In life people don’t always want to play by the rules, but in poker it’s essential. You might want to develop your own style at the tables, but a sound knowledge of the basic rules of the game are the foundations on which to build your image.

If you don’t know the basics you’ll probably annoy other players, slow the game down and risk your entire reputation as a player to be taken seriously. Ultimately it’s the tournament director who makes the decisions, but if everyone knows what they’re doing it makes that person’s job a lot easier and disputes can be resolved a lot quicker.

Wherever you play there are likely to be a few deviations from the script, but in general a good place to start when it comes to the rules is the TDA, the official association of poker tournament personnel.

The TDA was founded in 2001 by gaming professionals Matt Savage, Linda Johnson, Jan Fisher and David Lamb. Since its inception, the association has grown to more than 1,300 members in 39 countries. TDA rules supplement the rules of gaming establishments, but they’re worth reading to learn the basic principles of poker play.