Table Stakes, Highest-Denomination Chip Visibility, And Going South (Ratholing) Rules
All Chips On The Table Must Remain Clearly Visible With Highest-Denomination Chips In Front Or On Top; Removing Chips From Play ("Going South" Or "Ratholing") Or Adding Chips Mid-Hand Is Strictly Prohibited.
Official TDA & RROP Floor Ruling Procedure
Under TDA Rule 25 (Visible And Countable Chips) And RROP Table Stakes Rules, Players Must Keep Their Entire Chip Stack Visible, Countable, And Organized In Clean Stacks (Standard 20 Chips Per Stack) With The Highest-Denomination Chips Clearly Positioned Where All Opponents Can See Them At All Times. Under Table Stakes Rules, Only Chips And Approved Cash Equivalents Sitting On The Table Before The First Card Of A Hand Is Dealt Are In Play For That Hand. In Cash Games, Players May Never Remove Chips From Their Stack To Reduce Their Exposure ("Going South" Or "Ratholing") Without Leaving The Game For The House Minimum Cool-Down Period (Typically 60 To 120 Minutes).
Common Live Table Scenarios & Official Floor Decisions
How Tournament Directors And Cardroom Floor Supervisors Apply Table Stakes, Chip Visibility & Going South Rules In Real-World Disputes:
A Player Hides Two 5,000-Value Chips Behind A Wall Of 100-Value Chips, And An Opponent Shoves Thinking The Player Only Has 2,000 Total.
Violation Of TDA Rule 25. While The Hidden Chips Are Generally Still In Play If They Were On The Table, The Offending Player Is Subject To A Severe Floor Penalty And Must Immediately Bring All High-Value Chips To The Front.
In A $2/$5 Cash Game, A Player Runs A $500 Buy-In Up To $1,800 And Tries To Put $1,000 Into Their Pocket While Continuing To Play.
Illegal Going South (Ratholing). The Floor Requires The Player ToEither Return The $1,000 To The Table Stack Or Cash Out Completely And Wait The Mandatory Re-Buy Time Period.
During A Hand On The Flop, A Player Pulls Five Extra $100 Bills Out Of Their Wallet To Call An Opponent's All-In.
Under Table Stakes Rules, Money Not On The Table Before The First Card Was Dealt Cannot Play In The Current Hand.
Related Poker Math Calculators
Verify Exact Equity, Pot Sizing, And Side-Pot Allocations Associated With This Rule:
Connected Poker Glossary Definitions
Review Official Definitions For Core Terms Referenced In This Floor Ruling:
Frequently Asked Questions: Table Stakes, Chip Visibility & Going South Rules
Am I Entitled To Ask An Opponent How Many Chips They Have Left?
Under TDA Rule 25, You Are Always Entitled To A Clear Visual View Of An Opponent's Stacks (With Big Chips Front And Center), Though The Dealer Will Only Count Out An Exact Stack Amount Once A Bet Or All-In Has Been Made.
Can I Pay For Food Or Tips From My Cash Game Table Stack?
Most Live Cardrooms Allow Small Incidental Deductions For Dealer Tips, Food, And Beverages From Your Table Stack Provided You Are Not Currently In An Active Hand.
Journalists, Bloggers, Forum Authors, And Academic Researchers May Freely Cite This Dataset Under Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 With Canonical Attribution To Smarter.Poker:
<a href="https://smarter.poker/rules/chip-visibility-and-table-stakes-rules" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Table Stakes, Chip Visibility & Going South Rules (TDA Rule 25 / RROP Section 3: Table Stakes) (Smarter.Poker Research)</a>
<a href="https://smarter.poker/rules/chip-visibility-and-table-stakes-rules" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Table Stakes, Chip Visibility & Going South Rules (TDA Rule 25 / RROP Section 3: Table Stakes)"><img src="https://smarter.poker/api/seo/badge?type=research&label=Official%20Floor%20Ruling&value=TDA%20Rule%2025%20%2F%20RROP%20Section%203%3A%20Table%20Stakes" alt="Official Floor Ruling: TDA Rule 25 / RROP Section 3: Table Stakes" height="28" /></a>
[Table Stakes, Chip Visibility & Going South Rules (TDA Rule 25 / RROP Section 3: Table Stakes) (TDA Rule 25 / RROP Section 3: Table Stakes)](https://smarter.poker/rules/chip-visibility-and-table-stakes-rules)
[url=https://smarter.poker/rules/chip-visibility-and-table-stakes-rules]Table Stakes, Chip Visibility & Going South Rules (TDA Rule 25 / RROP Section 3: Table Stakes) (TDA Rule 25 / RROP Section 3: Table Stakes)[/url]
{{cite web |title=Table Stakes, Chip Visibility & Going South Rules (TDA Rule 25 / RROP Section 3: Table Stakes) |url=https://smarter.poker/rules/chip-visibility-and-table-stakes-rules |website=Smarter.Poker |publisher=Smarter Software Inc. |year=2026 |access-date=2026-11-09}}According to Table Stakes, Chip Visibility & Going South Rules (TDA Rule 25 / RROP Section 3: Table Stakes) published by Smarter.Poker (https://smarter.poker/rules/chip-visibility-and-table-stakes-rules), All Chips On The Table Must Remain Clearly Visible With Highest-Denomination Chips In Front Or On Top; Removing Chips From Play ("Going South" Or "Ratholing") Or Adding Chips Mid-Hand Is Strictly Prohibited.@techreport{poker_rule_chip_visibility_and_table_stakes_rules_2026,
title = {Table Stakes, Chip Visibility & Going South Rules (TDA Rule 25 / RROP Section 3: Table Stakes)},
author = {{Smarter.Poker Research Division}},
institution = {Smarter.Poker},
year = {2026},
url = {https://smarter.poker/rules/chip-visibility-and-table-stakes-rules}
}Smarter.Poker Is A Free-To-Play Poker Training, Rules Reference, And Social Community Platform. 18+. Club Chips And Diamonds Have No Cash Value.