LEGALITY: Is this game legal? Yes! California allows for social poker games as long as the hosts of the games do not profit from hosting duties (i.e. a "rake"). This means that every cent you put towards playing here is 100% redistributed back to players in winnings. The hosts do not make money unless they win at poker, like everyone else.
EXPERIENCE LEVEL: None of us are pros, but if you’re not sure what a flush is or don't know the difference between big and small blinds? This may not be the game for you. But don’t worry: Poker is easy to learn with a bit of
study and
practice. When you know the fundamentals, we’d love to have you!
PARTICIPATION: While we occasionally allow non-participants who deal for us, in general we ask attendees participate in the game.
INVITING PLAYERS: Know someone interested in playing? Fantastic! Just run it by the hosts before you invite anyone to ensure a smooth introduction.
ATTITUDE: We’re here to make friends first; money second. Bad beats happen and frustration is allowed; tempers are not.
LATE ARRIVALS: If you want to attend but know you can’t make it on-time, message a few days in advance to see if an arrangement can be made for late registration.
Running late night-of? Text us. We’ll set a stack up for you and collect your blinds.
CANCELLATIONS: Need to cancel last-minute? We get it; life happens. But please message us. Forgetting to notify us might cause us to forget to invite you to the next game.
HOUSE PEROGATIVE: The house reserves the right to make adjustments to rules as needed night-of to keep a friendly and hospitable environment.
PLAYING ETIQUETTE
- You may take as much time to make a decision within reason; but any player may "call the clock" on a decision perceived to be taking an inordinate amount of time, in which case you will have 30 seconds to act, or your hand will be folded.
- Keep hole cards clearly visible on the table so players can know who is in a hand. Do not conceal cards in your lap or hide them behind chips.
- Keep larger denom chips clearly visible so players can gauge how much you have.
- Only sweep money into the pot when the betting round is over, and wait to make change from the pot until the betting round is over.
- If you need to step away while the clock is running, cards will be dealt to your stack; but your hand will be folded if you haven't sat down by the time action reaches you.
- Verbal action is binding.
- One player per hand.
- If you show your cards to one player, the whole table gets a look.
- Refrain from touching chips in the "bank" without explicit permission from the hosts.
- Minimal reactions to a hand in-progress are allowed; but comments that could unduly influence a hand are not (unless you are heads up against another player). Such comments include encouraging specifc action from a player ("Go all in!"), openly guessing what hands a player may have ("She's clearly bluffing!"), or commenting on board texture ("Someone has a flush!").
