the flop: the drawn cards are returned to the deck (the burn remains in place), the deck is shuffled, and when the betting round is over, the flop is drawn (without burning a card)


B. on the turn: the drawn card is returned to the deck (the burn stays in place), the deck is reshuffled, and when the betting round is over, the turn is drawn (without burning a card)


C. during the river: the drawn card is returned to the deck (the burn stays in place), the deck is reshuffled, and when the betting round is over, the river is drawn (without burning a card)


Of course, during one of these 3 solutions, do not forget to burn the cards correctly before drawing them. The best thing is to call the TD.


9. If a player is not seated when the 2nd card is dealt to the dealer, his hand will be folded.

If his cards are not mucked, and the player sits down before his turn, he MAY play the hand


If a player was at the table when he received cards, but is no longer there when it is his turn to speak, his hand is mucked either before or after the flop, after the turn or after the river, and even he already paid chips. Only if he is all-in his cards stay alive (but then he had to be there when the cards were dealt, or he had to announce the all-in by himself)


10. When more than one player is involved in a hand it is forbidden for players to talk about the hand, as this may give hints to the other players involved.

When there are only 2 players left in the hand, those 2, and only those 2, can speak in the current hand.

Players who do not comply with this rule are liable to a penalty.

These 2 players are allowed to say everything, but not to show their hand!


11. During a bust in a re-entry/re-buy tournament the player can enter

immediately into the tournament, staying at their table. He can also change table, it is the TD who will then designate the new table. The player can play the hand directly after his bust or not, he can very well stop playing for a while and enter the tournament later, during the late entries period. No player will be able to sit at a table without the authorization of the TD.


12. During each bust the TD will be notified immediately.


13. The TD will balance the tables when he can.The game will continue as long as the table consists of at least 5 players even if the tables are not balanced.When the table ends up at 4 or less, the game will be stopped and the TD will be called (except during the TF of course, or a 6-max tournament)


14. A stack will NEVER leave the table, except during a table change. So if a player leaves the table for any other reason than a change of table with his chips, this player will be excluded from the tournament.


15. We play with full ante up to 5 at the table.

At 5,4 or 3 we will play with a half ante.

In heads up we play without ante.


16. If BB at the time of paying his BB does not have enough to pay BB and ante, he will pay the big blind first and if he has anything left this will serve as ante.


17. During a tournament where an advantage is granted to players arriving during a well-defined period, if they have benefited from this advantage, their stack must be at the table at the latest at the start of the level following the end of the advantage. If they are not present, the blinds will be taken.


18. Cards that have touched the muck, face down, are mucked. These will no longer be recoverable.

Non-mucked cards, if they are 100% identifiable, can still be recovered.


19. Card Reveal Order:

A. When checking the river, the closest after the button will show their cards first.

If another player reveals their cards first, the other players may muck their cards without having to show theirs.

B. When betting on the river, whoever opened first will show his cards first.

If the last payer shows his cards first, he and only he can ask to see the other cards, if he has the winning hand and the others have mucked their cards.

C. During an all-in when there is show down, i.e. when there have been bets and no more than one player with live cards still has chips to bet on, all the live cards must be revealed immediately. There is no order, it is IMMEDIATELY, for everyone.

If a player shows his cards before the others, even if it is the winning hand, ALL hands in play must be revealed.


20. If the 52 cards were not part of the cards to be dealt there will be a misdeal, regardless of whether or not there was action before the flop. If it is discovered after the pre-turn pot is made that cards were missing from the deck, the hand will continue to completion.


21. If during a deal or reveal of the board one or more cards are face up in the deck they will simply be put aside and the deal or reveal will take place with the first card face down.There will only be a misdeal if there are not enough face down cards in the deck.


22. When the cards are revealed, the result is read. As soon as possible we will muck all the losing cards, leaving only the winning cards visible. The chips will go to the winner of the hand, and only when paid will the cards be collected.

Once assembled the hand is over, and there is no going back on the result of the hand!


23. Betting a chip, without prior verbal announcement, is a call if it is not an opening.

Even if the player wants to raise, but in this round of betting he had already placed one or more chips, an additional chip will be a call, whatever the value of this chip.


24. Bet out of turn! Whether it's a call or a raise, if one or more payers have not yet spoken when someone speaks, the bet cannot be resumed if the person(s) who had not yet spoken, check , call or fold. It is only if the player(s) whose turn has been exceeded open(s) or raise(s) that the out-of-turn bet can be resumed.


25. Blocking bets. When a player goes all-in with more than the previous bet, but less than double from that bet, that amount will be blocked  for all players who have already had action. Those who have not yet spoken will not be affected by this blocking. If one of these players not affected by the blocking, doubles or bets more than the amount of the previous bet, the bets will be released for everybody.


26. Players at the table: no one will be allowed to sit at the table if they have no chips. Spectators will be able to watch the game but at least at a distance of 50 cm from the players so as not to put pressure on or influence the game.

In no case, when a player has his cards, a spectator will be able to speak to him.


27. When a player bust of a tournament, and he wants to re-register 2 possibilities are available to him:
A. remain in his place, in which case he will have to play the next hand immediately after his bust.
B. change places, in which case he will have the possibility of re-registering until the end of the re-registration period. The new place will be assigned randomly.


28. Self-deal implies that it are not pros who deal the cards, and therefore inevitably, problems of distributions can appear! Several times now an error which one would not think has presented itself... "Someone" picks up all the cards (deck AND muck) while cards are still to be revealed (flop, turn or river) believing that the hand is over. If the deck cannot be reconstructed with 100% certainty, the hand will be canceled! Committed chips will be returned to each player who invested them.