This page is the long version of "how the tournament works on the day." If you want the short version, it's on the homepage. If you want the rule-by-rule playbook, the rules page has it. This is the middle ground — the structure of the event, how rounds connect to each other, and what determines who advances.
The big picture
One hundred players. One evening. Two phases: a Swiss-style group stage, followed by a single-elimination bracket. The whole thing wraps in roughly five hours, with breaks built in.
Phase 1: group stage (four rounds)
At the start of the night, all hundred players are seated at twenty-five tables of four. Seating is randomised. You play one full game of UNO at your table — that's round one. The winner of that game gets points based on the cards left in opponents' hands (see scoring values).
After round one, players move to new tables based on their current point totals. Players with similar scores are grouped together, so as the rounds progress, you're playing against opponents who are at roughly your level for the night. This is the Swiss system in a nutshell — you're never eliminated in the group stage, but the strength of your opposition increases as you win.
Four rounds, ~45 minutes each. By the end, every player has played four games and accumulated a score.
How scoring works in the group stage
Only the winner of each round scores. The other three players at the table get zero for that round. The winner's score is the total point value of cards held by the three losing players when the round ended.
So, hypothetically, if you win a round and the other three players had hands totalling 40, 65, and 30 points, your score for that round is 135. If you have a really tight round where the losing players were down to one or two cards each, you might only score 25 or 30. Big swings happen when one or more opponents got stuck with Wild Draw Fours in their hand.
After four rounds, the top sixteen players by total score advance.
Tie-breakers for the cut
If two players are tied on total score for the sixteenth slot, we use the following tie-breakers in order:
- Number of round wins (more is better).
- Sum of opponents' final scores in the rounds they won (a marker of how strong their opposition was — higher is better).
- If still tied, a single sudden-death round, head-to-head.
Phase 2: knockout bracket
Sixteen players, single-elimination, best two of three. Pairings are seeded by group-stage rank: rank one plays rank sixteen, rank two plays rank fifteen, and so on.
"Best two of three" means each match is up to three games of UNO, and the first player to win two of those three games advances. If a match goes 2-0, the third game isn't played. We do this because pure single-game elimination is too dependent on draw luck — a great player can lose one bad hand. Two of three smooths that out without dragging the night past midnight.
The final
Two players left. Best of three, single table, in the middle of the room with everyone watching. The winner gets the trophy, the prize pack, and bragging rights for the next twelve months. The runner-up gets a smaller trophy and dignity.
Time control
Each turn has a 15-second time limit, enforced by a tabletop timer. The referee will give one verbal warning per round before issuing a penalty card. We're not trying to make it a chess clock atmosphere — for most players, 15 seconds is plenty. But it does prevent one slow player from dragging everyone else's evening.
If a round goes over 25 minutes (which almost never happens, but in principle), the referee may call it. At that point, the player with the fewest cards remaining wins. If two or more players are tied on lowest count, total point value of cards held breaks the tie — lower is better.
What if I get knocked out early?
You're done playing, but the night isn't done. You're welcome to stay, watch the bracket, hang out at the bar, and stick around for the trophy ceremony. We'll have snacks circulating throughout. Knocked-out players also get first dibs on the side activities — there's usually a casual side table for non-tournament UNO running in the back.
Behaviour during play
Phones go face-down on the table during your round. No coaching — if you see a friend at another table making a bad play, keep it to yourself. No table-talk that crosses into telling other players what cards you're holding (yes, even as a bluff — it's against tournament etiquette). The referees will warn first, then penalise. Detailed conduct rules on the rules page.
Prizes
We're keeping the prize pool symbolic, on purpose. This isn't a money tournament. The winner gets a custom Falsonal trophy, a prize pack from our sponsors (worth somewhere around 200 euros, mostly board game stuff and local goods), and the title until next year's event. Runner-up gets a smaller trophy and a smaller prize pack. Top eight all get pins and a small gift bag. Everyone who plays gets a participation pin.
If you're showing up hoping to make rent — that's not what this is. It's a fun evening, well-organised, with stakes that matter just enough to make the games tense.