Games People Play: The FAQ
Playing the Game
How do I set up an account?
Simply click on the "New Account" button on your left and follow the instructions. The wizard will walk you through a very simple process. Once you complete the wizard, you will receive an email to validate your account. Click on the validation link, enter your password, and you are ready to play! You can then go back to the Main Lobby to start a game, or view the tutorial. When you are ready, go here to make a deposit.
How do I play Big Money Trivia?
- Check the website or sign up for our emails to find times for upcoming games.
- Go to the Main Lobby and login with your username and password.
- Double-click on the game you want to play.
- When the new page opens, click the "Register" button. You must complete registration at least one minute before the scheduled start of the game.
- Click on the appropriate entry fee for the tournament and click "Okay". (Note: You can unregister from a game and receive a refund of your entry fee any time up to one minute before the scheduled starting time by clicking the "Unregister" button.)
- For more information, check out our tutorial.
College vs. Classic
Who can play College Trivia Challenge?
College Trivia Challenge questions are geared to the 18-30 crowd, but the game is open to anyone over 18, (subject to local and state laws). The idea is to provide an environment for younger players to compete against each other on topics relevant to college-aged students and recent graduates.
Who can play Classic Trivia Challenge?
Classic Trivia Challenge questions are geared toward the baby boom generation and will be similar to those found on game shows like Jeopardy! and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. This game is open to anyone over 18, (subject to local and state laws).
If I meet my local age requirements, can I play both games?
Absolutely! Double your pleasure, double your fun.
What is the structure of the games?
The games consist of four rounds of five questions each, plus a final question, for a total of 21 questions per game. There will be a break between rounds. Each question will be multiple choice, with five possible answers. Before each question you will be given a topic and a chance to wager any or all of your chips on the upcoming question. You will win or lose the number of chips you bet, depending on whether you provide a correct or an incorrect answer.
What is the best way to learn to play the game?
In the Main Game Lobby, we have two mini demo games, that you can play to get a feel for the flow and rules of the game. There is one demo for the Classic Trivia game, and one for the College Trivia game, so you can try both. Note, the demo games are only 11 questions, actual games are 21 questions.
Why don’t I have more time to answer the questions?
We want to make the game as fair as possible, and we do not want to give people time to use a search engine to find the answers. In our testing, ten seconds was adequate to answer a question if someone knew the answer, but it was not enough to search out all the possible answers, so we set this as the time limit. It also reduces the ability of people to use IM to share answers, especially with non-players.
What other steps do you take to make it harder for players to use search engines?
First, from time-to-time we try to include a few questions specifically designed to be "unsearchable”. Since these appear randomly, it will be very difficult for someone to win by attempting to use a real time research strategy. Second, by including “None of the above” and/or “All of the above” responses, we reduce the potential success rate of real time search significantly.
How difficult are the questions?
That's hard to say. Our guiding principle is to make the questions challenging, but not obscure. We will also try to have fun with the questions to the extent possible.
Do the questions get more difficult as the game progresses?
Not intentionally.
Will all the questions be "standard" trivia questions?
No. We will be writing our own questions and we may also throw in some "non-trivia" questions from time-to-time to increase the importance of strategy and to decrease the use of search engines by players. For example, we may use math questions, logic questions or other types of questions more commonly found on IQ or similar types of tests. We may also throw in some "trick" questions now and again to keep everyone on their toes, so be careful with your wagering. If you lose all of your chips you are out of the game.
Is this legal?
Yes, in most jurisdictions. Because trivia games are games of skill, they are not affected by recent restrictions placed on online poker, sports betting, etc., however some states do restrict play. Currently we cannot accept players from:
Arizona Arkansas Connecticut Delaware Florida Illinois Iowa | Louisiana Maryland Montana South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Vermont |
Who writes the questions?
We do! We have a staff of seasoned trivia junkies of all ages who write questions every day. We do not use any off-the shelf databases containing 30 questions about moccasins. In addition, to maintain the integrity of the game, only two people in the world know the questions that will be used in any given game, so you can play with assurance that you are playing a square game.
Can I submit a question for the game?
You can, but there is no guarantee that your question will be used. By submitting a question you also agree that you give up all rights to the question to Big Money Trivia and you understand that your only compensation will be your improved karma and the personal satisfaction you derive from challenging others. If you want to submit a question, send it to: TheGoodFolks@BigMoneyTrivia.com.
Are the questions in the “Higher Stakes” games more difficult?
No. Questions are developed and used without regard to the stakes of the particular tournament. The level of competition may or may not increase as the stakes increase. It may be that the players in the larger buy-in games are simply people who are less risk-averse, as opposed to players who are more knowledgeable.
Is there an advantage to answering quickly?
Yes and no. As long as we receive your answer before the clock expires, it does not matter when you send your answer. You do not receive more points for being fast. However, we cannot control the latency of your internet connection, or what happens as the hamsters carry your answers through the tubes to our servers. Therefore, it is to your advantage to answer early to insure that we receive your answer in time. Once the clock expires on our end, if we do not have your answer, regardless of reason, your answer will be judged to be incorrect. Short answer, select your answer as soon as you are confident of it, but if you know the answer you should have plenty of time to respond. This same idea applies to your wagers, get them in early!
When I click on my answer, do I have to “Send” it somehow?
No. When you click on an answer, a box will appear. We’ll do the rest. You do have to click "Submit" for your wager to be sent.
Can I change my answer if there is time left?
Yes. When time expires, we will take whatever answer we have from you at that point (keeping in mind the latency and hamster issues from above.) Therefore, you can click on multiple answers before time expires, but only your last one will count.
How can I find my ranking during a game?
Your ranking will be posted at the top of each wagering and question screen during the game. The top ten scores will also be posted on the Leaderboard so you can see where you stand compared to the leaders. We also give you time between the rounds and before the final question, so you can analyze, consider and place an appropriate wager.
How do I place a wager?
You can wager in one of three ways. First, there are four buttons that have pre-selected wagers representing 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of your current chip stack. You can wager any of these amounts by simply clicking on the appropriate button and the clicking the button that says "Submit". Second, you can type a wager into the wager box. Third, you can use the “slider bar.” These last two allow you to select any amount of money so you can “fine tune” your wager to maximize your chance of winning. No matter which of these three methods you choose, you must also click “Submit” before time expires, or it will be shown as no bet. It is the only way we can know your true intention.
Can I change my wager?
You can change your wager any time before you click "Submit", until the clock runs out. Once you click the "Submit" button, you cannot change your bet, even if there is time left.
Do I have to place a wager?
No. If you don’t like a category, or if you have a large lead and do not want to bet, simply wait for the wagering round to time out and your wager for that round will be zero. You can also click the "Submit" button twice without selecting a dollar amount and it will show a wager of zero.
Do you have any wagering tips for me?
We sure do. First, make sure you get your wager in before time expires. Once the clock on our end expires, we cannot take your wager, no matter when you sent it, so be aware of network latency. Second, make sure you click the "Submit" button after selecting your wager, or your wager will not be counted. Third, be careful not to bet too much too early. If you get an answer wrong and lose a large portion of your chips during the first round, it is very difficult to catch-up. Also, if you ever lose all of your chips, you will be out of the game and cannot continue playing. By betting a smaller amount (say 25-50% of your chips) on each question, you can survive an early miss and still come back. Because you can wager on every question, if you build up a decent stack of chips, you should be able to either attack and take a lead when you get a strong category, or intimidate the leaders into overbetting and dropping significantly, if they miss under pressure.
Finally, you must have at least 1 chip at the end of the game in order to win a cash prize, so be careful betting it all, even on the last question.
When I run out of chips, why can’t I watch the rest of the game?
We want to limit observers to those actively in the game to minimize the possibility of collusion, especially late in the game.
Questions About the Money
How do I deposit money to play cash games, get bonuses, etc.?
Click on the "Deposit" button on either the website or the game lobby. Enter your username and password and follow instructions. We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover for deposits. Current bonuses can be found on the "Current Promotions" page. The rules for each bonus can be found on the "Bonus Policy" page.
How do I know how much money is in my account?
Login to the Main Lobby (not the Community) and click on the "Cashier" button, then click on the "Account Balance" tab. The information will be there.
How can I find out the status of bonuses I am eligible for?
Login to the Main Lobby (not the Community) and click on the "Cashier" button, then click on the "Bonus History" tab. The information will be there.
How can I find out how much money I have earned from the Invite Your Friends promotion?
Login to the Main Lobby (not the Community) and click on the "Cashier" button, then click on the "My Referrals" tab. The information will be there.
Where can I find my game history?
Login to the Main Lobby (not the Community) and click on the "Cashier" button, then click on the "Account History" tab. The information will be there.
How many accounts can I have?
In order to make the game as fair as possible, you may only have one account. The same person will not be allowed to withdraw money from multiple accounts. In addition, anyone found to have more than one account will be subject to penalties at management's discretion, including the forfeiture of all accounts and balances therein. Finally, bots of all types are banned from BigMoneyTrivia.com. Anyone found using bots for any purpose will face penalties at management's discretion, including forfeiture of their accounts and balances therein. They may also be subject to civil or criminal penalties.
How is the prize pool divided among the winners?
For each game we use a formula to divide up the pot, depending on the number of players. This formula will be displayed at the beginning of each game. In general, about the top 20-30% of players will receive a share of the pool. The pool is weighted to provide a substantially larger portion of the pot to the very top scores.
What if there is a tie?
If there is a tie, we will combine the winnings for the tied places and divide them evenly among the tied players. Note, you must have a positive score (at least one chip) in order to be eligible to win any cash prize.
Techie Questions
What are the minimum system requirements to play Big Money Trivia?
To play Big Money Trivia, you need to have a computer with Silverlight installed. This is a free plug-in from Microsoft (similar to Adobe's Flash) that is used by a number of programs and companies (such as Netflix). When you run the game, we will check to see if you have the latest version installed and, depending on your computer settings, either install it or notify you to install it. It will work with most browsers and operating systems. For more information you can go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Silverlight or http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/overview/default.aspx.
Can I play on a Mac?
Yes. You can play on any computer that has Silverlight installed.
How do you secure my information?
All gameplay and transactions are run over 128-bit SSL Encryption. We run dedicated servers to isolate your data (and our data) from the threat presented by shared hosting environments.
The game seems sluggish, is there anything I can do to speed it up?
Several things can affect speed of the gameplay, most importantly, the speed of your Internet connection. We recommend that our games be played over broadband connections, such as DSL or Cable Internet services. Other causes can be having too many applications running on your PC at once, not enough RAM, or low hard disk space.
Can I play on dial-up?
We strongly recommend that you have a DSL connection or better to play. You can play on dial-up, but we cannot control any latency issues that you may have with a slow connection. If you are using dial-up, we recommend that you answer the questions as quickly as possible to minimize cases where we don’t get your answer in time, due to slow connection speeds.
