ACC Internet Cribbage

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ACC Rules for Internet Play

Rule 1. Ethics and General Conduct

a. Above all, the game of cribbage is to be played with sportsmanship, friendliness and good humor. The American Cribbage Congress insists on ethical play both over the board and on the Internet. Players must abide by the ACC Rules of Cribbage and the ACC Code of Ethics, except where superceded by these Rules for Internet Play or made obviously inapplicable by the technology used in online cribbage. Players who grossly or repeatedly violate ACC rules or guidelines are subject to disciplinary action, which can include suspension, expulsion from the ACC and permanent disqualification from all ACC events.

b. The ACC considers any attempt to gain an unfair advantage through exploitation of the technology of online cribbage to be unacceptable and grounds for suspension or expulsion. Examples of such practices include:

• Hacking Internet host sites and client software
• Using illicit programs to peek at or manipulate dealt or cut cards
• Tampering with an opponent's computer or Internet connection
• Deliberately disconnecting from the host site while a game is in progress
• Presenting a false online identity, including impersonating another member
• Allowing the use of a certified screen name by someone other than the registered ACC member
• Using shills or multiple identities to manipulate game and tournament results
• Disrupting online communications
• Fraudulently reporting game or match results

c. Players must abide by the Terms of Use and Code of Conduct of each Internet site hosting the tournament.  Disputes arising during a tournament will be resolved by the Tournament Director.  Failure to abide by the decisions of the TD, or to follow ACC rules and guidelines, can result in disqualification from the tournament, and/or possible referral for further disciplinary action.  Members witnessing behavior in violation of ACC rules or guidelines are duty-bound to report it to the TD, the ACC Internet Commissioner or the ACC Ethics Committee at kwidener@triad.rr.com

d.  A "3 strikes" policy is in effect for such occurrences as leaving the tournament early, stalled games, foul language, unacceptable behavior, etc.  Strikes are at the discretion of the ACC Tournament Director (TD) at eCribbage and/or Game Colony.  Upon the 3rd strike (at either site, or a combination of both sites) given to an ACC player by the ACC TDs, a 30 day suspension from all ACC internet play will be enforced.  Once the suspension is lifted by the host site, the TDs and/or ACC Internet Commissioner, a second set of 3 strikes will result in a 3 month suspension from all ACC internet play,  Should a third set of strikes occur, the player will be banned from all future ACC internet tournaments.

Rule 2. ACC Internet Tournaments

a. Official ACC Internet tournaments are authorized by the ACC Internet Commissioner and announced in advance by the ACC, either electronically or in print. Events not meeting these criteria are not recognized by the ACC, and the ACC neither accepts responsibility nor claims jurisdiction over them. Players are responsible for verifying that the online event they are participating in is authorized by the ACC.

b. ACC Rules for Internet Play shall be in effect at all official ACC Internet tournaments unless an explicit exception has been granted by the ACC Internet Commissioner and announced in advance by the ACC. Additional rules for a specific event may be imposed by the tournament director with the approval of the ACC Internet Commissioner.

c.  Every ACC TD at both sites will run the current rules of play at the host site.  The rules will be run a couple of minutes before the start of the tournament, and are the responsibility of each player to read, in case there are changes or updates.  The rules at each site must be approved by the ACC Internet Commissioner and the VP of Competition of the ACC Board of Directors.

Rule 3. Player Certification

a. To compete officially in (free) ACC Internet tournaments and earn Internet Rating Points (IRP), players must be 'ACC members in good standing', and must be certified by the ACC Internet Registrar for Internet play. Players become certified once they have registered their screen name(s) using the internet membership online form. ACC membership dues must be paid and current, and the Registrar must receive confirmation of this from the ACC Membership Secretary. Players that have allowed their yearly ACC membership dues to expire will not earn IRP past the end of that same month. Once dues are renewed, it is the responsibility of the member to also re-register their screen name to be able to start earning IRP again. During the lapsed period between dues expiring and dues renewal, it is possible for the member to earn IRP only during the same month as the dues payment, and will accumulate forward from there. There will be no going backwards to calculate IRP during the lapsed months--they will be lost. This process must be repeated to earn IRP each time a member lets their ACC membership dues expire.

b. A screen name (also known as handle, nickname, username, etc.) is a player's public identity at an Internet host site. To facilitate player identification and reduce the likelihood of reporting errors, the ACC discourages the use of multiple underscores and other non-alphanumeric characters that are difficult to read, and may promote recording errors. Since many members already have established screen names, players are allowed to use any socially acceptable screen name permitted by the host site, though ACC records will be maintained by member number.  Members may change their screen name a maximum of twice per ACC season:  August through July.

c.  The ACC member MUST play in the correct screen name that was set up by the player, and the proper name designated for each site.  This is the player's responsibility as playing in a mismatched name will result in IRP's being awarded to the name that the tournament was played in, not registered in.  We discourage you from using your ACC number as a screen name as it results in much confusion during match assignments because they are too similar.  However, you are encouraged to use the exact same screen name if you play at both sites so that you don't play in the mismatched name by mistake, and lose IRP's at either playing site.

Rule 4.  Screen Names and Confidentiality

a. No player may play in an ACC Internet Tournament, at GameColony with a token in the screen name.  Example $playerone You need to register a nickname that has no tokens or remove the tokens from the name registered.

b. At Game Colony only.....Tournament Directors cannot play in ACC Internet Tournaments with the screen name they use as a TD. They must register a screen name that is different from their TD screen name.

c. A player must use only one screen name for all ACC tournaments at a particular Internet host site. This screen name must match in all operations, including registration, play, reporting and communications with the ACC.

d. The culture of anonymity associated with some sectors of the Internet is not compatible with the standards of accountability and professionalism espoused by the ACC. Accordingly, the ACC does not guarantee the confidentiality of members' names. Tournament results and IRP standings will be published on the Internet and in Cribbage World, and players will be identified by their real name instead of, or in addition to, their screen name.

Rule 5. Player Activity

a. Players are free to participate in as few or as many online tournaments as they desire, though after they reach an annual tournament quota they can no longer earn IRPs that season.

b. Players participating in an ACC online tournament cannot simultaneously participate in other online games.  It is a strikeable offense to leave any tournament before completion in order to then play in an ACC tournament.

Rule 6. Tournament Sign-up--Game Colony only

Tournament participants must be signed up prior to the start of the running of the rules. The rules are run five (5) minutes before the scheduled start time. Once the Tournament Director has begun running the rules, they are not allowed to add participants to the tournament. This is to provide the TDs the opportunity to verify that they have accurately entered all participants and to ensure the tournaments start at the scheduled time.

Rule 7. Pace of Play

Tournament participants are expected to maintain a brisk rate of play. Allowance will be made for occasions where a difficult decision demands extra thought, but players who excessively slow the pace of play due to inattention to the match, substandard Internet connections, or not following TD directions to resolve issues, will be subject to sanction by the tournament director and/or the ACC. Note that specific time limits may be imposed by the tournament director as provided by rule 2.b.

Rule 8. Game Settings

a. Players must follow the directions of the tournament director on configuring game settings and joining tables.

b. Where the host site permits, the first dealer of the second and subsequent games in a match shall be the loser of the previous game.

c. Additional rules on game settings and joining table may be in effect for play at either host site (see rule 10).

Rule 9. Boots/Disconnects

a. Internet conditions and computer crashes occasionally cause players to lose contact with the host site while a game is in progress. Players should make every reasonable effort to ensure that their computer is secure, and that their Internet connection is fast and reliable. Players with erratic computers or Internet connections are asked to refrain from entering tournaments until the problem is resolved.

b. Attempting to gain an advantage by deliberately disconnecting from the host site during a game is considered a serious breach of ethics and may be punished by forfeit, suspension or expulsion. The ACC compiles statistics on disconnects to track players who boot excessively.

c. More specific rules concerning boots/disconnects may be in effect for play at a particular host site (see below).

Rule 10. Additional Provisions for Play at Gamecolony.com

a. Table Options

The player who creates the table will set the table options as follows:
(1) Rated Game the box is to be unchecked.
(2) 6 Card is to be selected (dot in the selection).
(3) Time per Move is to be set at 20 seconds.
(4) On Invitation only the box is to be unchecked.
(5) Ladder Game the box is to be unchecked.
(6) Ticket Box is to remain grey (No Tix may be wagered during ACC Internet Tournaments!)

c. Boots/Disconnects

(1) Players who disconnect from the host site while a match is in progress forfeit that match if they:

• Fail to return within five minutes
• Disconnect twice times in the same match, or
• Disconnect three times in the same tournament

(2) The opponent of a player who disconnects during a match shall announce the boot in the manner prescribed by the tournament director. If the boot occurs with either player on Fourth Street, the non-booting player should note this fact and capture a screen dump of the game table for verification purposes.

(3) When a player returns from a boot, the option to restore the game in progress must be selected.  The non-booting player shall inform the tournament director of resume of the match.

d. Reporting Game and Match Results
A player who wins a match, will report the result  by the following manner ************** player 1 over player 2 ********* or ********** player 1 / player 2 **************.  Failure to report a win within 5 minutes will result in a disqualification from the tournament.