[Rick Nebiolo]

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When people start shooting angles, I think the best thing to do is to instantly get right to the letter of the rules and begin enforcing it. Also, I am assuming this is a heads-up affair.

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It was head up.


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If the house rule is that chips that cross one's cards have been wagered (e.g. if I bring 10 chips in front of my cards in my hand, I must bet all 10), then Player A's bet is however many chips he has in his hand. Player B announced call when this bet was made (doesn't matter that the chips hadn't been cut... they'd crossed "the line"), so Player B must call and cannot raise.

If the House rule is that a bet is made when chips hit the felt in front of one's cards, then the bet is $50 plus however much Player A wants to wager from the remaining chips in his hand. If Player A started with 20 $5 chips in his hand, he can bet up to $100 in all... it is his action and he doesn't have to stop making his bet/putting chips on the felt just because Player B said something. So however much Player A bets, Player B must call. Player B may not raise and he may not fold. To hold Player B to any other standard would not only encourage but reward players acting out of turn. In big bet poker, acting out of turn can have a massive impact on how betting unfolds, as we see in your example. In a limit game, among casual players, Player B might be able to raise since the increment is only 1BB and it is possible the out of turn declaration was an honest mistake. Nonetheless, this is big bet poker, and Player A's action must be protected.

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The "house rule" (more or less) for NL is a bet or raise isn't a bet/raise until it's released into the pot or in the case of several stacks the player's hands come to rest after pushing them in in rhythm. Of course with inexperienced players (i.e., most of the player base these days) we see the type of betting described in my lead post and many players calling or raising before players release. It does cause problems (which I hope to address later - I'm on the way out).

~ Rick