# Hand-For-Hand Tournament Money Bubble Rules And Simultaneous Elimination Ties | Official Poker Floor Ruling

> Source: [Hand-For-Hand Money Bubble Procedures on Smarter.Poker](https://smarter.poker/rules/hand-for-hand-bubble-play-rules) | Official Reference: TDA Rule 18 & Rule 59 / RROP Tournament Section

## Direct Answer & Summary Ruling
On The Money Bubble, All Tables Deal One Synchronized Hand At A Time And Wait For Every Table To Finish; Players Eliminated On The Same Synchronized Hand At Different Tables Split The Tied Payouts Regardless Of Starting Stack Size.

## Official Casino Floor & TDA Ruling
Under TDA Rule 59 (Hand-For-Hand Procedures), One Or Two Spots Prior To The Money Bubble, The Tournament Clock Typically Runs Off Two Minutes Per Synchronized Deal (Or Real Elapsed Time) While Dealers Pause After Each Hand Until Every Active Table Finishes. Whenever An All-In And Call Occurs During Hand-For-Hand Play, The Dealer Freezes Action And Keeps All Hole Cards Face Down Until The Floor Directs All Tables To Reveal Cards And Run Out Boards Sequentially. Under TDA Rule 18, If Multiple Players Are Eliminated On The Same Synchronized Hand At Different Tables, They Tie Equally And Split Any Applicable Prize Money Regardless Of Their Starting Chip Stacks; If Eliminated At The Same Table On The Same Hand, The Larger Starting Stack Finishes Higher.

## Common Live Table Scenarios & Rulings
1. **Scenario**: With 101 Players Left And 100 Paid, Player A At Table 1 (Starting Hand With 15,000 Chips) And Player B At Table 4 (Starting Hand With 85,000 Chips) Both Bust On The Same Hand-For-Hand Deal.
   - **Official Ruling**: Under TDA Rule 18B, Because They Bust On Different Tables During The Same Hand-For-Hand Deal, Their Starting Stack Sizes Do Not Matter: They Tie For 100th/101st Place And Split The 100th-Place Min-Cash 50/50.
2. **Scenario**: In A Single Hand At Table 2, Two Short Stacks (Player X With 12,000 And Player Y With 28,000) Both Lose All-In To The Chip Leader On The Bubble.
   - **Official Ruling**: Under TDA Rule 18A, Because Both Eliminations Occurred In The Exact Same Hand At The Same Table, Starting Chip Stacks Decide Placement: Player Y (28,000) Finishes One Spot Higher Than Player X (12,000).
3. **Scenario**: During Hand-For-Hand Play, Two Players Are All-In On Table 3 And Immediately Flip Their Hole Cards Face Up Before Other Tables Finish.
   - **Official Ruling**: Violation Of Hand-For-Hand Protocol. Players Are Required To Keep Cards Face Down Until The Floor Announces Showdown To Prevent Collusive Stalling Or Information Leaks.

## Frequently Asked Questions
### Why Do Starting Stacks Break Ties At The Same Table But Not Across Different Tables?
At Different Tables, Blind Sizes And Deal Speeds Vary Slightly And Players Cannot Directly Contest Each Other's Chips, So TDA Rule 18B Treats Same-Hand Multi-Table Bustouts As Equal Ties.

### Who Wins The Tournament Seat Or Trophy When Two Bubble Players Split Min-Cash?
Cash Prize Money Is Divided Equally Down To The Dollar, While Non-Divisible Prizes (Like A Satellite Seat Or Trophy) Are Decided By A High-Card Draw Or Flip-Out Hand.

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