Terms, Rules, & Conditions
Participation in Smartypants-trivia.com competitions requires the captain of each competing team to agree to the terms, rules, and regulations of the contest. Should any team member violate the rules, the entire team is subject to discipline ranging from disqualification from one question to disqualification from the entire competition. The captain, having acknowledged understanding these terms, is thereby responsible for ensuring his/her entire team is aware of the rules and abides by these conditions.
Participation: Teams will range in number from 1 to 8. The captain is the player on record as responsible for the team, and any winnings will be distributed to the captain only. It is the duty of the team captain to distribute the winnings in the manner that he/she deems fit (ideally equally). Members of any team may drop out or be added at any time during the competition; however, players MAY NOT switch teams in the middle of any monthly contest. A player may switch teams prior to the start of the next monthly contest.
Fees: There is no fee to set up or register a Smarty Pants Trivia team, and there is no fee to play in a Smarty Pants Trivia competition. Bars may charge a "cover fee" for its patrons, but they may not charge only patrons who are playing Smarty Pants Trivia.
Play: Each trivia night will consist of a contest 2 1/2 to 3 hours in length (generally 9:00pm to 10:00pm or 8:00pm to 11:00pm -- check the official calendar (locations link on smartypants-trivia.com) or check with the individual location to confirm). Over the course of the evening, 25 questions will be asked. Each team will begin play with 15 points if they are there at the start of play, and zero points if they arrive during the second question or later. The teams will attempt to add as many points as possible over the course of the evening. After each of the first 24 questions are asked, the team will time (as shown on the trivia screen) to come up with an answer. The team will register their answer on the play-slip provided along with a wager of points (minimum of 1 point, maximum of 5). For the final question of the night, the team will be allowed to wager as many or as few of their points as they care to wager. There will be 1 minute 15 seconds between each question with a 10-minute intermission following questions 6, 12, 18, and 24. The points accrued for the evening will only count towards the monthly prize if the team was still playing at the time that the final question was asked. All teams that finish the game will receive a 10-point completion bonus to be added after the final wagers are recorded.
Nightly Winner: The team with the most points at the end of the evening will be declared the winning for the nightly contest. The winning team will be awarded a $25 gift-certificate good for a subsequent visit to the bar in which they were competing. The second place team will be awarded a free pitcher of beer. In some cases, the pitcher of beer may be replaced with an item of equal or more value, depending on the rules of the establishment.
Monthly Winner: The points accumulated by each team at the end of each nightly competition will be added to a cumulative score. Upon completion of each monthly contest, a winning team will be chosen by total points earned. The winning team will receive a monetary award of no less than $100. The amount will vary, possibly on a monthly basis. The total value of the monthly prize can be found at smartypants-trivia.com or can be attained on-location from the trivia D.J. The first monthly competition (9/13/09 to 9/30/09) will award $100. If two or more teams end the monthly competition with the same number of points, the total prize jackpot will be split evenly between the winning teams.
Regulations: Each member of each trivia team is expected to conduct themselves in a sportsman like manner. This means no cheating! Cellular phones are not permitted during any question period. Texting, the use of a computer, and talking on the phone are strictly prohibited. If a team member feels it is necessary to speak on the phone or text, that team member should excuse him/herself from play and return only at the end of the next question period.
There will be plenty of time allotted for restroom and smoke breaks. If a team member cannot wait, that player may at any time exit play. Once a player has left the table, however, he/she may not return until the 2 or 15 minute breaks given between questions/periods.
In the event that multiple Smarty Pants Trivia shows are scheduled on the same night, no team or team member may play at more than one location. The same trivia show will be used if there are multiple locations in the same day; therefore, playing at more than one location would constitute unsportsmanlike conduct. Furthermore, in such an event that the same show is held at multiple locations, no team may send a "scout" to one location and play at another. If a team is found to be acting in this inappropriate manner, that team is subject to disqualification for the monthly contest.
If any player is caught using a phone during play, that team will forfeit the question and lose the maximum number of points (5). If any player is caught using a phone during the Final Answer, the team will forfeit the question and lose the number of points necessary to bring their nightly total one point short of the team with the fewest points (thereby causing said team to come in last place for the evening). If this is a persistent problem, the Trivia DJ reserves the right to remove the team from play for the remainder of the monthly competition. These same regulations are in effect if a player attempts to return to play while a question period is underway. By registering a team, the members of the team promise to play according to the rules and suffer the consequences should they fail. Smarty Pants trivia reserves the right to disqualify any team member or any team at any time it is deemed necessary by the Trivia DJ or the administration of Smarty Pants Trivia.
