Frequently Asked Questions

Bonus Chip/Equity Index Questions
What is the Equity Index?

The Equity Index is a multi-tiered, color coded system designed to let players know how many bonus chips will be available at a particular tournament.

The color codes are as follows:

= Maximum Add-ons
= Moderate Add-ons
= Minimum Add-ons

Which type of tournament suits me best? (red, yellow,or green)

Use the following guide to determine which tournament bonus structure best suits your play style:

Red-tier ()
If you are not intimidated by many big-stacked opponents, or often find yourself needing additional chips, then red-tier tournaments are for you.

There are no restrictions to the bonus structure at these events, so your experience may vary by location.

Please note that due to the large quantity of chips in play, these tournaments may last longer than the standard 3-4 hours.

Yellow-tier ()
Players who do not enjoy the loose "buy your way to the final table" structure of red-tier events but feel that the green-tier tournaments are too restrictive will probably enjoy this structure the most.

Green-tier ()
Designed for players who wish to enjoy the fairest, most competitive gameplay. Green-tier tournaments offer the fewest amount of bonus chips, and because of this will feature tighter gameplay.

Please note that the above is simply a rough guideline. The best way to determine your overall bonus structure preference is to visit at least one tournament of each designation.

I attended a green or yellow-tier tournament, but the Tournament Director did not follow the approved structure and was offering unauthorized bonuses. What should I do?

Tournament Directors are required to adhere to the pre-defined bonus structure at all times and are penalized when they violate company policy.

Occasionally you may encounter a Tournament Director who has been slow to adopt the new policy. In cases such as this, we ask that you report the infraction to the IPC office so that appropriate corrective action can be taken.

Please remember that our Tournament Directors work unsupervised, so we must rely on Club Members to report policy violations or inappropriate Tournament Director conduct.

I attended a red-tier tournament and the Tournament Director gave another player more chips than me for the exact same purchase. Is this allowed?

That is a clear violation of company policy and we would ask that you contact the office to file a report.

Red-tier tournaments are unrestricted with regard to the number of add-ons they may offer and the number of chips they may provide per add-on, but all players are always entitled to receive the same payouts.

It is also important to note that the decision to offer or not offer additional add-ons at red-tier tournaments is made solely at the discretion of the venue owner and/or manager and is not governed by IPC.

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