Official Poker Rules
Poker is not an easy game to master and for many folks just starting out, it seems like an impossible task to learn. There is so much to remember when you come to the table to play, from what the official poker rules are to the regulations and then all the different poker hand combinations.
One good thing is that you don't really have to memorize the entire official poker rules book; just know enough about them and what they are so you can use them while playing poker and you can play a decent game without breaking any of the rules.
And another thing to remember is that unless you are playing at home, any problems that arise concerning the official poker rules will be handled by a floor manager or some other kind of official in charge to rule on. In poker playing venues outside of the home, there will be some kind of official to take care of things like that.
Although your knowing the official poker rules will help you out in many playing situations, the final decision over any discrepancy in the play or carrying out of the rules will be made by the arbiter and not by anyone at the table. All you need to keep in mind is that the official poker rules deem that you must abide by the final arbitration that is decided at the time.
If there is some kind of a problem with the arbitration, lo and behold there is a rule in the official poker rules book to cover that little incident as well. You will find as you dig deeper into what the rules are and what they govern, that they tend to vary from game to game and even in different places there are differences in the rules, but for the most part they cover the play in a universal manner.
As you would imagine, during such championship games as the World Series of Poker, there is a uniform book present that contains the official poker rules and this book is the alpha and omega of poker rules. In its pages is the last word on any formal arbitration decision and every time there is a descrepancy in play or an arbitration needs to happen, the book is to be referred to always for the final decision. All officials who will be making any play decisions need to know the official poker rules backwards and forwards to be able to oversee the game properly.
Once and a while some things crop up while you are playing poker where you see that not all official poker rules are black and white. Sometimes there is room for interpretation by the arbiter, and even though this could cause some problems down the road, that usually doesn't happen.
Yes the rules are a very important part of the game, but when you are learning to play poker you should have a good playing knowledge of the official poker rules, but don't let them overwhelm your thinking. Concentrate instead on learning the game from top to bottom and be the best player you can be. That way you can leave the arbitration and interpretation of the official poker rules to those folks whose job it is to know them and enforce them. You'll find you'll be playing much more at ease and having a great time doing so..