�      I�ve never played poker on-line before.  How can I learn where to begin?  We have a lot of information on our web site, including a tour of our poker room, to help you get started.  Our web site also has references to other sites where further information is available.  Please look around our web site.  You can also contact us and ask for more information, or ask specific questions.  Our hosts are always happy to help explain our poker room and the rules of poker.

�      Can I test drive your poker room?  Absolutely.  There is no charge for downloading our software.  We offer play money tables where you can try out our poker room at no cost.  You can learn more about our poker room on this web site.

�      Where do I begin?  All you need to do is download the software, register, and you are ready to play.  If you want to begin playing for real money, you must open a cage account.

�      Okay, I�ve registered � now, how do I pick a table?   Our lobby has several views.  To begin playing poker, you should click on the tab in the lobby labeled �Tables�.  In that view, you will see the games we offer, a list of tables for each game type, along with the characteristics of each table (real/play chips, stakes, limit/pot limit/no limit, etc.).  Select the table you want to join and click the Go to Table button, or double-click on the table.  The table you selected opens in a separate window.  Sit down by clicking on any open seat.  If there are no available seats, you should join the waiting list.  

�      How does the waiting list work?  We have designed the waiting list to allow you to wait for a specific table, or any table that matches the criteria of the table you highlighted.  more to come here

�      How do I convert from play money only to betting with real money?  If you joined us as a play money player and would like to begin betting real money, the process is a simple one.

1.      In the Lobby view, click the Cashier tab.  You will see your play chip balance on the left and on the right you will see where real money chips are managed.

2.      Click the Open My Real Money Account button.  It will open your default web browser to the <tag> cashier.

3.      Follow the instructions at that location.

4.      Return to the Cashier view in the Lobby.  You will see a form in which you may enter your Cashier Account and your Cashier Password (twice to make sure you didn�t mistype it).

5.      We will check your account with the Cashier and show you the current balance.  You should note that it often takes several minutes for your initial deposit to be posted to your Cashier Account.

Registering

�      Why is the registration process for this site different than some of the competitors?  We have built a more secure system.  We require you to register and log in to the poker room, and to add another layer of protection to your money, we ask you to authenticate yourself to the cage.  Also by using a separate cage, we allow you to maintain one account that can take advantage of the other services offered.

�      I am a member of the <tag> poker room.  Why does my credit card charge read, VCI?  Victor Chandler International provides money account management for all our poker rooms.  Their cage(cashier) services are used for creation and  management of your funds.  Victor Chandler Worldwide, otherwise known as Victor Chand ler International, is a renowned gaming enterprise with many years of trusted service in the betting world. 

Site Specific Topics

�        How can I be sure this poker room treats all players equally and fairly?  The <tag> Poker Room is operated in partnership with Victor Chandler Worldwide, a well-established, internationally renowned gaming company.  Having the backing of Victor Chandler Worldwide is your assurance of a fairly operated poker room and the proper handling of your money.  The software was designed and developed to ensure the highest standard of integrity.  The poker room is actively managed, 7x24, to respond to players attempting to behave improperly.  The software is designed to automatically detect improper activity. 

�       How do you shuffle cards to ensure fairness?  We use an industry standard random number generator that produces highly randomized numbers.  These random numbers are converted to numbers between 1 and 52, representing the cards in a deck.  Each game played draws a new deck of cards.  You will not see any difference between the results of our shuffling and the shuffling by a professional card dealer.  The method of generating random numbers along with the distribution of decks among the various games being played at any time, along with randomly thrown away decks ensures that cards are not predictable.

�       How do you handle my play chips?   We keep your play chips on account in our system.  Each time you sit at a table � remember, we let you play at two tables simultaneously � you are asked to bring chips with you.  You see a pop-up cashier window where you can choose to bring all your chips or a subset.  As you are permitted to sit at two (2) tables, you may want to save some chips for another table.  You can rebuy from the table � click on the chip rack.  If your total play chip count falls below 200, you can go to the lobby and request more.  You must leave the table(s) to do this.  When you leave a table, all your chips are returned to your account, at the end of the current hand.  They are then available for use at another table, or when you next visit the poker room.

�       I want to change my screen name.  Why can�t I?  We want all players to be able to recognize one another, much in the same way that you would be able to recognize the faces of other players in a physical poker room.  Your screen name is your permanent face in a virtual poker room; we do allow you to change the avatar you use.  Disallowing screen name changes helps keep a fair playing environment.  To that end, we do not permit players to change screen names.

�       Do you Burn Cards?  The burning of cards is a time honored tradition in physical casinos to protect players against marked cards.  In a virtual poker room the burning of cards is a visual flourish that is not necessary.  We do not burn cards.

At the Tables

�     How do I contact a Host?  There is a button labeled Manager which when clicked opens a management chat window.  You will be able to chat directly and privately with a host.

�     How do I get more play chips while at a table?  If you need more play chips while seated at a table, click the chip rack at the top of the table; it says Options.  A window will open showing your available chips.  You may bring up to that number of chips to the table.  The chips will only be delivered once the hand in-progress has ended.

�      How do I get more play chips if I have almost run out of chips?  You may request more play chips only if you drop below 200 chips.  You can go to the Cashier view in the Lobby.  There you will see a button Give Me More Play Money Chips.  Click that button and your play money account will be topped off at 1,000 chips. 

�      I believe I was cheated.  What do I do?  We take cheating very seriously. If you believe other players at your table were colluding (playing together) you should use the Call Manager button to report the problem immediately.  If you prefer to send email, include your screen name and the game number of the game, or the table name and time and date when you believe the cheating occurred to host@<tag>.com.  You may also request the hand history to review the game yourself.  You may want to do this first.  Also see the FAQ on Cheating and Fraud.

�      Can I play at more than one table?  We permit you to play at one or two tables.  When you first play at our poker room, we recommend you start out at only one table, until you get accustomed to how things work.  When you play at two tables, we strongly urge you to use the advance action buttons, where possible, to keep the pace of the games moving for all concerned.  If you intend to play at more than one table, be sure you have adequate chips on account to fund both seats; don�t sit at the first table with all your chips.

�      I want to change my seat � why can�t I?  To ensure a fair and equitable game, we cannot allow you to change your seat while seated at a table.  Of course, you do have the option of leaving your seat and returning to the table, but you will be at the end of any waiting list and will have to repost blinds as would any new arrival.

�      Are there restrictions on how many chips I need to sit down?  We require that you sit down with ten times the higher stakes amount.  For example, to sit at a 10/20 table, you must sit with at least 200 chips.  For pot limit and no limit tables, and for tournaments there are different buy-in rules. 

�      What are the radio buttons I see sometimes at the bottom of the table?  We offer Act Ahead choices that allow you to indicate your decision prior to your turn.  You can use these Act Ahead buttons to speed the game and when you know what you want to do next.  These boxes will display the options you will have, depending on the current situation, when it becomes your turn.  Once it is your turn, the action buttons replace the checkboxes.  For example, in a 10/20 game, in the first round of betting, the big blind is raised by 10 by the first player after the big blind.  You are seated several players behind.  Depending on the speed of the next few players, you may see checkboxes offering you the options of fold, call 10, call any, raise 10, and raise any.  If you check call 10 or raise 10, you are telling the poker room you want to take the checked action only if it is still 10 to you.  Selecting the any option says you will call/raise regardless of the amount when it becomes your turn.  If you check fold, when it is your turn, you will be folded.

�      What�s happening to the chips when I am the last player standing?  When you are the last player standing and you have chips in front, chips you have bet that have not been matched by other bettors, we return those chips to you prior to awarding you the pot.  For real money games, those chips are not raked.

�      Why can�t I join a hand when I would be the small blind?  There are two situations when you may not join the game if you are a new player or a returning player. These are: 

1.      When you have not paid your big blind and you are in either the:

1.      Small blind seat.  Since you have not paid your big blind and you are now in the small blind seat, there must be a live small blind.  If you are a returning player, you would post a dead small blind and a live big blind, therefore this would violate the standard rules for a new or returning player.

2.      The button (dealer) seat. There is too much advantage gained by joining the game as the dealer and posting the big blind, so generally accepted card room rules prohibit this option.

2.      A returning player played some hands and paid blinds but then sat out and missed blinds, so in order to "return" player needs to post blinds.

�     What are the rules for picking me up for a table while I�m sitting out?  The current rule is that you are picked up after 10 hands.  This may change in the future.

Computer Needed - Will My Computer Work?

�      What kinds of computers can I use to play poker?   Currently we support all standard versions of Microsoft Windows � from Windows 98 forward, except for Win NT 4.0, which will be supported soon.  We have tested the client software on older, slower systems with not much memory.  We have successfully run the client on Windows 98 with an older Pentium chip running at 133Mhz with 48Mb of memory.  Older, slower systems will have problems if you are running other applications at the same time.  You will have to experiment to learn what your particular configuration can support. 

�      What is the minimum screen resolution setting I can use?  You will need a system that supports 800x600 graphics settings though your experience will be much better with a screen setting of 1024x768 or higher.  

�      Why do you recommend screen resolutions greater than 800x600?  We designed our graphics to look best at screen resolutions of 1024x768 and greater.  You can use the 800x600 setting but you will not be able to see both the table and the side panel at the same time.

�      What color settings can be supported?  To provide our high resolution graphics, we require your computer be set to "High Color (16 bit)" or higher.  We cannot support the 256 color setting.  The client will not run at that setting.

�      How much available disk space do I need?  Your hard drive must also have 12Mb of free space to install the client.

�      How do I change my screen resolution?  If you want to change the settings on your computer, or to check if it is possible, there are a few short steps, listed here, to follow.

1.      Go to your desktop

2.      Point the cursor against the background, not any icon or window.  Press the right mouse button.

3.      A menu will open � click on Properties.

4.      A window will open with several tabs at the top.  Click the right-most tab, labeled Settings.

5.      The window will change and towards the lower-right you will see an a portion of the window called Screen area.  There is a slider in that section.  Moving the slider to the right will increase the screen resolution.  For example, you may see the setting at 800 x 600.  Moving the slider one setting to the right will increase the resolution to 1024 x 768.

6.      Click Okay.  Depending on the version of Windows you are using, you may be asked to confirm your change.  You will then need to wait while your screen goes blank for a time.  If the change is supported by your system, you will see the new resolution and be asked to accept the change.  Clicking No or taking no action will cause the screen settings to revert to the prior setting.

Reversing the process is the same except for the direction you move the slider in step 5.

House Rules

�      What happens if there aren�t enough cards to complete the dealing in Stud?  In cases when there are fewer cards left in the deck than are needed for the last down card for the remaining players, one open community card will be dealt.

�      Other on-line poker rooms have ten-player tables; why do you limit us to nine-player tables?  We believe all players will enjoy the faster paced game that comes with a nine-player table limit.

�      How do blinds work in head-to-head (1x1) hands of Hold�em and Omaha?  We have implemented the small and big blinds for head-to-head hands of Hold�em and Omaha the same way physical casinos do.  This is the way Hoyle�s specifies head-to-head play.   The player on the dealer button posts the small blind in this special situation only.  Our general tables are designed to support head-to-head and play by more than two players.  Under certain conditions, such as a third player declining to post the blind, a hand is converted to head-to-head rules.  Players are notified of this switch in dealer chat.  

Real Money

�      How do you handle my real money chips?  Your real money chips are kept in on deposit in the cage.  The cage is managed by Victor Chandler International.  You can learn more about how the cage works at www.<tag>.com More mores

�      My cage account is not in dollars.  How do you handle currency conversions?  Currency conversion is handled by the cage.  Your withdrawal request, in the table currency (US Dollars) is sent to the cage which applies the current conversion rate.  The cage sends the poker room an acknowledgement of the transaction with US Dollar and account currency amounts, along with the applied exchange rate.  These are shown to you in the Cashier window of the Lobby.  When you get chips while at a table, you will see the US Dollar amount, and if your cage account is in another currency, you will see that amount too.

�      Is there a credit card processing fee?  The cage handles all credit card or other funding source transactions.  See the cage site for fee information:  www.VCPoker.com  

�      How do I get money on to the site?  You must first establish a cage account, funding it by one of the various supported means.  When you register with the Poker Room you tie your screen name to a cage account.  Whenever you sit at a real money table you request chips from the cage.

�      How do I get my money out of the poker room?  You cash out from the cage.  Money in the poker room is returned to the cage for you whenever you leave a table. 

�      How long will it be before my money arrives?  Transfers between the poker room and the cage are almost instantaneous.  See your cage site to learn how money cashed out from the cage is handled.

�      Can I transfer money to another player?  You may not transfer money between cage accounts.  Dumping of chips from one player to another is not permitted.

Pots, the Rake, and Betting Rules

�     How are split pots handled?  We calculate splits in real money games to the nearest even split, down to the cent if needed.  Where the pot doesn�t split evenly, the following rules are used. 

1.      In High-Low games, the odd amount goes to the High hand. 

2.      In all other splits, the pot is divided down to the nearest cent, and any extra cent(s) are awarded to the seat(s) closest the dealer position.  In a three-way split, it is possible for the two players closest to the dealer to get one more cent than the third player.  In Hold�em and Omaha, the rotation of the dealer button effectively randomizes the award of the extra cent(s).  In Stud games, this system puts a very small premium on seats closer to the dealer position; first come, first serve.  The frequency of such splits is such that there is no effective advantage to be gained.

�      How does the rake work when there are side pots?  The rake is applied to pots in the order in which they were created.  If the first pot isn't sufficient to provide the rake, the next pot created would have the remainder of the rake drawn from it.  This applies both to the fixed percentage rake applied to very low stakes games, as well as to the step function rake.

�      How does the allowable bet get calculated for Pot Limit games?  The maximum allowable raise is the size of the pot.  The pot is defined as the sum of money already in the pot, all money in front (current bets and raises) including the amount needed by the current player to call, plus any rake.  You will always be shown the correct range from which you may choose the amount to raise.  We also enforce the under-raise rule.  

�      What is an Under Raise, and how does it work?  An under-raise occurs when a player raises a prior bet but has to go all-in to do so.  If the player under-raising � going all-in to raise � has less than � of the expected raise for that betting round, the betting round is locked.  The term locked here means that any player who has already acted in the round (checked, called, or raised) may no longer raise.  They may only call or fold.  However, players who have yet to act (betting has not reached them yet) may raise the expected raise for that betting round, after calling.  If the under-raise is � or more than the expected raise, the lock rule does not apply.

�      If I lose my connection, what happens?   Our system monitors the connectivity of all players seated at game tables.  If you lose your connection, whether due to a problem on the Internet, with your ISP, or with your system, the system will wait a short while for you to reconnect.  If you have not reconnected by the end of that period, the system will apply the appropriate default action for you at that time.  This may be placing you all-in, folding you, or checking you.  At no time will the system bet money on your behalf.  Players are granted 2 all-in events in a 24 hour period, including remaining in games where the player�s chip balance at the table has reached zero (0).  Your all-in total is reset 24 hours after your last login.  If you experience connection problems, please contact a manager who will investigate, and may reset your all-in count. The manager follows established guidelines in the granting of additional all-in events to a player.  These guidelines include use of connectivity reports and the player�s past history.   

�      How do real money all-in events work?  When a player has lost connectivity � is not responding � during a hand, that player is treated as all-in.  To ensure that players do not take advantage of this capability unfairly, we limit the number of all-in events to 2 per day.  You may contact a manager if you have been experiencing significant connectivity issues.  The manager follows established guidelines in the granting of additional all-in events to a player.  These guidelines include use of connectivity reports and the player�s past history. 

�      What happens if I do not have enough money to call a bet?  When you have run out of money you are declared all-in. You can win all the money in the pot up to that point. The remaining players may continue betting, in which case a side-pot will be created. You cannot win any money from the side-pot.

�      Why do I sometimes not have an option to raise?  Each betting round is "capped" at four bets, or a bet and three raises. This is the standard practice in casinos around the world.

Features and Options

�      How do I see table chat?  We placed the table chat on the side panel.  The default behavior is for the side panel to be visible.  If you close it, you can reopen the side panel by clicking <> on the table.  If you have changed the view in the side panel from chat to <>, you can return to the chat view by clicking Chat at the top of the side panel.

�      How do I chat with other players?

�      How does the Profile work?  You have the option of providing any or all of the profile items.  Of course, you may not use offensive words.  You can share your profile with the community.  If you don�t wish to share, you may turn off sharing in the Profile view in the Lobby.

�      What is an Avatar?  Avatars are graphics that you can use to represent yourself to the community.

�      How do I change my Avatar?  You can select the Avatar you want to use in the Avatar view in the Lobby.  You may change the Avatar whenever you wish.  The change will take effect only after you have stood up from all tables at which you are currently seated.

Cheating and Fraud

Cheating and fraud come in many forms, all of which are efforts to unfairly and improperly gain financial advantage at the expense of innocent parties.  We stand firmly against any form of cheating or fraud.  Collusion is a common technique in poker by which two or more players attempt to gain an unfair advantage, to cheat other players.

The poker room will tolerate no form of cheating or fraud.  Violators will be banished.

�      How do you ensure fair play?  Collusion can be a problem in both physical and virtual poker rooms.  Collusion is when two or more players attempt to bet in a fashion that allows added and unfair gains.  Collusion, simply stated, is cheating.  The Victor Chandler Poker Room will not tolerate cheating.

In a physical poker, trained staff watching the behavior of the players at a table can detect room collusion.  This method is largely dependent on having adequate numbers of properly trained staff.  In our poker room, we do not only rely on the human factor.

Our software is designed to detect collusive behavior.  We monitor various patterns including who plays together, types of hands and how they are bet, and unusual betting patterns.  We cannot divulge all the techniques employed but we are confident that our collusion detection system is unmatched in its sophistication, better than human monitoring alone, and undefeatable.

None-the-less, if you feel you have been the victim of collusion, please notify one of our hosts by clicking on the Manager button.  It will help if you can note the game number.  Our hosts will be able to use the information you supply to correlate to system generated incident alerts.

The poker room and the cage exchange information on behavior, chip movements, and registration as part of collusion detection and fraud prevention.

�      What is dumping?  Dumping is an effort by two or more players to shift chips across accounts.  This type of action is generally associated with illegal behavior.  Our software monitors for such dumping, and we will fully cooperate with the appropriate authorities in the event that illegal behavior is detected.

�      What happens to players caught cheating?  We don�t tolerate cheating.  We will suspend or ban players caught cheating, at our complete and total discretion.  Our goal is to provide a fair and fun environment, and cheaters obviously detract from this.  The poker room and cage reserve the right to freeze chips associated with questionable behavior, pending the outcome of an investigation.  In all cases, we will expedite such investigations so as to not greatly inconvenience players who have not engaged in some form of cheating.

Other Questions 

�      Do you give out any of the information you collect about me?     The poker room will not sell information collected from players and will not share it except with its poker partners:  the sponsor and the cage.

�      Why do you ask me if I�m sure I want to fold when I could check?   We want to be sure you are aware you can stay in the hand for free.  For players who feel absolutely certain they don�t want this friendly reminder, it can be disabled.  To disable the reminder �  <TBD>

�      What are the different table chat options?  You may select from one of four different table chat options:  all, dealer only, dealer summary, and no dealer.  The no dealer option displays only the player chat at that table.  The dealer only option provides every call by the dealer.  Dealer summary only shows you an abridged version of the dealer chat, plus it includes player chat.  All provides the full dealer chat plus player chat.  If you switch the option while at the table, you will see the recent history.  For example, if you have chat set to player only and wish to see what the dealer chat showed for the prior hand, you can switch to all and you will be able to scroll back to see the dealer chat.

�      Can I go all-in intentionally? All-in protection is designed for players who are experiencing connection difficulties. It is not acceptable to go all-in intentionally just because you do not want to call a bet. We are able to tell if a player goes all-in when they are not experiencing connection difficulties and any player found to be abusing this privilege will be barred from the poker room.

�      Why do I sometimes experience a slow connect? Our servers are located in Gibraltor and have ��.

�      What do I do if the table I want to play at is full?  You can join the waiting list, and when a seat becomes available we will call you for your seat.

�      Am I playing against real people or a computer? All the players you play against are real people. We do not use computer players or "bots" on our site.