STBFAQ for the NAST*

* Soon To Be Frequently Asked Questions for the North American Scrabble^® Tour

The North American Scrabble^® Tour is a series of local and regional one-day qualifying tournaments, called Satellites, and a culminating Final Event. The intent is to run it on an annual basis, although the inaugural Tour may follow a somewhat different schedule. The idea grew from seeing events like the World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker, and thinking, why not a similar event for Scrabble^® players? In order to make it appealing to more than just the top players, the NAST is structured in such a way to afford a greater than normal opportunity for any good player to win something, even the big Final Event.

In its entirety, it is like a year-long tournament where the first part takes place in many different locations at different times. The Satellites are preliminary events used to determine the qualifiers for the Finals. A portion of the entry fees from each Satellite will be carried over to the Final Event. Eventually, the entry fees for the Satellites may be higher than for typical tournaments, but for the first year the entry fee will be 50 dollars. Qualifiers will not have to pay another entry fee for the Finals. Byes will be discouraged in the Satellite events, so organizers always should try to have a player on standby.

Each Satellite will be a standalone, rated event, with its own prizes. The Finals will also be a rated event, with larger prizes. National Scrabble^® Association rules and directors will be used. Due to the unique nature of the NAST, a few special rules may be required, any of which would be published in advance if possible.

Because the Satellites are only six-game events, your chances of winning or qualifying for the Finals are better than for most tournaments, if you're a lower-rated player. All things being equal (which they aren't, of course), every player starts with at least a one-in-eight chance of moving on. Only the smallest Satellites (6 - 8 players) send just one player to the Finals. Larger Satellites will send one additional qualifier for every eight players in the field. For example, a 30-player Satellite would send four players on to the Finals, a 50-player Satellite would send seven players, etc. Stronger players would still have some advantage over weaker players, but the format is deliberately structured for more uncertainty, both by the number of games and in how the pairings are set. This uncertainty should create more interest amongst lower ranking players, who will have a much better chance of advancing than they would in a more traditional format. All players, including stronger players, have the motivation of a big final prize.

All Satellite tourneys will be six games, regardless of the number of players (a minimum of six is required). The players will be divided into balanced, equally ranked groups of six or eight and play a pre-arranged partial round robin against four players in their group. This ensures that each player will play exactly the same ranked and approximately the same strength field for the first four games. The final two rounds will be paired Swiss and King-of-Hill. We are looking at whether it makes sense to modify Round 5 for no repeat pairings, and Round 6 for 1-3, 2-4 type pairings instead of King-of-Hill. Due to the shortness of the Satellites and to keep them uniformly simple, there will be no Gibsonizing. Satellites with six or ten players will be handled a bit differently. Pairing charts for any size field are available for review.

The NAST tournament format requires all players to think a bit differently, in that the goal isn't to determine who is the best player. A NAST winner is still the best player on that day, but we aren't trying to make the claim that this tournament format is a true test of absolute or long-term ability. The whole idea is to make the tournament scene more lucrative, and that requires participation of as many players as possible. The format must be designed to attract players of all skill levels, at least those who think they are good enough to beat you, the top expert, just once. Once the word gets out, there may be home players, on line players or even celebrity players that want a shot at you. And, of course, there's that lure of a big prize at the end.

It depends a bit on how confident you are, and how well you understand the nature of short tournaments, particularly one that is structured to give you a bit of an edge. The NAST is certainly your best chance at winning a big prize. The tournaments have open fields, so while you can't be certain of playing a particular player, there are likely opportunities to match wits with a top player. And to the extent that top players aren't playing in your particular Satellite, your chance of qualifying for the Finals is even better.

Yes, you may play in as many Satellites as you want, even if you have qualified for a place in the Finals. Some players simply may want the action, others may see it as an opportunity to limit the numbers in the Final Event. This probably won't happen much while the Satellite entry fees and prizes are small, but would become more likely if those increase in the future.

Probably. This is under review, and if approved, a high, but fair, entry fee will be charged. This could be particularly useful to foreign players who might not have access to a Satellite, or for any players who just can't stand not having a chance at the big prize, even if they didn't make it through a Satellite tourney.

Some poker players have backers who pay part or all of the entry fee into an event with some expectation of sharing in any winnings. This will be allowed for NAST events, as long as such backers are not also players in that same event. At any point that such a situation comes to light, neither player nor backer will be allowed to play any longer in that year's and the following year's Tour. The ultimate disposition of prize money is strictly a matter between the player and backer.

There may be, especially if the entry fee for Satellites increases in the future. This will be up to local directors and organizers, and such tournaments would be independent of the NAST. Any such prizes awarded would need to be at least as much as the entry fee for a Satellite. Of course, a player is free to apply any other tournament winnings to a Satellite entry fee.

By placing high enough in a qualifying Satellite tournament, or possibly by buying directly into the event. A fee has yet to be set for the latter approach, but it will be high. The number of players that advance from a Satellite depends on the size of the playing field. One player advances from a Satellite with 6 - 8 players; two advance from a Satellite with 10 - 16; three advance from 18 - 24; four advance from 26 - 32, and so on with one additional qualifier for every additional eight players.

This is under construction at this time. Various formats are being considered, but the underlying principle is still the same, i.e., the Final Event needs to be structured in such a way that it doesn't unduly favor the strongest players, who will be favored anyway. Therefore, while the Finals may have more than six rounds, it can't be so long as to defeat the underlying principle. It will probably still be a one day event.

Minor sponsors, such as venue and food providers, printers, etc., which already subsidize many tournaments, are likely. Eventually, we would like to seek more substantial sponsorship, which could significantly increase prize funds.

40 percent of Satellite entry fees will be carried over to the Final Event, 10 percent is retained for the directors and organizers, leaving 50 percent for expenses and the Satellite prize fund. The goal is to try to limit expenses to 10 percent of fees, leaving 40 percent for Satellite prize funds, equal to what is carried over to the Finals. With a 50 dollar entry fee, that goal may not be realistic in some areas. However, small Satellites can be played in a variety of nontraditional settings (e.g., homes or offices) to keep expenses down. It's important to remember that the big prizes aren't at the Satellites. Their main purpose is to serve as a qualifier for the big prizes. We also are looking into using a portion of the prize fund for some type of hardware for the qualifiers, such as a pin or bracelet.

The 10 percent goal will be reviewed after the first Tour is completed. The amount is based on other tournament experience with respect to typical expenses such as costs for playing room, rating fee, printing, computer staff, etc. Certain expenses are required for all tournaments, but directors and organizers have flexibility in how they use the available funds for other expenses, including venues, marketing, staff costs and other variables. Small Satellites should have minimal expenses, since it should be relatively easy to find cheap or free venues for a one-day event with a small number of players. Larger Satellites will have greater expenses and a correspondingly higher fund to draw from. Satellites that are adjunct to other tournaments should benefit from economies of scale. We recognize that, in some cases, 10 percent may not be enough, but will leave it to local directors to determine the best approach.

Partly because they deserve it, and partly because it will serve as a catalyst for promoting the event. The intent is for the Satellites to be professionally run in a consistent manner with sufficient staff, and to that end the expense fund should be large enough for directors and organizers to at least not lose money, and possibly receive even greater stipends for larger events or when higher fees are charged. Astute directors will note that the larger the Satellite, the bigger the expense fund and the larger the likely available stipend. The structure provides a built-in incentive to market the event, both in terms of numbers of players as well as looking for contributing sponsors.

The top prize for the Final Event will depend on the number of Satellite entrants and the entry fee. If 200 players play in Satellites with a $50 entry fee, the prize fund (after expenses) in the Finals will be about $3,200, with a first prize of about $2,000. If 400 players play in Satellites, the first place prize in the Finals will be about $4,000. If 600 play, the Finals top prize would be about $6,000. If the entry fee is raised in the future to something like $200, or if participation in the Satellites is much higher at the lower fee level, or if significant sponsorship can be procured, the top prize at the Finals could be $25,000 or more, comparable to our National Championship top prize. The main key to having a large Finals prize fund will be getting maximum participation in the Satellites.

This hasn't been determined. The first year, to facilitate coordination, the Finals will probably be held in Minnesota. The anticipated Tour season will run from June to June, so weather should not be a significant factor in choosing a site.

To some extent, yes. But this problem is minimized by the one-day, open nature of the Satellites, which can draw from all rating groups. Also, because the Satellites are just six-game events, it's quite possible for them to piggyback onto existing tournaments. Certainly some of the one-day events currently offered could become Satellites, or be extended to two days. For the more common existing weekend tournaments, a NAST Satellite could be an early-bird or late-bird event. Satellites can be played as six consecutive games, or they can be broken into two segments. This could allow three games to be played on Friday afternoon or evening, with the remaining three games played later that night or the next morning. There are lots of possibilities for Satellites to function as adjunct rather than competing tournaments.

This first year, it's the smaller amount, so it's a good time to give it a go. If the NAST becomes wildly popular, we may not want to raise fees. If the fee rises in the future, each player can choose to play or not play for their own reasons. Your chances of winning are a lot better than they would be in The World Series of Poker. About 15 percent of all players will at least get their entry fee back and advance to the Finals. If you have an annual budget for tournaments, a Satellite event that costs $200 is less expensive than most tournaments to which you might travel. The goal is to have enough Satellite tournaments so that they are largely local events. That way, travel and lodging costs can be minimized for most players and a Satellite would cost less than a typical tournament you might travel to. Even if you travel to a Satellite, they are just one day events so that at least one night of lodging can be saved. Of course, the main lure of the whole NAST concept is the chance for a big prize at the Final Event. It's the same lure that draws thousands of people to poker tournaments — someone is going to win, and it might as well be you.