Rules Clarification- Abandoned/Surrendered Stacks and Table Talk
- Lance Palmer
- Dec 27, 2025
- 4 min read
Good Afternoon Everyone,
There's been a need to clarify the inner workings of Rule 4)b)viii) Abandononed and Surrendered Stacks rule as stated in the MPL Rules and Tournament Information, Rule 9 of the MPL Player Code of Conduct, and TDA Rule 69.
I will NOT be updating the language in the rules, this post will serve as the update.
MPL Rules & Tournament Information, Rule 4)b)viii)
Abandoned and Surrendered Stacks
(1) If a player abandons their chip stack at any point before the end of Level 8, the chip stack will be in play and blinded out until the end of the next break at Level 4 or Level 8, or a table break, whichever comes first. At that time, the chip stacks will be removed from play. If a player abandons their chip stack after Level 8, their chips will be immediately removed from the field of play. Once an abandoned stack has been removed from the field of play, the player will be eliminated from the tournament in the position in which their chips were removed.
(a)If a table break occurs with an abandoned stack present, the stack will be removed from play, and the player will be eliminated from the tournament. The player will be awarded points commensurate with the point level before the break of the tables. For example, breaking from 3 to 2 tables, the abandoned stack is removed, and the player receives the 19th-place points. The player who was present and, on the bubble, will receive 18th-place points, and the tournament will resume with 17 players over 2 tables.
(2) If a player verbally surrenders their chips at any point during the game, the player will be eliminated from the tournament in the position that they surrendered in, and their chip stack will be immediately removed from the field of play. A verbally surrendered stack is binding and may not be put back into play. With this in mind, Dealers and Tournament Hosts will ask for clarification regarding any player who states that they would like to surrender their stack. Once clarification has been given by the player, the stack is dead, and the player will be eliminated from the tournament.
Rule 9 of the MPL Player Code of Conduct:
Players engaging in improper actions in the game, at the table, will be subject to a penalty. This will be at the discretion of the Tournament Host, Dealer, or League Management. These actions include, but are not limited to, the following:
a) Having more than one player to a hand.
b) Discussing a hand while the cards are live.
c) Angle shooting.
d) Delay of the game.
e) Touching other players' cards/chips.
f) Any other incident that the dealer deems necessary as to the fairness and smooth running of the game.
TDA RULE 69: Ethical Play:
Poker is an individual game. Soft play will result in penalties, which may include chip forfeiture and/or disqualification. Chip dumping and other forms of collusion will result in disqualification.
These three rules are related by one simple facet. Players can verbally surrender their chip stack, but what they may not do is verbally announce that they intend to play "soft" or "donk" off their chips to whomever "earns" them.
If a player has a need to either knowingly or unknowingly leave at any time during a tournament, they may utilize MPL RTI Rule 4)b)viii) and verbally surrender their chip stack at time of their choosing. If they decide to leave without surrendering their stack, it will be treated accordingly as an abandoned stack.
What we cannot have is players announcing to the table that they will be losing their chips intentionally or that they will be playing "soft", in such a way as to lose their chips to the table because they need to leave the tournament or they just don't want to be there. Doing so will be considered a violation of the MPL PCOC Rule 9 c) and f) and TDA Rule 69.
As players we are permitted to play our cards however we see fit. That being said, annoucing to the table that you are intentionally losing chips or playing "soft", or chip dumping, for any reason, but specifically because you need to leave or you no longer want to play, clearly influences action on the table.
If a player knowingly announces that they need leave and does so repeatedly while continuing to play their stack, they will receive a verbal warning from the dealer and be given the opportunity to surrender their stack. If the player declines to surrender their stack and continues to say they need to leave the tournament, the Tournament Host may then enforce TDA Rule 69 and have the players stack forfeited and the player removed from the tournament in their current finishing position.
Now, that being said, I realize that we all play a little loose from time to time and we share that information on the table. This is a normal part of speech play and a part of the game. These situations will be handled accordingly on a case by case basis and warnings will be given when appropriate.
The key tip is to always ask yourself, "Will what I am about to say or do unfairly influence the action of others in the hand?".
The best thing to do is NOT VERBALIZE your intentions, especially when is involves potential chip dumping, questionable speech play, or "soft" play in general. Just keep it to yourself and let the cards speak for themselves.
I think it was Abraham Lincoln that said it best, and I'll paraphrase...
"Better to remain silent and thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt."
Hope this helps. Thanks for all your support and cooperation.
~Lance
You can read and review all of our Rules and Tournament Information, as well as the Player Code of Conduct here:
