The Texas Hold-em poker game goes as follows:

1. The games will start with two players to the left of the dealer
   placing out a predetermined amount of money so there is an
   initial amount to get things started. This is called posting the
   blinds.  (See “Blinds” below.)
2. The dealer shuffles up a complete deck of 52 playing cards.
3. Each player is dealt two cards face down. These are called your
   hole or pocket cards.
4. Then there is a round of betting starting with the person to the
   left of the two who posted the blinds. This round is usually
   referred to by the term pre-flop.
5. Much like most games of poker, players can check, raise, or fold.
6. After the betting round ends, the dealer discards the top card
   of the deck. This is called a burn card. This is done to prevent
   cheating.
7. The dealer then flips the next three cards face up on the table.
   These cards are called the flop. These are communal cards that
   anyone can use in combination with their two pocket cards to
   form a poker hand.
8. There is another round of betting starting with the player to the
   left of the dealer.
9. After the betting concludes, the dealer burns another card and
   flips one more onto the table. This is called the turn card. Players
   can use this sixth card now to form a five card poker hand.
10. The player to the left of the dealer begins another round of
    betting.
11. Finally, the dealer burns a card and places a final card face up
    on the table. This is called the river. Players can now use any
    of the five cards on the table or the two cards in their pocket
    to form a five card poker hand.
12. There is one final round of betting starting with the player to
    the left of the dealer.
13. After that, all of the players remaining in the game begin to
    reveal their hands. This begins with the player to the left of the
    last player to call. It's called the showdown.
14. The player who shows the best hand wins! Equal hands will
    share the winnings.

Specific Tournament Rules

Blinds
Initial amounts will be structured as follows: Initially, each player will
receive chips with a playing value of $500. Players will not be allowed
to purchase additional chips before the tournament begins. For details
regarding rebuys during the game, please see below.”

Before cards are even dealt in a game of hold-em, it is important to
have some initial money in the pot. Otherwise every player could just
wait for aces in the pocket before making any investment.

Based on the limit of the game, the player to the left of the dealer
(the small blind) and the player two to the left of the (the big blind)
are required to put up mandatory bets before the cards are dealt.

These blinds do count toward your total investment toward the first
round of betting. So if the pot isn't raised pre-flop, the small blind will
only have to put in another bet equal to the difference between the
small blind and the big blind to call. Likewise, the big blind won't have
to put anything more in the pot, although the big will have the ability
to raise his own blind.

The way hold-em tournaments are structured, the blind and/or antes
go up after a set period of time, called the “escalation”. Each group
of time where the blind/antes stay the same is called a “level”.  In
this tournament, the blinds will double every 30 minutes.

Rebuy Rules
A player with no chips may not miss a hand. If a player with no chips
misses a hand, they lose their right to rebuy and are no longer able to
participate in the tournament.  However, rebuys will only be allowed
if the player has no chips remaining.

If a player announces intent to rebuy before the first card is dealt but
does not have chips yet then that player is live, playing behind, and
obligated to make the rebuy.

Players can only rebuy between hands, under no circumstances will a
player be allowed to make a rebuy when cards are out.

If rebuys are only permitted until a certain point in time, a player has
until that point in time to provide funds for the rebuy. If funds are
presented at that time, then the player may rebuy. 

No-Limit Hold-em
A term that typically refers to the money/betting aspect of a game is
the game's limit. High-limit games are ones that involve a lot of money
or chips. Low-limit games are the opposite. This will be organized
as a No-Limit tournament.  This is where you can bet any amount
between the cost of the big blind and the amount of money you have
at the table on any betting round.

Scoring Hands
A player who is all-in must show his cards at the showdown.

In the case of a split pot when there are two or more high hands, the
chip(s) will be split as evenly as possible (chips may need to be broken
down into smaller denominations by other players) with any odd
chip(s) left over given out around the table starting to the left of
the dealer.

Each side pot will be split as a separate pot. They will not be mixed
together before they are split.

When a player creates a side pot by going all-in, the side pot will be
the current pot plus each call up to the amount of the all-in. Any raises
(or calls in the case of a below-the-limit all-in) go into the new pot.

At the showdown with a side pot, the player who is all-in can only
win the pot set aside when he or she went all-in. After the winner of
that hand is resolved, the players involved in the main pot determine
the winner without regard to the all-in hand.

In case of multiple side pots, a player can only win up to what he
put in times the number of calls up to the all-in amount.

Chips
All chips must be visibly displayed at all times. Players may not have
tournament chips in their pockets at any time. A player who has chips
in his pocket will forfeit the chips. The forfeited chips will be taken out
of play from the tournament. Any other form of “ratholing” will be
dealt with similarly.

Players must keep their highest denomination chips visible at all times.

There will be no foreign chips allowed on the table.

At the request of the dealer, a player must exchange his or her chips
for chips of a different denomination.

Verbal Discussion
Verbally disclosing the contents of your hand may result in a penalty.

Advising a player how to play a hand may result in a penalty.

Verbal declarations as to the content of a player’s hand at the
showdown are not binding (cards speak); however at management’s
discretion, any player deliberately miscalling his hand to induce other
players to reveal their cards may be penalized.

Players are obligated to protect the other players in the tournament
at all times. Discussing cards discarded or hand possibilities is not
allowed.

Exposing Cards
Before the flop, if any players’ two pocket cards are exposed due
to dealer error, it is a misdeal.

A player who exposes his cards during the play may incur a penalty,
but will not have his hand killed. If any player at the table saw the
exposed cards, any other player has a right to know what the
exposed card or cards were.

At the showdown players begin the show their cards starting with
the player to the left of the last to call. A player may “muck” his cards
if they cannot win over a previously shown hand. If the house suspects
cheating or collusion, you may be asked to expose your cards to the
dealer, coordinator, and/or the other players.

Any player who was live during the showdown may ask to see both
pocket cards from a player who reveals only one during the showdown.

Any player may ask another player to reveal his or her pocket
cards if they were exposed to any player at the table.

A player may not ask to see both pocket cards from another player
who revealed them to a spectator.

Penalty Situations
Penalties available for use by the tournament organizers are verbal
warnings, 10, 20, 30, and 40 minutes away from the table and may
be used with discretion. These may be utilized up to and including
disqualification. A player who is disqualified shall have his chips
removed from play.

A penalty may be invoked if a player exposes any card with action
pending, if a card(s) goes off the table, if soft-play occurs, or similar
incidents take place. Penalties WILL be invoked in cases of abuse,
disruptive behavior, or similar incidents.

The organizer of the tournament is to consider the best interest of the game and
fairness as the top priority in the decision-making process. Unusual circumstances can,
on occasion, dictate that the technical interpretation of the rules be ignored in the
interest of fairness. Their decision is final. The organizer in this case is the Seeds
of Hope Event Committee co-chairs, by which the majority of their three judgments
will rule.