Rules and Policies
Copyright 1996 - 2024 Case's Ladder, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Copyright Policy.
These rules and methods of rank computation are protected under U.S.copyrightlaws.
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The Ranking System
    Case's Ladder has one of the simplest ranking systems ever used for competitive play. We call it a "Ladder" because each member holds a unique rank or "rung" that represents their standing among other members. The highest-ranked member holds the #1 Ladder position; for example, someone ranked #2 is ranked below the #1 member. The goal is to "climb" the Ladder all the way to the top!
    • When you first join, you are placed in an �Unranked� category on the Ladder.
    • You become "Ranked" after winning your first Ladder match. (Unranked members may play each other, and the winner becomes ranked at the bottom of the Ladder.)
    • When you defeat a member that is ranked higher on the Ladder, you move up in rank half the distance between their rank and your own. Example
    • Your rank on the Ladder does not go down if you lose a match unless your opponent is ranked DIRECTLY below you.
      Example
    • When members ranked below you are victorious against members ranked above you, it's possible the member will jump over you in rank and you will move down one rung. This depends on the ranks involved.
Account Rules
    Since your Ladder account is where all your records are kept we have some special policies regarding it. These are very important and you should pay close attention to them.
    • Ladder Names
      • If your Ladder name is deemed offensive or contains profanity, your account may be removed.
      • If your Ladder name is deemed abusive towards another member, your account may be removed.
      • If your Ladder name is too similar to another member's Ladder name, then you need to choose a different Ladder name.
      • You are not allowed to change your Ladder name more than once per week. You should make sure the username is available at your gaming site (Yahoo!, Pogo, etc.) prior to making any changes to your Ladder name.
      • Your Ladder name must be an exact match of the username you play with at the gaming site, including spaces, underscores, and other keyboard characters. Upper-case and lower-case letters are an exception. If your Ladder name and your username at the gaming site do not match exactly, then your Ladder games will be considered invalid and your opponents are not required to report any losses to you.
    • E-mail Address
      • Your E-mail address must be kept current at all times, in case you need to be contacted. If your E-mail address is found to be invalid, then you will not be permitted to report Ladder games or have Ladder games reported to you. You can use the 'My Account' link to edit your E-mail address.
    • Password Security
      • You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password.
      • You are not permitted to share your password with anyone for any reason.
    • Inactivity
      • In order to keep the Ladder as dynamic as possible, your account will be automatically deleted if you are inactive for 180 days. However, one of the features of our Premium Membership Program is never being deleted for inactivity. Information regarding our Premium Membership Program can be found here.
    • Multiple Users
      • Only one account is allowed per person. There are no exceptions to this rule.
      • It is forbidden for more than one person to use or share the same account.
      • Multiple accounts from the same location will be investigated and possibly removed. If more than one person from your household is a member of this Ladder, you should contact us using the SUPPORT links to advise us of the situation so the accounts will not be removed.
Challenges
    A challenge is defined as a request for a match with a better-ranked member. Whether you are the challenger or the one being challenged, there are some rules that must be followed. Violating these rules may result in penalties. If you notice anyone violating these rules, please feel free to contact us using the SUPPORT links.
    • Chat
      • The best way to find Ladder matches is to announce in chat that you are looking for a Case's Ladder match so that other members will know you are interested in Ladder-play. You can also directly challenge a specific member in chat.
    • E-Mail:
      • If you are ranked in the Top 25 of the Ladder, then you may E-mail a member of the Top Ten to request a match. E-mail challenges should be reserved for situations in which you have failed in your attempts to get a match with a Top Ten member in chat.
      • You are forbidden to issue an E-mail challenge if you have played against a Top Ten member within the last seven days.
      • If you are found to be issuing E-mail challenges excessively and without first attempting to request a match in chat, then your account may be penalized.
    • IM Services
      • It is forbidden to use any type of Instant Messenger Service (ICQ, YIM, AIM, etc.) to request a match.
    • Formal Challenges
      • Most Ladders permit the use of Formal Challenges. A complete overview of the Formal Challenge system can be found here.
    • 2 Matches Per Day: You can only play the same person 2 times each day. You can play as many different people as you'd like on any given day.

    • Verify Information
      • We recommend you ensure a potential opponent is also a member of the Ladder before starting your match. You can do this very easily by searching for your opponent using the 'Find Player' link.
    • First Come, First Served
      • The priority rule for accepting challenges only applies when you have multiple challenges at the same time. If you are challenged by someone you should not go to chat and actively seek someone higher in rank to challenge you, rather you need to accept the first challenger.
    • Priority
      • If you have multiple people challenging you at once you should play the person with the highest rank.
Playing a Match
    Once you are ready to start playing a Ladder match, there are some guidelines governing game play that you should keep in mind.
    • Settings:
      • There are no illegal settings for Ladder matches. However, all opponents must agree to the settings before the game begins. In the event there is a disagreement, then the default setting for your Ladder will apply; please refer to the Game-Specific Rules section regarding applicable default settings for your Ladder.
      • We have set default settings for some games. If your game has default settings they will be listed in the next section. If any of these rules conflict with overall Ladder rules, the game specific rules apply.
    • Incomplete Matches:
      • You are responsible for completing a match once it begins. If you leave an incomplete game for any reason and you are gone for more than 10 minutes, it is considered a loss and must be promptly reported to the Ladder. The remaining player is responsible for providing evidence of the missing player being gone for at least 10 minutes if an unreported match complaint is filed.
    • Substitute Players:
      • If one or more players in a 4-player match leaves and the match is not complete, then a substitute player can be selected to finish playing for the missing player(s). The substitute player receives credit for the game if declared the winner but is not responsible for reporting a loss in a losing situation, in which case the missing player is responsible for reporting the loss.
    • Opponents:
      • You are not allowed to play Ladder matches against members who live in the same household as you.
      • You are not allowed to partner in Ladder matches with members who live in the same household as you. This includes anyone who plays from the same physical location, whether or not they actually reside there.
      • You are not allowed to report losses to another member that also plays from the same location as you. Our security software will detect this activity if it is attempted, and participating accounts may be penalized or removed.
    • Sportsmanship:
      • The same rules that apply to behavior in chat (covered in a later section) also apply during matches.
      • You are not permitted to participate in more than one Ladder match at a time.
Reporting the Match
    Once your match is completed, the loser of the match is responsible for reporting the loss immediately. You can report your matches using the "Report Loss" link located on the left-hand side navigation menu. If you have any problems reporting a loss, you should use the SUPPORT links to contact us immediately and request assistance.
    • Report Immediately:
      • Losses are to be reported immediately after a match is completed and before any further Ladder matches are started. Not reporting promptly may result in penalty
    • Reporting the Loss:
      • In one-on-one matches, the loser of the match reports the loss to the winner.
      • In partner matches, each member of the losing team reports a loss to both partners of the winning team. At the end of the match, you would either gain two wins or report two losses.
      • In �free for all� matches (matches in which multiple opponents are competing against each other without partners), each loser of the match must report a loss to one overall winner.
      • When playing matches with more than one opponent, it is important for losses to be reported in the proper order if rank will be affected by the order of report. You must report to the highest-ranking opponent first in those cases. It is your responsibility to make sure you report in the correct order when necessary. Not doing so may result in a penalty.
      • When playing matches with at least one partner, the worst-ranked player must report the loss first if rank will be affected by the order of report. It is your responsibility to make sure you and your partner(s) report in the correct order when necessary. Not doing so may result in a penalty.
    • Unreported Matches:
      • If your opponent does not report their loss within one hour after completing the match or prior to starting another match, you should use the �Unreported Match� link under the SUPPORT heading, located on the left-hand side navigation menu, to submit an Unreported Match complaint and we will handle the situation for you.
      • You should never harass another member in chat or disrupt their other Ladder matches in an attempt to get the member to report a loss.
Tournaments
    The rules for a Tournament are determined by the Tournament Director hosting the event. You will find a summary of each individual Tournament, including a RULES page, if you follow the link for that specific Tournament. Game-specific Rules are exempt from Tournaments unless otherwise specified by the Tournament Director. Tournament matches do not count towards the maximum number of Ladder matches allowed per day against the same member, nor do they count towards the Rate of Play for Top Ten members.
Game-Specific Rules
    To keep things as competitive as possible, we often have special rules that only apply to specific Ladders. The rules for the current Ladder are listed here. If any of these rules, here under "Game-Specific Rules," appear to be in conflict with anything stated elsewhere in other sections of the rules, then the rule in this section takes precedence. Please feel free to use the SUPPORT links to submit any suggestions for changes to the rules.

      Zone Names

      A + symbol in front of a Player's Zone Name should be disregarded, and the names considered matching as long as the rest of their Zone Name does match their Ladder Name exactly.

      Game-Specific Rules for Zone Team Cribbage Ladder

      If any of these rules, here under "Game- Specific Rules", appear to be in conflict with anything stated elsewhere in other sections of the rules, then the rule in this section takes precedence.

      Away From Keyboard. (Amended 6/11/06)

      If there are at least two players in the room on your team, you are considered available for valid matches. You must be prepared to play and answer all requests for matches. Assign a member to answer challenges. If you are going to be away from the keyboard, you must take your name out of the lobby until you are able to play. Ignoring challenges will result in a penalty to your team.

      Kibitzing

      Kibitzing shall be open if both sides agree, but Closed if either side disagrees or is undecided.

      Percent

      There will be a no percents rule.

      Stacking

      There will be no more stacking matches

      Teams (Amended 6/11/06)

      You must have at least two team members in the Ladder room in order to be able to challenge another team or accept a challenge.

      Team Roster

      All players must be listed on the team roster before starting a team match. If all of the players are not listed on the correct teams when the team match is started, the match involving the incorrect name is deemed a forfeit and a loss is considered in that player's match. The remaining two players would still finish their matches, although the status of the match would already be at 0-1, given that the match involving the one player was deemed a forfeit or loss.

      It is up to the captains of the teams involved if they would allow the team to correct their roster to reflect the proper names of players.

      Multiple Challenges

      Teams receiving multiple challenges must first ask for ranks. Once the ranks of challenging teams have been asked for - no additional challenges will be accepted. For example - Team1 is challenged by Team2 and Team3. Team1 asks for ranks of Team2 and Team3. At that point the challenge to Team1 is closed and Team1 will play either Team2 or Team3 whichever is higher ranked.

      Challenges

      When making a challenge you must state the Team's Name and must make only one challenge at a time.

      Challenge Acceptance

      If a team acknowledges another team's challenge in any way - it is considered acceptance of the challenge. For example: Team2 challenges Team1 and then Team1 replies with "one second" - "hold on" - "sure" - or any similar acknowledgement then the challenge by Team2 is considered to be accepted by Team1. The challenge to Team1 is closed and no additional challenges will be accepted.

      Top Ten Teams (amended 9/20/04)

      A #1 vs. #2 match is to occur everyday without fail. It is up to the #2 ranked team to email the #1 ranked team to make arrangements for a 1 vs.2 match. The OP Team must be copied on the email. If no email is sent, then the #2 team will be penalized 5 rungs and #1 ranked team can then accept all challenges. The #1 team must reply to the #2 team via email if their requested time is not acceptable (also with a copy to the Op team). If the #1 team does not do so, the time requested is deemed confirmed. If the #1 ranked team fails to show up for a previously confirmed time for a 1 vs. 2 match within 30 minutes of the prescheduled time, then the #2 ranked team shall be moved to #1 and the other team shall be penalized 10 rungs for NO SHOW.

      1 VS 2 - Email

      It is up to the #2 ranked Team to email the #1 ranked Team to make arrangements for a 1 VS 2 match. If no email is sent then the #1 ranked Team can play whomever they want.

      Misreports

      Any team found to be misreporting will receive a warning for the first offense, a second offense can/will result in a penalty.

      Booted Players (amended 9/19/04)

      1. If there is a disconnect, the booted player has seven (7) minutes to return, or the team captain has the option to find a sub to be restarted with the next game. If a sub is put into the match, the first game of that match is awarded to the non- booted player. If the player does not return and no sub is selected within 7 minutes, the match is forfeited.

      2. If there are three (3) boots during a match, that table is forfeited.

      3. If there is a Zone problem involving many players, a member of the Op team can lift this rule until the Zone problem is resolved.

      Ready

      You must state that you are Ready upon completion of your match.

      You may NOT state Ready and challenge another team in the same line. A minimum of one line must have transpired between stating Ready prior to placing a challenge to another team.

      Camping

      If a team is seeking an up match in the game room and you wait until that team has accepted another match it can/may be considered camping and can/may result in a penalty. (exception being ranks 1 and 2 waiting for 1 vs 2)

      Two Matches Per Day (Added 6/11/06)

      You can only play the same team two times per day. You can play as many different teams as you'd like on any given day; however, you are not allowed to play the same team in back to back matches.

      Match Settings (Added 6/11/06)

      All matches shall be set as 2v2 matches. The matches will be played to a count of three. The first team to win two games shall be declared the winner of the match.

Top Ten
    The purpose of the Ladder is to climb to the top and the competition for the rungs in the Top Ten is high. As such, we have special rules that apply for members in the Top Ten.
    • Inactivity
      • Members in the Top Ten must play a Ladder match at least once every 1 day; otherwise, you will be automatically dropped five rungs and your inactivity counter is reset. There are no exceptions to this rule.
    • Rate of Play
      • Rate of play is the average number of Ladder matches a Top Ten member must play while remaining in the Top Ten.
      • Your initial Rate of Play is determined by the number of Ladder matches played two days prior to entering the Top Ten and the day you enter the Top Ten. The average number of Ladder matches played over the 3-day span is then multiplied by 75% to determine your Rate of Play. Your Rate of Play must be maintained over any 3-day average while remaining in the Top Ten.
      • Depending on the game for your Ladder, your LadderOp team may have a pre-determined minimum/maximum number for Rate of Play. Please review the GSRs for your Ladder or contact your LadderOp team via the SUPPORT link for more details.
      • Tournament matches are excluded from calculating and maintaining your Rate of Play. If you entered the Top Ten by playing tournament matches exclusively, then the pre-determined minimum number of matches established by the LadderOp team will be your initial Rate of Play.
    • Rank Defense
      • Members in the Top Ten must play the person ranked directly below them at least once every three days. A rank-defense match takes priority over other challenges, and any member that would be involved in a rank-defense match may initiate the challenge. For example, a match between rank #2 and rank #3 is considered a rank-defense match, and either member ranked in those positions can challenge the other to play the match. If either member, the better-ranked player or the worse-ranked player, is found to be avoiding a rank-defense match, then their account may be penalized.
    • Play Lists
      • The use of �play lists� is not permitted. A play list is defined as a list of members you will be playing after your current match. If someone challenges you for a match and you are already playing, advise the person that you are currently playing and you�re unable to accept their challenge.
Expected Behavior
    As a member of Case's Ladder, you are representing us and all other members when you are playing Ladder matches. It�s part of your responsibility as a member to act in a respectable manner within your Ladder community.
    • LadderOps:
      • LadderOps are members of the Ladder that volunteer to help reach a fair resolution when problems or disputes arise. If you have a problem in chat, look for a LadderOp to assist you. You can find a current listing of the LadderOps here.
      • Abuse of LadderOps in relation to them doing their jobs is forbidden. If you are found to be guilty of this, your account will be penalized. Remember that LadderOps are volunteers dedicating their time to help improve the quality of the Ladder for everyone.
      • If you have a complaint against a LadderOp or you want to appeal a LadderOp�s decision, click on the CONTACT US link found under the SUPPORT heading on the left-hand side navigation menu, then click on the �Op Complaint� link.
      • For more information regarding LadderOps, please visit the Case's Ladder FAQ.
    • Cheating:
      • It goes without saying that we will not tolerate cheating of any kind. This includes, but is not limited to, using modified executables, reporting false losses, or otherwise manipulating the Ladder rankings.
      • If you believe your opponent is cheating, then you should contact a LadderOp immediately if one is available in chat. If a LadderOp is not available, then you should use the SUPPORT links to contact us immediately after the match. Be prepared to provide the evidence to support your claim.
    • Abuse:
      • It is forbidden to continually harass one specific member for a match. If you are having a hard time getting a match with a specific member, contact us using the SUPPORT links and we will assist in resolving the problem.
      • We encourage you to try to solve problems on your own, but not to the point of creating hardship to yourself or harassing other members. If you have a problem, we are here to help you.
      • It is forbidden to abuse or harass another Ladder member. If you are observed being abusive in chat, it could result in a penalty. Depending upon the extent of the abuse you might not always receive a warning.
      • It is important to remember that two wrongs do not make a right. If you are being harassed by another Ladder member, come to us for assistance. Do not take matters into your own hands or return the abuse, or you could be penalized as well.
    • Nice Guy Rule
      • Please note that behavior guidelines govern all methods of communication. This includes chat, E-mail, message forums, instant messenger services, etc. Treat other members with respect!
Fill in the Blank
    Although we have tried to be as detailed as possible, we can�t cover every aspect of gaming in our rules. Please be advised that just because something is not stated in our rules and policies, then that does not mean it is allowed. Use common sense. If it is something that will adversely affect other members and you might think twice about it, then it�s probably against the rules. Our Staff will have the final say in such matters.
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Copyright 1996 - 2024 Case's Ladder / Thulium Software, LLC. All Rights Reserved.