The OPEN INTERNET CHALLENGE (OIC) is open for registration! *LONG*

[Gaming Club]

As the title says, the next installment of the OIC is now open for registration. Now before we go any further, we’d like to extend our thanks to all of you who have been awaiting this very patiently and we sincerely hope that it will be an experience to remember.

BIG THANKS go out to Mike Haven (creator of the OIC), Jason Hold’em (OIC marketing) and HavanaBanana (OIC law enforcement) for their time, support, ideas and for allowing us to be the hosts once again /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Now, on to business. Older posters, please bear with us as we’d like to give a brief explanation of the OIC for the newer posters’ benefit.

What is the OIC?
The Open Internet challenge in a nutshell is a contest where you are encouraged to gain experience at higher limits with a limited amount of risk to your bankroll. The goal is to reach $2000 within one month, starting with a $50 bankroll and beginning your play at $0.50/$1 tables.

As you increase your bankroll to certain amounts, you move up (or down) to the next limit until you reach the final goal of being at the $15/$30 level and have earned $2000. We also provided the $50 starting bankroll to the participants in the first challenge.

We’ve been the host of the particular challenge twice before and to make this fun, entertaining and promote a bit of competition between players, we threw in some value added prizes as well.

Reminiscing over, it’s time to get to the details of the next OIC. For clarity’s sake, the rules for the challenge have been numbered for your convenience and the changes, t & c and registration information for this version of the challenge have been included afterwards:

OIC Version 3 Official Rules

1. THE GAME

1.1. The Open Internet Challenge (OIC) will be fixed Limit Hold'Em, but it is the player's decision to choose between full-ring or shorthanded. VERY IMPORTANT – NL play will not be counted towards the OIC! No heads-up tables, no tournaments.

2. STARTING BANKROLL

2.1. You will begin with a $50 bankroll either by depositing that amount or by using your existing bankroll. This will need to be kept separate from your regular bankroll for purposes of the OIC. (You do not have to literally clear your account of everything except $50, but you must keep accurate records of the $50 bankroll you have set aside for the challenge. We’ve also added a little progress log sheet for you to download, print out and stick next to your PC. It will be available on the leaderboard login page.

3. BANKROLL INSURANCE

3.1. If you bust out with the $50 (playing only by OIC rules of course), The Gaming Club Poker Room will be refunding you with $50 or if you as a participant in the OIC accumulate 300 BRP's (which is the system that our new sign-up bonus works on) playing only by OIC rules, we will refund you with $50. Details of how to claim your refund can be found on the OIC entry page as noted in this post.

In order to check how many BRP’s you’ve accumulated, simply click on the “Promotions and Events” button in the poker software and enter your account number in the field provided.

4. MOVING UP

4.1 YOU MUST MOVE UP ACCORDING TO THIS CHART (For example, you MUST move up to $3/$6 as soon as your OIC balance is above $300, although you may choose to finish your orbit if you wish.*)

4.1.1.
Limit=============Start=============Finish
$0.50/$1==========> $50=============> $100
$1/$2============> $100=============> $200
$2/$4============> $200=============> $300
$3/$6============> $300=============> $500
$5/$10===========> $500=============> $1000
$10/$20=========> $1000=============> $1500
$15/$30=========> $1500=============>$2000

4.2. (NOTE *If you are playing on the button at $1/$2, win, and your bankroll becomes $210, you can choose to move up to $2/$4 immediately, or you can choose to finish the orbit. If you lose down to $190 by the end of that orbit you can choose to play on at $1/$2 because at that point your bankroll is below the entry point for the next level, (50*$4 = $200), (see Rule 5.4.); or, you can choose to move up to $2/$4 because you had passed the entry point for the next level, (50*$4 = $200), before your voluntary completion of the orbit.)

5. MOVING DOWN

5.1. YOU MUST MOVE DOWN ACCORDING TO THIS CHART** This represents your bankroll dropping below 25 big bets of the limit you are currently playing.

5.1.1.
Limit Playing======BR Drop Point========New Limit
$0.50/$1=========> $0===============> Get a Job!
$1/$2===========> $50=============> .50/1
$2/$4===========> $100=============> 1/2
$3/$6===========> $150=============> 2/4
$5/$10==========> $250=============> 3/6
$10/$20=========> $500=============> 5/10
$15/$30=========> $750=============> 10/20

5.2. If your BR drops below this point you may CHOOSE to finish your orbit (continue playing until it is your turn to post the blinds again), but as soon as your hands are up you MUST drop down, (even if you were able to win a hand and get back above the cutoff point). The reason you must move down in this situation is because you dropped below the established cutoff point. We do this to prevent someone from gambling it up on the last few hands at a limit in a desperate attempt to stay above the cutoff point. The OIC isn't about gambling, it's about playing your best! Finishing your orbit is voluntary; you may leave the table and move down before your blinds if you wish.

5.3. Our moving down limits Rules are designed to prevent anyone from tilting away a large sum of money. If you find yourself in this situation: take a break; examine your play; and then drop down and work your way back up... remember you are HONOR BOUND to follow this rule.

5.4. **IMPORTANT NOTE You may voluntarily move down to the previous limit as soon as your BR drops below the entry point for the current limit. For example: You are playing $3/$6, (entry limit $300), and your bankroll drops to $275. You may CHOOSE to drop back to $2/$4 and work your way up to $3/$6 again. This is an option for those who want to be more conservative with their bankroll; the above table in 5.1.1 represents the point at which you ABSOLUTELY MUST drop down.

6. MOVING DOWN MORE THAN ONE LEVEL

6.1. If you choose to finish your orbit after your bankroll has dropped below the cutoff point listed in rule 5.1.1., it is theoretically possible (by playing other hands and losing) that you will need to drop down two levels and work your way back up.

6.2. Example: You are playing $15/$30 and you have $800. After the hand is played you have $620 but still have 3 more hands before your orbit is finished.*** Unfortunately, you manage to lose $180 more in those 3 hands and are down to $440. This means that you have to drop down to $5/$10 without playing any $10/$20 on the way down.

6.2.1. (***We remind you that finishing the orbit before moving up or down is voluntary.)

6.3. To determine where you should be playing in a situation like this use the Drop Point Chart, Rule 5.1.1., as your guideline. Check the limit below the one you are currently playing. If your bankroll is below the drop point for that limit, you must move down another limit. Repeat this process until you find out where you should be playing.

7. WHERE DO YOU GO?

7.0. Examples:

7.1. Q: You sit down with $127 and you are playing $1/$2. You lose down to $95 playing UTG.

A: You can stay in $1/$2 as you have not fallen below 25 Big Bets yet, (25*$2 = $50); or, you can choose to drop to $0.50/$1, as you are below the $100 entry point of your current $1/$2 level.

7.2. Q: You sit down with $127 and you are playing 2/4, you lose down to $95 playing UTG.

A: You must drop down to $1/$2 because you just dropped below the 25 Big Bets required to keep playing at your level $2/$4, (25*$4 = $100).

7.3. Q: You sit down with $127 and you are playing $2/$4, you lose down to $95 playing 3 seats from UTG. You decide to play the 3 remaining hands in the orbit and you win yourself back up to $166.

A: You MUST move down to $1/$2 because you dropped below the 25 Big Bets trigger amount, (25*$4 = $100), even though you decided to finish the orbit. You will be able to move up to $2/$4 again only after you have won back up to $200 playing at $1/$2.

7.3.3. (One of the reasons for this is that it would be against the spirit of the OIC to play crazily the last few hands of an orbit to try to regain your level. The OIC is all about playing your best, and not about gambling.)

7.4. Q: You sit down with $127 and you are playing $2/$4. You lose down to $95 playing from the button. You decide to complete the orbit but lose down to $48.

A: You must move down to $0.50/$1.00 as you do not have sufficient funds to play $2/$4. (Imagine going to $2/$4, but since you have below 25 Big Bets for $2/$4, you would have to move down).

8. MULTIPLE TABLES

8.1. Multi-table play is allowed, but not encouraged. The whole point is to gain solid experience, particularly at higher levels than you may usually play. If you choose to multi-table you may only have money equal to your OIC bankroll in play at any given time. (i.e. If you had $120 in your BR you could buy into 3 tables for $40 each.)

9. FINAL THOUGHT

9.1. Anyone who participates may choose to quit the Challenge at any point. The purpose of the Challenge is to gain experience with limited risk; however, it is utterly foolish to get yourself into a situation where you are uncomfortable, or don't have the best of it. Don't be stupid; there is no shame in quitting early. Have fun and good luck!

Kudos to Jason, Mike & HavanaBanana for tirelessly going back and forth revising the OIC rules.

Declaration of non-OIC Balances

This is very important and as such, we would like to highlight this point in particular. In order for us to correctly calculate your OIC standing, we need to be able to assess which funds in your account are in respect of the OIC and for funds which are for play outside the OIC.

As the OIC relies on honesty, we require all participants to declare correct non-OIC balances as consistently erroneous declarations will result in you being disqualified from the OIC.

What is this non-OIC balance, some of you may ask? Take these situations for example:

Example 1:
You have $75 in your Gaming Club Poker account and you register for the OIC. The OIC only requires a $50 starting bankroll, so you would be required to declare $25 ($75 - $50 = $25).

Example 2:
You decide to play games that are outside of the OIC rules i.e. NL games and you make $30 profit and you receive a $20 bonus as well. You now have a total of $100 in your account ($50 OIC balance + $30 profit on NL games + $20 bonus).

In order for us to correctly calculate what your OIC standing and balance is, you are required to declare the $30 profit from the NL games and the $20 bonus = $50 non-OIC balance declaration.

In simple form: Any monies that are outside of your OIC bankroll or outside of the play rules will require declaration.

We trust that this makes sense and we’re sure that the posters who’ve had experience with the OIC previously will gladly help clarify this point. You are able to declare your non-OIC funds balance on the leaderboard login page.

Changes & Registration Information
There are a few minor changes to the challenge, namely:

1. Starting Bankroll:
The Gaming Club Poker Room will not be providing the $50 starting bankroll for this installment of the OIC. Participants will either have to:

a. Deposit $50 into their account
OR
b. Use their existing bankroll if it is $50 or more

So what’s really in it for me if I’m risking my own $50 bankroll? Plenty /images/graemlins/smile.gif Although you are providing the starting bankroll, we will be providing you with $50 starting bankroll insurance, provided you’ve played by the rules and have met the conditions required to qualify for a $50 refund. You qualify for the $50 bankroll insurance if:

You bust out (i.e. lose your $50) playing strictly according to the rules set out above.
You accumulate a total of 300 Bonus Redemption Points (BRP’s) by playing strictly according to the rules of the OIC.

Details of where to go to claim your refund if you’ve met the above conditions can be found on the OIC registration page (detailed below).

2. Prizes:

We will still be giving daily $50 prizes to:

* Each days leader (i.e. the player on top of the leaderboard)
* The player with the biggest balance jump
* The player with the biggest rank jump on the leaderboard

MAIN PRIZE

The first participant to reach the $2000 target will receive:

* $500 cash into their Gaming Club Poker account
* A 300 piece chipset

ADDITIONAL PRIZES

A $1000 freeroll will be held for all players who reach the $1/$2 level or higher.

Registration

To register for the OIC please go to http://www.gamingclubpoker.com/OICReg
And fill in your details. Please be sure to read the T & C as well as the information about non-OIC balances very carefully!

Viewing the LeaderBoard:
You will only be able to view the leaderboard once you’ve registered and will require you to login with your account information. The link can be found on the OIC registration page.

3. Duration of the challenge:

We’ve extended the play period by one week making it 4 weeks worth of play instead of 3.

So….a quick recap:

QUICK SUMMARY

* Go to http://www.gamingclubpoker.com/OICReg to register for the challenge
* Make sure that you read the rules very carefully – remember you are HONOR BOUND to follow them
* Ensure that correct non-OIC balances are declared
* Make a $50 deposit or use your existing bankroll for OIC play
* We will be providing you with bankroll insurance (subject to t & c)

* Play for the OIC begins at 10AM GMT November 10th and ends 10AM GMT December 10th.

We realize that we’ve given you short notice as to when the OIC starts, but there is an extra week added to the challenge so it shouldn’t make that much of a dent as far as getting yourself signed up quickly goes.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask the board for assistance or PM us and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

Lastly, we’d really appreciate your feedback in terms of any bugs that pop-up, links that don’t work and so on. If you do happen to come across anything that isn’t working, please let us know as soon as you can so that we can get it fixed.

To everyone, good luck & good cards!

[Sheriff Fatman]

Welcome back!

Like the new rules, which should hopefully make things a bit clearer.

Have found one anomaly though (not sure how likely it is, but its possible) - what if you drop below a threshold and play to complete the orbit. During that orbit you win sufficient money to put you above the move up threshold for the limit you are dropping down to.

For example, use point 7.3 as a guide, except that you go from $95 to $205 during the remaining orbit (not $166 as stated). I assume you are still required to drop down a level as you fell below 25BB but where do you now start from, given that you're now above the limit for moving up from $1/2 to $2/4 again?

In 7.3 you would obviously start $1/2 from $166 but in my scenario you've nowhere to go!

Sheriff Devil's Advocate

PS: Hope OIC3 proves as successful as the previous ones. I'm already dreading the thought of those $0.50/$1 tables again!

[daveymck]

At least you made it out of them, I redeposited and still never made it. /images/graemlins/blush.gif

[Skjonne]

This sounds like a lot of fun. Too bad it's on a Prima Skin. /images/graemlins/frown.gif

[kiemo]

[ QUOTE ]
You qualify for the $50 bankroll insurance if:

You bust out (i.e. lose your $50) playing strictly according to the rules set out above.
You accumulate a total of 300 Bonus Redemption Points (BRP’s) by playing strictly according to the rules of the OIC.



[/ QUOTE ]


This is a joke right?

Why must you tie your ridiculous bonus system to the OIC.

Anybody who accumlates 300 BRPs in the timeframe shouldnt need bankroll insurance. The people that are going to need the insurance, if they follow the rules properly, are those that got a really bad run of cards at .5/1 and bust out long before they will reach 300 BRPs.

[krazyace5]

Looks great, count me in.

[QuickLearner]

I just looked at the registration page. The following is posted under the T&C for the $50 refund:

[ QUOTE ]
Have made a $50 deposit or used their existing bankroll for OIC purposes only.
AND if you "bust out" (lose your initial $50) and you have played strictly according to the OIC rules (playing at the correct tables, limits, declared non-OIC funds etc.) you will eligible for the $50 refund.
OR if you have reached 300 Bonus Redemption Points (BRPs) while playing within the OIC rules you will then be eligible for the $50 refund.
Only one $50 refund per player is permitted.
Please allow at up to 48 business hours for the $50 refund to be credited to your account should you qualify

[/ QUOTE ]

I believe that the and/or language means if you play by the rules AND bust out OR you reach 300 points you qualify for the refund.

So, it seems that early bust-outs, as long as they play within the rules, are exempt from having to earn 300 points on their way to qualifying for the refund. Am I right Gaming Club Guy? /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[fluff]

In the "Home Forum" registration tab, there is no option for Twoplustwo!! I have to type select "Other" then type in "Two plus two"!!! Heck, even Pokersavvy made it.

The indignity!

On the other hand, it might be good that all those people from the other forums don't know about 2+2 ...hehehe.

Additional question: can any prize money be included into the OIC BR?

[jasonHoldEm]

[ QUOTE ]
there is no option for Twoplustwo!!

[/ QUOTE ]

This could be by accident, but I suspect it is by design. Mason is very protective of the 2+2 name (and rightly so, since it's his).

J

[jasonHoldEm]

W00t. Glad to see you got things up and running with Prima.

A couple questions...

I assume an "OIC day" (in regard to daily prizes, etc) will be from 10:00am GMT to 9:59am GMT?

What are the chances we can talk you into getting a trophy for the first person over 2k? Mike always suggested the winner go out and get a "Siver Cup" engraved with their info and "OIC Champion" (if I'm remembering corretly, I did just wake up).

Can you please clarify the Bankroll insurance area? There is already some uncertainty about what exactly is required.

Thanks,
Jason

[Mike Haven]

For example, use point 7.3 as a guide, except that you go from $95 to $205 during the remaining orbit (not $166 as stated). I assume you are still required to drop down a level as you fell below 25BB but where do you now start from, given that you're now above the limit for moving up from $1/2 to $2/4 again?

Let's hope such unusual quirks don't happen too often, but I think the only way you could go with this particular one would be to stay in the $2/$4. As you infer, you "should" drop down to $1/$2 before you had to post a BB; but then you would immediately have to climb up to $2/$4 because of your balance. There could be no argument that you had done anything wrong by staying at $2/$4, imo.

[Mike Haven]

If you want to compare your time with GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) have a look at www.timeticker.com (http://www.timeticker.com) .

Click on the UK on the world map and the time shown on the left of the page is the current GMT.

[daveymck]

[ QUOTE ]
If you want to compare your time with GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) have a look at www.timeticker.com (http://www.timeticker.com) .

Click on the UK on the world map and the time shown on the left of the page is the current GMT.

[/ QUOTE ]

Seems a lot of fuss when I can just look at my watch /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[UncleDuke]

A technical question: I filled in the registration form, and when I clicked on "Click Here to Enter," the sign-up page appeared again with the form cleared. Would this happen if my registration entry worked, or would I have reached a page with a message indicating I had signed up?

[steveg]

I get an error that says url missing. What am I doing wrong?

[Sheriff Fatman]

That's more than I got - I got a 404 error page /images/graemlins/frown.gif

Sheriff

[Mackas]

I got a page not found error. Am i doing something wrong or is registration down at the moment?

[Octopus]

I get the registration page, but when I fill it out, I get a weird SQL Server error. Strange.

[KingMarc]

[ QUOTE ]
A technical question: I filled in the registration form, and when I clicked on "Click Here to Enter," the sign-up page appeared again with the form cleared. Would this happen if my registration entry worked, or would I have reached a page with a message indicating I had signed up?

[/ QUOTE ]

I got that too. I assumed it work since I was able to "log in" to see my rank, which of course is 0. Don't know if it did or didn't I guess.

[jasonHoldEm]

A "remember me" cookie on the login page for the leaderboard would be nice too (once you get that working /images/graemlins/wink.gif ).

J

[carlo]

How many raked hands to earn the 300 points of insurance?

regards,
carlo

[dblgutshot]

[ QUOTE ]
How many raked hands to earn the 300 points of insurance?

regards,
carlo

[/ QUOTE ]

I have a question regarding the points in general. On partypoker, a raked hand counts if you are dealt a hand, but fold it. It seems from reading the gaming club website that if you do the same, it is not counted as a raked hand. It only counts if you 'contribute' to the pot? is this correct? Because that is really bad compared to the party raked hands?

[dogmeat]

Thanks Mike and Jason, and the Gaming Club for putting this together again. Almost a year ago I heard about the OIC on some crappy site and by doing a few searches I came upon the 2+2 Forum. Lucky for me.

I'm signed up and ready to play the OIC this time, and wish everybody good luck.

Dogmeat /images/graemlins/spade.gif

[kiemo]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
How many raked hands to earn the 300 points of insurance?

regards,
carlo

[/ QUOTE ]

I have a question regarding the points in general. On partypoker, a raked hand counts if you are dealt a hand, but fold it. It seems from reading the gaming club website that if you do the same, it is not counted as a raked hand. It only counts if you 'contribute' to the pot? is this correct? Because that is really bad compared to the party raked hands?

[/ QUOTE ]

I would like to know what the URL is of the page that explains how a BRP is earned becuase I cant find it and two calls to customer support have yielded no information.

However I do know you definitely have to contribute money to the pot in addition to the hand being raked in order for it count towards a BRP.

Also as I remember correctly you acquire different number of points for the hands. I believe at .5/1 its one BRP per qualifying hand. Assuming you contribute to 25% of the pots and 75% get raked, this will require about 1600 hands to get 300 BRPs.

I appreciate TGCs promotions, but once again they are having a promotion that is strictly geared towards full time players. A casual player has no chance of being anywhere near the top of this and probably has little chance to even see 3/6 level of play.

[dblgutshot]

I signed up gaming club today, because of this post. Deposited 100US, and now my account is blocked and I cannot access it.

[Hiding]

Okay I am registered, seems like fun to me. Only question I have is......I registered my non OIC funds of $1.09 (thats right $1.09) but the page went batty on me, how do I know if it registered it or not? (although I like the 20-30 spaces for really large bankrolls to enter /images/graemlins/laugh.gif )

[cbfair]

For any TGC coder looking to correct the registration page, here's the error code I got...

Response object error 'ASP 0158 : 80004005'

Missing URL

/OIC/22tourney/do22tourney.asp, line 19

A URL is required.

[Hiding]

I didnt get a registration error, just entering my non OIC funds to see the leader board results in a page the has nothing but a 0 in the top left corner

[carlo]

I thought spams were not allowed on this site. Considerating the "insurance" this is nothing more than a patently obvious attempt to lure people onto the site with no extras. So you get a bonus which is 6x as difficult to realize relative to other sites. Where's the "beef"?

Buyer beware.

regards,
carlo

[GrannyMae]

http://smilies.sofrayt.com/%5E/i/birthday.gif

[MrDannimal]

I have just over $45 in my account from the last OIC. Is it a problem if I just play with that, and don't top it off to $50?

[Gaming Club]

We’d like to take this opportunity to make something very clear regarding the declaration of non-OIC balances before responding to your concerns.


The OIC is an honor bound challenge and all participants are required to be truthful concerning their play and declarations made. Previous experience has normally shown the leader board to be chaos during the first few days, but as people get the hang of it the standings normalize.

We would like to make a request that for anyone participating in the OIC that all balances are declared correctly and speedily so that we can ensure that everything is as accurate as possible.

Declaration of starting balances
The OIC works on the principle that everyone who plays starts out with $50 and play begins from there. Everyone has an even start so to speak.

Now for the start of the challenge, you need to declare your starting non-OIC balance, which we are able to do on your behalf, but because the OIC’s registration is open ended, it is exceptionally difficult to police.

That said we would like to ask ALL participants to please ensure that when registering that they declare their OIC starting balance correctly. Examples below:

1. You have $220 existing balance in your Gaming Club Poker account. You register for the OIC. You need to declare $170 as your non-OIC funds balance which means that the calculation on your account is only on the $50 OIC balance.

2. You have no existing balance and deposit $50. When going to register for the OIC, you leave your non-OIC balance blank. Calculation will then be based on your $50 deposit as your OIC bankroll.

Sorry to flog a dead horse on this, but we needed to make everyone aware of this so that the correct information is displayed and that prize winners are paid out correctly and your position in the OIC is correct.

IMPORTANT INFO
Please note that the current leader board will not reflect correct data until the OIC has started (which is at 10AM GMT). All registered participants MUST declare their balances before beginning their play once the official play period for the OIC has commenced.

Apologies for not making this clearer in our initial post.

Thanks for all the postings/questions/concerns/criticisms. Answers in reference to individual posts below.

Sheriff
[ QUOTE ]

Welcome back!

Like the new rules, which should hopefully make things a bit clearer.


[/ QUOTE ]
Thank you. Mike, Jason & HavanaBanana are the ones that revised the rules so all credit should go to them.

Concerning your concerns with the bankroll decrease and increase after completing the orbit, we believe that Mike's explanation below covers it.

Skjonne
[ QUOTE ]

This sounds like a lot of fun. Too bad it's on a Prima Skin.


[/ QUOTE ]
You’re still most welcome to play Skjonne, despite any misgivings you have about us being a Prima skin.

kiemo
[ QUOTE ]

This is a joke right?

Why must you tie your ridiculous bonus system to the OIC.

Anybody who accumlates 300 BRPs in the timeframe shouldnt need bankroll insurance. The people that are going to need the insurance, if they follow the rules properly, are those that got a really bad run of cards at .5/1 and bust out long before they will reach 300 BRPs.


[/ QUOTE ]
As QuickLearner mentioned, ‘I believe that the and/or language means if you play by the rules AND bust out OR you reach 300 points you qualify for the refund.’, is absolutely correct. If you bust out early playing by the rules, you get your $50 back. If you play and make money throughout the challenge and earn 300 BRP’s off your OIC play, you get the $50 back. So either way, the risk to your own bankroll ($50) is minimal, if anything at all. This of course is only if you play by the OIC rules – if you don’t play by the rules – NO refund.


fluff
[ QUOTE ]

In the "Home Forum" registration tab, there is no option for Twoplustwo!! I have to type select "Other" then type in "Two plus two"!!! Heck, even Pokersavvy made it.


[/ QUOTE ]
Oops, error on our part. It has been fixed now.

[ QUOTE ]

Additional question: can any prize money be included into the OIC BR?


[/ QUOTE ]
No. If you win any prize money it must be re-declared. Any monies outside of your original $50 OIC BR must be declared to ensure that the leader board standings are accurate.

Jason
[ QUOTE ]

I assume an "OIC day" (in regard to daily prizes, etc) will be from 10:00am GMT to 9:59am GMT?


[/ QUOTE ]
Quite right Jason. We’ve had to do it this way because of server times and queries we need to run.

[ QUOTE ]

What are the chances we can talk you into getting a trophy for the first person over 2k? Mike always suggested the winner go out and get a "Siver Cup" engraved with their info and "OIC Champion" (if I'm remembering corretly, I did just wake up).


[/ QUOTE ]
We’re always up for negotiation /images/graemlins/smile.gif We’ll see what we can do.

[ QUOTE ]

Can you please clarify the Bankroll insurance area? There is already some uncertainty about what exactly is required.


[/ QUOTE ]
It’s explained above, but just to be sure we’ll add it again.

* If you lose your initial $50 bank roll (playing by the OIC rules), you get your $50 back
OR
* If while playing the OIC you earn 300 BRP’s off your play, you get your $50 back

Remember, if you don’t play by the rules, no refund. Is the BR insurance part clearer now?

UncleDuke
[ QUOTE ]

A technical question: I filled in the registration form, and when I clicked on "Click Here to Enter," the sign-up page appeared again with the form cleared. Would this happen if my registration entry worked, or would I have reached a page with a message indicating I had signed up?


[/ QUOTE ]
It should have gone through and given you a “Thank You” pop-up, but from all the bugs that everyone has been reporting we’re having the coders look into it. We’ll confirm once we’ve tested it again. Although we’ve got plenty registrations that have come through so far – so we are actually receiving the info. Your registration was successful tho.

Mackas, steveg, Octopus
You've all successfully registered.

KingMarc
[ QUOTE ]

I got that too. I assumed it work since I was able to "log in" to see my rank, which of course is 0. Don't know if it did or didn't I guess.


[/ QUOTE ]
The leader board will only take effect after play starts and we run audits and updates, so for now it would show 0.

Jason
[ QUOTE ]

A "remember me" cookie on the login page for the leaderboard would be nice too (once you get that working ).


[/ QUOTE ]
Good idea – we’ll look into it.

carlo
[ QUOTE ]

How many raked hands to earn the 300 points of insurance?


[/ QUOTE ]
It depends entirely on what limits you play carlo. Starting at the $0.50/$1 tables, you get 1 point per raked hand. 2 points for raked hands at a $1/$2 tables and 3 points per raked hand at levels of $2/$4 and above. Starting at the $0.50/$1 level for the OIC would mean that you’d get 1 point per raked hand and then once you accumulate enough bankroll to move to the next level, you’d earn points based on raked hands at the level you move to.

dblgutshot
[ QUOTE ]

I have a question regarding the points in general. On partypoker, a raked hand counts if you are dealt a hand, but fold it. It seems from reading the gaming club website that if you do the same, it is not counted as a raked hand. It only counts if you 'contribute' to the pot? is this correct? Because that is really bad compared to the party raked hands?


[/ QUOTE ]
Correct, this is the definition of a raked hand at all Prima sites. As long as you’ve contributed to the pot (blinds and antes included) and the pot is raked, it is counted as a raked hand for you.

kiemo
[ QUOTE ]

I would like to know what the URL is of the page that explains how a BRP is earned becuase I cant find it and two calls to customer support have yielded no information.


[/ QUOTE ]
It’s viewable on the sign-up bonus page on our website, but upon closer inspection the details aren’t showing. We’ll get on this ASAP and will confirm once it’s fixed. Our apologies for the error and thanks for the heads up.

[ QUOTE ]

Also as I remember correctly you acquire different number of points for the hands. I believe at .5/1 its one BRP per qualifying hand. Assuming you contribute to 25% of the pots and 75% get raked, this will require about 1600 hands to get 300 BRPs.

I appreciate TGCs promotions, but once again they are having a promotion that is strictly geared towards full time players. A casual player has no chance of being anywhere near the top of this and probably has little chance to even see 3/6 level of play.


[/ QUOTE ]
The OIC is not based on the BRP system. It’s just being used as a way to gauge if someone needs to be refunded the $50 bankroll insurance. The BRP’s have no actual bearing on your standing in the OIC, nor any bonuses directly attributed to the challenge.

Since the object of the OIC is to play and win as much as you can by moving up the limits, by moving up you would be making the required bankroll increases to do so. This means that because you’re profitable, you’re raking hands and therefore earning BRP’s. Once you hit 300 BRP’s, you get your $50 back – which means that your initial investment of $50 is covered and you’ve lost nothing. The added bonus (excuse the pun) to the OIC is that you have the opportunity to play at limits you’re not used, thereby gaining valuable experience. This challenge is predominantly an educational exercise.

Does this clarify the reasoning behind it for you?

dblgutshot
[ QUOTE ]

I signed up gaming club today, because of this post. Deposited 100US, and now my account is blocked and I cannot access it.


[/ QUOTE ]
Please send us a PM as soon as you can and we’ll look into it for you.

Hiding
[ QUOTE ]

Okay I am registered, seems like fun to me. Only question I have is......I registered my non OIC funds of $1.09 (thats right $1.09) but the page went batty on me, how do I know if it registered it or not? (although I like the 20-30 spaces for really large bankrolls to enter )


[/ QUOTE ]
As mentioned earlier the leader board won’t actually kick in until play has started and starting balances have been declared.

[ QUOTE ]

For any TGC coder looking to correct the registration page, here's the error code I got...

Response object error 'ASP 0158 : 80004005'

Missing URL

/OIC/22tourney/do22tourney.asp, line 19

A URL is required.


[/ QUOTE ]
Thank you – all should be working now. Let us know if you’re still having problems, but we’ve just tested and can get to the page and register without any issues. If this rears its ugly head again, please let us know and give us any details that you can.

carlo
[ QUOTE ]

I thought spams were not allowed on this site. Considerating the "insurance" this is nothing more than a patently obvious attempt to lure people onto the site with no extras. So you get a bonus which is 6x as difficult to realize relative to other sites. Where's the "beef"?


[/ QUOTE ]
We’re not sure if you were around for previous OIC challenges carlo,. It seems that you might be misunderstanding the concept. It’s a challenge where there are loads of prizes and experience to be gained, with little risk to your bankroll. The BRP part of it is just to keep track of bankroll refunds.

MrDannimal
[ QUOTE ]

I have just over $45 in my account from the last OIC. Is it a problem if I just play with that, and don't top it off to $50?


[/ QUOTE ]
We’ll be sending you a PM shortly to discuss a way around this.

[Alobar]

I was a the leader board a few minutes ago, and none of the balances are zero, the leader had over 200K heh. Am I to assume this will be fixed when things actually start?

[Gaming Club]

It's just test data at the moment on the leader board. Once the OIC begins at 10AM GMT, balances will need to be declared. We neglected to mention this in our initial post, so we'll be editing it accordingly, but yes it should correct itself once the challenge starts.

[pc in NM]

[ QUOTE ]
It should have gone through and given you a “Thank You” pop-up, but from all the bugs that everyone has been reporting we’re having the coders look into it. We’ll confirm once we’ve tested it again. Although we’ve got plenty registrations that have come through so far – so we are actually receiving the info. Your registration was successful tho.

[/ QUOTE ]

I continue to reveive the same respone - the registration page appears again - no indication if the registration was successful. I have tried with both Netscape and IE, but get the same response.

Can I start playing, and register when you have fixed the bug?

[Snow]

I didn´t recieve a confirmation after registering either. Does this mean that i need to register again?

Regards
Snow

[Skjonne]

[ QUOTE ]
You’re still most welcome to play Skjonne, despite any misgivings you have about us being a Prima skin.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks but omg no thanks. Prima will most likely steal my money if I win so this seems like a lose-lose situation

[Gaming Club]

pc in NM and Snow

Both of you are registered according to our records (if your Zoo screen names are the same as what you registered). We shouldn't be too much longer with the leaderboard tweaks (the standings only really count in 24 hours time as that's when the first audit takes place tho).

The pop-up issue should be fixed in the next few minutes.

[itsmarty]

Is it correct that you can register and begin play at any point during the Challenge? I emailed a few friends about it, but I doubt any of them can get money into a deposit vehicle before the weekend.

Thanks,

Martin

[Gaming Club]

That's correct Martin. Registration for the challenge is open ended so if your friends want to play and can only sign up over the weekend, then that is absolutely fine.

[Octopus]

Would it be possible for you to fire off a confirmation e-mail to everyone who has successfully registered? That might avoid a lot of questions and concern.

[kiemo]

[ QUOTE ]
The added bonus (excuse the pun) to the OIC is that you have the opportunity to play at limits you’re not used, thereby gaining valuable experience. This challenge is predominantly an educational exercise.


[/ QUOTE ]


I thank you for the response and answers.

However I think you are failing to see my point where it comes to casual players.

I play about 8 hours a week. If I get on a real good run I can probably make about 5 BB/hr. The OIC is a month long. It will take me the entire month just to get to the 2/4 level of play and even thats pretty unlikely considering the winrate suggested. So where is the valuable experience?
Where is the education?

Dont feed us this educational exercise bullcrap either, this challenge is predominantly a way to get players whom play alot of hours each day onto your site in order to generate more rake for the house. Just like that ridiculous 500 bonus you offered a few weeks ago.

I dont have a problem with the OIC, I just honestly believe its not designed for educational purposes as you want to claim and the only players that are going to benefit from the OIC are essentially pro/semi-pro players whom I dont think need any education at the 2/4 levels and below.

[Poker Jet]

OH SHUT UP!!!

This was made WAY before Gaming Club got involved, so to go whining saying this is a way for Gaming Club to get more rake (while it will happen LOL) is totally way off base.

Ppl have made the entire $2,000 in the 3 week version, so if u dont like it dont play but stop bathmouthing what you dont know about.

[kiemo]

[ QUOTE ]
OH SHUT UP!!!

This was made WAY before Gaming Club got involved, so to go whining saying this is a way for Gaming Club to get more rake (while it will happen LOL) is totally way off base.

Ppl have made the entire $2,000 in the 3 week version, so if u dont like it dont play but stop bathmouthing what you dont know about.

[/ QUOTE ]

Read -> Comprehend -> Post.

Following these steps will make your responses actually useful to the thread.

[Gaming Club]

[ QUOTE ]

I thank you for the response and answers.


[/ QUOTE ]
Not a problem.

[ QUOTE ]

However I think you are failing to see my point where it comes to casual players.

I play about 8 hours a week. If I get on a real good run I can probably make about 5 BB/hr. The OIC is a month long. It will take me the entire month just to get to the 2/4 level of play and even thats pretty unlikely considering the winrate suggested. So where is the valuable experience? Where is the education?


[/ QUOTE ]
The experience and education comes in where your own money is not at risk playing in the OIC. Note the intro to the registration page: It is a self paced, honor bound challenge – take it at your own pace. If you only play 8 hours a week, then that is fine, but it is a personal challenge to try and improve your own play and to move up to limits that you’re not used to. Even if you don’t normally play $1/2 and you manage to move up to $1/$2 from the $0.50/$1 level and play at that level for a while, you’ve gained some experience at playing $1/$2.

[ QUOTE ]

Dont feed us this educational exercise bullcrap either, this challenge is predominantly a way to get players whom play alot of hours each day onto your site in order to generate more rake for the house. Just like that ridiculous 500 bonus you offered a few weeks ago.


[/ QUOTE ]
We never said that it wouldn’t generate business for us. The OIC is a double edged sword because it’s an opportunity for players to get some benefit (by gaining experience, the opportunity to win some prizes, special freeroll) and for us to generate more business.

You must also remember that the OIC idea and concept was conceived by members of this very forum and we are the sponsor/host.

On the $500 bonus, we weren’t forcing anybody to take it and were simply offering an alternative. From the feedback we’ve received from the players that took up the offer and cleared the bonus, it was a good experience for them. Yes, it’s true that they had to play quite a bit for it, but all the comments we’ve received on the bonus structure have not fallen on deaf ears and we will be making some very positive changes to it in the near future that we think will be good for frequent as well as recreational players.

[ QUOTE ]

I dont have a problem with the OIC, I just honestly believe its not designed for educational purposes as you want to claim and the only players that are going to benefit from the OIC are essentially pro/semi-pro players whom I dont think need any education at the 2/4 levels and below.


[/ QUOTE ]
We sorry that you feel that way, but since there is no risk to your own bankroll, there’s nothing to lose by trying. Even if you just reach the $1/$2 level you get entered into a freeroll, granted you can probably get into freerolls practically everywhere without playing the OIC, but it’s a perk of the OIC in any case.

It is a difficult challenge, and making it really easy to move up limits wouldn't make it a challenge. From our experience tho we can tell you that the original idea of the OIC creator is for it to be a personal challenge to improve your own play at higher limits.

Your comments are appreciated though kiemo.

[Sheriff Fatman]

[ QUOTE ]
I play about 8 hours a week. If I get on a real good run I can probably make about 5 BB/hr. The OIC is a month long. It will take me the entire month just to get to the 2/4 level of play and even thats pretty unlikely considering the winrate suggested. So where is the valuable experience?
Where is the education?

[/ QUOTE ]

I registered on here just over a year ago specifically to play in the first OIC. The set up was a little different, as the $50 entry fee was paid to you up front then, but it was still a limited risk opportunity to test my skills against other players serious enough to read these forums.

At the time, I'd been playing poker for a couple of months and had probably just about won back the money I'd initially deposited into Victor Chandler. I couldn't tell you for definite as I didn't keep records at the time.

By the end of OIC1, after a roller-coaster experience, I'd managed (somehow!) to get up to the $10/20 level and had turned my initial $100 deposit into about $1,700 which was the first sign of decent profit I'd had.

Much of the profit came from a single day's play when I went from $3/6 to $10/20 in a last ditch attempt to get somewhere, so your estimate of how long it can take won't reflect the actual experiences that will be posted (some will do the entire challenge, others won't get out of the first level - there's a lot of short-term luck involved).

In terms of learning experience there is no way I would have found myself playing $10/20 limit outside of OIC. It took away the fear of playing at those levels and it inspired me to get back up there as quickly as possible on a proper bankroll. One of the key lessons I got (at an early stage in my poker career) was to get used to dropping down levels when things went badly. This proved invaluable a few months later, when I took a fairly big initial hit after moving up to $5/10 for the first time.

The first thing I did after the first OIC ended was to use some of the profits to set up a Party account, where I started the process again, this time with no time limits and with no competition against me. As a means of building bankroll quickly without too much risk its probably about as good as it gets.

One benefit of OIC1 was that I got to play at tables with some experienced 2+2ers (don't forget I was a newbie on the site at that time) some of whom were kind enough to offer me feedback on my play when I asked them.

People will choose to do the OIC for different reasons (bankroll building, friendly competition, potential freebies) but there is no doubt that, if you choose to, you can learn a lot from doing it.

[ QUOTE ]
Dont feed us this educational exercise bullcrap either

[/ QUOTE ]

TGC didn't come up with the idea of the OIC. That came from within the Zoo itself. All TGC did was offer to host it and, in their defence, they gave back a lot in terms of bonuses/prizes, etc which helped to make it a success.

[ QUOTE ]
I dont have a problem with the OIC, I just honestly believe its not designed for educational purposes as you want to claim and the only players that are going to benefit from the OIC are essentially pro/semi-pro players whom I dont think need any education at the 2/4 levels and below.

[/ QUOTE ]

Most pro/semi-pro players won't even bother with it as they'd have to give up their usual games in order to play $0.50/1 limit games which, for the next few days, will be much tougher games than usual. The ones who will benefit most from it are relatively inexperienced players who decide to give it a shot and may just get lucky. For the rest of us, its just a bit of fun and an opportunity to stimulate a bit of poker discussion on the Zoo (now there's a concept!)

Sheriff

[CCass]

I am assuming I am in?

CCass

[kiemo]

[ QUOTE ]


Your comments are appreciated though kiemo.

[/ QUOTE ]



Thanks for the response. And yours too Fatman

I participated in the first OIC and was pleased with it even though I never got past the first level. I really wanted to participate in this one, but honestly it isnt worth the time.


I was brand new to online poker when the first OIC started. I hadnt established a Neteller account, nor played for real money anywhere, hell I didnt even know what the word rake meant. In fact I was still a little untrustworthy of the whole system, as most people are. Then the OIC came along. TGC gave you $50 to play with. What a great idea, now I can try out online poker for real money without risk. When it was over I had established some trust of online poker and proceeded to sign up with Neteller, etc..

Now this OIC. If I am the same guy I was before the first OIC and I see this challenge I am passing. I gotta deposit my own money, but its insured, whoah what the heck does that mean, sounds like a gimmick to me. BRPs - what the hell? And even if I want to try out the OIC, how do I get money into the site, what hook up my bank account to this Neteller place, what are you NUTS? Awww forget about it.


See the first OIC was easy from a new player standpoint. Create an account and you are in. Come play some poker and begin the learning process of online poker. It seemed like it was about education for new players. Sure they werent going to be atop the leader board and/or win any of the daily prizes, but who cares they got the $50 for free

Now with this OIC you have to start with your own money, which means you have to have a deposit method set up, which means you probably are already playing online poker. Well if I am using my own money, whats my benefit for playing at TGC rather then using the money at Party? Oh its insured, wow neato. Daily prizes for top players. Wow, great the guys who are playing 8 hours a day will love that. A "freeroll" at the end if I win at least $50. Superb, certainly cant play freerolls at any other sites where there are legitmate freerolls.

Education wise, what do I learn from this OIC. I have to play like a maniac and hope for some really good short term luck to move up levels. Boy that certainly will prepare me very well for games when the OIC is over.

Also what happens if I lose $40 in the first week and stop playing for whatever reason. No insurance then, I simply lose my money - what happened to risk free?

So I am not telling anybody not to participate, on the contratry, heck if you got the time and already play winning poker at 2/4 and above it could be good deal becuase of the daily prizes (most players that have the time will be through .5/1 and 1/2 within 2 days), but I honestly believe that the concept of the OIC has been bastardized to make more money for the host.

TGC if you really want to educate me and give me the opportunity to play at higher levels with no risk, why not bankroll insure me for $500 or $1k.

[kiemo]

I didnt convey this well in my last message, but I really appreciate the responses TGC guy.

[Alobar]

gabbyyyyy, is that you???

[CountDuckula]

[ QUOTE ]
Also what happens if I lose $40 in the first week and stop playing for whatever reason. No insurance then, I simply lose my money - what happened to risk free?

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, it seems as if it would be simple enough to play off the last $10, and a bit silly not to; either you bust out and trigger the insurance, or you gain some traction and win it back. Just my opinion. Given the insurance aspect, I'll probably give it a shot (been a bit busy, haven't had the chance yet).

-Mike

[dogmeat]

Howdy Gaming Club. I deposited my $50 and filled out the registration info, but each time I pressed the button to enter, I was redirected back to the same page. I started playing at the .50/$1 tables and then went back to the registration page when I read a post about it here. The second time I tried it I got the pop up, but when I check the leaderboard I get a blank page.

Am I registered, and do I keep the $50 I have won so far and move to the $1 tables, or do I only count what I have won once I was actually registered, if I am actually registered?

Dogmeat /images/graemlins/spade.gif

[KingMarc]

Gamingclubguy,

Have you thought of doing a contest for the best forum performance?

[Tosh]

Everyone, just remember that this post is not really correct in that if you play 15/30 (or whatever limit) with money you started up from just $50, you are still risking what you would normally be risking. The fact you started with $50 doesn't alter that.

[dogmeat]

Quick reply from The Gaming Club - I am registered and should not worry. Now if I could only get on one of the tables that have a dozen players on the wait lists.

Dogmeat /images/graemlins/spade.gif

[theredwave]

[ QUOTE ]
As QuickLearner mentioned, ‘I believe that the and/or language means if you play by the rules AND bust out OR you reach 300 points you qualify for the refund.’, is absolutely correct. If you bust out early playing by the rules, you get your $50 back. If you play and make money throughout the challenge and earn 300 BRP’s off your OIC play, you get the $50 back. So either way, the risk to your own bankroll ($50) is minimal, if anything at all. This of course is only if you play by the OIC rules – if you don’t play by the rules – NO refund.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sadly I'm down to my last $18 already. Yes I know $32 is a lot to lose in one day at .5/1 but don't judge me. So if I get this right if I lose my last $18 and I played by the rules, which I have so far done to my knowledge, I get my $50 deposit back into my account. What do I have to do to get refunded if I do bust? Hopefully some comeback is in order though.

[Mike Haven]

What do I have to do to get refunded if I do bust?

Go here. (http://www.gamingclubpoker.com/OIC/Redemption/index.asp?VT=41639404&EventID=21137)

[Mike Haven]

I would like to know what the URL is of the page that explains how a BRP is earned

Go here (http://www.gamingclubpoker.com/promo/200free-landing-page/index.asp?VT=41639404&EventID=17604) and click on "up to $200 in bonuses!"

[deaders]

I registered yesterday and just signed in now, entering my current non-OIC balance but when i get to the ranking page the balance is blank "your current balance is $ ". Can i start playing now or is it not accepting my balance correctly?

[Gaming Club]

CCass
[ QUOTE ]

I am assuming I am in?

CCass


[/ QUOTE ]
Assuming that your 2+2 user name is almost the same as the one that is registered for the OIC, yes you are in.

kiemo
[ QUOTE ]

Then the OIC came along. TGC gave you $50 to play with. What a great idea, now I can try out online poker for real money without risk. When it was over I had established some trust of online poker and proceeded to sign up with Neteller, etc..

Now this OIC. If I am the same guy I was before the first OIC and I see this challenge I am passing. I gotta deposit my own money, but its insured, whoah what the heck does that mean, sounds like a gimmick to me. BRPs - what the hell? And even if I want to try out the OIC, how do I get money into the site, what hook up my bank account to this Neteller place, what are you NUTS? Awww forget about it.


[/ QUOTE ]
This is true – during the two previous installments of the OIC, the starting bankroll was provided up front. Definitely great for newbies to the online poker world.

Why did this one change the starting bankroll setup? Abuse. Plain and simple. Although a great way for new players to come in and get used to playing online, it left us wide open for people trying to make a quick buck by taking the $50 and not following the OIC rules e.g. going to a NL table and dropping it in one hand and then trying to withdraw or to try and get multiple bonuses without playing fair. It’s also not fair on other participants who legitimately play by the rules where others are trying their luck to beat the system.

Now you could argue that it’s our problem to manage that, which it is. However, the nature of the OIC is an honor bound challenge and being honest and playing according to the rules is necessary which is why we implemented the BR insurance to help in keeping a bit of order in that area.

It’s also not just for new players. As we’ve mentioned before the OIC was created by members of this board and if you’re here, chances are that you’re probably playing online poker already. We’re not going to dispute that it’s a great incentive for already existing players – but the prize elements were to instill a bit more competitiveness as well.

Either way, we do understand what you’re getting at – thanks for looking at the other side of the scale /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[ QUOTE ]

TGC if you really want to educate me and give me the opportunity to play at higher levels with no risk, why not bankroll insure me for $500 or $1k.


[/ QUOTE ]
Nice try /images/graemlins/smile.gif What is your tournament experience like tho? (specifically live tourney experience)

[ QUOTE ]

I didnt convey this well in my last message, but I really appreciate the responses TGC guy.


[/ QUOTE ]
To each his own /images/graemlins/smile.gif and we’re happy to be of some use.

KingMarc
[ QUOTE ]

Gamingclubguy,

Have you thought of doing a contest for the best forum performance?


[/ QUOTE ]
No, but that is a good thought and we’ll explore that idea. Thanks!

Mike
Thanks for adding in those details!

deaders
[ QUOTE ]

I registered yesterday and just signed in now, entering my current non-OIC balance but when i get to the ranking page the balance is blank "your current balance is $ ". Can i start playing now or is it not accepting my balance correctly?


[/ QUOTE ]
You can start playing. The leader board won’t reflect true results until the 24 hour update goes through which will be in the next couple of hours. Just ensure that when you login, non-OIC balances are correctly declared. The reason it doesn’t reflect proper results is because it doesn’t have any previous data to go against and everyone starts with a clean sheet. After the update, you’ll start seeing the leaderboard make more sense, but we still foresee it being a bit skewed over the first couple of days as balances are still being declared and play is being audited.

[Rubicon]

Anyone else having problems to access the leaderboard? I just registered and have started to play. But every time I try to login at "Check your position" I keep begin redirected to the login page and can't see my position.

[Gaming Club]

To everyone taking part in the OIC this is just to let you know that we're still having a few issues with the leader board and our developers are working on it like there's no tomorrow.

Please keep playing as per normal and we'll inform you as soon as the leader board is working properly. We also cannot credit prize winners and perform BR insurance refunds until the leader board is fully functioning so that we can complete our audit.

Please rest assured that all your qualifying play for yesterday and today will be taken into account and we'll post the list of prize winners once crediting has taken place.

Thanks to everyone for their patience thus far, it really is appreciated.

[krazyace5]

So we can start before we get the verification email?

[QuickLearner]

GC Guy,

Could you (or someone) please post a link to that downloadable $ balance worksheet? I checked the OIC leaderboard login page and can't find it. Sorry for being lazy.

[chrisdhal]

There is no verification email AFAICT.

[Mike Haven]

It's at the end of the fourth paragraph on this (http://www.gamingclubpoker.com/OIC/login/index.asp?VT=41647558&S=OIC3_17&EventID=21135) page.

[steamboatin]

Leaders are all brown trouters

[QuickLearner]

Thanks, Mike.

[Gaming Club]

[ QUOTE ]

So we can start before we get the verification email?


[/ QUOTE ]
There is no verification email for the OIC krazyace5. If you see a pop up after registering for the challenge, then you can begin your play.

NEWSFLASH!

The leader board is working. We’ll be making a separate post detailing the leaders and who won prizes shortly as well as making the credits for the winners. Insurance credits will follow after that.

Thanks for being so patient.

We have a few comments we would like to make concerning the OIC as a challenge – just for those new people out there /images/graemlins/wink.gif It doesn’t have to be a full time thing. When you’ve got some time, sit back, relax and enjoy the poker. If you want to have a shot at the prizes, yes you have to play more, but that’s what makes it fun and challenging.

If you’re playing for personal satisfaction and the possibility of becoming one of the few who have completed this rather testing challenge, then possibly pacing yourself for the duration of the OIC would be the best route and will prevent burnout.

Once again, thanks to everyone taking part and good luck!

[dblgutshot]

Hi I have a question. It may have been already answered but I can't find it, sorry.

I have registered for the OIC however not if I have to declare my non-OIC funds? I understand WHAT I have to declare, but is there an actual form I have to submit to say waht I started with? Or is it based on honor system?

Thanks

[dblgutshot]

[ QUOTE ]
Hi I have a question. It may have been already answered but I can't find it, sorry.

I have registered for the OIC however not if I have to declare my non-OIC funds? I understand WHAT I have to declare, but is there an actual form I have to submit to say waht I started with? Or is it based on honor system?

Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]
NEVERMIND I found the answer, I couldn't load it in my other browser had to change to IE.


I do have a question though, I cannot check BRP. It says I am not eligible for this promotion?

[PhilW]

leaderboard is working and the leader already have well over $1,000?! from one day of play? lol

Question about OIC Day... does it mean we are only allowed to play during those times? ie, we can't play 24hours a day?

Thanks,

Phil.

[PhilW]

NM. =p Re-read the posts and OIC Day only apply to the start/finish of the event and for calculations of the day's leaderboard etc.

Phil.

[Gaming Club]

dblgutshot
[ QUOTE ]

I do have a question though, I cannot check BRP. It says I am not eligible for this promotion?


[/ QUOTE ]
It’s because your account is quite old and you’ve already received a sign-up bonus, namely the $15 free (if you’re referring specifically to the sign-up bonus).

As far as BRP’s for the challenge go for BR insurance purposes, we’ll be keeping track of that on our end so if you can’t see BRP’s at all, don’t worry, we’ll make sure that you do get you BR refund.

Is everything ok now with your account situation?

PhilW
[ QUOTE ]

leaderboard is working and the leader already have well over $1,000?! from one day of play? lol

Question about OIC Day... does it mean we are only allowed to play during those times? ie, we can't play 24hours a day?

Thanks,

Phil.


[/ QUOTE ]
We posted the correct leader board standings yesterday. In our experience with the OIC the leader board is not 100% accurate in the first few days of the challenge due to participants getting used to the balance declaration requirement. It will start normalizing once everyone has got the hang of it.

[NoPeak]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Hi I have a question. It may have been already answered but I can't find it, sorry.

I have registered for the OIC however not if I have to declare my non-OIC funds? I understand WHAT I have to declare, but is there an actual form I have to submit to say waht I started with? Or is it based on honor system?

Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]
NEVERMIND I found the answer, I couldn't load it in my other browser had to change to IE.


I do have a question though, I cannot check BRP. It says I am not eligible for this promotion?

[/ QUOTE ]

Im still searching for this answer. Should I assume that when you sign up, you declare your "other" money, it is done? How about if you receive a bonus in your account? How do you declare it separate?

Thanks

[steamboatin]

Bump so it is easier to find.

[Peter Harris]

Hey all,
just a bump, one person may have made it over the top, but some of us are still going at it!

Erratum to the notes, sorry if someone else spotted this:

[ QUOTE ]
7.4. Q: You sit down with $127 and you are playing $2/$4. You lose down to $95 playing from the button. You decide to complete the orbit but lose down to $48.

A: You must move down to $0.50/$1.00 as you do not have sufficient funds to play $2/$4. (Imagine going to $2/$4, but since you have below 25 Big Bets for $2/$4, you would have to move down).

[/ QUOTE ]

I believe these are meant to say $1/$2.

Good luck to all those still slogging away!
Pete Harris

[Tachyon]

Hey Gaming Club Guy,

[ QUOTE ]
Also what happens if I lose $40 in the first week and stop playing for whatever reason. No insurance then, I simply lose my money - what happened to risk free?


[/ QUOTE ]

He does have a minor point though... what happens if by the end of the promotion, I have neither made 300 BFP, nor have more than $50 OIC money. Perhaps you should add a clause that at the end of the promotion period, you will top off any remaining players back to $50 in the event that they have not

1) Lost all the money
2) Earned the required 300 points

This way it truly would be risk free for all those that might only have a couple of hours a week spare like me. Plus it might stop some players dumping their last $10 as they only get the rebate if they lose all the money.

Thanks for your consideration.

John

[Yobz]

Can we still sign up for this? Sounds like fun /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[steamboatin]

Yes, the grand prize is gone but plenty of daily prizes remain.

[Yobz]

I signed up yesterday and deposited the $50. I registered with the oic link and everything. I played today and am up to $101 (just finished .5/1, moving to 1/2 very shortly). The problem is that when i logon to the OIC it says I have $0 (it was update at noon today and I had played a little last night, was up to $55 or so then). It puts me at the bottom of the list because of this /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Any clue how long it takes to be added to the list?

[Yobz]

Any advice or anything? At least direct me to where I should be looking... /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Yobz]

This is probably not the best place to post this, but:
Went back down below 50 and have to restart with .5/1...I just want to make sure I have bankruptcy insurance...since my name doesnt appear on the list yet /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Gaming Club]

[ QUOTE ]

Im still searching for this answer. Should I assume that when you sign up, you declare your "other" money, it is done? How about if you receive a bonus in your account? How do you declare it separate?


[/ QUOTE ]
If you receive a bonus in your account afterwards, that also becomes part of your non-OIC funds which need to be declared. Basically, it is any money that does not form part of the $50 starting bankroll for the OIC. Only winnings of that $50 starting bankroll are counted as part of the OIC. Does that help?

[ QUOTE ]

I believe these are meant to say $1/$2.

Good luck to all those still slogging away!


[/ QUOTE ]
Thanks Pete, we’ll arrange for this to be changed.

[ QUOTE ]


He does have a minor point though... what happens if by the end of the promotion, I have neither made 300 BFP, nor have more than $50 OIC money. Perhaps you should add a clause that at the end of the promotion period, you will top off any remaining players back to $50 in the event that they have not

1) Lost all the money
2) Earned the required 300 points

This way it truly would be risk free for all those that might only have a couple of hours a week spare like me. Plus it might stop some players dumping their last $10 as they only get the rebate if they lose all the money.


[/ QUOTE ]
We’ll definitely take this into consideration, thanks!

[ QUOTE ]

This is probably not the best place to post this, but:
Went back down below 50 and have to restart with .5/1...I just want to make sure I have bankruptcy insurance...since my name doesnt appear on the list yet


[/ QUOTE ]
Yobz – you’re registered for the OIC and your play will be counted.

[AncientPC]

I have a few questions:

1) Are we still allowed to still register and play the OIC? I realize the grand prize has been won, but there are still the daily prizes.

2) Is there an end date for OIC?

[CountDuckula]

[ QUOTE ]
I have a few questions:

1) Are we still allowed to still register and play the OIC? I realize the grand prize has been won, but there are still the daily prizes.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes.


[ QUOTE ]
2) Is there an end date for OIC?

[/ QUOTE ]

Dec. 10 at 10am GMT.

-Mike

[CountDuckula]

I went to the claim page, filled in my details and clicked the "Click here..." button, and the form just blanked out without any confirmation of the claim. I tried it 3 times with the same results. Did my claim get entered...?

-Mike

P.S. - I did make a small error yesterday, and sat down at a 1/2 table when I should have sat at a .5/1. I clicked on what I thought was a .5/1 table, and joined the waiting list. When I got the notice that the seat was available, I started playing a few hands before I realized that it was a 1/2; I left as soon as I figured it out, down a couple of bucks. Would that invalidate my claim?


-Mike

[Action Scott]

Can we start this now and still be eligible for the bankroll insurance, or did I need to start at the beginning? Thanks

[Gaming Club]

CountDuckula & Action Scott: we responded to both your PM's with the relevant info.