2026 Season 12 edition

These rules explain how Waggerstown Tuesday league games, Sunday games and quarterly Final Table Nights operate. They are intended to keep the games organized, fair, friendly and moving at a comfortable pace. If anything is unclear during play, pause the action and ask Mark before the hand continues.

Online Updates

The Latest Results and the Standings are updated on the website (coachwannabees.com, then click on Waggerstown Poker). The League Leaders and Player stats are currently being update after each season but will soon be weekly as well. The schedule may list other local games for those interested. Always touch bases with the people running the tournaments so they know who you are and when you will be attending so they can plan accordingly.

Game Schedule and Location

Games are played every Tuesday and about every third Sunday in the Waggerstown Grooming Salon lobby at 1517 Post Road, two doors down from Dairy Queen. The front door will be locked. Enter through the side door near the dumpsters and Tesla charging stations.

• Tuesday games: Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Play starts at 7:00 p.m. Please arrive at least 10 minutes early. Players who arrive by 7:00 p.m. receive an extra 100 chips.

• Sunday games: Doors open at 12:30 p.m. Play starts at 1:00 p.m. Please arrive at least 10 minutes early.

• Typical finishing times: Tuesday games usually end around 11:30 p.m., depending on chops. Sunday games usually end between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. A cash game is almost always available on Tuesday as players are eliminated.

Players for each game are confirmed in advance. Tuesday confirmations are sent on Mondays, and Sunday confirmations are sent on Thursdays. Confirmation may be by text, email, phone or in person, depending on the player. Chips are placed on the table for every confirmed player, so please tell Mark if you will be late or cannot attend after confirming. Players who have not arrived by the start time may receive a text or phone call. Anyone arriving after 7:00 p.m. will have a seat selected for them and should text Mark upon arrival because the doors will be locked.

Players Guests and Conduct

There are no walk-ins. If you know someone interested in joining, text Mark at (978) 239-5589 with that person’s name, phone number and email address so Mark can contact them individually and add them to the list.

Non-player spectators are not permitted, although eliminated players may stay as long as they like. On rare occasions, a new player may be invited to observe how the games work. Any visitor must be approved by Mark in advance.

Keep the game friendly and avoid arguments. Depending on the circumstances, anyone involved in an argument may not be invited back.

One Player to a Hand and Table Talk

No player or observer may persuade, coach, advise or otherwise influence another player’s decision during a live hand. This is especially important for anyone who has folded, has been eliminated or was never involved in the hand. Do not suggest whether someone should check, bet, call, raise or fold, and do not openly analyze the live hand while more than two players remain active.

The only time the hand may be discussed openly is after the action becomes heads-up. At that point, only the two active players may discuss the hand. Everyone else must remain out of the discussion until the hand is complete.

Amenities Smoking and Alcohol

A bathroom is available. Players may go outside to smoke or vape as needed, but there is no smoking, vaping or tobacco use inside the salon lobby. If action reaches a player who is away from the table, that player’s hand is automatically folded, unless they can be seen walking toward the table.

All snacks, candy, soda and water are free. On Sundays, some players may bring food for everyone; this counts as contributing to the community snack table. Other useful contributions include snacks, water, soda, napkins, cutlery, plates and bowls.

Players may bring their own alcohol. Several refrigerators are available, and players may also bring coolers. For personal drinks, try to use the two small refrigerators (if possible) as any drinks in the large refrigerator may appear to be added to the shared stock, which is free for everyone.

Tuesday League Structure

Tuesday games are league nights. Each quarter begins a new season, for a total of four seasons per year. Start dates, the final regular-season date and Final Table Night may change, but ample notice will be provided. Sunday games do not count toward the league.

Buy Ins and Final Table Fund

The Tuesday buy-in is $50. Ten percent of all Tuesday buy-ins is held for the Final Table at the end of the quarter. Qualifying players do not pay an entry fee for Final Table Night.

League Points

Every attending player receives points each week. There are two types of points:

• Seat points: Based on finishing position. The first player eliminated receives 10 points, the second player eliminated receives 20 points, and the points continue increasing in that manner.

• Money points: Players who finish in the money receive one additional point for every dollar won in that game.

Let It Ride

A player who cannot attend a Tuesday league game may use the Let It Ride option by paying the $50 buy-in and allowing that player’s stack to remain in play for as long as possible. This gives the player an opportunity to earn points and avoid falling too far behind in the standings.

Whenever the absent player reaches either the big blind or the small blind position, the player must post an amount equal to the current big blind. The player is dealt a hand, and that hand is automatically folded immediately after the deal. The stack continues to ride under these rules until the player is all in, in which case, the hand is not folded but played out.

Bounty Night

The third Tuesday of each month is Bounty Night, although dates may change with advance notice. Every player pays an additional $10 and receives one Bounty Chip.

• When a player eliminates another player, the eliminated player surrenders one Bounty Chip to the player who eliminated them.

• A player who has collected several Bounty Chips still surrenders only one chip when eliminated. All other collected Bounty Chips are cashed out when that player finishes the tournament.

• Each collected Bounty Chip pays $10 and also earns 10 money points.

• If two or more players eliminate the same player, an immediate bounty payout is made and the Bounty Chip is removed from the game.

Final Table Night

The Top 18 players with the most points after the final week of the season, qualify for Final Table Night. If a qualifier cannot attend for any reason, the next player in the standings takes the 18^th spot. Everyone else that came in later in the standings, moves up one spot. Attendance is required. A qualifier may be blinded out only while running late, not for the entire event.

Starting stacks are based on the final regular-season standings. A better regular-season finish earns a larger starting stack.

A trophy is awarded to the winner of each season’s Final Table game, and a plaque tracks all quarterly champions.

The Final Table prize pool depends on the amount collected during the season. The example below uses a $2,000 pool, although it has been averaging higher than that in the last few seasons, but the dollar amounts will change accordingly.

Sunday Games

Sunday buy-ins vary from $40 to $100. The amount and other details are included in the confirmation messages for each game. Sunday games offer unlimited rebuys for the same chip count and the same buy-in, but a player must be completely out of chips before rebuying. An add-on is available during the break for half the starting chips at half the buy-in.

A player who contributes a snack, drink or other useful item to the community table or refrigerator receives an extra 1,000 chips upon reaching the break.

Starting Stacks Blinds and Break Games

• Tuesday starting stack: 4,000 chips.

• Sunday starting stack: 6,000 chips.

• Sunday & Tuesday blinds: Begin at 10 and 20. Levels last 20 minutes and are reduced to 15 minutes after break. Blinds are displayed on two separate monitors.

High Hand

High Hand is optional on Tuesdays and Sundays and costs $10. The player with the best qualifying hand of the night wins and does not need to be present at the end to collect. You can request a Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, cash pickup or wait until the following Tuesday if you win and you were not present at the end of the game. Unrevealed community cards cannot be used. For example, if everyone folds before the turn and river are revealed, those cards cannot be used to determine what the hand would have become. A player is not required to use both hole cards.

Showdown

A Showdown is held at the break during both Tuesday and Sunday games. Entry is $20. One hand of Texas Hold ’Em is dealt with all cards face up, and the winner takes the entire Showdown pot.

Cash is preferred. An ATM is available at the IGA. Venmo, PayPal, Zelle and a credit card machine are also available if needed.

Dealing Procedures

Two decks are used at each table. The dealer uses the active deck for the current hand while the player behind the dealer shuffles the second deck. When the hand ends, the outgoing dealer cuts the prepared deck for the new dealer and then shuffles the deck just used. The dealer position rotates around the table, and all players are expected to deal unless volunteers take over. Players may assist other players with shuffling or dealing if the player has an injury or medical condition that limits their mobility. New players will be shown the process. Eliminated players may volunteer to stay and deal. If any card is bent, damaged or marked, request a replacement deck.

Exposed Cards During the Deal

If a card is accidentally exposed during the initial deal, it becomes the first burn card. The deal continues by skipping the player whose card was exposed, and the final card is dealt to that player. Before looking at the second card, that player may choose to keep the exposed card; if so, the deal continues normally. A second exposed card during the same deal causes a misdeal. Any card exposed while the dealer is distributing the second hole card is also an automatic misdeal.

Premature Board Cards and Incomplete Decks

If the turn or river is exposed before any action has occurred on that betting round, return the card to the deck. The player behind the dealer shuffles the deck, the player behind them cuts the deck, and the hand continues. If a bet is already on the table when the turn or river is exposed, betting must continue and the exposed card remains in play. Dealers must pay close attention to prevent these mistakes.

If a dealer accidentally flops four cards instead of three, the dealer shuffles those four cards, places them face down on the table. The player in the SMALL BLIND position will choose one card from the four, that card is returned to the deck. The deck is shuffled by the dealer and cut by the player behind the dealer. If the small blind position and the position behind the dealer are not currently at the table, it progresses around instead of waiting for that person to return.

If cards from the active deck are discovered outside the shuffled deck and were not part of the deal at any time during the hand, return all bets to the players and use the next deck.

Betting and Player Actions

Keep all bets in front of you until the betting round is complete; then slide the chips into the pot. Do not place chips directly into the pot while action is still pending. For an all-in bet, announce “All In” and move the chips slightly forward. Moving a single chip forward is sufficient to indicate the wager while the amount is counted.

When it is your turn, announce the action—check, call, raise, fold or all in—before counting chips. This keeps the game moving while the amount is prepared.

The minimum legal bet is the amount of the current big blind. A raise may also be as small as one big blind, regardless of the size of the preceding bet. For example, with blinds of 50 and 100, if a player bets 500, the next player may raise to 600 rather than being required to raise to 1,000 as might be expected in a casino.

If a player goes all in for less than the minimum legal amount, the remaining players may fold, call or go all in during that betting round. No other raise amount is allowed. A player may go all in, when the action is on them, at any time during the game.

Protecting Cards and Mucked Hands

Keep hole cards on the table or in your hand, with at least part of each card visible so the player is not skipped during betting. Cards must never be held below the table. Every player is responsible for protecting their own hole cards.

If hole cards are accidentally mucked during the initial deal while no bets are on the table, call Mark and an attempt will be made to recover them. This can happen when a player does not notice cards being dealt and someone places folded cards on top of them or gathers them with the muck. If cards are mucked after the flop, accidentally or otherwise, they are dead.

An all-in player who has exposed their cards may not muck them. If those cards are accidentally mucked, they will be recovered if needed. Whenever every active player with hole cards is all in, all remaining players must expose their cards before the remaining community cards are dealt.

Table Balance Seat Changes and Eliminations

Tables will be kept as balanced as possible. A player may be moved when another table has lost more players. The new seat will place that player in the same position they would have occupied at the former table, or as close to that position as possible.

A moved player sits out if placed directly into the small blind, which the player is not required to pay, or if placed in a seat between the current dealer and the next dealer that would not have received a hand. Breaking tables will not always produce a perfect match, but every effort will be made to handle moves fairly.

Do not change seats after another player is eliminated, and do not move chairs from their positions. Those positions must remain available when tables merge and players are reassigned.

After being eliminated, leave the table and tell Mark immediately. This helps maintain proper table balance and ensures that every player receives the correct finishing position and points. Additional seating is available throughout the lobby.

Legality and Purpose

Waggerstown Poker operates as a legal social poker game. The game does not take a rake, keep a fee for hosting or sell alcohol. Snacks, soda and water are free. Players may bring their own alcohol, and any shared drinks are also provided at no charge.

The purpose of these games is to have fun, socialize and give the players who make it to the end an opportunity to bring home some extra money. Please ask Mark whenever a rule or procedure needs clarification.