Selling Seat

[peimikey]

Hello,

My first post, so I hope I can make sense of the scenario, and you folks can offer an opinion.

We are approaching our year end game.  Our league points total has been tallied, and bonous chips assigned.  No issues there.  However, We have one of our players in our end game being called away for work.  He wants to sell his seat, including points and the bonus chips to go along with it to a non-league member.

My initial thought was that I'm ok with the non leaguer buying the seat, but not not the points and bonus chips. 

We do not have a rule on it this year, but will for next.  But I want to know your opinion on the situation?

Thanks

[Martini]

I wouldn't allow it. Besides the fact that it runs counter to the spirit of a league, you can bet that you'll get an earful if the replacement ends up winning the tourney.

If a player can't make it to the game I think the fairest options are:

* Let his stack get blinded off and receive whatever prize money his finishing place merits.
* Remove his stack/bonus chips and allow the next highest person in the standings to come into the final game to play with whatever extra chips that he would have normally received. In other words, not the bonus chips of the person who couldn't make it.

That said, if you are going to allow someone to sell his seat I don't see why the bonus chips wouldn't be included.

I should add that I assume this is some kind of special end of year freeroll with limited participation. If anyone can buy in to the tourney then I would say that the outsider should just pony up a normal buy in and get the standard amount of chips but no bonus.

[nutN2Lewz]

I wouldn't allow a non-leaguer to play - someone could bring in a ringer. Your steady players will not appreciate an outsider coming in at the last moment.

Do all league members play in the year-end game? You might allow him to sell the seat to another person in the league who is not playing. He can sell his points and his bonus chips or you can state that the new player keeps his existing points and bonus chips.

Good luck, nutn

[drillrod]

I wouldn't allow him to sell the seat. When I played in a league, we had a league championship game with the top, I believe, eight players playing for the championship. The schedule was posted well in advance and if a player couldn't make it, then the next player in points was invited.

[Wedge Rock]

We have a Championship at the end of the Year.   We have a Qualifier that fills the last Championship seat (seats 1-8 are filled with the top 8 point finishers in the regular season); seats are offered to point finishers #9 through #17.

If someone can't make it to the Championship for whatever reason, we play short.  If someone can't make the Qualifier, we'll go to the next highest point total (#18 first, then #19, #20, etc.).  The bonus chips for the replacement player (say #18) are based on their own finish, and not the finish of the person they are replacing.

As suggested above, if the person who can't make the Championship has already paid to play (or they freeroll the seat), I think you allow their stack to be blinded off.

If you don't have a rule addressing this situation, you should make one in the offseason.  You should also have a  general rule that the TD can make decision to ensure fair play, even if such a decision contradicts the stated rules.  As pointed out, the ability to get a ringer makes selling the seat unfair.  The only way I'd allow it to happen is if everyone else at the final table agreed to let the seat be sold.