We are trying one out on a small scale for a bar league.
I understand that there was some initial proposals to deal with these situations by PStars staff, but I am not sure whether they were tweaked during actual play. Until we get further information, we will probably stick with those initial proposals, namely:
How do you treat an absent player (ran to the restroom, for example)?
If the player is absent at the beginning of his hand - ie. before he has looked his hand, he will forfeit 3 points to each player and his hand will be dead. If he leaves after the hand has begun, his hand will be considered fouled (6 points to each player plus any applicable royalties) unless all the vacant spots are in the same line (I.e. there are no more choices to be made as to where subsequent cards will go).
I would like to see that a player must be present at the table in order to verify the payouts or collect, but this is not a rule. Also, I am not certain what PCA did when dealing with absent hands, but we plan to simply turn those cards face-up in turn, in front of the absentee player (but the cards are not set).
What do you penalize for exposing your card out of turn?
I believe they prescribed a penalty of one point per player. It is not clear whether this is assessed immediately or taken into account at the end of the hand.
I personally think such a penalty should be at the discretion of the tournament director, to be assessed at the end of the hand, after all payouts have been complete. For repeat offences, for example, the player could sit out one hand, which is essentially a 9 point penalty. This would be consistent with the rule for exposing cards under TDA.
Can a player win more chips than you have left, e.g., if you only have 10 chips and wins 15 points?
We will be playing that you can, at best, double up your initial starting stack (I.e. at the beginning of the hand) through each player. That is, if you started with 10 chips at the beginning of the hand, you can win at most 10 chips from any given opponent (max +30) even if you have gained or lost chips by paying out other opponents. As a further example, if you started with 10 chips, and you need to collect a net of 6 points, 10 points, and 14 points from each opponent respectively, you will only get 6+10+10 chips since you would not be entitled to collect the full 14 points from the third opponent. This is consistent with how poker payouts work generally.
How do you pay if you only have 5 chips and you owe the other players 12. Who do you prioritize on paying?
The first person left of the button must settle all payouts first, and he does so with his opponents starting with his left and going clockwise. For example, if I am the first player after the button, I pay out the person to my left first. If I only have 5 chips and I owe my opponent 6, I am out, even if I would have collected sufficient chips from the other opponents to compensate for the shortfall. I must pay out each opponent in order, in full.