The AARON BROCK CUP

The Rules
Each game starts with the standard UK board, and a Box 23 with DOUBLE/+£15,000/MONEY BACK/HALF/NOTHING. Two players will go head-to-head in each game, but there will be one box on the table (allocated at random). All the boxes in each round are selected by one player, which alternates from round to round. A coin toss decides who selects the boxes in Round 1.

The Banker will make offers at 17-box, 14-box, 11-box, 8-box and 2-box by default, but these offers will not be public. Each player is privately messaged their offers, and these offers may differ as the Banker sees fit. Each player will decide whether to DEAL or NO DEAL in the thread, and gameplay continues as normal. This means that each player will know if their opponent is in live play or not, but not what they have been offered.

Between 8-box and 2-box, boxes will be opened one at a time, as both players get the opportunity to press the Offer Button twice between 7- and 3-box. After each box is opened, each player must post whether or not they wish to press their button at that point for an offer.

If you are in live play at 2-box, you are offered the SWAP before you receive your final cash offer. Once the main game is over, Box 23 is handled in the same way the offers are, and once that is resolved for each player, the results are announced, each player may receive some points (as outlined below), and the match is over.

There are no twists, yellow boxes or Bonus Box from my usual series.

The Scoring
In the Aaron Brock Cup, victory isn't necessarily about winning more than everybody else, it's also about trying to get the most money out of your game. Points will be allocated as follows:

• If you win more than your opponent, you will receive 4 points.
• If you and your opponent win the same amount of money, you each receive 2 points.
• If you win the highest amount available from your game (with your set of offers), you will receive 4 points. You'll receive 2 points if you win the second highest amount available from your game, or 1 point if you win the third highest amount possible from your game.
• You will receive a bonus 1 point if you win between £35,000 and £99,999.99, or a bonus 2 points if you win £100,000 or more.

In total, this means that there are up to 10 points available per player, per match.

The Format
The eight players will be divided randomly into two groups of four, Group A and Group B. Every player will play every other player in their group once, meaning everyone will play three games in the group stages. A total of six games will occur in each group.

Once all six matches have been played in each group, the two players in each group with the most points proceed to the Semi Final stages. After the two Semi Finals, there is a Third Place Play-Off, and the Final, which will be the 100th game of the series.

In the event of a tie in points, the player who has won more money will proceed.

This is how the event will run:

• Episodes 85 - 96: Group Stages
  
  I'm happy to be flexible with the matches for the group stages, and I will host games as soon as both players are available at the same time. I will aim to host at least two of these a day, so that the Group Stages are complete within six days.
• Episode 97: Semi Final 1: Winner Group A vs. Runner-Up Group B
• Episode 98: Semi Final 2: Winner Group B vs. Runner-Up Group A
• Episode 99: Third Place: Loser SF1 vs. Loser SF2
• Episode 100: Grand Final: Winner SF1 vs. Winner SF2