Public cardroom rules are the rules and regulations used in casino

Casino

In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...

s. While specific rules vary from casino to casino, most public poker

Poker

Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...

 cardroom

Cardroom

A cardroom or card room is a gaming establishment that exclusively offers card games for play by the public. The term poker room is generally synonymous, since the gambling games played in such establishments are typically, and sometimes exclusively, variations of poker such as Texas hold 'em.Such...

s have similar rules and regulations.

Popular poker variants

While different casinos offer different poker variants, the most popular poker games offered in U.S. casinos include:

• Texas hold 'em
  Texas hold 'em
  Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...
  
  
• Seven-card stud
  Seven-card stud
  Seven-card stud is a variant of stud poker. Until the recent increase in popularity of Texas hold 'em, seven-card stud was the most popular poker variant in home games across the United States, and in casinos in the eastern part of the country. Two to eight players is common, though eight may...
  
  
• Omaha hold 'em
  Omaha hold 'em
  Omaha hold 'em is a community card poker game similar to Texas hold 'em, where each player is dealt four cards and must make his best hand using exactly two of them, plus exactly three of the five community cards...
  
  

Casinos offer poker in ring game

Ring game

Ring game may refer to:*Ring game , a general class of multi-player pocket billiards gambling games*Ring game, a.k.a. cash game, a poker game played with "real" chips and each player's own money at stake, as opposed to a poker tournament with a prize money pool...

 (cash game or live-action game) and tournament

Poker tournament

A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table , and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables...

 formats.

Waiting lists

Most casinos manage table seating on a first-come, first-served basis. During peak periods, there may be long waiting lists for poker seats. Players can normally be on multiple waiting lists (for different types of games and money amounts). In some rooms, players can phone in to get a place on the list, and it will be held for some set amount of time. Players on the list can similarly inform the manager that they will be dining, and their places on the list will be held until they return.

Chips

Chips are the primary currency of the game. These can be purchased from the casino employee dealing the game or from cashiers at windows found around the casino. Most casinos employ chip runners, who sell chips to players. Some public cardrooms will not allow players to buy chips from each other at the table. Some houses allow cash to play; some only allow $100 notes.

House fees

Public card rooms typically charge a fee for conducting the game. The rake

Rake (poker)

Rake is the scaled commission fee taken by a cardroom operating a poker game. It is generally 5 to 10 percent of the pot in each poker hand, up to a predetermined maximum amount. There are also other non-percentage ways for a casino to take the rake. Some cardrooms will not take a percentage rake...

 is the scaled commission fees taken by a casino operating a poker game. This fee structure is common in low-stakes cash games. For ring games, it is generally 5-10% of each poker hand, up to a predetermined maximum amount, such as 3% up to $3.00. This fee is sometimes referred to as the "drop" since the dealer will drop the rake into a container at the table. In California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, rakes based on the size of the pot are not legal, so a fixed per-hand drop is assessed based on the betting limits at the table.

The casino may alternatively charge an hourly rate for renting a seat. This fee is referred to a time fee, or simply "time." Time fees might be combined with a rake, but that is not common. Time fees are more common in mid or high stakes games.

For tournaments, the fee might be 10% of the buy-in, but can vary widely. The fee might or might not be spelled out clearly. Generally, a tournament will be advertised as "buy-in amount+fee". For example, "$100+$10" would have $100 going to the prize pool and an additional $10 going to the house as the fee for a total of $110 cost to the player.

Poker is a player versus player game (unlike blackjack or roulette) and the house has no interest in the money wagered. The rake, drop, or time fees provide the house's revenue.

Common rules

Aside from the particular rules of gameplay, some common rules in U.S. public cardrooms include:

• Players must protect their hands, either by holding their cards or placing a chip or other object on top of their cards. An unprotected hand may be muck
  Muck (gambling)
  Muck in gambling has multiple meanings. In poker, it most often refers to the pile of discarded cards into which players may throw their folded hands, and into which the dealer may place burned cards. It may also refer to the action of throwing a hand into the muck...
  
  ed by the dealer in turn. As this rule has the potential of sparking heated argument, the player or table is often warned once or twice before the house dealer begins mucking hands. A variety of "card covers" are sold for the specific purpose, and the objects used are often revered as lucky charms.
• Players must act in turn. Players should not telegraph or otherwise indicate intentions to act prior to their turn to act.
• In the event of an action out-of-turn, the action may be binding if there is no bet, call or raise between the out-of-turn action and the player's proper turn.
• Verbal declarations are binding and take precedence over non-verbal actions.
• Betting actions without a verbal declaration must be made in a single motion or gesture ("no string bet" rule).
• Knocking or tapping the table is a check. Tossing or pushing cards away is a fold.
• In the absence of a verbal declaration of "Raise," if a player puts in chips equal to 50 percent or more of the minimum raise, he will be required to make a full minimum raise. Otherwise, the action is deemed a call and the excess chips should be returned to the player.
• In limit games, an oversized chip will be constituted to be a call if the player does not announce a raise. In no-limit, an oversized chip before the flop is a call; after the flop, an oversized chip by the initial bettor put in the pot will constitute the size of the bet or raise unless the player states a smaller amount. In pot-limit and no-limit, if a player states raise and throws in an oversized chip, the raise will be the maximum amount allowable up to the size of that chip. In all rounds, an oversized chip following a bet or raise constitutes a call unless the player verbally declares a raise. A bet with an oversized chip that is subsequently raised to an amount still less than (or equal to) the chip's value can be called by tapping the board as if the player were checking. At the end of each betting round, the dealer will make change as required for players with a chip in the pot larger than the actual bet or call.
• Bets should be placed in front of the player's cards. Chips should not be thrown (splashed) into the pot.
• Re-raises must be at least the size of the previous bet or raise in that round, unless a player is going all-in. Calls must of course match the bet to the player, also unless the player is all-in.
• "Show one, show all" – Hole cards, including folded hands, should not be revealed to other players until showdown. If a player reveals his hole cards to another player active in the current hand, all players have the right to also see the hole cards. Also, revealing hole cards to inactive players and/or spectators is being increasingly frowned on. Finally, if an uncalled winning hand is shown to only one player, then any other player at the table has a right to see the winning hand. Note that, contrary to a common misinterpretation, "show one, show all" does not refer to the number of cards in the hole – an uncalled winning hand may expose a single hole card to all players without revealing the other hole card.
• Folding players should not expose hole cards, although enforcement of this rule tends to be lenient as such exposure is usually accidental. An uncalled winning hand is not required to be exposed, and it is not recommended to do so, but it is not disallowed.
• Players may not verbally disclose the contents of their hand.
• Players or spectators may not advise other players how to play a hand ("One player to a hand
  One player to a hand
  One player to a hand is an important poker rule designed to promote fair play that is universally applied in casino play. It states that all game decisions about the play of each hand must be made by one player without assistance...
  
  " rule; the practice is also known as kibitzing).
• Cards may not be removed or held below the table or otherwise concealed from view.
• Players in hands cannot reveal their hole cards to convince other players to fold; if so, the player's cards are considered a dead hand.
• Players must keep their highest denomination chips visible at all times.
• Players may not remove a portion of their chips from the table (called going south or ratholing) unless they cash out and leave the game. However, casinos generally allow players to use chips to purchase and/or tip for food and drinks.
• Cards speak
  Cards speak
  Cards speak is used in two poker contexts:First, it is used to describe a high-low split game without a declaration. That is, in a cards speak game, players all reveal their hands at the showdown, and whoever has the highest hand wins the high half of the pot and whoever has the lowest hand wins...
  
   for themselves and prevail if a player misstates the value of his hand at the showdown.
• Speaking in foreign languages at the table is prohibited (unless all players and the house dealer are fluent in that language; ASL
  American Sign Language
  American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
  
   and other sign languages are considered foreign but often allowed due to the Americans with Disabilities Act).
• Players should not discuss or otherwise influence the hand-in-progress after folding.
• Cell-phone use at the table is prohibited. Ipods and MP3 players are generally allowed. However Iphones are normally not. If in doubt check with the room's staff.
• Profanity
  Profanity
  Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
  
   is prohibited. How strictly this is enforced depends on the discretion of the cardroom staff and the context of any foul language that might be uttered. While occasional cursing may be tolerated, abusive language directed at other players or staff almost certainly will not be.

Variability and enforcement

In many cardrooms, the rules in effect at a particular table can be varied if the players at the table give unanimous

Unanimity

Unanimity is agreement by all people in a given situation. When unanimous, everybody is of the same mind and acting together as one. Though unlike uniformity, it does not constitute absolute agreement. Many groups consider unanimous decisions a sign of agreement, solidarity, and unity...

 consent to the change (for example, whether or not to allow straddling at a table), or alternatively may dispense with certain rules on a case-by-case basis provided no player objects to the dispensation (for example, to allow one player to sell or give chips to another). Depending on the cardroom (or even on the particular dealer), some rules (such as the "show one show all" rule) might not be enforced unless a player requests enforcement.

Legality in the United States

The authority to operate public cardrooms in the U.S. is primarily prescribed by state laws, with some Federal laws covering tribal gaming. States usually limit public poker cardrooms to casinos

Casino

In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...

 and parimutuel betting

Parimutuel betting

Parimutuel betting is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the "house-take" or "vig" is removed, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among all winning bets...

 facilities (e.g., horse tracks

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

, greyhound tracks

Greyhound racing

Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....

, off-track betting

Off-track betting

Off-track betting refers to sanctioned gambling on horse racing outside a race track.-US history:...

 (OTB) facilities, and Jai Alai

Jai alai

Jai alai is a sport involving a ball bounced off a walled space. It is a variety of Basque Pelota. The term, coined by Serafin Baroja in 1875, is also often loosely applied to the fronton where the sport is played...

 frontons) or tribal reservations.

Local laws may limit the type or nature of poker games offered in public cardrooms. For example, North Dakota has a limitation of $25 per individual hand, game or event. In Montana the maximum size of a won pot is $300. Florida requires that in limit games, all bets be no more than $5, while in no-limit games the maximum buyin is $100. In Florida, poker tournament

Poker tournament

A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table , and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables...

s are exempted from the betting structure rules and may use any betting structure

Betting (poker)

In the game of poker, the play largely centers on the act of betting, and as such, a protocol has been developed to speed up play, lessen confusion, and increase security while playing...

the cardroom wishes. Tournament formats are used to circumvent gambling rules in other states as well. Unlike some other forms of gambling, tribal gaming may be subject to state laws governing poker.