Tournament Rules

SECTION 1 – THE STRUCTURE

  • Preliminary Rounds will consist of 3 rounds; 4 hands per Round.
  • Progressive Bidding – A SPECIAL bid DOES NOT out rank a CARD bid of the same number.
  • 6 Card Kitty – No Sporting allowed.
  • The kitty is the 6 cards placed in the middle of the table by the dealer that is awarded to the player that makes the highest bid at the table.
  • The Larger Symbol Joker is the HIGH VALUE joker; The Guarantee Joker is the LOW VALUE joker.
  • Bid Blinds will be used for the entire tournament.
  • Card Value
    • CARDS – Large Symbol Joker (LJ), Guarantee Joker (GJ), A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2
    • SPECIAL – Large Symbol Joker, Guarantee Joker, A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K
    • NO DOWNTOWN - A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K
    • NO UPTOWN - A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2

SECTION 2 - GAME PLAY

1. DEALING

  • High card starts the deal, and the deal passes to the left and rotates clockwise.
  • Dealer must shuffle the deck in hand and deal all cards FACE DOWN CLOCKWISE, with no cross dealing, switch dealing or exposing cards while dealing.
  • The person to the dealer’s right must cut at least four cards deep with a maximum of two cuts.
  • Neither the first four, last four, nor can consecutive cards be placed in the kitty.
  • The dealer must get the last card.
  • In the case of Misdeal the dealer redeals (See Misdeal Section)
  • NOTE: COUNT YOUR CARDS FACE DOWN WHEN THE DEALER HAS FINISHED DEALING.
  • Do not expose any card of the kitty during collection or discarding.
  • After the cards have been dealt, Bid Blinds will be placed on the table. Each player may pick up their cards once the Bid Blinds are in place.
  • Once the first card is placed in the center of the table, the Bid Blinds will be removed and the Game Play will resume.

2. MISDEAL
It is a MISDEAL when every person does not have 12 cards. If either of the following occurs the dealer re-deals.

  • A card is exposed while dealing.
  • An incorrect number of cards are dealt.
  • Too many or not enough cards are put in the kitty.
  • Cards are not dealt properly into the kitty.
  • The first four (4) or last four (4) cards are dealt into the kitty.
  • One player from both teams has incorrect number of cards.
  • NOTE: IF IT IS DETERMINED THAT BOTH PLAYERS ON A TEAM HAS AN INCORRECT NUMBER OF CARDS THEN THAT TEAM LOSES THE HAND AND THE POINTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE BID ARE AWARDED TO THE OPPOSING TEAM.

3. BIDDING

  • Minimum Bid is 4. Bids range from 4 – 7.
  • A progressive bidding system will be utilized - (Ex. 4 SPECIAL does not override a 4 CARD Bid).
  • Each player must BID or say “PASS”. All Bids must be verbal.
  • No Back Bidding is allowed.
  • When bidding you can only state one of the following APPROVED BIDS:
    • 4 CARDS; 4 SPECIAL; 4 NO;
    • 5 CARDS; 5 SPECIAL; 5 NO;
    • 6 CARDS; 6 SPECIAL; 6 NO;
    • 6 CARDS; 6 SPECIAL; 6 NO;
    • PASS.
  • If the first 3 players PASS, the dealer must bid at least the Minimum Bid.
  • Trump Bid – The winner of the bid intends to use a trump and must declare the trump suit prior to viewing any cards in the kitty.
  • NO Trump Bid – The player must declare the direction of the bid prior to viewing any cards in the kitty. Jokers have no value (Nil) in a No-Trump bid. The Jokers must be discarded the first time a player cannot follow suit.
  • If awarded a No-Trump bid, the bidder must discard the Joker(s) in the kitty. NOTE: IT IS CONSIDERED A RENEGE IF THE PERSON AWARDED THE BID DOES NOT INCLUDE THE JOKER WITH THE DISCARDED BOOK.
  • In the event a bid was not clearly stated or the person with the next bid did not hear the bids, that person may only ask the previous bidder to restate all bids.
  • The person awarded the kitty should state the bid to all participants prior to playing the first card.
  • After the first card has been played, each bidder must refer to the score sheet to determine the bid.
  • Improper Bid occurs when an individual bids the same or lower bid of a previous bidder
  • In the event of an improper bid, that individual must go to the next higher value bid in the same direction. For example: If a 5 NO is on the table and a player bids a 5 SPECIAL, that player must bid 6 SPECIAL.
    • NOTE: IF A PLAYER BIDS “4 NO TRUMP” INSTEAD OF “4 NO” THAT PLAYER WILL BE GIVEN ISSUED A WARNING DUE TO STATING AN UNAPPROVED BID (See Section 3 – Bidding). AFTER THE INITIAL WARNING, THE PENALTY SHALL BE LOSS OF HAND AND THE OPPOSING TEAM WILL BE AWARDED THE POINTS ASSOCIATED WITH BID.

4. RENEGE - A renege occurs when

  • A player fails to follow suit
  • A player fails to play a joker the first time a suit is led and the hand is void of that suit.
  • A player fails to play a joker the first time a suit is led and the hand is void of that suit.
    • The person shall state: ‘I am Calling a Renege’ without any communication with their partner or anyone else at the table.
    • Game Play at the point when the renege is called is halted until the Official arrives at the table. Do not throw in the hand or expose any cards.
    • The official shall access the table, the scores, and the ramification surrounding the renege before making a ruling.
    • Once a renege is proven, the team causing the renege loses that hand and the points associated with the bid.
    • If a renege is not proven, the team requesting to Call a Renege shall will lose the hand and points associated with the bid.
    • NOTE: DO NOT ANTICIPATE THE NEXT PLAY. PAY ATTENTION TO THE CARDS THAT WERE PLAYED

SECTION 3 - GAME PROCEDURE

1. BY HANDS

  • Each round will consist of 4 hands. Each team will play 3 rounds.
  • The bidding team can concede to a set. However, all remaining cards must be revealed so that each player can review the cards.
  • In the event of a tie, a fifth hand shall be played to determine a winner for the round. Points earned in the fifth hand will not count toward the cumulative total for the round.

2. SCORING

  • Select a score keeper for the table. The score keeper must record the scores correctly on the sheet provided.
  • Points are awarded by making the bid or setting the opponents bid. If the bid is made, (A made bid is the number contracted plus 6. However, if the winning team shall earn 1 point for each book over the medium number of books necessary to secure bid.
  • If the bid is set, the opposing team is awarded the points associated with the initial bid. A non-bidding team can not accumulate extra books or odds over 6.
  • Points are earned according to the following table:

  • One team representative from each team is required to validate the score recorded with a signature.
  • The rotating team will bring the score sheet to the recording table and pick up a blank sheet for the next round.

3. BY ROUNDS

  • The team that accumulates the most points after 4 hands wins the round.
  • Teams with 3 Wins after the Preliminary Rounds will automatically advance to the Playoffs.
  • Teams will be seeded based on order of finish in the preliminary round.

4. THE ELIMINATION PROCESS

  • The following will apply in order to advance:
    • 17 – 63 teams: 16 Teams will advance
    • 64 – 127 teams: 32 Teams will advance
    • 128 or more: 64 Teams will advance
  • Criteria for Advancement:
    • Number of Rounds won
    • Number of points secured
  • In the event that there are multiple teams with 2 wins and 1 loss, the points will be used to determine who advances to the next round.
  • Should this not resolve any ties, there will be a one-hand play-off with the winner advancing.

SECTION 4 - INFRACTIONS & PENALTIES

1. GAME INFRACTION
If any of the following infractions occur, the team causing the infraction will lose the hand and the points associated with the bid will be awarded to the opposing team.

  • Playing Out of Turn (except on the last card)
  • Bidding out of Turn
  • Exposing a card on the table.
  • A player pops, slams cards or gives any type of signal - verbal or nonverbal.
  • Playing a card on the edge of the table. All cards should be placed in the center of the table.
  • Talking during the game.
  • One player or one team not having the right amount of cards.
  • Failing to play a Joker the first time a player is void of a suit that is lead.
  • The bidder of a No-Trump bids fails to discard the Joker(s) in the kitty.
  • Incorrect amount of cards discarded in Kitty.
  • Picking up, looking through, adding, or removing cards from the discarded kitty once the first card has been played.
  • Reopening or revealing cards of a closed book. The official is the only person that can open a closed book.

2. WARNING INFRACTION
If any of the following infractions are called the team causing the infraction will be given a warning. Any further infractions may result in the loss of the hand. There will be no warnings allowed during the Playoff Rounds.

  • Not keeping books neatly and independently stacked on one side of table. However, the discarded kitty must remain with the player that was awarded the bid.
  • Stating a bid that is not an APPROVED BID.
  • Placing cards on the table face down before it is your turn to play.

3. EJECTION INFRACTION
If any of the following infractions occur, the team causing the infraction will be ejected from the tournament and asked to leave the tournament area.

  • Abusive, disrespectful, or belligerent behavior will not be tolerated.
  • Excessive Profanity will not be tolerated.
  • Argumentative behavior will not be tolerated.

SECTION 5 - RULES OF COMMON COURTESY

  • All hands must be played out unless a set is conceded by the team that was awarded the bid.
  • Each player must have an opportunity to see the cards before they are collected.
  • All cell phones should be on silent or turned off. No talking on phone while in game play.
  • No towels, cigarettes, cigars or other non bid whist related materials shall be on the table during game play.
  • No talking during game play. Keep talking to a minimum in between hands.
  • No refunds on entry/tournament fee - period!!!
  • Disputes and disagreements shall be resolved in a civilized manner without raising your voice or shouting. If there is a problem, call a tournament official to your table.
  • Refrain from sideline discussions while other teams are playing.
  • Do not approach another table while a team is playing.
  • Do not eat in the tournament area. Remove and discard, if necessary, any personal items upon leaving a table.

TOURNAMENT OFFICIALS HAVE THE FINAL SAY ON ALL RULES AND PROCEDURES.

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