G: First off, please check your personal messages on this forum, I sent you a PM on an different matter you will probably find very interesting!
IMO this is totally a Rule 1 judgement. As you can see, a special rule cannot be written to fit every case of misunderstanding. So we have to revert to use Rule 1 AND the best interpretation of the facts, like any judge.
NOTE: Rule 1 has two priorities: FAIRNESS but also "best interest of the game" (BIG). One of the BIG is keeping discipline, and following rules. That's not the only BIG, but it's an important one... so ultimately you have to balance the two.
In your example, most people heard player B say "all-in"... but for those listening carefully, he truly said "I'm in". "I'm in" is very different than "all in"... so he's okay staying at a 15k bet in my judgement. [HOWEVER, if he just mumbled "blank - in", and EVERYONE heard him say "all-in"... sorry it's in the BIG to put the guy all in and keep discipline, but that's another case for another day!]
Where it gets more difficult is how to treat C, D, and E. And there you just have to use the totality of the facts in the case... what actually happened?? Here are two scenarios:
1. C quickly pushes out two 25k chips, immediately saying call. and then D and E quickly push out their chips.
2. C looks at the 15k sitting in from of B, pauses and thinks... then deliberately silently pushes out two 25k's... then says "I call"...
D thinks for 20 seconds... looking at the 15k in front of B, then the 50k in front of C... then says call...
E also takes his time to contemplate the bets... before calling all in.
In case 1 it's easier to rule that there was a audio error... (i.e. B heard the wrong thing and the bettors all piled on, everyone thinking they heard the same bet)...
That's very different than case 2 where you really have grounds to hold C, D, and E to a bet of 50k.... and it's often in the BIG in such a case to enforce the discipline of the betting rules.
NOW, about you, the TD... you are a tournament director, not a mind-reader. ALL the mistakes here are on the players. It's their job to follow the action and get the bets right (yes the dealer has big responsibility too)... I think sometimes you look for the "perfect" ruling, when it doesn't exist... These are mistakes made by players that TDs will do their best to sort out with Rule 1.
Keep in mind, my comments above are strictly my personal Rule 1 interpretations, another TD may make a different decision.
BTW... If you want a "misunderstanding" rule to refer to from time to time, you might take a look at RRoP. From memory, Bob has a guideline (that's all it is, a guideline), that if the misunderstanding is within 80% of the correct bet, you force everyone to go to the correct bet. When the misunderstanding is wider than 20% then you can be more lenient IF the circumstances warrant... which they very well may in Case 1 above. The TDA has contemplated a specific "gross misunderstanding" rule in past Summits but generally avoided adopting anything, in favor of the specificity of other rules and the general fall-back to Rule 1.
Thanks for these examples, they are great cases to think about.