Last week, PocketFives brought you an article about players sitting out the final tableof a tournament at the Golden Vegas Poker Club in Slovakia after confusion over the meaning of the word “guarantee.” The tournament in question had a €300 buy-in and “guarantee” of €100,000. However, instead of guaranteeing a prize pool of €100,000, officials only paid out €86,666, arguing that the word “guarantee” meant a “money guarantee.”

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On Friday, PocketFives received a statement from Golden Vegas which read in part that the players simply misunderstood what the word “guarantee” means: “Guarantees within the Slovak poker scene, and I mean the other Slovak poker rooms as well, have always been set on the concept of money pool – the amount of money collected minus the club fee, percentages for staff, and any percentages to various leagues, [the latter of] which are ultimately returned to the players.”

Tournament officials also meant to award one player a sponsorship package worth €5,000, the value of which was supposed to be deducted from the prize pool. Golden Vegas’ press release relayed, “The provided information [about the package and the prize pool] prior to the start of the tournament was not entirely complete and therefore could create a misunderstanding on the side of the players.”

Each player at the final table ultimately received €8,002. The press release argued that the final table players, however, waited until the 11th hour to bring up their issues: “I did not agree with the approach of the final table players, who came to their complaint about the prize pool on the final day, having already been aware of the payout structure from Day 2.”

There’s mention of another €2,500 having been divided among the final table players on top of the aforementioned €8,002 per person. Therefore, the casino’s solution to the drama is as follows: “Within the guarantee of €100,000, €5,000 is the sponsorship package, according to the rules of EPS, [and] €3,000 [is] for staff. Therefore, the sum is €92,000, out of which €86,666 [has] been already disbursed to the players plus €2,500 above the guarantee.”

It continued, “The total outstanding sum is €5,334. €86,666 + €5,334 equals €92,000 and €2,500 wrongly paid out remains in the hands of the players who received the money, excessing the €100,000 guarantee. The fairest solution would be to distribute this amount among the 28 players who were on the paid positions corresponding to their placement.”

Therefore, on September 5, the casino is hosting a freeroll for the final 28 players for €5,334 in cash and the €5,000 sponsorship package. Players’ starting stack sizes will correspond to their stack sizes on Day 2. The money will be distributed based on finish, while the sponsorship package will go to the winner. If a player can’t make it on September 5, their stack will be blinded off.

We’re not sure what the moral of the story is other than the word “guarantee” can mean vastly different things based on where you’re playing. There also seemed to be considerable blame placed on the players, so check with your tournament director if you have any questions.

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