PokerStars say you can break their rules

[Josem]

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poker rules are arbitrary and are always subject to interpretation and the discrpency of the adjudicator.

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That's not strictly true. The rules regarding which hands win are quite clear, as are the rules regarding betting order, moving chips over the line, etc. It is also a clear violation if a player out of the hand declares his mucked hand (true or not) to a live table. So the rules of poker are not always arbitrary.

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but the argument here is not over whether the people involved in the hand broke the rule, but rather, what punishment is due.

Surely you're not suggesting that immediate disqualification from a tournament is an appropriate punishment for:
*a player betting out of turn (betting order)
*a player exasperated when the flop comes 339 and saying "damn, i folded a 3" (declares his mucked hand)

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And if such a rule is in place, and Stars agrees that a player has violated that rule, such violations should be dealt with in a consistent way...

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They should be dealt with in a consistent way in the same sense that any other justice system works - the full circumstances of the event and the offender should be taken into account.

That certainly means that different punishments can be dealt out for the same "crime" - a regular who has been warned deserves a greater punishment than a newbie in his first tournament.

It is also worthwhile to note that the rule breaker in this situation punished himself by discouraging a call which cost himself some theoretical expected value.