The rules of poker have never been non-negotiable. There are no tablets of stone etched with detailed rules for each eventuality. Hold’em has always been a case of two cards faced down and take it from there, but when it comes to everything else, the unpredictable whims of fortune have always been at the heart of what makes the game so interesting.

But should there be a more definitive guide, easing out the idea that, in some circumstances, the rules are up for debate? Is that even possible?

Take these examples.

In April 2010 the European Poker Tour main event in Berlin was rudely interrupted by masked men intent on taking with them the tournament’s prize money. The men, carrying a variety of persuasive implements, were able to grab some cash from startled tournament staff before fleeing.

All were quickly caught by German authorities, their planning not taking into account at least one member of the poker media recording events on a camera.

As this took place in the lobby of the tournament room was a scene of pandemonium as players looked for a convenient exit through various routes, one of which involved moving past the three remaining tables of the main event. In the rush chip stacks being knocked over, mixing with those on either side.

When things eventually returned to normal it seemed an impossible task to restart where players had left off.

Step forward tournament director Thomas Kremser charged with finding order amidst the mess.

Using a combination of footage from a security camera as well as that from the television production company the stacks were pieced back together. Anything else was at the discretion of Kremser, who used this, and the testimony of the players, to reassemble the tournament. Anything else he used personal judgement to ensure fairness and accuracy.

Examples like this may be rare but they’re not altogether unusual. Ask any tournament director and they will have a story of something almost unbelievable taking place. Each occasion depends on what the tournament director believes to be the best course of action, not an officially sanctioned decree in a book.

One such incident was recently highlighted on the Hendon Mob website. An edition of their “Ask the TD” series posed a question relating to a player carrying chips in their pocket, which is in breach of the rules. Yet even this “rule” was open to interpretation.

Click through the link and read yourself. You’ll find several tournament directors give individual answers, with most a personal take on the situation, dependant on numerous factors beyond the details in front of them – not unlike a poker hand which cannot be decided on mere hand detail; position, the type of player, the type of game and so on, must be factored in to obtain a reasonable answer.

The question remains, however, should there even be a definitive guide, a cast iron rule book that lays out the procedure for every eventuality, independent of any personal opinion or preference?

The IFP has taken the next step in outlining the rules of the game with the release of the Official Rules of Poker coming later this year. But there remains a large grey area, and the question remains, should there be?

We say maybe. Join the debate on our Facebook and Twitter pages.