What is the fair thing to do to a big prize pool guarantee when extreme weather strikes?
Last week, a massive winter storm hit the middle of the country. Texas and Oklahoma took the brunt of it, and the worst conditions landed squarely on Sunday — prime tournament time.
That immediately put poker rooms in a bind. Big guarantees were on the schedule, but local authorities were telling people not to leave their homes. Roads were iced over. Travel was dangerous.
What is the right thing to do?
A guarantee is an incentive. It exists to encourage players to travel. But when travel itself becomes unsafe, and officials are publicly saying so, the incentive becomes a liability.
Every tournament structure sheet includes language that allows operators to change or cancel the event. Most players think that clause should almost never be used, and I agree.
But last week was not a normal situation.
I drop the inside scoop as a veteran tournament director in our latest video:
- How did card rooms in Texas and Oklahoma deal with recent extreme weather?
- Who really covers a missed guarantee?
- Can changing a guarantee keep people safe?
- When is a poker room acting in bad faith?
Jam the play button above to get right into it.
Justin Hammer is the Live Events Director for PokerAtlas, online Tournament Director for the Texas-based poker app Hijack, and a Tournament Director for Thunder Valley Casino Resort. He also brings his expertise as a consultant and minority owner of Desert Bluffs Casino in Kennewick, Washington.
For more info visit PokerAtlas.com, HijackPoker.com, and bluffs.poker. Follow Justin on X.
