By popular demand, All-Optional Live format tourneys are returning to HorsePlayers this Saturday and Sunday, May 25 and 26. The vast majority of our featured events will utilize this special format on those two days.
Here’s how it works:
Players in a given tourney will have 25 available races from which they must choose 10 in which to make their mythical $2.00 win and place selections. Scoring tabulations will remain the same, and players may still only make one selection per race. The only difference is that players will have discretion as to which races they use to come up with their 10 contest selections.
These will be live-format games (not Pick & Prays) so players may enter their selections—or decide which races they skip—on a race-by-race basis. You don’t have to make all of these decisions prior to the start of the competition.
Do know, however, that the deadline for entering these tourneys will be post time of the very first contest race. (In other words, entries will not remain open even though there may still be 20 or 24 races remaining.)
Players will still have the option of making an alternate selection in a race they are playing—and are encouraged to do so, as otherwise, the selection of a scratched horse will result in a player being assigned the post-time favorite.
In the event, however, that a race is declared “No Contest”, or if a race is canceled, or if, after a race, a horse you have selected is declared a non-starter, you will be given your selection back. (The only time you would be assigned the post-time favorite in the event your horse is declared a non-starter after the race is if such a scenario took place in the very last race of the tourney (i.e. race #25).
Choosing 10 races from an available “bank” of 25 races will give players a great deal more flexibility with respect to choosing (or avoiding) races from certain tracks; or using or ducking certain types of races.
It also allows a player, obviously, to choose the 10 races he or she likes best among the 25. Yet it also opens the door for strategic utilization of those picks whether it be “saving bullets” for the end…or trying to post a “come and get me” score early on.
As with any tourney, we encourage you to familiarize yourself with the rules as we cannot fairly make refunds due to ignorance of them. We especially encourage you to play the free contest that is available in All-Optional Live format on Friday. Most of you should be eligible for it, and you might just win a few bucks in credits doing so.
We hope you enjoy this new format. If you have any questions about it, shoot us an email at support@horsetourneys.com.
On the other hand, if this new offering doesn’t quite seem like your cup of tea, do not despair. We’ll still have plenty of Pick & Prays and traditional live-format tourneys going forward.