Tournament Rules (section 1)

1. AEA Defined: An Edge Above, the governing body behind Hockey Hold'em and other tournaments/events.
2. Though this tournament is designed to bring out a high level of competition in its participants, keep in mind that it’s still a game. Practice good sportsmanship and remember most of us need to go to work on Monday, so keep it clean.
3. AEA Commissioner/Tournament Director will support any decisions made by any official. No Protest will be permitted. We do ask that you do bring any situation that arises (whether on or off the ice) to our attention for us to review. We want to insure that the right decisions were made and/or prevent a similar situation from happening in the future.
4. NO skaters or pucks are allowed on the ice while the Zamboni is resurfacing. All skaters and pucks must stay off the ice until the Zamboni doors are closed. A two minute delay of game penalty will be given to the offending player(s) to start the game for the infraction of this rule.
5. All participants and spectators will be expected to follow the USA Hockey Zero Tolerance Policy. Those found to be in violation by any of the arena staff, officials or tournament directors will be removed immediately from the tournament and the rink. Lost time will not be put back on to the clock.
6. Damage done to the facility by fans, players or teams will be held responsible for the cost of any property damage resulting from their actions.
7. Be ready to play at least 10 minutes prior to game time. Game will start promptly when scheduled.
8. No refunds.

Rosters & Team Rules (Section 2)

1. All participants must be at least 21 years of age.
2. All participants must be registered with AEA prior to participating in any event. [REGISTER HERE]
3. All participants must register for the Hockey Hold'em tournament/location. [SELECT LOCATION & REGISTER]
4. All participants will be evaluated using the AEA Salary Cap System.
5. All participants must bring a WHITE or DARK jersey.
   White Defined: White Only (No Lt. Grey, Lt. Blue, Yellow, etc.) or the Official Hockey Hold'em White jersey.
   Dark Defined: Black, Navy, Dk. Grey (No Greens, Oranges, Reds, etc.) or the Official Hockey Hold'em Dark jersey.
6. Be prepared to show ID.

Game Play & Time Rules (Section 3)

1. All USA Hockey/MAHA rules apply. (Just like most men’s leagues)
2. Blue line Icing (Update: 2020)
3. Slap shots are allowed.
4. No checking permitted.
5. Fighting is not acceptable at any of the AEA events. Any player(s) engaging in fighting may result in a one (1) year suspension from all AEA tournaments. A second offense may result in a permanent ban from any AEA event.
6. “Extreme” Unsportsmanlike Conduct will be defined as the following; Any player(s) involved in any excessive aggressive and/or violent play/action with the intent to injure a player, official, staff member and/or fan of any AEA event. The offending player will be an immediately banned from any future AEA event. A review will be held to determine if legal actions need and determine if a player will ever be allowed to return to an AEA event.
7. Any player receiving a game misconduct will be automatically be suspended for that game in its entirety and the following game. Reviewed by the AEA Commissioner and/or Tournament Director to “reduce” or “enforce” the on ice decisions.
8. A suspended player must leave the playing surface/bench immediately. Any delay in departure could result in future and/or additional disciplinary action.
9. The AEA Commissioner, Tournament Directors and/or game time officials will review all situations and reduce/enforce any additional tournament suspensions if necessary.
10. Guaranteed 3 Games
11. 12 minute stop clock periods.
12. 5 goal lead, game clock will be converted to run-time. If the game is brought back to a 4 goal differential the game clock goes back to stop clock.
13. 50 minute games. Games can go longer than curfew clock.
14. 4 penalties to any one player will result in that player being removed from the remainder of that game. This player will be allowed to return and participate in the next game.
15. 15 or more penalties between the two teams, the officials will convert the game clock to run-time.
16. AEA Commissioner, Tournament Directors and/or game time officials reserve the right to convert the game clock to run-time under circumstances they deem necessary.
17. No time outs allowed for any game, including finals.
18. Games that are tied at the end of regulation will immediately go to a 3-man shoot out, sudden death after the first 3 shooters if still tied. (See Final Game Rules for Championship games)
19. A player must play in at least two (2) round-robin games to qualify for Championship Sunday.

Finals Game Rules (Section 5)

1. Criteria for deciding the tournament winner.
2. Winner after regulation play, Tournament Champion(s)
   1. IF, tied after regulation play
      1. 1 - 5 minute sudden death period (3 v 3), (Updated: 2020)
      2. IF, still tied, shoot out (5 players per team, have your players selected prior to game time)
      3. IF, shoot out ends in a tie, a sudden death shoot out will continue until a winner is decided.
      4. Each team must go through their entire roster of players before anyone can shoot for a second time.

Other Rules (section 9)

1. No non-rostered players or guest are allowed on the bench with a tournament team, unless they are a coach.
2. Helmets, gloves, shin guards, elbow pads, hockey pants are all required. Face shields/cages and shoulder pads are optional, but strongly suggested.
3. The AEA Commissioner/Tournament Director has the right to refuse the right to any player from participating in any tournament games.
4. Sponsors and all tournament staff are not responsible for lost or stolen items.
5. By participating in this event you accept any and all risk involved with participating in this event. You understand that the AEA, their sponsors and staff members are not responsible for any injuries or death that may occur while participating in this event.
6. *All rules are subject to change without notice.

Hockey Hold'em Specific Rules

betting process

When you get in the locker room prior to your game there will be 'betting slips' available. There will also be 'submission boxes' available to place your slip into. You MUST place your bet prior to entering the ice surface. A Hockey Hold'em staff member will collect your slips after the game begins. If you DO NOT fill out a slip and place it in the 'submission box' we will assume your bet is ZERO. Please be sure to fill out your 'betting slips' completely.

You are ALWAYS betting on YOUR team's success. You are ALWAYS betting on your team to WIN. If you choose to go ALL IN in game one you can. I have also taken out 300 chips for antes already. You will automatically be betting at least a 100 chip each game.

GAME 1: You can bet up to 1000 chips in your first game. After the first game is completed your chip count will be posted in the lobby. You win and you double the chips you bet, you lose and those chips are gone.

GAME 2 & 3: You will be able to see what your chips available are prior to each game. You cannot bet more chips than what you have available to you. If you do submit an amount over the amount you have available, we will assume you are going ALL IN.

Everyone is betting ALL IN for the finals game. There is no need to fill out slips for the finals.

We also do our best to insure that no one will play with the same goalie more than once, and the same skaters more than twice.

ante up | rule add-on

If there is a tie between two (2) or more players at the end of round robin play, the player that paid their deposit first will go to the finals on Sunday. Rule established in 2015.

lucky 7's | rule add-on

If your team scores seven (7) goals or more in a game, whether you win or lose, each player will be awarded an additional 100 chips to their chip total. Rule established in 2015.

aces wild | rule add-on

If your team is able to shutout your opponent, each player will be awarded an additional 100 chips to their chip total. Rule established in 2015.

lady luck | rule add-on

Prior to each game, your team will have the opportunity to designate one (1) female player on your team to be the QUEEN of the game. If she scores a goal in your game, AND your team is LOSING, she will receive a bonus goal each time she scores. This player must have a PINK sticker on the top/front portion of their helmet. eg. Score 4-3, Lady Luck scores for the team with 3 goals the new score is 4-5. Rule established in 2016.

cowboy up | rule add-on

In order to increase the competition between goalies, we have added a special rule just for them. The winning goalie will receive a bonus 100 chips for winning the game and an additional 100 chips for each goal he/she wins by. eg. Final score is 5-2, the winning goalie receives 100 chips for the win, and an extra 300 chips to their total for the goal differential (+3). Rule established in 2016, updated 2017.

split the pot | rule add-on

If multiple players make it to the championship game that have the opportunity to go for back-to-back championships, or share the same amount of Hockey Hold'em titles they will be separated. Family/Relationships will play together until they win. Once they win together; one player will play for one team, the other will play for the other team. Unfortunately, this also means that siblings/family members, significant others, husbands and wives will represent different teams. Rule established in 2017.

dead money | rule add-on

If a player is unable to participate in a game, and will be "vacant" from the tournament due to personal reasons or injury, AEA will find a sub for them to participate in their place. The sub is playing for "free" and is not allowed to bet for themselves or the "vacant" player. The "vacant" player also cannot win any chips during that game as well, no matter the outcome. Rule established in 2018.