Atlassino Academy · Poker in the room · Lesson 4 of 13
Binding actions and one player to a hand
At a poker table, what you say and how your chips move can commit you. Here is how several rooms rule on words, chips, string raises and shown hands, and when to speak up.
Facing another player’s bet of $10, you push $25 of chips toward the middle, reach back to your stack and push $25 more, without saying a word. Have you raised to $50?
The short answer
No. A raise is a bet bigger than the bet in front of you, and putting one in with more than one move, without a word, is a string raise, which the rooms whose rules we read do not allow. The habit that keeps a hand clear at any table is the same: say what you are doing out loud, then move the chips. The amounts are only an example, not a suggested bet.
The table and the chips are the same in all three pictures; only the order of the word and the moves changes. The first two are the habits this lesson asks for, and the third is the move rooms rule against. Amounts are in Canadian dollars.
Mayaformer floor supervisor · manners, money and breaks
A ruling at a poker table is rarely about cheating. Most of the time a move meant one thing to the player and another to the table. Saying the action out loud first is a small habit, and it settles most of those moments before they start.
What makes a bet binding
Five words run a poker table: a check passes without betting, a bet puts chips in first, a call matches the bet in front of you, a raise makes that bet bigger, and a fold gives the hand up. Lesson 7.2 goes through them. The question here is the next one: at what point does a word, or a push of chips, commit you?
Each room answers in its own rules, and the answers are close but not the same. At Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto a word binds even when it is said out of turn; at Parq a word said in turn binds, and so do chips pushed in turn over the betting line (the line on the felt between your stack and the pot, which holds the chips bet in the hand so far); at Casino New Brunswick words and physical intent both bind, as the house interprets them; at Casino Niagara a word in turn binds and a word out of turn may.
| Where | A word | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto | Binding, in turn or out of turn | Acting out of turn binds as well |
| Parq Casino | Binding when said in turn | Chips over the betting line in turn are a bet, a call or a raise |
| Casino New Brunswick | Words and physical intent bind, as the house interprets them | Chips put over the bet line on purpose are a live bet |
| Casino Niagara | Binding in turn; out of turn may bind too | Not covered by the rule we read |
| A no-limit cash table in B.C. (rules published by BCLC) | Binding; when chips differ, the bet is corrected to the words | Not binding until released into the pot, unless something was said |
| PlaySmart, learning pages in Ontario | Verbal betting statements are binding | Not covered by the page we read |
Once the word is out, every row lets the word count; the rows differ on the chips, and the room you sit in decides which row you are in.
At a no-limit cash table in B.C., a game where the chips are money rather than tournament chips, the rules published by BCLC make chips binding only once they are released into the pot, unless a word came first, and when the words and the chips disagree, the bet is corrected to the words. A learning page in Ontario shows the same thing from the other side: say one amount, put down less, and the dealer holds you to what you said.
Tournaments are another matter. The Poker TDA rules, written for tournaments and not the rule of a cash table in any room on this page, take whichever came first as the bet when a player both speaks and pushes chips (rule 42).
- Said “call”, chips shortAt a no-limit cash table in B.C.: corrected to the word.
- Chips moved, hand still on them, nothing saidAt a no-limit cash table in B.C.: not yet a bet.
- A knock on the tableAt Casino Niagara: a check.
A knock is a sign that works like a word. Casino Niagara’s rules say players act in turn and a knock on the table is a check, and a learning page in Ontario teaches the same sign, two knocks with your fist. Lesson 7.2 has the order in which players act.
Say “raise” before you move chips
A string raise is a raise put in with more than one move: some chips forward, the hand back to the stack, more chips forward. Casino Niagara does not allow string raises: a player puts out the whole amount of the bet and the raise at the same time, or announces “raise”. Parq and Casino New Brunswick do not allow them either.
| Where | What the rule says |
|---|---|
| Casino Niagara | Not allowed: the whole amount at the same time, or announce “raise” |
| Parq Casino | Not permitted |
| Casino New Brunswick | Not allowed |
| A no-limit cash table in B.C. (rules published by BCLC) | After the word “raise”, more than one move is allowed |
| A no-limit tournament in B.C. (rules published by BCLC) | The amount said aloud, or one motion |
| PlaySmart, learning pages in Ontario | Called a string bet; only the first set of chips stays |
One habit fits every row: say what you are doing, then put the whole amount in with one motion.
At a no-limit cash table in B.C., saying “raise” first lets you keep putting chips in with more than one move; the raise is complete when your hands come to rest outside the pot. At a no-limit tournament in B.C. the same section of the rules asks for the amount said aloud, or one motion.
What happens to the chips after a string raise is a separate question. A learning page in Ontario says only the first set of chips you put down stays on the table; that is the operator’s teaching page, not a room’s rule, and no room rule we could read says which chips stay. That part is the room’s decision.
The same bet and the same chip in both pictures; the only difference is the word said before the chip went in.
One chip bigger than the bet, dropped in without a word, is a call. The no-limit rules published by BCLC for B.C. casinos say a player answering a bet with a larger chip is calling unless the player declares a raise out loud, and that one chip put out without comment, with no bet to answer, counts as a bet of the chip’s full amount; Casino Niagara rules the same way, a learning page in Ontario adds that the dealer gives you change, and Casino New Brunswick’s rules say simply that the single chip rule applies.
Leoformer dealer · rules and maths
I dealt for a long time, and the chip that started the most arguments was one big chip pushed in without a word. The player meant a raise and got a call. One word before the chip would have settled it.
One player to a hand
One player to a hand means a hand is played by one person, with that person’s own cards and chips. Parq Casino allows only one player to play or act on a live hand, a hand still in play, and its players do not reveal their cards before the showdown, the moment at the end when the cards still in are turned face up. Casino New Brunswick allows one table, one seat and one person per hand, and no one plays another player’s chips; the rules published by BCLC for B.C. casinos allow one position and one hand per player; the Toronto room allows no discussion of hands in play when several players are in the pot, and no playing over, sitting in for an absent player, or substitute players; Casino Niagara lets no one play another player’s chips.
- Your cardsShown to nobody before the showdown, at Parq.
- Your chipsPlayed by you alone, at Casino New Brunswick and Casino Niagara.
- Your seatPlayed by nobody else while you are away, at the Toronto room.
- Your handProtected by you, at Parq, Casino New Brunswick, the Toronto room and Casino Niagara.
Show one, show all is the other side of the same rule. Parq applies it; Casino New Brunswick’s version is show one, show all, tell one, tell all; at Casino Niagara, cards shown to one player can be seen by everyone else at the table on request, at management’s discretion.
The language of a live hand is a house rule too, and it is not the same in every room.
| Room | While a hand is live |
|---|---|
| Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto | All table talk in English and audible to the dealer, for players with live hands |
| Casino Niagara | English only |
| Parq Casino | English only |
| Casino New Brunswick | English and French |
No rule we could read covers every room: each room’s own rules say which languages a live hand allows.
Every one of these rooms gives the player the same job: protecting your own hand, so that the cards are not swept up or mixed in by mistake, is the player’s responsibility. Phones have a rule of their own in each room, and lesson 7.3 goes through them; with cards in front of you, the phone stays out of the hand.
A mistake, and how long a ruling can wait
A mistake at the table runs on a clock. Casino New Brunswick’s rules say the proper time to point out a mistake is when it happens or is first noticed, and any delay may affect the ruling; a ruling on a pot can still be made if it is asked for before the next deal starts; after that the result stands, and the first riffle of the shuffle, the first time the dealer runs the cards together, marks the start of a deal. Casino Niagara asks for any dispute to be brought to management at the time of play.
- The mistakeA pot pushed the wrong way, a call put in short.
- Say so at onceAny delay may affect the ruling.
- Before the next dealA ruling on the pot can still be asked for.
- The first riffleThe next deal has started, and the result stands.
Each later step makes a ruling harder to get, and at the last step, under the house rules of Casino New Brunswick, the result of the hand stands.
The floor, the supervisor or manager who rules for the room, has the last word. At Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto the decision of the Poker Pit Manager or Supervisor is final, and where the rules do not cover a case or following them mechanically would be clearly unfair, the house decides so that the game stays fair; Casino Niagara, Parq and Casino New Brunswick also make management’s decisions final.
- Your questionBefore the hand is the easy time to ask.
- The floorRules when asked; in these rooms the ruling is final.
- The house rulesThe rules of that room, not of the room down the road.
Every rule on this page is one room’s own. Parq’s page says its house rules govern poker at Parq. The Casino de Montréal page calls itself a summary of the main rules and says that where it differs from the province’s By-law respecting casino games, the By-law prevails; we could not read the By-law, so nothing here goes past that summary. The same page ends with the advice this lesson ends with: if you have a question, ask the dealer.
Mayaformer floor supervisor · manners, money and breaks
When a hand goes wrong, a hurry comes with it: the next push of chips comes faster, and so does the next word. Rushed moves come from rushed feelings. That is the moment to slow down, or to stand up and step away for a few minutes.
Decide before you sit down how much money and how much time the evening gets. A ruling you did not like is not money the table owes you, and the next hand is not the place to get it back.
If it stops being fun
If gambling stops being entertainment, help is available. 19+ in most of Canada; 18+ in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec. More on responsible gaming.
Practice: what’s the ruling?
Level 1 is about bets: two moves without a word, one motion, the word “raise” said first, one big chip, a word said in turn or out of turn, and a knock on the table. Level 2 is about showing and speaking up: a hand shown to a neighbour, a hand misread by the dealer, a mistake noticed during the hand, the language at the table and a seat played by someone else. Each moment names the room whose rule decides it.
Nothing is bet here. The amounts are examples, and the answers are each room’s own rules, not a rule for every room.
Lesson done
Review my mistakes (0)
Progress stays in this browser; nothing is sent anywhere.
The practice table needs JavaScript. Here is one moment from it, with the answer.
Level 1 · Bets
House rules: Casino Niagara
- BET IN FRONT OF YOU$20, an example bet
WHAT HAPPENSYou push $30 forward, take the hand back to the stack, then push $30 more. You say nothing.
Under the house rules of Casino Niagara, what is that?
- A raise to $60 Two pushes without a word do not add up to a raise to $60 there: Casino Niagara asks for the whole amount at the same time, or the word “raise” first.
- A string raise, which is not allowed Casino Niagara does not allow string raises: a player puts out the full amount of the bet and the raise at the same time, or announces “raise”.
- Fine, as long as both pushes were quick The rule is about how many moves there were and whether a word came first; how fast the hands moved does not change the rule.
Which of the chips stay on the table after a string raise is the room’s decision. Say “raise” before the chips move, and the question never comes up. Another room can rule this differently, so ask the dealer or the floor where you play.
Every moment in the practice run is a ruling taken from one room’s own rules, with the room named in the moment, and every explanation ends the same way: another room can rule differently, so ask.
How the practice run works
Where the answers come from. Every moment is one room’s rule, or the rule published by BCLC for no-limit cash tables in B.C., and the answer is what that rule says. Each wrong answer is a named mistake: a raise counted from two moves, a chip counted as a raise without the word, a word thought to bind only when chips move, a ruling thought to wait until tomorrow, or another room’s rule brought to this table.
One strip, and no rounds. Every square on the strip is one moment of this lesson, and all of the squares are there from the start. Your first answer fills the square it belongs to; when the squares of one level are full, the next level begins by itself. Practising a moment you got wrong turns its cross into “fixed in practice” and does not change the count, because only first answers count.
Your progress stays in this browser, and nothing is sent anywhere.
Check yourself
Mayaformer floor supervisor · manners, money and breaks
Three quick ones. Pick an answer, then check it. No timer, no points: just whether it stuck.
Back to the question we opened with. Two pushes without a word is not a raise to $50: it is a string raise. Say “raise” first, or put the whole amount out in one motion.
Poker rooms and further reading
19+ (18+ in AB, MB, QC) · Play responsibly · the helplines are further up this page
Further reading
- Rules of Play for Table Games — Poker (17.0 Texas Hold’em, 33.0 No Limit and Pot Limit) · BCLCThe rules a B.C. poker room deals by: blinds, the button, the order of play, the rake, the showdown, side pots, table stakes and what makes a bet binding.
- Poker Texas Hold’em · Loto-Québec, Casino de MontréalHow a hand goes in the Montréal poker room, the hands from the royal flush down, and what decides between two equal hands.
- Niagara Casinos General Poker Rules · Casino NiagaraOne Ontario room’s house rules: the waiting list, phones, string raises, the single-chip rule and who shows first.
- Poker at Casino New Brunswick — House Rules · Great Canadian EntertainmentA full set of house rules from one room, including when a ruling can still be asked for and how long you can be away from your seat.
- Poker Room Rules of Play · Parq CasinoA Vancouver room’s short list: one player to a hand, cards speak, show one show all, and what counts as a bet.
- Poker etiquette · OLG PlaySmartThe written and unwritten rules of the table, from the single-chip call to string bets and session fees.
How it’s worked out
Sources, readings and hosts
Where this happens. Every table on this page is a live poker table in a room you can walk into. A screen at home runs by different rules, and it belongs to a track of its own.
Sources. Every rule on this page is given with the room that prints it: the general poker rules of Casino Niagara, the rules of play of Parq Casino, the house rules on the poker page of Casino New Brunswick, the poker page of Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto, the rules published by BCLC for B.C. casinos, and the learning pages PlaySmart publishes in Ontario. The learning pages are an operator’s teaching, not a room’s rule; where a learning page and a room say different things, the room comes first. The Poker TDA rules are written for tournaments; the one line about them is told in our own words with the rule number, and its button links to the rules page. Every other claim carries a button with the sentence it rests on, the publisher who wrote that sentence and the date we read it.
Numbers. The amounts in the examples, the questions and the practice run are examples, not the stakes of any room and not a suggested bet. Nothing else on this page is counted.
What we read into the rules. No room rule we could read says which chips stay on the table after a string raise; we leave that to the room.
What is deliberately absent. The five words of the table, the order of play and the size of a raise are lesson 7.2. The waiting list, the buy-in, the first hour at a table and each room’s phone rules are lesson 7.3. How hands are read at the showdown, both cards face up and the cards deciding rather than the words, is lesson 7.5. What the room charges for a seat is lesson 7.10, tournaments are lesson 7.11, and tilt and when to leave the room are lesson 7.13.
Hosts. Maya and Leo are illustrated characters. Their backstories, a former floor supervisor and a former dealer, are written for the course: neither is a real person, and neither speaks for any casino. The rules and numbers on this page come from the sources it cites, not from their experience.
No promise. Poker in a room is played against the other players at the table, and the room charges for the seat (lesson 7.10). Knowing what binds you keeps a hand from going wrong by accident; nothing on this page makes a hand pay, and nothing here says how an evening at a table would end.
One larger chip without a word
A bet of a single chip without comment is considered to be the full amount of the chip allowed.
However, a Player acting on a previous bet with a larger denomination chip is calling the previous bet unless this Player makes a verbal declaration to raise the pot.
Section 33.0 No Limit/Pot Limit, 1.5 to 1.9
Players who place a single chip into the betting area that is larger than the bet to them are considered to be calling the bet unless they announce raise.
Placing a single chip into the betting area that is larger than the previous bet is considered “calling the bet” unless a raise is announced.
In other words, unless it’s stated out loud that you’re raising in this situation, the dealer will assume you’re matching the other players’ bets and provide you with change.
Single chip rule will apply.
Great Canadian Entertainment · Casino New Brunswick — Poker · read
String raises
String raises are not allowed. A player must either put out the full amount of the bet and raise at the same time or announce raise.
String raises are not permitted.
String raises are not allowed.
Great Canadian Entertainment · Casino New Brunswick — Poker · read
If you place a few chips down, retract your hand and then decide to put down a few more chips, it’s called a “string bet”, a poker no-no.
Only the first set of chips you put down will be allowed to stay on the table.
Saying “raise” first in B.C.
At non-tournament play, a Player who says "raise" is allowed to continue putting chips into the pot with more than one move; the wager is assumed complete when the Player's hands come to rest outside the pot area.
In tournament play, the TDA rules require that the player either use a verbal statement giving the amount of the raise or put the chips into the pot in a single motion, to avoid making a string bet.
Section 33.0 No Limit/Pot Limit, 1.5 to 1.9
One player to a hand
Only one player is permitted to play or act on a live hand.
Players shall not deliberately act out of turn, stall, angle, juice other players, or reveal the contents of their hand before showdown.
Players are permitted to play at one table and one seat at a time only. Only one person may play a hand.
No one is allowed to play another player’s chips. Posting for another person is not allowed.
Exposing a hand may result in a dead hand.
Great Canadian Entertainment · Casino New Brunswick — Poker · read
A Player shall not be permitted to play more than one position, nor more than one hand in any round of play.
Section 17.0 Texas Hold'em, 1.2 to 3.5
No discussion of hands in play in multi-handed pots.
Playing over and Substitute Players is not permitted.
No one may play another player's chips.
What makes a bet binding
A wager is not binding until the chips are actually released into the pot, unless the Player has made a verbal statement of action.
If there is a discrepancy between a Player's verbal statement and the amount put into the pot, the bet will be corrected to the verbal statement.
Section 33.0 No Limit/Pot Limit, 1.5 to 1.9
Verbal statements are binding, including verbal statements that are out of turn.
Players may not play out of turn. When a Player acts out of turn, that action is binding.
Crossing the betting line in turn with chips will constitute a bet, call or raise.
A verbal check, bet, call, raise or fold in turn is binding.
Verbal statements and physical intent are binding.
The interpretation as such is determined by the house.
Any chips that are voluntarily placed over the bet line will be considered a live bet.
Great Canadian Entertainment · Casino New Brunswick — Poker · read
Verbal statements in turn are binding; verbal statements out of turn may also be binding.
In poker, verbal betting statements are binding.
If you say you’re going to place a $10 bet, but then accidentally put down only $5 worth of chips, the dealer will hold you to your verbal bet, and you’ll need to put down $5 more.
Words or chips in a tournament, rule 42
A knock on the table
Players must act in turn. A knock on the table constitutes a check.
Knock twice on the table with your fist
String raises
String raises are not allowed. A player must either put out the full amount of the bet and raise at the same time or announce raise.
String raises are not permitted.
String raises are not allowed.
Great Canadian Entertainment · Casino New Brunswick — Poker · read
If you place a few chips down, retract your hand and then decide to put down a few more chips, it’s called a “string bet”, a poker no-no.
Only the first set of chips you put down will be allowed to stay on the table.
Saying “raise” first in B.C.
At non-tournament play, a Player who says "raise" is allowed to continue putting chips into the pot with more than one move; the wager is assumed complete when the Player's hands come to rest outside the pot area.
In tournament play, the TDA rules require that the player either use a verbal statement giving the amount of the raise or put the chips into the pot in a single motion, to avoid making a string bet.
Section 33.0 No Limit/Pot Limit, 1.5 to 1.9
One larger chip without a word
A bet of a single chip without comment is considered to be the full amount of the chip allowed.
However, a Player acting on a previous bet with a larger denomination chip is calling the previous bet unless this Player makes a verbal declaration to raise the pot.
Section 33.0 No Limit/Pot Limit, 1.5 to 1.9
Players who place a single chip into the betting area that is larger than the bet to them are considered to be calling the bet unless they announce raise.
Placing a single chip into the betting area that is larger than the previous bet is considered “calling the bet” unless a raise is announced.
In other words, unless it’s stated out loud that you’re raising in this situation, the dealer will assume you’re matching the other players’ bets and provide you with change.
Single chip rule will apply.
Great Canadian Entertainment · Casino New Brunswick — Poker · read
One player to a hand
Only one player is permitted to play or act on a live hand.
Players shall not deliberately act out of turn, stall, angle, juice other players, or reveal the contents of their hand before showdown.
Players are permitted to play at one table and one seat at a time only. Only one person may play a hand.
No one is allowed to play another player’s chips. Posting for another person is not allowed.
Exposing a hand may result in a dead hand.
Great Canadian Entertainment · Casino New Brunswick — Poker · read
A Player shall not be permitted to play more than one position, nor more than one hand in any round of play.
Section 17.0 Texas Hold'em, 1.2 to 3.5
No discussion of hands in play in multi-handed pots.
Playing over and Substitute Players is not permitted.
No one may play another player's chips.
Show one, show all
“Show one, show all” rule applies.
Show one, show all, tell one tell all.
Great Canadian Entertainment · Casino New Brunswick — Poker · read
Show one show all. If any player shows his/her cards to another player at the table all other players at the table then have the right to see them upon request at Management's discretion.
The language at the table
For game-integrity reasons, players with live hands must ensure all table communication is in English and audible to the dealer from the initial deal until the pot is awarded.
Only English will be permitted while a hand is in play.
English is the only language to be spoken while there are cards in play.
English and French only while live hands are in play.
Great Canadian Entertainment · Casino New Brunswick — Poker · read
Protecting your hand
It is the player's responsibility to protect their hand at all times.
Players are required to protect their hand at all times.
Great Canadian Entertainment · Casino New Brunswick — Poker · read
It is the Player’s responsibility to protect their own hand.
It is the player’s responsibility to protect their own hand.
Phones at the table
When a player has a live hand, they must not use a phone or electronic communication device. Players may not talk on the phone at the table.
Smart watches cannot be used when a Player has cards.
Devices must be inaudible and must not disturb play.
The use of electronic devices is prohibited at the table.
Great Canadian Entertainment · Casino New Brunswick — Poker · read
Talking or texting while playing a hand is strictly prohibited.
Phone calls may be taken provided the players push back from the table.
Use of small electronics at the table is permissible, if the player is not in the hand.
A ruling before the next deal
The proper time to draw attention to a mistake is when it occurs or is first noticed. Any delay may affect the ruling.
A ruling may be made regarding a pot if it has been requested before the next deal starts (or before the game either ends or changes to another table).
Otherwise, the result of a deal must stand. The first riffle of the shuffle marks the start for a deal.
Great Canadian Entertainment · Casino New Brunswick — Poker · read
Any dispute must be brought to the attention of Management at the time of play.
All decisions regarding an outcome of a hand must be settled in a timely manner.
The floor decides
The decision of the Poker Pit Manager / Supervisor is final.
The rules of play are intended to create a fair game and to ensure that a Player who makes an error is the one who suffers the consequences.
In situations not covered by the rules or where a mechanical following of the rules would be clearly unfair, the House has the discretion to make decisions to ensure a fair game.
Management reserves the right to make decisions that are in the best interest of the game even though technical interpretation of the rules would dictate a contrary decision.
Management’s decisions are final.
Casino New Brunswick management reserves the right to make decisions in the spirit of fairness, even if a strict interpretation of the rules may indicate a different ruling.
Decisions of the poker room supervisor or manager are final.
Great Canadian Entertainment · Casino New Brunswick — Poker · read
Management’s decisions are final.
House rules govern
House Rules will govern poker gameplay at Parq Casino.
Parq Casino · Poker · read
This text gives a summary of the main rules regarding Poker Texas Hold’em.
For more detailed information, please consult Québec’s By-law respecting casino games. In case of a discrepancy between the rules in this text and those in the By-law, the rules in the By-law prevail.
And remember—if you have any questions, feel free to ask the dealer. They’re there to help!
Spotted a mistake on this page? Tell us
Been here before? Review us on Trustpilot