Enjoy the Game – Play Fair, Play Smart
APL is all about fun and social poker nights, but with real money on the line, it’s important to play by the rules.
Our highly trained Tournament Directors are here to guide you through the rules and ensure a fair and enjoyable experience for everyone. While we want you to have a great night, rules will be enforced when necessary.
We understand that some players are new to the game. Our Tournament Directors always have the final say, and while there may be rare instances where flexibility is applied in the spirit of fairness, consistency remains key.
📜 View Our Rulebook
Our rules are based on the Tournament Directors Association (TDA) guidelines, with modifications to suit self-dealt poker. Click below to access the latest version.
ATTN: All APL and APLPT Staff, Licensees, Poker Crew and Poker Players
EFFECTIVE FROM 1 JANUARY 2023 in ALL STATES AND REGIONS
Hi All,
Commencing January 1st 2023, we will be adopting the latest recommended rules and procedures decided upon at the most recent Tournament Director’s Association (TDA) meeting this year.
The majority are minor tweaks and/or relating to Stud etc (and can be viewed in full in the 2023 APL Rule Book), but one in particular needs to be highlighted:
39: IRREGULAR FLOPS AND PREMATURE DEALT CARDS
C: For prematurely dealt cards, see Recommended Procedure 5.
RP-5. PREMATURELY DEALT CARDS
Board and burn cards are sometimes dealt prematurely, before action on the preceding round is finished. The general procedures for these situations are:
A: Premature flop, leave the flop burn card as the burn. Return the premature board cards to the deck stub and reshuffle the entire stub. Re-deal the flop (without another burn) from the newly shuffled stub.
B: A premature turn card: leave the turn burn card as the burn. Return the premature turn card to the deck stub and reshuffle the entire stub. Re-deal the turn (without another burn) from the newly shuffled stub
C: A premature river card is placed back into the remaining stub, and the premature river burn card is left as the river burn. Once action on the turn is completed, reshuffle the stub and deal the river without a new burn card.
Basically, a turn card exposed prematurely (before the betting round has been completed) will now be treated in the same way a prematurely exposed river card always has been. Both situations now see the burn remain, and the stub shuffled before a new turn card is dealt. We no longer “use what would have been the river card”.
We now shuffle the stub and deal a new turn card.
If there are any further questions, please email us or your Licensee, Regional Manager or State Manager.
Many thanks,
Joel Williams
APL Major Events Director
Check out the downloadable APLPT terms & conditions and the APL Million terms & conditions.
