Hand-for-Hand Mode

1. Introduction.

The hand-for-hand play is used in multi-table tournaments before significant shifts in the tournament process (for example, before the last player to drop out without a prize has dropped out). The play involves simultaneously dealing one hand on every remaining table in the tournament and waiting until that hand has been played in all tables before dealing the next hand.

The main reason for the use of hand-for-hand play is to prevent players from delaying gameplay in the hope of moving up in the prize structure when players at other tables drop out. By ensuring that each table plays the same amount of hands, the incentive to stall is removed.

Once the required number of players have dropped out and the prize level has increased, the handfor- hand play ends and the normal gameplay continues.

The most common situations when hand-for-hand play is applied are the following:

• All the remaining players receive a prize after one more player has dropped out.
• All the remaining players receive a seat at the final table after one more player has dropped out.
• In a satellite, all the remaining players are granted a seat in the main tournament after few more players drop out.

2. Event Flow

The flow of events is the following:

1. A hand is finished in a table and some players drop out from the tournament.
2. The number of remaining players in the tournament has reached the number configured for triggering the hand-for-hand play.

For example, the hand-for-hand play is configured to start when there are two players more than are eligible for the prizes. The tournament has 40 places with prizes and there are 42 players remaining in the tournament.

3. The gameplay in that table is stopped until all the tables have finished the ongoing hand.

If the number of remaining players is already enough to finish the hand-for-hand play, the regular gameplay continues in all the tables that were waiting for the hand-for-hand play to start.

4. The hand-for-hand message is shown on the table and in the chat box. The message is shown at the end of the hand on each table.
5. All the tables have finished the current hand in the regular mode.
6. A new hand is dealt simultaneously in all the tables.
7. If all the tables have finished the hand in the hand-for-hand mode, the system checks if the amount of dropped out players is enough to resume the regular gameplay.

For example, if the hand-for hand play is configured to start two players before the prizes, the system checks if two players have dropped out.

8. If not enough players have dropped out, the hand-for-hand play continues.

• If enough players have dropped out or only one table remains, then the hand-for-hand mode is over, the hand-for-hand end message is shown in the chat box and the regular gameplay resumes.
• If more than the required amount of players drop out during the hand-for-hand mode, they are treated as follows:
  • If, for example, one of them should have received a prize, the player that started the last hand with the biggest amount of chips receives the prize. If all of the players had the same amount of chips, then the prize is divided equally between them.
  • If the hand-for-hand mode was triggered to ascertain the players that are playing in the final table, then none of the players who drop out during the hand-for-hand mode receive a seat in the final table.