2024 Worlds in Las Vegas - Tournament Information and Schedule

At last year’s Worlds, the Finals completed around 6 AM on Monday and one division completed their Round-robin around 4 AM on Sunday.  Toby Strite volunteered to lead an effort to improve our signature event and was commissioned by the STPC Council for that purpose.  Toby conducted a survey of the membership and formed sub-committees to come up with recommendations around tournament format and pace of play.  In summary, we’re starting earlier (Thursday Noon) so we can finish before 11:59 PM on Sunday and we’re implementing better enforcement of the Suspended Game Rule (so divisions don’t get behind).  Because the earlier start might make it difficult for some to attend the event, we’re also providing an online draft option.  We’re maintaining the things that people told us they like: 4-game series, full round-robin with 9 or 10-man divisions and the same number of play-off games.

 

A major difference for 2024 is that everyone will have a choice of drafting online, FTF or they can declare EITHER and have the possibility of drafting FTF or online.  The online draft(s) will be on the Tuesday before the Worlds.  For us to be able to offer the online draft option, we will need to get enough EITHER’s to make this work (which is very likely).  We should know in October or November whether we’re going to be able to offer the online option so everyone will know what we’re going to do well ahead of time.  The balance of the drafts will be FTF on Thursday (starting at 3:00 PM).   By mid-December, we should have a good idea as to the number of online draft divisions and FTF draft divisions.

 

In the months leading up to the Worlds, entrants will specify their draft option:

 

FTF – With FTF, their experience is the same as past Worlds.  They will have their own live Division Selection in Las Vegas on Thursday (1:45 PM) with a 3 PM Thursday FTF draft.  They roll the 20 four times when they check in (which starts at Noon).

 

Online Only (OO) – With this option, division selection and the draft will be held online (like PureStrat) on the Tuesday before the Worlds (6 PM Pacific Time).   Here are the key features of OO:

1)    They participate (along with the EITHER’s) in the online division selection process that starts on the Sunday before the Worlds (9 AM Pacific Time) with the roll for selection order (roll the 20 four times).

2)    On Tuesday (starting at 6 PM Pacific Time), they participate (along with the EITHER’s) in division selection for the online division(s).  When it’s an OO’s turn to select, they select into an online division.

3)    They draft (along with those EITHER’s that ended up in an online division) their team online right after division selection.

 

EITHER – People who select this option have the possibility of selecting into an online draft or FTF.  Here are the key features of EITHER:

1)    They participate (along with the OO’s) in the online division selection process that starts on the Sunday before the Worlds (9 AM Pacific Time) with the roll for selection order (roll the 20 four times).

2)    On Tuesday (starting at 6 PM Pacific Time), they participate (along with the OO’s) in division selection for the online division(s).  When it’s an EITHER’s turn to select, there are three possibilities:

a.     If the number of available online spots is equal to the number of OO’s that haven’t yet selected, they may not select and instead will draft on Thursday in Las Vegas with the FTF’s.

b.     If the number of remaining online spots is equal to the number of OO and EITHER drafters that haven’t yet selected, they must select into one of the online divisions.

c.     If neither of the above is in effect, they may select into an online division OR they may opt out of the online draft division(s) and instead will draft on Thursday in Las Vegas with the FTF’s. 

3)    If they selected into an online division, they draft (along with the OO’s) their team online right after division selection.

4)    If an EITHER winds up in a FTF division, they do not get to roll the 20 again but instead will use what they already rolled.

 

Your tournament directors for 2024 are Pete Nelson ( petenelson31@comcast.net ) and Mike Breithaupt ( ichabod32@hotmail.com ).  We are both EITHER’s.

 

General Considerations - No more cash entry fees.  Everyone must have their entry fee into STPC Treasurer Toby Strite by Saturday (1/6/2024, 9 PM Pacific Time) per below.  Entry fee is increased from $250 to $300.  This will allow us to boost the percentage of prize $ that go toward the consolation tournament while maintaining historical amounts for the championship bracket. For online division selection, we’ll use phone and text to receive everyone’s selections and Google Sheets (or similar) for everyone to track the proceedings.  If someone isn’t available when it’s their turn, we’ll use current practice for making their selection (see item 5 from https://strattpc.com/WorldsDivSelProcess.htm ).  After online division selection, the online draft(s) will proceed in the same manner as PureStrat drafts.  The FTF draft(s) will take place at the tournament site as we’ve always done but will happen earlier on Thursday (see Schedule below).  Waivers are collected during check-in.  For FTF drafters that arrive after check-in, waivers can be collected at the drafting table.  For online drafters that arrive after check-in, waivers can be collected before they play their first series.  If someone is late for a FTF draft, we wait 15 minutes and start the draft.  If possible and if a willing person can be identified to load picks into a Google doc, the missing person can participate in the draft remotely.  If the connection is dropped, DRAID will make picks until the connection can be re-established.  This would only be used when there were unexpected and unavoidable delays that prevented the drafter from getting there on time.  Once the person arrives at the draft, they will take over and draft the balance of their team.  Game play will proceed with a new schedule (see below) that will allow more time for breaks and meals.  Note that six games are scheduled for Thursday night.  Each division will post results so the current standings will be more visible.

 

The Suspended Game Rule will be strictly enforced by Pace-of-play Directors (PoPD’s) appointed by the Tournament Directors.  PoPD’s will not make rulings for their own divisions.  We’re allowing 3 ½ hours per 4-game series which should give plenty of time for meal breaks.  We hope to have a shot clock (viewable from anywhere in the room) so players know how much time they have.  If a series is still going at the 3:20 mark, the PoPD will inform the players to finish the inning and suspend the game.  Suspended games will be made up at the end of the day.  If a player has more than one suspended game, a guest manager will be appointed by the PoPD to play the other suspended games.  If someone is more than 10 minutes late for their series, the PoPD will issue one warning.  If there is a recurrence, the SP for the first game of the series is weak.

 

The draft and game play are governed by the STPC Rules.

 

SCHEDULE

Saturday (1/6/2024)

Entry Fee of $300 must be received no later than 1/6/2024, 9 PM Pacific Time.  STPC Treasurer Toby (Samuel) Strite accepts PayPal or Zelle or you can send him a check if he receives it before 12/31/23.  Contact Toby ( toby.strite@gmail.com ) if you don’t already know how to send him $.

 

Sunday (1/7/2024)

Online-Only’s and EITHER’s use the STPC Dice Roller to roll the 20 four times.  This will be used to determine selection order for online divisions.  If an ‘EITHER’ winds up in a FTF draft division, these rolls will be used for selection order in Vegas (they don’t get to roll again).

 

Tuesday (1/9/2024)

At 6 PM Pacific Time, division selection will occur for the online draft divisions.  After that, the online drafts will occur (like PureStrat).

 

Thursday (1/11/2024) 

Noon – 1 PM  Check-in begins at Noon in Salon J of the California Ballroom of the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino.  FTF-only’s roll the 20 four times.  Waivers are collected.  Player info is verified.

1 PM – 1:45 PM  Annual Meeting.

1:45 PM – 2:45 PM  Division Selection for the FTF drafts.

2:45 PM – 3 PM  Division Captain’s Meeting for all divisions (including those that drafted online).

3:00 PM – 7 PM  FTF drafts.

7:00 PM  Game-play begins according to the schedule below.  See 8Teams if the division has eight teams (plus a DRAID team).  The nine and ten-team divisions will play 8 or 9 four-game series (round-robin).  The roll of a twenty-sided die will determine home and away.  The winner of the die roll has the choice of home or away for games 1 and 3. The top three players in each division advance to the play-offs.

7 PM – 10:30 PM  Everyone plays their first series.

10:30 PM – Midnight  Everyone plays the first two games of their second series (or the whole series if BOTH agree).

 

Friday (1/12/2024)  All series start times are “NO LATER THAN”.  If both are ready, start early and get ahead.

8 AM – 9:45 AM  Last two games of Series 2.

9:45 AM – 1:15 PM  Series 3.

1:15 PM – 4:45 PM  Series 4.

4:45 PM – 8:15 PM  Series 5.

8:15 PM – 11:45 PM  Series 6.

 

Saturday (1/13/2024)

8 AM – 11:30 AM  Series 7.

11:30 AM – 3 PM  Series 8.

3 PM – 6:30 PM  Series 9.

6:30 PM – 11:59 PM  Tie-Break games, Play-in Games and the first round of the Play-offs.  Plus, the start of the Consolation Tournament (See below).

Championship Brackets and Tie-breakers

 

Sunday (1/14/2024)

8 AM – 12:15 PM  Quarter-Finals (best of 5)

12:15 PM – 6 PM  Semi-Finals (best of 7)

6 PM – 11:59 PM  Finals (best of 7)

 

Consolation Tournament 

The consolation tournament (CT) will continue to be single elimination for those that are interested.  With 50 or more total Worlds entrants, there will be $1000 for first and $500 for second.  Here are some of the key features:

 

1)    The CT will start on Saturday night after all divisions have wrapped up.

2)    It will have an NCAA style 64 team bracket (1 vs 64, 2 vs 63 etc.).  The seeding is based upon regular-season records with ties broken by a roll of the 20.

3)    The first round will be 1-game series.  Note: the higher-seeded teams will have walk-overs in this round and everyone will have walk-over’s if we have less than 33 initial entrants.

4)    Rounds 2 & 3 will be played on Saturday night.  3-game series.  Most of these games can be played concurrently with the Round 1 games due to the expected large number of walk-overs.  Pitcher’s get a rest day for sweeps.

5)    By Sunday morning, there will be 8 teams left from those that didn’t make the play-offs.  They are joined by the eight play-off teams that lost in the first round of the Championship Bracket so, on Sunday morning, you have 16 teams left in the CT.

6)    Start at 9 AM on Sunday morning with Rounds 4, 5 & 6 (3-game series).  The finals (Round 7) is a 5-game series.  That’s 14 games on Sunday (max) which should have this finished well ahead of the Championship bracket (19 Sunday game max) even with the 1-hour-later start time.