Tournaments
MASTER WIZARD CERTIFICATION
Master points are granted at official Wizard tournaments sanctioned by U.S.Games or Wizard Cards Int'l Inc.
The points required to attain the various Wizard levels are:
Earth Wizard........100
Water Wizard..... 200
Air Wizard ...........300
Fire Wizard......... 400
Arch Wizard........ 600
Pins recognizing each of these levels will be issued to those qualified.
The Top 3 finishers of the "Final Six" can win additional Master Points by participating in the TRIAD. (see rules) Master points are also awarded to
the "Top 10" in the online sessions. (see "Top Ten")
Tournaments
The first organized Wizard play for groups took place at the request of regular players who wanted official sanction to host a tournament. Wizard
provided support by supplying personnel, games, awards and prizes. The first tournament took place in an Applebyrestaurant in Mississauga and
attracted 36 players with Lloyd Lunan going home the overall winner. A second tournament quickly followed in St. Catharines, which attracted a similar
number of enthusiastic players. Because of the interest shown and the success of the first two tournaments a promotional tournament kit was developed
and made available to anyone interested in hosting a Wizard tournament.
However it was not until Elessar Tetramariner from Ann Arbor, Michigan contacted Ken Fisher that tournaments acquired an ongoing legacy. Elessar was a
long-time fan of the game and wanted to host a tournament in Ann Arbor. Ken and Elessar put together the first official set of tournament regulations
and developed a system for awarding Master Points which led to the varying degrees of Wizard mastery. The official Wizard pins and certificates also
made their debut. The tournament took place and U.S. Games sent 2 representatives to monitor the results and lend support. Ken Fisher insisted on
entering the tournament and was the eventual winner. He later said he entered to prove that Wizard requires considerable skill as well as luck. This
tournament was the beginning of record-keeping for tournaments; master points were awarded and names were filed for future reference.
Although local tournaments were encouraged they were sporadic and usually organized by a group of regular players without any promotion to widen the
number of participants.
Ken Fisher decided to focus on two methods of encouraging both the play of Wizard and the hosting of tournaments.
The first was the development of a Wizard website where online play and tournaments would be possible. The website development is described elsewhere
in a separate section called The Website. Consequently the discussion here will be restricted to tournament play on the website. A separate set of
regulations was developed to cover online tournaments. Online tournaments have proven to be very popular with online players who constantly request
that they be held more frequently. The online tournaments require far less planning than live tournaments but they pose a separate set of hosting
challenges. Nevertheless it is anticipated that online tournaments will be the wave of the future with participants world-wide.
The second method was to host an annual official Wizard Tournament which could attract players from a wide geographical area. The first International
Wizard Tournament took place in Toronto at the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Conference Centre on July 10, 2004. A summary of the event follows:
TOTO Wizard Tournament in Toronto
To celebrate the sale of over 1 million Wizard games the 2004 World Wizard Tournament was held in Toronto, Canada where the card game originated.
Thirty-six enthusiastic players participated in the event which was held at the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Conference Center on Saturday July 10.
The fun began on Friday with refreshments and casual play of Wizard in the Armada Room. The official tournament got under way Saturday in The Prince
Regent Ballroom and continued throughout the day culminating with a clear-cut victory by SpiritGrove late in the evening. She went away with the top
cash prize of $500 and Ken Fisher, the game's creator, presented her with the Wizard Tournament Trophy. Numerous prizes punctuated the day with gifts
going to the youngest player at age 14 and the eldest at age 83. The prize for longest drive to the tournament was awarded to players from Boston,
Massachusetts and the prize for traveling the furthest distance went to the Blockers
who flew in from Manitoba. Team USA swept the prizes for Best Wizard Hats with inspired creations. However the only player from the USA who managed to
reach the final table of 6 players (The Final Six) placed 6th overall. Undaunted the Americans vowed to return with a stronger team for next year's
event. All Final Six players received cash prizes, certificates, pins and Master Points.
The tournament winner, Terry Blocker Spiritgrove later sent Ken Fisher a âthank you letter. What follows is an abbreviated form of that letter.
Dear Ken;
Hi and thank you . Brian and I had a fantastic time all weekend.To be honest, Winning was never a thought in my mind. Making the final six was my
goal.But the tournament was great. The Americans were awesome and since we didn't leave till Monday morning we got to get together with them and play
some more cards and got to know them better. I was told they want to host next years Tourney. I said we would be coming to make sure the trophy came
back to Canada.
I now know how the poker players I have seen on TV. in tournaments feel. The game consumes your every thought, every movement, even your body language
tells you so much about the other players. It is so intense.
Well, Thank you both for a great Tournament.
Terry ( Spirit)
Wizard Tournament in Stamford, CT 2005 (STATO)
color=red]STATO Stamford Tournament June 25, 2005.[/color]
Final 6
First ........Kevin Gill “Dr. Wizard”....530 points.....40 Master Points
Second.....Stuart Kaplan................470 .............34
Third........Betty Hatfield...............460..............27
Fourth......Mae Lougheed..............420.............20
Fifth........Elka Benik Freer............400...............13
Sixth.......Shirley Airdrie................240...............7
The top 2 spots were won by U.S. men while the next 4 were won by Canadian women.
Synopsis
The Westin hotel provided first class accommodation to all who were staying as guests.
The fun began in the “Wizard Suite” on the afternoon of Friday June 24. Frivolity and practice games continued until midnight when the last reveler
departed.
Early risers awoke to find that all power in western Stamford had been lost. Showering, shaving, etc in the dark posed no challenge for Wizard
players.
Power was restored in time to enable a belated start of the tournament in the ballroom. A total of 40 players took part: 18 Canadians, 21 Americans
and 1 player from Japan. The air-conditioning kept the room at temperatures which required a number of people to wear coats during play.
Round 1 consisted of 8 tables of 5. Round 2 consisted of 4-player games which took much longer to complete than anticipated. Consequently the champion
wasn’t decided until shortly after midnight.
Two of the “favorites”: Mr. Wizard, and merlin made it to the 3rd round but failed to win first place at their table of six in order to advance to the
“Final Six”.
Congratulations to Kevin Gill (Dr. Wizard) of Brockton, Mass. on his well-deserved victory. Stuart Kaplan of “U.S. Games” lost the championship when
he failed to make his final bid in the final hand. Stuart not only played in the tournament but acted as a gracious host. Soft drinks, juices, hot
coffee and a variety of buns and rolls were available for free. Every entrant received a unique Wizard pen and a baseball cap embroidered with the
Wizard logo. Other prizes and give-aways included Wizard T-shirts, the new leather-bound Gift edition of Wizard, and the new Wizard bidding coins. The
majority of the out-of-towners also were treated to a free dinner compliments of U.S. Games.
A reporter and cameraman from the Stamford Advocate were on hand and a large article titled Wily Wizards appeared in the Sunday paper.
In short a good time was had by all.
The following article appeared in the Stamford Advocate the day after the tournament. (Minus the photographs)
Wily wizards: Players try to conjure up a winning hand
--------------------
June 26, 2005
STAMFORD -- At the Westin Hotel yesterday, next door to a bar mitzvah and down the hall from a christening party, 40 people from as far as Canada and
Japan converged in a banquet room to participate in another sort of milestone: The second annual International Wizard Card Game tournament.
The enthusiastic Wizard community is dedicated to the rapidly growing card game, invented in 1985 by Canadian game developer Ken Fisher and licensed
by local game company US Games Inc.
The Stamford-based business owns about 400 different games and Wizard is one of its most popular with more than 1 million sold, according to Chief
Executive Officer Stuart Kaplan. His company also makes custom card decks for birthday, wedding and anniversary souvenirs, but the special playing
cards emblazoned with the presidential seal kept in ready supply at Camp David and on Air Force One, and manufactured by US Games Inc. might be
Kaplan's most instantly recognizable work.
Wizard is a hybrid of other card games in which bids are made to predict how many "tricks" can be made, or hands won. Players lose points for going
over or under their predicted bid and use a special 60-card deck which includes wild-card jesters and namesake wizard face cards that automatically
win any hand. The parlor game is easy to learn but difficult to master, which makes for a good fan base, its creator said.
"Card games are particularly hard to get into the market," said Fisher. "If you can get them in though, they have a lot of staying power."
At first, he put the game out on his own.
"Game companies wouldn't touch it," Fisher said.
Today, his hobby has become an international sensation. It is licensed in Germany and Italy and will debut this fall in Japan.
"It's just very gratifying to see so many people who like it," Fisher said.
Many players yesterday showed their love of the game by wearing wizard and jester hats. One woman fashioned a crown of stapled Wizard cards. As the
players made bids and shuffled cards in the hushed banquet room, the game's inventor told the story of Wizard's genesis.
A former high school teacher and writer of the syndicated newspaper trivia game, "Isaac Asimov's Super Quiz," Fisher, 68, said he came up with Wizard
to fill the quiet family evenings at his lakeside cottage in Ontario.
"We needed something more friendly and flexible than bridge," said Fisher.
So he invented something that drew from strengths of classic popular card games.
"It's got a lot of familiarity to it," Fisher said. "In the game development world I say that if it's new, it's probably not good and if it's good,
it's probably not all new."
The game is most popular with women over 45, said Kaplan, 73, but players of all ages enjoy it. The youngest player at the championships yesterday was
12-year-old Sarah Gudino of Stamford. She had learned the game two days before.
"I'm planning on playing next year," said Sarah. "I'm already teaching my little cousin."
One of the more seasoned players, Keith Gill, of Brockton, Mass., goes by the nickname "Mr. Wizard" in the online Wizard card community and is such a
fanatic that the moniker has carried into daily life. The 19-year-old, who learned the game from an aunt and now teaches his college friends, has
attained the level of "Earth Wizard," a distinction shared only by the game's inventor, Ken Fisher.
Gill and his friend Ryan Cappola, 16, both said the game of trumps is very addictive.
"We're just really hooked on it," Gill said.
He hosted a tournament last year, which drew a large hometown crowd, he said.
"Our entire city and all our friends know the game," Gill said.
The sole out-of-towner at that tournament, George Wellsbury of Toronto, ended up the winner, further fueling a long-running friendly rivalry between
American and Canadian Wizard players.
"We hate them and they hate us," Gill said, grinning.
At yesterday's tournament, Wellsbury bested the Americans again with a self-styled wizard hat covered in blue velour, moons, stars, and Wizard logo
that won the contest for best homemade hat.
The tournament was slated to continue late into the night last night, but win or lose, Gill plans to keep playing for a long time.
"We'll teach our kids, everyone down the line," he said. "It's just a really fun game.
Wizard Tournament in Stamford, CT 2006 (WizardFest)
Results
1st.....Ms. Wizard (Julie).....250 pts.......$600 prize
2nd....Mr. Wizard (Keith).....190.........$300
3rd.....Dr. Wizard (Kevin).....130.........$200
4th.....Joan Fisher .................90.........$100
Synopsis
Without mincing words the event was a debacle. Don't get me wrong, all those who attended had a great time. (I think) And why not, free admission,
free coffee, free buns, free pens, cash prizes, free dinner, etc.
The debacle can be divided into 2 phases; preparation and execution.
Preparation
The turnout of 28 players was disappointing to say the least. A large turnout was not anticipated but we did hope to at least equal last year's total
of 40. What happened? First of all we knew from last year that the Stamford location was problematic. However because U.S. Games insisted on staying
at that location we hoped that they would do whatever was needed to draw players. To be fair they did some promotion but without going into detail it
was not effective and lessons that should have been learned from 2005 were ignored. The problem was compounded by the fact that Stuart Kaplan the
driving force of U.S.Games was not even in the country for much of June due to commitments in Europe. No single person from U.S.Games was delegated
the responsibility for the tournament and consequently there was no focus on important details, including the need to get the attendance up. Enough
said about this matter.
Execution
I rose at 5:30 on the day of the tournament because of my concern for preparations. I found the tournament room nicely set up but with large round
tables that were not suitable for the 4-player games we had planned. I found a hotel worker, got the ballroom changed to an adjacent room and began
setting up the bridge tables that had kindly been provided by Joe Andrews who was attending on behalf of the "Grand Prix Card Tournaments".
The original plan was to play 3 preliminary rounds and then begin the first round of play-offs. Joe decided that we should have 4 rounds to assure
everybody at least 4 games before being eliminated. I acquiesced to this a couple of days before the tournament. Due to late arrivals we were an hour
late getting started and I should have insisted that we revert to just 3 games but failed to do so. Consequently the first play-off round consisted of
a short game (10 hands) and several good players were eliminated due to a couple of tough hands. This round should have been 2 games with total points
to count but time did not allow it. (Lesson learned).
Conclusions:
1. The annual tournament must be held in a location where Wizard is most popular.
2. Although there are advantages to all games being 4-handed (not the least of which is that bridge tables can be used) I do not think that format
will be standard. I think a mix of 4-5-6 handed games better represents the normal play of Wizard.
4. Although time is a major restraint 1 short game should not be criteria for elimination. We do want to keep as many players in the tournament after
round 1 as possible but must not use up so much time that play-offs must be 1 short game.
5. Announced times must be strictly enforced. If the tournament is set to start at 9 a.m. it should not be delayed more than 15 minutes. Tardiness
must receive its own rewards.
Many thanks to U.S. Games and Stuart Kaplan in particular for the support and generosity that was provided.
More thanks and appreciation to Joe Andrews for his enthusdiasm, expertise and support of the tournament.
Kudos to all of those who made the effort to travel a considerable distance to participate in the event.
Congratulations to the 4 finalists and to Ms. Wizard in particular for her championship win.
Wizard tournaments sanctioned by U.S.Games or Wizard Cards Int'l Inc.
The points required to attain the various Wizard levels are:
Earth Wizard.100, Air Wizard.200, Fire Wizard.300, Water Wizard.400, Arch Wizard. 500
Pins recognizing each of these levels will be issued to those qualified.
The Top 3 finishers of the "Final Six" can win additional Master Points by participating in the TRIAD. (see rules) Master points are also awarded to
the "Top 10" in the online sessions. (see "Top Ten")
WORLDWIDE WIZARD RANKINGS
Updated May 13, 2007.
1. George Wellsbury...merlin....305.5....Pickering, Ont...............*Water Wizard
2. Ken Fisher ....wizard.........297.5..........Toronto, ON................*Air Wizard
3. ken mccoy..........270...Cambridge, Ont..................................*Air Wizard
4. Keith Gill (Mr. Wizard).....221.75....Brockton,Mass.................*Air Wizard
5. Spicy online...........201....Mississauga, ON..............* Air Wizard
6. deanna...online......180.5........Montana................*Earth Wizard
7. Twit Meister...(formerly PiasaGene)................167*Earth Wizard
8. Denny Crane………159.5.........................................*Earth Wizard
9. unclechuckie online....144.5.....Ca.........................*Earth Wizard
10. jeffzel ..........108.5......Cambridge, ON......................*Earth Wizard
11. Magicgirl..............108..................................*Earth Wizard
12. lazyjones.....105.5...........................................*Earth Wizard
13. Dr. Wizard..............94.5..........Mass
14. fizzwiz (online).....90.....Toronto
15. jjrock.............81.5.......
16. Nightrunner.........77.5...online (Ont.)
17. trapizoid (online).......73.5.
18. Steve Hudson .........69...........Windsor, ON
19. Lee Lahti...............68...........Fort Collins, CO
20. VJ..........63.5.......
21. karmakarma.........62.25.....Pickering, ON
22. wizbucket .........62
23. Rob Taylor...........59...
24. Rick Young..............57..........Dublin, OH
25. SpiritGrove.............54.5........Manitoba
26. Ted McCoy..........51.........
27. The Boss...(online).............52....Rimouski, Quebec
28. cargobeep..........51.5..
29. cormoran.............48...
30.Tishy...........47........Milton, On
31. Rebecca Egger......46..........Ann Arbor, Mich
32. Betty Hatfield.............45......Toronto, ON
33. Jim Baker.............45............Washington, DE
34. gardensinger (Clara Ecctes)........44.5......
35. Shirley Airdrie.............44.5..........Toronto, ON
36. hazardous..........42.25....
37. Mark Kauppila ...........42..........Waterford, Mich
38. Shelley Doran............36.......Ann Arbor,Mich
39. The Dimitri..............36..............Alberta
40. Robert Hole..............35.5.......Bermuda
41. Fritz60.......35.....Ont
42. Carol Mitchell............35.........B.C. .
43. Cloverjazz (Michelle Hinks)........34.5....
44. Lord Voldemort....34.....
45. Stuart Kaplan.............34..........Stamford, CT
46. Scott House..............34........Humbolt, TX
47. Jennifer Scraver............33.........Whitehall, Mich
48. beachbeetle.....32.5......Pickering, ON
49. William Shostak...........30..........Ann Arbor, Mich
50. Ms. Wizard........28.......Mass
51. Dodderj........28.....online
52. madlock (online)..........28
53. Russell McKown............28........Louisville, Kentucky
54. Nate Whiteside (Nate)..........27.5
55. wert.......27.
56. mphenix...........26.5...
57. bob (online)............26.5
58. Penny Weimier......26...
59. vanderdl..............26
60. B. Langhaus......26.....AZ
61. Rita Isajenko............26........Rexdale, OM
62. ritzkiss.............25........
63. Omnipotent...........24.5........Pickering
64. ThunderFalls........24....pnline
65. paulacv……………………..24...
66. Luann Grosse...........24.........Ann Arbor, Mich
67. Irv Airdrie...........23.5........Toronto, ON
68. bbandit............23.......
69. rickster..........23.....
70. Judj.......23.....online
71. denali (online)............23....
72. Mike Glicksohn..........23.......Toronto, ON
73. Mike Fitzgerald........23........Weston, CT
74. the whiz...........22....
75. Jim Rothwell.........22.
76. Howard Lougheed......22......Toronto, ON
77. D. Polhemus......22.......AZ.....
78. ap Sirius ......Karl Anderson.......21.5.....
79. Silent Sam..........21.....
80. Supercanuck........21.......
81. Joan Fisher..........21......(Mary Poppins)..Toronto
82. Elessar Tetramariner (online).....21.....England
83. Vic Lawson (B.B.).......21........PA
84. Larry Hull...................21......Anderson, Illinois
85. Ben Marklund.............20.5............New Westminster B.C.
86. Wizard of Oz.......20..
87. Madmom..........20...online
88. May Lougheed.........20........Toronto
89. Laurel Brunke..................20.......Vancouver
90. Doug Heavrin-Brown...................20.......Ann Arbor, Mich
91. Marcia Rittgers.......20........Florida
92. Donna Lenz...........19.2.........Richmond, BC
93 .michellebloom.....19..
94. lucky.........19...
95. Norton Hooterton (online).......18
96. Jennifer David...........18...Toronto
97. Original-Eskimo.........18
98. Bill Novalis Bellefonte........18....Bellefonte, Pa
99. John Nickerson...........18....Auburn Hills, Mich
100. Rod Payne (LiptonLad).......18....Brampton, ON
101. lanz626 (online).........18
102. zedd85.......18..
103. J. Stewart........17......AZ
104. Bill Fawell............17........Pickering, ON
105. Shibbi online...........16.5
106. Ken Ito..............16.3...Burnaby B.C.
107. wizardofwas.......16..
108. Garoni.............16.....MA
109. Tantalize online........16
110. Thesteve..........15.5..Toronto
111. Syd Pickerell...........15.3....Surrey, BC
112. cameljockey.....15...
113. Lydia K........15.......Toronto, ON
114. D. Marie Pierce...........15.....Milford, Ohio
115. Terry Potvin...........15.....Ann Arbor, Mich
116. Faye Babiuk............15.....Richmond, BC
117. Sheila Radford.............15.......Ohio
118. Debra.....14.5....Wizard Club East Toronto
119. G_LOUMIS...........14..
120. Mudd...............14......
121 Chris Meyer.............14.....Robinson, Illinois
122. Birgitta Markland.............13.5........New Westminster B.C.
123. golfman...........13.......online
124. V. Stewart.......13......AZ
125. fatty_a69.....13....
126. Elka Benik.........13......Georgetown, Ont.
127. Michael Thelen...........13...Lansing, Mich
128. sungoddess.......+.12.5...
129. Sheila McCoy......12...
130. Nesta Pickering .......12......Toronto, ON
131. April Lawson...........12..PA
132. Stephanie Haun...........12..Shelby, Ohio
133. Brad Handley...........12..Ann Arbor, Mich
134. Dave Rudberg...........11.5..Richmond, BC
135. Waldorf.......11...online
136. Maureen.......11....Wizard Club East Toronto
137. Paul German...........11....Tinley Park, Illinois
138. Dave Brunke...........10.7..Vancouver
139. young (online)............10.5
140. Bob Mitchell...........10.5...Richmond, BC.
141. Mactonight.......10......
142. Wizmo.......10......
143. DougJ......10.....
144. Pink Panther.........10..
145. Trevor Grummett.....10...
146 brevannah.....9..
147. Gertielongburn.......9
148. baggers...........9....online
149. D. Burt.......9......AZ
150. Sandra Ito..............9....Burnaby B.C.
151. Jeffrey Tolleson...........9...Wakefield, MA
152. Thenewb......Mike Earl...8.5
153. Petrus199-.......8...
154. CardShark.....8.....
155. Pinky...........8........
156. Malia Russell.........8........Louisville, KY
157. drago.......7..
158. Dori..........7.........
159. Gwen Mask........7...
160. Daisy......7.....
161. Goldie01.............(online)..........7
162. Bruzer..............7
163. Bruce Roper..7..1stKnight..On-line..Pickering On.
164. Lona Smith............7......Akron, Ohio
165. Jason Hyland.............7…..Ann Arbor, Mich
166. jonkite..............6.5
167. Bounty..............6
168. Demon...........6......(online)
169. David Platnick............6..Charlottesville, VA
170. Diane Koldzciewski........6..Dunnville, ON
171. Brian Bauer............6..Indianapolis, IN
172. Eykir online.............6
173. Jamby ..............6
174. Sherrie Darling.......5....
175. Engineer........5......
176. Lorna......5....Wizard Club East Toronto
177. Sweetbrat .(online).........5
178. abzero online............5
179. Christine............5...MA
180. Michelle................5
181. Kem Kiessling..........5.......Maryland
182. Ken Pickering.....4.5.....Toronto, ON
183. cabbage 13..........4
184 Jennifer Anderson.....4....
185. Fland........4.......online
186. naniecouer...............................4
187. Derek E Jester online..........4
188. Cesar1...............4
189. A. Joyce........4.......AZ
190. xxtheron xx....online.........3.5
191. Dumpledore (Lance Wellsbury).....3.5.....
192. Kalea......3......
193. Greg Read..........3
194. Gem..........3.....
195. Marion Smith..........3.......Toronto
196. George Hatfield......3......Toronto, ON
197. Mark67................3
198. Laura Carter ............3...Novi, Michigan
199. memen...(online)........................3
200. Shirley Staffer................3.........Kansas City, MO
201. jly_the champion....online.............3
202. Wizard Master "angel"........2.5.......MA
203. weear2gr84u .......... (online).........2.5
204. Lauren Eccles..........2......
205. bigboy.........2..
206. momo.........2..
207. Fanfan……………………………..2
208. stephilove......online.......2
209. revwiz online...................2
210. sofia........1......
211. alsad.........1....
212. AlZeimer…………………………..1
213. wizard_major...(online).............1
214. yuma kid online..............1
215. out2getU.........................1
OFFICIAL WIZARD TOURNAMENT RULES Revised June 11, 2006.
Any deviations to these rules must be sanctioned by Wizard Cards International Inc.
(For online tournaments a separate set of rules apply)
PRELIMINARIES
1. All tournaments wishing to be sanctioned shall abide by the rules set forth herein. The director of any such tournament shall be approved by U.S.
Games Systems or Wizard Cards International Inc. The results of approved tournaments shall be recorded on the prescribed form titled Tournament
Summaryand copies provided to Wizard Cards International Inc.
2. A tournament will not be considered official unless:
a. A minimum of 12 players participate.
b. A minimum of three rounds of play are completed.
c. To win a tournament a player must have completed a minimum of 3 full games.
d. Each game must consist of at least 10 hands of play.
e. The final round must consist of the "Final Six". (The Director may decide to play a "Final Four" or "Final Five" instead.)
3. Prior to play the cards should be counted to assure there are 60 cards in the deck.
4. The director will announce the number of players to advance from each table prior to the start of play.
REGISTRATION
1. All players upon registration are given a number that shall identify them to the tournament director thereafter. The final score of each player's
games shall be recorded on the score sheets provided by the director and verified by the table scorekeeper. To advance to the next round and/or be
assigned a new game table a player and his/her score must be acknowledged and verified by a tournament director.
2. Tournament directors shall produce a suitable table assignment for the first round. First round tables may consist of 3, 4, 5 or 6 players.
Subsequent round tables must consist of 3, 4, 5 or 6 players.
3. It is recommended that ranked players be evenly distributed among available tables and that players who cohabit or are otherwise familiar with the
style of play of another player be separated in the first round.
GETTING STARTED
Seating is by choice unless determined by the director. (If players cannot agree on seating positions one card is dealt to each player. High card
chooses a seat and others sit in order to his left based on high cards.)
All 3, 4, 5 or 6 players shall draw a card from a face down Wizard deck fanned on their table. The person drawing the highest card (Wizard is high)
becomes the dealer. The person who cut the lowest card may keep score. If that person is unwilling or of uncertain ability the other players may agree
to have score kept by any other player. Players remain in the same seating positions once seated at a table unless all players agree on reseating
positions for a subsequent game on the same round.
In some tournaments the director may decide to employ a "Rainbow rotation" system to move players to different tables during a round.
RULES OF PLAY
1. The Official Wizard Rules are in force for tournament play.
2. The Canadian Rule will be in force for all games. (Dealer can bid zero at all times.)
3. Any modifications to the above must be sanctioned by the Tournament Directors.
4. No mechanical aids of any kind permitted unless authorized. Wizard Bidding Coins are permitted and at the Director's discretion may be made
mandatory.
TIE SCORES
Note: Tie scores need only be broken if the tie affects advancement or is in the "Final" round.
There are 2 systems used. The Director should announce which system is in effect.
(A) If there is a tie after the scores have been calculated following the final game of a round the players who are tied will play a sudden death
hand using the delayed reveal bid system. Tied players cut cards to determine the dealer. High card deals. A hand of 10 cards will be dealt to the
players who will then write their bid on a paper and place it face down on the table in full view. Play will then proceed. If the score is still tied
the above procedure will be repeated until the tie is broken. The deal will rotate on each succeeding deal.
(B) First Tie-breaker: player with the fewest number of 'set games' advances.
Second Tie-Breaker: player with the highest total point score in the round advances.
Third Tie-Breaker: player who was trailing in score before the tie-resulted advances.
ADVANCEMENT
Prior to the beginning of each round of play the director will announce the number of people that will advance to the next round and how that number
will be established.
MISPLAYS, DISRUPTIONS & DISPUTES
1. If a dealer flips up only 1 card during the deal, there is no penalty. If a second card is flipped up, the dealer redeals the same hand
immediately. When an incorrect number of cards are dealt, the hand is thrown in and the same person redeals, regardless of when the mistake is
discovered. There is no penalty. (To avoid misdeals each player must ensure that he/she has been dealt the correct number of cards.) If a misdeal is
discovered at any time there is no penalty and the hand is redealt.
2. If a mistake in scoring is discovered at any time during the course of play, the players may agree among themselves to change the scoring to
reflect an accurate total. Any contention about scoring should be referred to the tournament director if a disagreement remains.
3. There is no penalty for a bid out of turn, but such a bid must stand. The turn to bid reverts to the rightful player. A player may change his bid
without penalty before the player on his left bids.
4. There are times when a person unwittingly reneges.(i.e. plays a card not legally playable) If the misplay is discovered before another card is
played there is no penalty. If the trick is completed and the mistake is then discovered before a new card is led, the table as a whole can vote
whether the offender may replace the mistaken card with a valid one or not. (Vote must be unanimous excluding the reneger) If the vote is to let the
offender replace the misplayed card, play proceeds without change. If the player is voted not to be able to replace the misplayed card the offender
loses 20 points. All other players are awarded their bids. The hand is over and the deal passes to the left.
5. If the renege is discovered during a subsequent tricks play the offender has 20 points subtracted from his/her score. All other players are awarded
their current bids, the hand is thrown in and the deal passes to the left.
6. Players are permitted to suspend game play for calls of nature or unavoidable emergencies for a time period decided upon by the tournament
director.
7. No player shall during the course of play have another person play in his or her stead. If such an event occurs the player is disqualified from
advancement but may finish the round he or she is currently in. In special situations the Director may allow a substitute player to complete the
tournament for another player who is unable to continue.
8. No player shall seek advice on bidding or playing.
9. A player is allowed to change a played card if the next player has not yet played a card and the card has not been tabled. The card will be
considered tabled once the player has released his/her hand from the card.
10. A player may change his bid without penalty before the player on his left bids.
11. A lead or play out of turn must be retracted at the demand of any player, and the card played in error must be left face up on the table and
played at the first legal opportunity. A card exposed in any way but by legal play in turn becomes exposed and is treated in the same way
12. All disputes or questions involving any aspect of the tournament or play shall be referred to the tournament director. The director shall abide by
these rules in determining the outcome of any disagreement and where the rules cannot resolve a conflict the director's decision is binding. Any
player who finds another player's language or conduct offensive should report the matter to the director who will decide on appropriate action.
TRIAD
In 2003 the TRIAD was added to the official tournament rules. The TRIAD is optional and all of the top 3 finishers in a tournament must agree to
participate. The top 3 finishers (The TRIAD) will play 1 complete 3-handed game with additional master points of 3-2-1 based on placement in the
3-handed game.
The TRIAD must use the same bidding system as that used in the tournament.
|
