Q: I know you have touched on this before, but what do you think makes a good tournament director?

A: Yes we have, but not really in depth. So, here we go. First of all, I believe a good TD is worth their weight in gold, or whiskey, or beer � you get the point. They can make or break a tournament.

First and foremost, you must be honest, and I mean honest. Every thing must be above board and the players must know that it is. One little glitch can send rumors swirling.

Let�s go further to explain. If there is an outshot pot, or some version of it: stop the matches and all players go into the dart board area. Have someone who is not involved at all do the draw. Don�t have �Sally�, the waitress, draw it every time, because the first time she draws you, it is a fix.

Whether it is or not doesn�t matter. And, if she draws you twice in a row, they will want to lynch you. Pick someone else to draw.

If you are running the tournament, have someone else (again, honest) sell the tickets. Make sure no tickets are in the bucket beforehand, and make sure people see you buy your tickets, if you are in. I�ve seen TDs get drawn and say, �I bought $60 worth,� and no one saw you pay a dime. Keep it above board!

If the outshot is done after the tournament, you must do the same. Don�t say the out number was 113 and that no one won. Let the players actually observe the draw for themselves.

Now, to running the tournament. First, know your crowd. If everyone is anxious to get started, don�t keep putting off the draw for someone who is running late. If you know a person is coming and is reliable, there is nothing wrong with putting him in as long as he will be there soon.

Try to get started close to the posted time. Don�t get 30 shooters mad because two guys you think are coming aren�t there.

Know the boards. When you get started, don�t play boards that are unreliable unless you absolutely have to. If you know of a problem, let the teams know, as well as how they are to handle it.

If something posted for the tournament has been advertised wrong, let the players know as they sign up. If they know and still sign up, it is their problem. If they don�t, it will be your problem later.

Don�t run the tournament to fast or too slow. Your job is to run a good tournament, not make sure �Joey� (who drew a bad partner) can lose quick and get to another tournament.

Know the players who are playing. Some players are very slow (aka, Jeff �Rain Delay� Loisel). Their matches will take longer. Get them started as soon as possible. Try to make the times shorter and play the bracket sides equal.

Don�t get too far ahead either. You are there for the bar, so you must keep this in mind. However, an eight-team tournament shouldn�t take five hours. Don�t drag it on, but it also isn�t a race.

If you have eight teams and 10 boards, be smart and run it on three and leave some open for other games.

Do the payouts as soon as possible, especially if you are in the tournament. You don�t want people thinking you waited to see how you would do.

Try to make sure there is no re-draw, but guess what, they still happen. Hopefully, the players know that people make mistakes and they probably wouldn�t have gotten that great shooter if the draw was correct.

Work for the bar, try to avoid confrontations and don�t incite problems. Even if someone is wrong and you are right, try to fix it without it becoming a big deal.

Also, and this is very important to me � make some calls, get phone numbers, get the players there.

You can usually work a deal with the bar for $1 a head. You should be getting the word out and promoting. Don�t rely on others and then get mad when no one shows up. Do it yourself. It will only take a few times, and if things go well, you will need to call less.

Talk to the players and find out why they like or dislike the tournament. Remember, you don�t know everything and you may be wrong.

Unlike me, I could be wrong, but as usual I doubt it.

Happy Holidays�