TOP TOURNEY
STAFF TRAINING MATERIALS
GOT
A QUESTION?
Write Mush (Melinda) at: mshowes1@aol.com
Updated 6/13/04/MUSH
1. BINDS
3. TIEBREAKER FORMAT AND RULES
NOTE; remember we are allowed to post only two of these items at any one time -- more than that and we get in trouble with the guides. Posting is supposed to be no more than every 10 minutes, until 10 minutes before the tourney, when you can post every 2.5 minutes.
NOTE -- I have made all these into binds. If you want to make your own binds, go to any Hardwood lobby (I do these in an empty lobby so I can practice seeing what they look like). Type /bind (shortname)=(then make up your own post & type it in)
The next time you want to use this post all you have to do is type /(shortname) and it will post automatically for you. (I made binds for all of these, so all you have to do is copy and paste them one at a time while you're in a Hardwood lobby (and keep a copy of your list of binds so you'll remember which one is which). Ask me if you have any questions.
EXAMPLE:
/bind pards1=~[cblue]:stars TOP PARDS Tourney at 9 pm in the TOP LOBBY. Reg hrts/rated games. Come play! :)
/bind pards2=~[cblue]:stars Join us in the TOP Lobby for PARDS tourney at 9! ALL WELCOME! :)
The next time you use these, all you have to type is: /pards1 or /pards2
(Note: improvise your own if you like)
SINGLES TOURNEYS: LOBBY POSTING BINDS
NOTE: Please use one of these binds each time you post, FOLLOWED immediately by the 'nosign' post.
/bind lobby1=~[cblue]:stars TOP SINGLES Tourney at 9 pm in the TOP LOBBY. Reg hrts/rated games. Come play! :)
/bind nosign=~[cblue]:stars No sign-up, no pre-reg! Just show up & play! ALL WELCOME! :stars
/bind lobby2=~[cblue]:stars Join us in the TOP Lobby for hearts singles tourney at 9! Y'ALL COME! :)
/bind lobby3=~[cblue]:stars Never played in a tourney? COME TRY IT! TOP singles tourney @ 9!:stars!
/bind lobby4=~[cblue]:stars Sign-In for TOP singles' tourney is now open! ALL WELCOME! :stars!
PARDS TOURNEY: LOBBY POSTING BINDS:
NOTE: Please use one of these binds each time you post, FOLLOWED immediately by the 'nosign' post.
/bind pards1=~[cblue]:stars TOP PARDS Tourney at 9 pm in the TOP LOBBY. Reg hrts/rated games. Come play! :)
/bind nosign=~[cblue]:stars No sign-up, no pre-reg! Just show up & play!! ALL WELCOME! :stars
/bind pards2=~[cblue]:stars Join us in the TOP Lobby for PARDS tourney at 9! ALL WELCOME! :)
/bind pards3=~[cblue]:stars TOP PARDS tourney at 9! No pard? We'll find ya one! COME PLAY!! :)
/bind pards4=~[cblue]:stars TOP PARDS tourney at 9! Bring yer own pard or let us find ya one!! :)
/bind pards5=~[cblue]:stars Never played in a pards tourney? COME TRY IT! TOP pards tourney @ 9!:stars!
/bind pards6=~[cblue]:stars Sign-In for TOP PARDS' tourney is now open! ALL WELCOME! :stars!
GENERAL BINDS: FOR ALL GAME HOSTS (to be used at game time in the TOP LOBBY):
/bind welcome=~[c9]:stars WELCOME ~[C12]TO ~[C9]TOP! :stars~[c12]PLAY NICE & ~[C9]HAVE FUN!:stars
/bind new=~[c9]:stars If this is your first tourney~[C12] wave a hand ~[C9]and let us know! :stars
/bind nono=~[cred] :stars REMEMBER, DO NOT KICK players: ~[cblue]call host if you need help!:)
/bind questions=~[c9]:stars ANY QUESTIONS ~[C12]before we start?:stars
/bind gla=~[c12]:stars Good Luck ALL! :stars
/bind mute1=~[c9]:stars Don't make me mute ya! ~[C12] – IF YA CAUSE TROUBLE ~[C9]– I WILL!! :stars
/bind mute2=~[c9]:stars 1st time:WARNING! ~[C12] 2nd time: MUTE! ~[C9]– 3rd time, yer DQ'd! :stars
/bind 2min=~[c12]~[jblack]:stars You will get called 2 x to make or join table, after 2 minutes, sorry, you are dq'd. :(
OPEN SEATING:
/bind open1=~[cblue]:stars PLEASE HOLD CHAT while I explain tonight's open seating! :stars/bind open2=~[cred]:stars I will name the GLs, who will make the rooms. THE REST, STAY HERE!!
/bind open3=~[cblue]:stars DO NOT GO TO THE ROOMS till I tell you! STAY HERE!!!
/bind open4=~[cred]:stars WHEN I SAY 'GO' -- go find a seat anywhere! :stars
/bind open5=~[cblue]:stars If you didn't find a seat -- stay here. I'll try to find more players!
/bind open6=~[cred]:stars Any questions before I name the GLs? :stars
Boot Rule:
/bind boot1=~[cblue] When a player is booted or leaves, WAIT 5 minutes for them to return
/bind boot2=~[cblue] Do not allow someone else to take the seat and do NOT play with a bot.
/bind boot3=~[cblue] If they are not back in FIVE MINUTES, ask Host for a sub
/bind boot4=~[cblue] Finish the game with the sub in place of the missing player
/bind boot5=~[cblue] If the missing player returns after 5 min, sorry but sub now has that spot
/bind boot6=~[cblue] After 3 boots, player will be DQ'd to prevent on-going disruption of the game.
SINGLES' HOSTS:
/bind settings=~[c9]:stars GLS plz set games to ~[C12]200, rated, timeout, anyone, cut optional ~[C9] GLA! :stars
/bind always=~[c9]:stars GLS plz set games to ~[C12]200, rated, timeout, ALWAYS PASS, anyone, cut optional ~[C9] GLA! :stars
/bind 2&2=~[c9]:stars TOP 2 & 2 WILDS ~[C12]move on. ~[C9]3rd place STAY till wilds are done!:stars
/bind top2=~[c9]:stars TOP 2 ONLY ~[C12] – NO WILDS ~[C9]– move on to next round! ~[C9]GLA!:stars
TOP PARDS' BINDS
/bind settingsp=~[c9]:stars GLS plz set games to ~[C12]200, rated, pards, timeout, anyone, cut optional~[C9] GLA! :stars
/bind winners&wild=~[c9]:stars WINNERS & 1 WILDCARD TEAM ~[C12]move on. ~[C9]PLEASE STAY till wild is done!:stars
/bind winnersonly=~[c9]:stars WINNERS ONLY MOVE ON --~[C12] NO WILDS! ~[C9] GLA!:stars
EOM SINGLES BINDS
/bind eom1=~[cblue] :stars Welcome to TOP's Singles Championship tourney! :stars
/bind eom2=~[cblue] :stars Our top 16 get first preference – but we may need subs, SO DON'T LEAVE! :stars
/bind eom3=~[cblue] :stars We will be playing 4, FOUR, 4 ROUNDS – stay for all FOUR! :stars
/bind eom4=~[cblue] :stars GLS: set all games for 100 pts, rated, timeout, anyone :stars
/bind eom5=~[cblue] :stars Winners = 10 pts, 2nd =7, 3rd =4, 4th =1; 4 highest totals play in final! :stars
/bind eom6=~[cblue] :stars Four finalists are eligible for End-of-year Championship! GLA! :stars
PARDS EOMS BINDS
/bind eomp1=~[cblue] :stars Welcome to TOP PARDS Championship tourney! :stars
/bind eomp2=~[cblue] :stars Top 16 get first preference, but DON'T LEAVE even if not in top 16- may need subs! :stars
/bind eomp3=~[cblue] :stars We will be playing 4, FOUR, 4 ROUNDS – everyone stay for all FOUR! :stars
/bind eomp4=~[cblue] :stars GLS: set all games for 100 pts, rated, timeout, anyone :stars
/bind eomp5=~[cblue] :stars Winners = 10 pts, losers = 5 pts; 2 teams with highest totals in final! :stars
/bind eomp6=~[cblue] :stars All four finalists are eligible for End-of-year Championship! GLA! :stars
Rules & Regulations
revised 6/13//MUSH
Duties of the Game Leader (GL):
- Wait for the TOP host to assign you to a room (or, if doing open seating, wait for host to give you signal to go find a seat)
- The first person listed in the room assignment is the GL (game leader). The GL sets up the room, records & reports final scores and the differentials (if they are needed to determine wildcards) and handles any problems that might come up. If you need the help of the host during your game, use the lobby chat box to ask the host for help.
- Please REMEMBER: no player can be kicked from the room, and if you or another player have to pause game for any significant period of time, LET YOUR HOST KNOW.
- The GL will launch the game when you have the exact four people who were assigned to that room (or, if open seating, as soon as all 4 seats are filled).
- If all four do not start the first hand or are not able to finish the first hand YOU MUST RELAUNCH. (wait in the TOP lobby for the GL to relaunch the game).
- If the host is doing assigned seating and you do not have the exact four that were assigned to your room, page the host to get a sub or for their help to find the missing player.
- Settings for are: timeout, rated, 200 pts (for first round; 100 pts for all other rounds and final), anyone may join. (leave all other boxes unchecked). CUTTING THE DECK is at the table host's option. Tourney host has option to select ALWAYS PASS on single's nights.
- If there is a wild card spot, make sure that all players come back to the TOP lobby after the game and give the differential to the host (ask the host if you do not know how to figure the differential).
- When a player is booted or leaves, stay in the room, and wait 5 minutes for the player to return.
- If the player is not back, click on the "lobby" tab and ask host for a sub.
- Do NOT leave the room, and DO NOT play with a bot. Resume hand as soon as all 4 spots are filled.
- Finish the game with the sub in place of the missing player (sub takes over points and scores of absent player).
- If an unauthorized person steps in to the bot's slot, DO NOT begin play until that person has left . If they refuse to leave, boot them from the room.
- If a player is disconnected 3 times during a single tourney, a sub will be appointed to finish their game. We are sorry, but we cannot delay the entire tourney for one player who is having connection problems. Sorry.
Subs: Anyone who fills in as a sub now gets 5 Bonus points!
- Our TOP hosts will fill in for any missing player (and will get no extra sub points for playing). If the Host is not available, the sub will get 5 pts for filling in.
- Subs often get called to play for a missing player who is in 3rd or 4th place, with little hope of getting many points out of the deal. So to make it a little bit fairer to these good people, the sub will now receive 5 bonus points if they sub during any tourney.
Grounds For Muting and/or Disqualification:
Players will be muted or disqualified for any of the following reasons:
- Abusive or disruptive behavior toward staff or other players at any time during the tournament (including vulgar language as well as arguing or being disruptive to the game)
- VOLUNTARILY leaving a game (note: After 3 tourneys in which a player has left voluntarily, that player will be dq'd for 30 days.) (note 2: Voluntarily leaving an EOM will disqualify you for the next 7 days)
- Refusing to start the game with the assigned players.
If any of these occur, the player's name will be disqualified for any further tournaments during the week in which the DQ occurred. (dq'd for 30 days for leaving 3 tourneys voluntarily)
- Each host should make a note on the score sheet of any DQ’d players
1) If players are disruptive during a tourney, the Host will warn the player.
2) If the abusive/disruptive behavior continues, the host has two options:
a) mute the player for 10, 30, or 60 minutes, or
b) boot and ban the player from the game.
All decisions made by the tourney host ARE FINAL
Cut-Off Time For First Round Of Play:
- In order to be fair to all our players, and not to have them waiting for long periods of time while a few rooms finish play, we will be ending our first round games at 10:30 p.m. (or the last hand played around that time).
- If we notice that a room is running late, our TOP staff will alert players in advance, so that they know about the cut-off time.
- Scores will be totaled at the time play is ended, and the games will be considered completed. Table host should initiate an 'abandon game' vote to avoid possibility of any player getting an 'incomplete' for leaving the game.
- Any player refusing to leave the room at the cut-off time will be DQ'd for the next seven days.
If there is a tie during regular tourneys, the following rules will apply to the tie breaker:
- if there are 2 tied players, they will play in one room against 2 bots
- If there are 3 tied players, each player will play in separate rooms against 3 bots
- If there are 4 tied players, they will play in one room against each other
- Bot scores do not count
- Room settings are 100, social (unrated)
- If 2 or 4 humans are playing in one room, the human with the lowest score when one human has at least 50 points is declared the winner.
- If 3 players are playing in 3 separate rooms, the game will be played to 100, and the lowest human score of the 3 rooms will move on.
If there is a tie during an EOM, the following rules will apply to the tie breaker:
- if there are 2 tied players, they will play in one room against 2 bots
- If there are 3 tied players, each player will play in separate rooms against 3 bots
- If there are 4 tied players, they will play in one room against each other
- Bot scores do not count
- Room settings are 100, social (unrated)
- If 2 or 4 humans are playing in one room, the human with the lowest score when the game is over (played to 100 pts) is declared the winner.
- If 3 players are playing in 3 separate rooms, the games will be played to 100, and the lowest human score of the 3 rooms will move on.
Play the game out until there is a single winner; score is not final until the game is complete.
Format Of Play for SINGLES & PARDS:
- The first round is a 200-point game of regular hearts, rated and with timers (using the "timeout" feature). NOTE: "always pass" may be used at the option of the tourney host.
- After the first round game, all players will exit to the lobby.
- If there is a wild card spot or 2, please remain in the lobby after the game until the host has determined if you are in the running for one of the wildcard spots.
TOP does not use 'byes' and does not play with bots, and uses wildcards instead to fill the empty slots.
* Wild cards are needed on nights when there is an odd number of rooms, to make an even # of players for the rooms; on nights when there is an odd # of rooms (3, 5, 7 room) it's 2 wild card singles or 1 wildcard team in pards; for 9 rooms of singles, it's winner + 7 single wilds (for 9 rooms of pards it's: winners + 1 wild card team). There are no wild cards with even numbers of rooms.
- Lowest two total scores from each table goes on (and perhaps wild cards) to semi-final round.
- The semi-finals are a single game played to 100. Semi winners (and perhaps a wild card) go on to Finals (finals are also a 100-pt game).
- Players are awarded points for each round, based on their order of finish: 10, 7, 4, 1 pt for singles; 10 & 5 pts for pards.
- Players’/teams' points for all games will be totaled together for the evening, and will be added to their leaderboard point total.
- PLAYERS MUST play the same name throughout the evening – even if they change ranking during the tourney.
- POINTS ARE AWARDED TO THE PLAYERS’ NAMES, not to the player himself/herself.
- At the end of each month, we will hold a tourney pitting the top 16 singles' points leaders (and top 8 pard teams) against each other; if any of the top group of players can't be present, we play with the highest-ranked subs who are present at the time the tourney starts.
- Winners receive a certificate for their win, their names will be posted for the month on the TOP Leaderboard, they will receive special recognition in our TOP newsletter, and their names will go on the website’s EOM Hall of Fame.
End Of The Year ChampionshipTourney:
- At the end of each year, we will hold a singles' and pards' tourney with all of the players who have been EOM finalists during the year. For these tourneys, there are no subs allowed, so if there are not enough players to fill the last room, the last to arrive will not be able to play in the tourney.
- Winners names will be posted for the month on the TOP Leaderboard, they will receive special recognition in our TOP newsletter, they will receive a special EOY winner's certificate, and their names will go on the website’s EOM Hall of Fame.
- The TOP Tourney Host is, in effect the “manager” for that evening’s tournament. He/she oversees all aspects of the tournament for that evening. His/her decisions are final.
- At 8:45 pm EST, the Host should be in the TOP LOBBY for sign-in.
- Before sending rooms out, the Host should post the following and ask for any questions:
- Rules & regs
- Any announcements
- Tourney format of play
- Post the room assignments in the lobby chat window (or alert them to open seating)
- Print out or hand-write a list of the rooms and assignments for your own use, as well.
- Determine if you need any wild cards and visit each room and let them know how many go on
- TO DETERMINE DIFFERENTIAL FOR WILD CARD SPOTS:
- If you need 2 wild card singles (or one wildcard team), the differential is determined by the scores for players in each room – for singles, subtract the 2nd place score from the 3rd place score – that number is the differential. (for pards, subtract team 1's total from team 2) Each room has only one differential. The 2 players (or one team) with the smallest diff will be the wildcards.
- If you need 2 wild cards (or one wildcard team), the players with the lowest diff’s go on. IT IS NOT BASED ON WHO HAS THE LOWEST SCORE, but on who has the lowest differential.
- As the rooms come back, write the points earned (not the scores) next to the person’s name
- When at least two rooms are back (preferably 3 or 4 ), shuffle the names around and send out for the semis.
- Determine how many players from each room will go on to semi -- go to each room and let them know:
- Two semis = top 2 from each room go on to finals
- Three semis = winner plus one wild (wild card with best differential)
- Four semis = winners only go on
- As the Semi players return, write their points down as well
- If a tiebreaker is required, play it at this time. Send a player to watch and monitor tiebreaker game.
- When top 4 are finalized hold the finals .
- Chat, schmooze, and then close room and go home!
- SEND ALL SCORES TO TOP-DRUNKIE: thedrunk123@yahoo.com
- you may also send duplicate to MUSH at: mshowes1@aol.com
- Here's the format to use in reporting the nightly points (sample report included below):
- We need to receive ONLY the points awarded not the actual scores themselves.
- Points are awarded as follows:
- a. First place = 10 pts
b. Second = 7
c. Third = 4
d. Fourth = 1
- We need to receive a report of the total points earned by each player that night, INCLUDING hosting and sub points.
- Include a note about who won and who, if anyone, was disqualified.
- We don't need to know actual scores, or who was in what rooms, or who was in semi's or finals – just the total points each person got that night and who won (and the date of the tourney). (But if you want to send her this detail, in addition to the summary, feel free. It does help to have the info in case there is a dispute about the points.)
- The sample below is in a simple table of 2 columns. When done, keep that copy for your files .
- NOTE: if possible, it's great to get the names in alpha order, because that makes it easier to sort the names at the end of the week.
- IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE NAMES BE REPORTED EXACTLY as they are. An 0 and and O can look alike, and you have to be careful about spaces and underlines, etc.
SAMPLE REPORT:
DATE: Monday 9/4/00
Host: MUSH
Host pts: More 4Play Plz (singles)
Lobby Host: Drunkie
Winner: Giagantorian
Sub pts: included in totals
DQ's: None
____________________________
PLAYER PTS Alley Kat 11 I am Superman 18 jedi 21 MoeGreen 1 Sagi 4 TheBigToe 27 - winner TheDrunk1 8 TheLittleToe 4 TheMiddleToe 1
Duties Of Lobby Host (note: each night's Tourney Host also posts in the lobby before their tourney)
- Arrive in lobby no later than 8:30 p.m.
- Post announcements about tourney IN BOTH LOBBIES in lobby chat box about every 10 minutes (at Hardwood you can play and post at the same time). (at 10 minutes before tourney time you can increase posts to every 2.5 minutes.)
- Continue posting till just before 9 p.m.
- Let host know if you want to play -- and have fun!