Well, I've read everything and decided on a rule that the tournament will start precisely on time, late players can buy in until the first knockout, losing 500 out of the initial 25k chips for each level missed.

So, buying in during the first level would warrent no chip penalty (25k), during the second level lose 500 chips (24.5k), etc.

This is mostly due to my being uncofortable actually blinding off a stack that may never show up, or show up and choose not to buy the blinded stack (like a dick obv).

What do you guys think?

It's a reasonable solution. You could start the penalty at some point during the first level, though.

We've had enough rioting lately with the Mouthy/Rocky situation from my other thread, so we're trying to avoid any more discontent.

I like the bonus because it's more of a riding-crop-and-fuzzy-handcuffs approach: whip them into shape and make them like it...

+1. OP, if you really want to encourage on-time arrival, start the penalty at the beginning of the tournament. However, if you're okay with people showing up 15-20 minutes late (they will), then your approach is fine.

If player has warned he/she is going to be late - blind them in until they arrive

If player hasn't warned he/she is going to be late - they receive same size stack as the short-stack at the table. No late entry after the first player is out

We use the chip bonus for RSVP'ing and being on time. It is a bonus for each, so if no RSVP you don't receive that bonus, if you are late you don't receive that one. So totally possible to receive one and not the other.

I'm certainly in favor of starting tournaments on time; and I'm also not sweating starting my 7pm game at 7:15 as for me, most people are drinking a beer or smoking and gabbing out on the patio anyway...

If I were to start having a problem with no-call late-shows, I'd probably just go with dead stacks at each table, and pull any of them at color-up (which is when we'd stop taking no-call late-shows). We'll gladly let a call-in be blinded off forever. It's his $10, if he wants to not play it, that's his business.

I'm not in favor of penalties (or bonuses) because while it might have the ability to correct behavior, it does so (even in the case of bonuses) in a way that might start to intimidate players -- especially, say, someone who wants to play, but gets off work at 6:45, or who has to drive cross-town to make a game he loves to play. I suppose that, for you, it'll depend a lot on what sort of atmosphere you're trying to foster.

The way we do our home game, we have a rebuy for 1/2 stack (unlimited) for the first 3 rounds,

If player is to arrive late and informs the tourney director we have to have someone that is at the tourney vouch for them and COMMIT money into the pot, at which time they get a full ghost stack at the table and get blinded off until they arrive. If no one is there to vouch for them they have to buy in for a 1/2 stack if they can arrive within the first 3 rounds. (if they miss end of round 3 they are just SOL and will have to wait until enough players bust out to start a side game).

The problem with just setting them up a ghost stack is if they change their mind and you pull the stack, players at another table whine that the other table had an unfair advantage with extra money in the pot, and now there are chips on the table that no one committed money to the tourney pool, which is why we insisted on someone must vouch for you.

We had one incident where an individual decided he was going to cancel out after we had set up a ghost stack, but it was early enough we could essentially drop the ghost stack down to a 1/2 stack and person who vouched got half of the buyin back they had committed for the person coming. We continued to let the ghost stack run out of chips and the game continued.

so if one table has 8 and the other table has 7 omg table w/ 8 has an advantage of more chips. And I know you are saying they get more chips without money going in the pot, but come on, that is sooooooo minimal and not even an advantage.

AKA Phil Hellmuth style.

The bonus chip is GREAT!

Did it last night for the first tourney back in my space. Usually in the past people were okay with showing up on time, but there was still always a handful of stragglers.

Last night, bonus chip if you arrive by 6:45, cards in the air at 7. T4000 stack, plus T500 bonus. All but one were there by 6:45. That's also the cutoff for alternates to get seated if the primary RSVP'ers are late.

Worked great, and the players really liked it. I'm a convert! Thanks, Lottery Larry!

(...sigh...)

1 Hour Late Reg imo but if anything you should be taking a list of the players who are goign to be playing and setting up there chips and seat for them so they may be blinded away. The thing is even if you show up 2 hours late for a live tournament you are still only like 20 hands into the damn thing anyways.