I've read Robert's Rules of Poker. A colleague and I disagree on when the half bet rule is applicable. The wording in RRoP is a little ambiguous. Answers to the following will end the debate. The questions may be basic, but I'd appreciate any help. Thank you.

10/20 limit hold em on the turn.

Scenario 1

Player A bets 20,
Player B goes all in for 25.
What are player C's options?

Scenario 2

Player A bets 20,
Player B goes all in for 35.
What are player C's options?

1: C may fold, call, or complete the bet to $40.

2: C may fold, call, or raise to $55.

1:C may fold, call, or raise to 45
2:C may fold, call, or raise to 55

The half bet limit rule only applies to reopening the betting.


Scenario 1:

A bets 20
B raises all in to 25
c calls then A can only call not reraise

Scenario 2:

A bets 20
B raises all in to 35
c calls
A can now reraise

That is what the half bet limit rule is used for

Isn't it standard to only allow the next raiser to complete the bet (when the preceding bet was less than half)? Or do they just misapply this rule in the Tunica Horseshoe $4/8 game?

This isn't quite right. In limit bets less than half a full bet are "action only". If someone who hasn't acted on the previous full bet or raise has yet to act he raises to the normal 40 (or simply fold or call the "action only amount").

This part is correct (except A can make an unlikely fold)

This is also correct. B's raise is more than half so it reopens the betting for the initial raiser.

I had some other examples partially written but need to get ready for an appointment. Might try to post later.

It's standard in LA and AFAIK in Las Vegas/Foxwoods. It's possible some rooms do it differently or a particular dealer/floor gets it wrong. Sort of forgivable in that it's one of the most poorly worded rules in poker.

6/12 LHE game.

A bets the flop, gets called by B and then C goes all in for a total of $7 (call of A's bet of $6 plus $1). What are A's options?

At the time, A (me) was told I could only call. That seemed wrong.

That's correct. C didn't reopen the betting because he didn't "raise" in the reopening sense, i.e. > 1/2 the bet.

The idea is that it protects B because otherwise you're essentially raising yourself (with only a relatively insignificant $1 of action in between).

you can fold. but no, you cannot raise anywhere the halfbet rule is in place.

This is correct

You can call the $1 or fold.

Good point, I didn't even think about the option of folding getting 37:1. I'm probably not trying hard enough to think of unlikely cases.

Really.

In my local room I kept getting this ruling from certain floor persons.

(2/4 game on the turn)

Player A bets $1 all in.
Player B then must either call $4 or raise to $8.

Yeah... B can't just call the $1.

I managed to disabuse some of the floor as to this, but I imagine it lives on as I don't play that game much anymore.

Ok, that makes sense. What if it goes:

A bets $6, B raises to $12, C is all in for $13.

Can I make it $18?

Yup. Action was re-opened by B's full raise.

Rick, please clarify. In scenario 2 of the original post, are you saying player C (wishing to raise) must raise to the normal 40? Or to 55?

Thanks, I don't think I have ever cared much about this rule and generally just shrug and do what they say I can do when I am playing live.

From the OP:

Scenario 2

Player A bets 20,
Player B goes all in for 35.
What are player C's options?

Here B's allin raise to 35 counts as the first full raise. A re-raise would be 20 more to 55. In a multi-way pot (imagine at least a third active player not all-in) the betting would be capped at 75 (in LA with a three raise limit) or 95 (in Las Vegas with a four raise limit).

As an aside the capping rule is often screwed up in limit by dealers and to a lessor extent by floor (when backing up or over-rulling a call by a dealer). Essentially if three players are still active when the capping raise goes in (once again 3 raises in LA and 4 in Las Vegas) the betting is capped and can't be uncapped (even if the third player now folds). OTOH if the third player puts in a bet or two but folds before the capping raise is put in then the cap is lifted. The logic behind this is straight from Ciaffone's Card Player articles from about 1985 or so.

Rick has covered this very well. I wouldn't change
anything he said.

I would add something that helped me understand this rule.

Action that is less than 1/2 of a full bet is NOT a BET. If it is not a BET it cannot be raised.

Action on a BET that is less than 1/2 of a full raise is NOT a RAISE and cannot be reraised.

If you have already acted, you can only raise a BET or a RAISE.

So just ask yourself, is that action a BET or a RAISE? If so, you can raise if the round is not capped.

what about completing the bet? where does that fall in?
20/40 game
Player 1 bets 20
Player 2 all in 28
Player 3 completes to 40
Player 4= i think i can raise?

from my understanding and based on the LA casinos, player 3 cannot raise the incomplete bet to 48, but can complete it to 40

i think this is wrong

Read the rest of the thread and you will find the errors were addressed and corrected.