POUR HOUSE TRIVIA RULES AND FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Rules of play:
1. VERY IMPORTANT!! No use of cell phones or other outside reference materials.
2. Please do not call out any answers (even if you are just trying to be funny).
3. No collaborating with other teams.
4. Once an answer sheet has been turned in, teams may NOT change their answer or their wager, unless instructed to do so by the host.
5. The Pour House host will have final say in all circumstances during play.
6. In order to earn nightly prizes, teams may not have more than seven players on any given night. Your team may play the game with more than seven players, but in that instance your team will ONLY receive the standard 10 participation points (no extra standings points for a top three finish) and will be ineligible for nightly prizes given away by the venue. For the purposes of this rule, anyone situated at your table or team area is considered to be a part of your team, regardless of their actual input.
Earning Pour House standings points:
1. Each team that plays at least 3 rounds of trivia in a nightly event earns 10 points.
1B. If a team plays 2 rounds of trivia PLUS a halftime sheet they will earn 5 points.
2. Finishing 1st in a nightly event will earn an additional 10 points.
3. Finishing 2nd in a nightly event will earn an additional 7 points.
4. Finishing 3rd in a nightly event will earn an additional 4 points.
5. Finishing 4th OR 5th in a nightly event with 15 or more teams will earn an additional 3 points.
Qualifying for the Pour House Playoffs and World Series:
1. All rankings and standings are based on World Series points as outlined above.
2. Each team must designate a "home venue" for the season.
3. Each team's name must remain the same throughout the season.
4. There is no maximum team size during the course of the season, but teams may play with no more than seven people in order to earn prizes on any given night.
5. Teams can play at multiple venues but World Series points earned at other venues will not be carried over to a team's home venue.
6. In order to be eligible for the playoffs or World Series, individual players must have competed in at least FOUR nightly events at ANY time in the past with Pour House Trivia.
7. Individual players may play on different teams during the season but must declare a playoff team and stay with that team for the post-season.
8. The team that finishes the regular season with most World Series points at a given venue will be declared house champion and will be invited directly to the World Series.
9. In most cases, the number of teams invited to the playoffs from each venue is equal to about 50-60% of the average weekly attendance. For example, a venue with an average of 12 teams per week will receive six to seven playoff invitations (in addition to the house champion).
10. Teams must reply and confirm attendance at the playoffs within five days of the event (usually the Monday before the playoffs).
11. Although the numbers can vary, any team finishing in the top half of the field at each playoff location will most likely receive an invitation to the World Series. In the event that invited teams are unable to participate in the World Series, alternate teams will be invited in their place.
12. Teams qualifying for the World Series must reply and confirm attendance within five days of the event (usually the Monday before the World Series).
How your team may earn a playoff bye and be invited directly to the World Series:
1. Finish the season with the most World Series points at a given venue and earn the title of house champion.
2. Qualify for the playoffs at your home venue (with at least 120 standings points) AND accrue 120 total standings points outside of your home venue (This is a total amount of points accrued OUTSIDE of your home venue. For example, if your team earns 120 points at your home venue, and then earns another 60 points at a second venue; 40 points at a third, and 20 points at a fourth, then your team will have qualified for the World Series).
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: If I have a friend or someone who happens to be sitting at the table with us, do they count towards our seven person limit even if they are NOT participating in the game?
A: Yes, if a person sits at or even lingers around your playing area, they will count towards the number of people on your team. Essentially, "being on a team" is not based on any verbal declaration by any team member. That declaration is in place when a person sits with a team who is playing trivia. So, if your host sees a person at a table for any extended period of time (more than two minutes), then that person is considered to be part of your team. If the extra people pushes your team size over seven, we may ask that those people sit away from your trivia headquarters during the game. Remember that your team can play with more than seven people, but will be ineligible for nightly prizes or extra standings points for a top three finish.
Q: What if my team disagrees with the answer that the host has given to a particular question?
A: We can assure you the Pour House staff puts in hours of research into writing questions. We make every effort to be 100% correct, and we do not ask "trick" questions or questions that can be misleading or ambiguous. Our intent is to provide entertaining and engaging questions that are concise and accurate. However, sometimes we can come up short of this goal. If your team believes that the host has given an incorrect answer, or that your answer is also acceptable, please wait until the end of that round to discuss the matter. Please approach your host politely and let them know your team's concerns. At this point, explain the facts and provide some sort of proof for your argument. The host will take into account your argument and balance it against the facts presented through internet research and render a decision. It is difficult to describe how every possible scenario will play out, but it is always a priority at Pour House Trivia to be fair. Please remember that the host will have final say in all circumstances during play.
Q: I have noticed that teams at other venues have more points than my team. Will this affect my team's chances of getting into the playoffs or World Series?
A: No, your team is ONLY competing with teams at your home venue for a spot in the playoffs or World Series.
Q: If my team plays at multiple Pour House venues during the season, can we carry over those World Series points to our "home venue"?
A: No, but playing at multiple venues will help your team earn a playoff bye via the MULTI-VENUE option: If your team qualifies for the playoffs at your home venue (with at least 120 standings points) AND your team accrues 120 points outside of your home venue (This is a total amount of points accrued OUTSIDE of your home venue. For example, if your team earns 120 points at your home venue, and then earns another 60 points at a second venue; 40 points at a third, and 20 points at a fourth, then your team will have qualified for the World Series).
Q: If my team qualifies for the playoffs, can I invite my cousin who is a Rhodes scholar and a previous Jeopardy! champion? Or can my team merge with another team at the end of the season if we did NOT qualify for the playoffs?
A: Pour House Trivia does utilize a "Free Agent Rule". Any player is eligible to compete in the playoffs or World Series as long as that player has played in at least four nightly events at ANY point in time in the past. So, any team can merge with another team at any time before playoffs (as long as they do not play with more than seven players). Likewise, an individual player is eligible to compete on any team they wish, as long as that player has played in at least four nightly events. However, any team that qualifies for the World Series through the playoff round may NOT add new players in between the playoffs and the World Series. If a team has earned a playoff bye, that team may add any new ELIGIBLE players before the World Series as long as that player did NOT compete with a different team in a playoff round.
Q: What happens if there is inclement weather or a holiday and my team's home venue misses a week of trivia?
A: All venues will have least 15 weeks of trivia in which teams may accumulate World Series points. If a night of trivia is canceled for any reason, every attempt will be made to make up the game before the playoffs begin. Just remember that your team is only competing with teams from your home venue during the regular season, so all teams from a particular venue will always have the same opportunity to qualify for the playoffs.
If you have any other questions or comments, please contact us by CLICKING HERE.
1. VERY IMPORTANT!! No use of cell phones or other outside reference materials.
2. Please do not call out any answers (even if you are just trying to be funny).
3. No collaborating with other teams.
4. Once an answer sheet has been turned in, teams may NOT change their answer or their wager, unless instructed to do so by the host.
5. The Pour House host will have final say in all circumstances during play.
6. In order to earn nightly prizes, teams may not have more than seven players on any given night. Your team may play the game with more than seven players, but in that instance your team will ONLY receive the standard 10 participation points (no extra standings points for a top three finish) and will be ineligible for nightly prizes given away by the venue. For the purposes of this rule, anyone situated at your table or team area is considered to be a part of your team, regardless of their actual input.
Earning Pour House standings points:
1. Each team that plays at least 3 rounds of trivia in a nightly event earns 10 points.
1B. If a team plays 2 rounds of trivia PLUS a halftime sheet they will earn 5 points.
2. Finishing 1st in a nightly event will earn an additional 10 points.
3. Finishing 2nd in a nightly event will earn an additional 7 points.
4. Finishing 3rd in a nightly event will earn an additional 4 points.
5. Finishing 4th OR 5th in a nightly event with 15 or more teams will earn an additional 3 points.
Qualifying for the Pour House Playoffs and World Series:
1. All rankings and standings are based on World Series points as outlined above.
2. Each team must designate a "home venue" for the season.
3. Each team's name must remain the same throughout the season.
4. There is no maximum team size during the course of the season, but teams may play with no more than seven people in order to earn prizes on any given night.
5. Teams can play at multiple venues but World Series points earned at other venues will not be carried over to a team's home venue.
6. In order to be eligible for the playoffs or World Series, individual players must have competed in at least FOUR nightly events at ANY time in the past with Pour House Trivia.
7. Individual players may play on different teams during the season but must declare a playoff team and stay with that team for the post-season.
8. The team that finishes the regular season with most World Series points at a given venue will be declared house champion and will be invited directly to the World Series.
9. In most cases, the number of teams invited to the playoffs from each venue is equal to about 50-60% of the average weekly attendance. For example, a venue with an average of 12 teams per week will receive six to seven playoff invitations (in addition to the house champion).
10. Teams must reply and confirm attendance at the playoffs within five days of the event (usually the Monday before the playoffs).
11. Although the numbers can vary, any team finishing in the top half of the field at each playoff location will most likely receive an invitation to the World Series. In the event that invited teams are unable to participate in the World Series, alternate teams will be invited in their place.
12. Teams qualifying for the World Series must reply and confirm attendance within five days of the event (usually the Monday before the World Series).
How your team may earn a playoff bye and be invited directly to the World Series:
1. Finish the season with the most World Series points at a given venue and earn the title of house champion.
2. Qualify for the playoffs at your home venue (with at least 120 standings points) AND accrue 120 total standings points outside of your home venue (This is a total amount of points accrued OUTSIDE of your home venue. For example, if your team earns 120 points at your home venue, and then earns another 60 points at a second venue; 40 points at a third, and 20 points at a fourth, then your team will have qualified for the World Series).
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: If I have a friend or someone who happens to be sitting at the table with us, do they count towards our seven person limit even if they are NOT participating in the game?
A: Yes, if a person sits at or even lingers around your playing area, they will count towards the number of people on your team. Essentially, "being on a team" is not based on any verbal declaration by any team member. That declaration is in place when a person sits with a team who is playing trivia. So, if your host sees a person at a table for any extended period of time (more than two minutes), then that person is considered to be part of your team. If the extra people pushes your team size over seven, we may ask that those people sit away from your trivia headquarters during the game. Remember that your team can play with more than seven people, but will be ineligible for nightly prizes or extra standings points for a top three finish.
Q: What if my team disagrees with the answer that the host has given to a particular question?
A: We can assure you the Pour House staff puts in hours of research into writing questions. We make every effort to be 100% correct, and we do not ask "trick" questions or questions that can be misleading or ambiguous. Our intent is to provide entertaining and engaging questions that are concise and accurate. However, sometimes we can come up short of this goal. If your team believes that the host has given an incorrect answer, or that your answer is also acceptable, please wait until the end of that round to discuss the matter. Please approach your host politely and let them know your team's concerns. At this point, explain the facts and provide some sort of proof for your argument. The host will take into account your argument and balance it against the facts presented through internet research and render a decision. It is difficult to describe how every possible scenario will play out, but it is always a priority at Pour House Trivia to be fair. Please remember that the host will have final say in all circumstances during play.
Q: I have noticed that teams at other venues have more points than my team. Will this affect my team's chances of getting into the playoffs or World Series?
A: No, your team is ONLY competing with teams at your home venue for a spot in the playoffs or World Series.
Q: If my team plays at multiple Pour House venues during the season, can we carry over those World Series points to our "home venue"?
A: No, but playing at multiple venues will help your team earn a playoff bye via the MULTI-VENUE option: If your team qualifies for the playoffs at your home venue (with at least 120 standings points) AND your team accrues 120 points outside of your home venue (This is a total amount of points accrued OUTSIDE of your home venue. For example, if your team earns 120 points at your home venue, and then earns another 60 points at a second venue; 40 points at a third, and 20 points at a fourth, then your team will have qualified for the World Series).
Q: If my team qualifies for the playoffs, can I invite my cousin who is a Rhodes scholar and a previous Jeopardy! champion? Or can my team merge with another team at the end of the season if we did NOT qualify for the playoffs?
A: Pour House Trivia does utilize a "Free Agent Rule". Any player is eligible to compete in the playoffs or World Series as long as that player has played in at least four nightly events at ANY point in time in the past. So, any team can merge with another team at any time before playoffs (as long as they do not play with more than seven players). Likewise, an individual player is eligible to compete on any team they wish, as long as that player has played in at least four nightly events. However, any team that qualifies for the World Series through the playoff round may NOT add new players in between the playoffs and the World Series. If a team has earned a playoff bye, that team may add any new ELIGIBLE players before the World Series as long as that player did NOT compete with a different team in a playoff round.
Q: What happens if there is inclement weather or a holiday and my team's home venue misses a week of trivia?
A: All venues will have least 15 weeks of trivia in which teams may accumulate World Series points. If a night of trivia is canceled for any reason, every attempt will be made to make up the game before the playoffs begin. Just remember that your team is only competing with teams from your home venue during the regular season, so all teams from a particular venue will always have the same opportunity to qualify for the playoffs.
If you have any other questions or comments, please contact us by CLICKING HERE.
