GENERAL Frequently Asked Questions
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Q.Can I have more than one account / username?
Q.How do I update the driver software for my video card?
Q.I get a blank screen or the screen freezes when I try to play, what can I do?
Q.What do the FINAL and PENDING designations on the standings page indicate?
Q.The console prompted me to download an update and I tried but it gives me the error message "HANDLE IS INVALID" and won�t install the update. What do I do?
Q.When I try to play a game, I get a message that says "UNABLE TO CREATE PRIMARY SURFACE (0). Then the game abnormally terminates. What�s wrong?
Q.Why can't I play Tournament Solitiaire using the TG Console icon on my desktop?
Q.When I click on the "Play Tournament Games" icon. It doesn�t do anything. I get an hourglass for a second or two and then nothing. What�s wrong?
Q.I access the internet through a proxy or through special Internet connection sharing software. Is there anything special I need to do to play your games?
Q.What does ROOKIE mean?
Q.I was playing a sprint tournament and beat the target score but someone got their winning score in first, why doesn't the game just end when I reach the target score?
Q.How much does this cost?
Q.What happens if the game crashes in the middle of a pay tournament? What if my ISP disconnects me? Do I lose my money? What about my score?
Q.How do I register to play at TournamentGames?
Q.I downloaded and installed your software. Now how do I play?
Q.I won a tournament! When I view my account information it shows that I have a balance, I know I can use that to play pay-to-play tournaments but how can I get a check?
Q.I have a balance but I am unable to cashout my account. What do I do?
Q.When I try to install the TournamentGames software, I keep getting the message: "The connection wizard was unable to connect to TournamentGames.Com. Please use the advanced button to check your internet settings and try again." I did that but it still won't work. What's wrong?
Q.How can I update my account information (E-Mail, Mailing Address, etc) ?
Q.I have been playing for a while and I never get anywhere near the top ten. The scores are too high and the same players are always winning. I think that
...your game is rigged
... your game has been hacked
... you're cheating
Q.Can I have more than one account / username?
A.No. We only allow one registration per person. Players registering multiple times are subject to being banned from our site. It's ok to have up to 2 registrations per household.
Q.How do I update the driver software for my video card?
A.Generally you can find the most recent driver at the website of the manufacturer of your video card. If you can't find a website, then check with the manufacturer of your computer. Be sure to have the model number of your computer handy to make this process as smooth as possible.

If you don�t know offhand what type of video card you have one way to get an idea is to check the device manager. Here�s how:
  • Click the Start button.
  • Choose Settings and then Control Panel.
  • Double-Click on the system icon.
  • Choose the Device Manager tab.
  • Look for the item Display Adapters
  • Click on the plus symbol next to it.
  • The list will expand and you should see some text that describes your video card.
There are no hard fast rules on what this text will say but the general format is something along the lines of "Manufacturer Make Model Number" . An example is "3Dfx Interactive, Inc. Voodoo3" This tells you that your video card is a Voodoo3 made by 3Dfx Interactive. Once you know who makes your card, it�s just a quick search on the internet to find their website, in this case www.3dfx.com.

Here�s a short list of some common video card manufacturer�s and their website�s:

Q.I get a blank screen or the screen freezes when I try to play, what can I do?
A.99% of the time this problem is a result of out-of-date driver software for your video card. The best thing to do is to update the drivers for your video card. (Check the "How do I update the driver software for my video card?" help topic for detailed help on drivers)

If you've already got the latest version of your video card drivers or you are unable to locate them, many players have been able to get the games to run by turning down the video hardware acceleration setting in windows. Here's how you do that:
  • Click the right mouse button on an empty area of your desktop
  • Choose the properties item from the pop-up menu that appears
  • Click the settings tab at the top of the dialog
  • Click the advanced button
  • Choose the Performance tab
  • Adjust the Hardware Acceleration back to none
You may need to re-boot your machine to get the changes to take affect. Also we should point out that this is only a temporary solution and may adversely affect other applications and the general performance of windows itself.
Q.What do the FINAL and PENDING designations on the standings page indicate?
A.When a tournament ends, no more entries for that tournament are accepted however, tournament entries that started before the official tournament end time are allowed to complete within a reasonable period of time. If there are open tournament entries you will see the pending indicator until those tournament entries are closed, or expire and the tournament is paid. The only exceptions are those tournaments that end other than by a set time frame. A good example is a sprint tournament. This type of tournament ends immediately after a player reaches the target score. All other open tournament entries are discarded.
Q.The console prompted me to download an update and I tried but it gives me the error message "HANDLE IS INVALID" and won�t install the update. What do I do?
A.This is a confirmed bug in the console software. To get around it delete the temporary internet files and try the download again. It�s possible that you�ll have to repeat the process a few times but it usually works on the first try.
To delete the temporary files:
  • Click the Start Button
  • Choose Settings->Control Panel.
  • Double-click on Internet Options.
  • Click the Delete files button in the Temporary Internet Files section of the dialog.

Q.When I try to play a game, I get a message that says "UNABLE TO CREATE PRIMARY SURFACE (0). Then the game abnormally terminates. What�s wrong?
A.The problem is that the video driver for your video card does not properly support DirectX 5. There are a couple of ways to deal with this problem:
Solution #1:
  • Open the Tournament Games Group from the Start Menu. (Start->Programs->Tournament Games)
  • Click the Advanced Options icon
  • In the graphics section check Match Current Desktop Setting is checked
  • Click ok and try the game again. It should run although this is not the optimal setting and could cause some visual problems. See Solution #2 for a more complete resolution to this problem
Solution #2
In most cases this problem is really just the result of an outdated driver and often you can solve it by visiting the website of the manufacturer of your video hardware. The manufacturers generally list the most recent versions of their drivers available for download on their websites. If you don�t know offhand what type of video card you have one way to get an idea is to check the device manager. Here�s how:
  • Click the Start button.
  • Choose Settings and then Control Panel.
  • Double-Click on the system icon.
  • Choose the Device Manager tab.
  • Look for the item �Display Adapters
  • Click on the plus symbol next to it.
  • The list will expand and you should see some text that describes your video card.
There are no hard fast rules on what this text will say but the general format is something along the lines of "Manufacturer Make Model Number" . An example is "3Dfx Interactive, Inc. Voodoo3" This tells you that your video card is a Voodoo3 made by 3Dfx Interactive. Once you know who makes your card, it�s just a quick search on the internet to find their website, in this case www.3dfx.com.

Here�s a short list of some common video card manufacturer�s and their website�s:

Q.Why can't I play Tournament Solitiaire using the TG Console icon on my desktop?
A.We are currently working on a new version of Tournament Solitaire that will use the newer console.
Q.When I click on the "Play Tournament Games" icon. It doesn�t do anything. I get an hourglass for a second or two and then nothing. What�s wrong?
A.This is only a problem in Tournament Solitaire and can happen when Tournament Soltiaire has a problem shutting down properly. Re-boot your machine and the software should work correctly.
Q.I access the internet through a proxy or through special Internet connection sharing software. Is there anything special I need to do to play your games?
A.As long as Internet Explorer can access web pages in regular mode as well as secure (SSL) mode then you should be fine. You may have to tell our software to detect your proxy settings, though. You can find that setting in our advanced options dialog.
(Start->Programs->Tournament Games->Advanced Options)
Q.What does ROOKIE mean?
A.Players who have not yet won a cash prize tournament are classified as rookies. Certain tournaments are Rookie-only which means that only those players who are classified as rookies are allowed to compete in them. You are only a rookie once. Note: Anyone re-registering under a new name to take advantage of a second rookie status is in violation of Tournament Games rules and may be subject to being banned from the site.
Q.I was playing a sprint tournament and beat the target score but someone got their winning score in first, why doesn't the game just end when I reach the target score?
A.This is by design. Our games are designed to be as flexible as possible so they don't really know the difference between a sprint tournament and a regular tournament. The best thing to do is to end the game as soon you've beaten the target score. This is accomplished in different ways for different games. Hit the escape key to end the game in solitaire and click on the "give-up" button in Triple Stars.
Q.How much does this cost?
A.We offer both free and pay to play games. A pay tournament's entry fee may range from .01 to .50 or more per tournament play depending on the type and cash prize. Each tournament's cost is clearly marked on the tournament selection screen. You are welcome to play the free tournaments as long as you like with absolutely no obligation or cost to you. You can't accidentally be charged, either. If you try to play in a pay tournament and have not explicitly purchased credits (or won them) you won't be allowed in the tournament. We don't bill. We don't do recurring charges. No surprises and no funny business. If you do decide to purchase tournament credits, then you'll be able to see every transaction that affects your balance by clicking on the My Account button and selecting view recent activity.
Q.What happens if the game crashes in the middle of a pay tournament? What if my ISP disconnects me? Do I lose my money? What about my score?
A.While we do our best to try and make the game as reliable as possible, there are some things that are beyond our control. If the game malfunctions during a pay tournament we will gladly refund you the cost of your game. Unfortunately, since there is no way to verify your score your score on such a game is voided. If you experience this problem just send us some e-mail and let us know about what time your game crashed and if possible the tournament number. We'll gladly re-credit your account.
Q.How do I register to play at TournamentGames?
A.Just click on the downloads button from any page in our website. Registration is part of the installation process. If you have trouble, just send one us some e-mail.
Q.I downloaded and installed your software. Now how do I play?
A.The installation program will create an icon on your desktop. It should look like a close-up of a playing card. Double click this icon to start the game playing.
AOL USERS must connect to AOL before running the game. Connect to AOL normally and then minimize AOL so you can see the desktop and the icon. To minimize AOL click the button in the top right hand corner of the AOL window that looks like an underscore.
Q.I won a tournament! When I view my account information it shows that I have a balance, I know I can use that to play pay-to-play tournaments but how can I get a check?
A.Click the user-info button from any page on the website. Choose cashout, verify your address and enter the amount you'd like to cashout. If you have trouble with the form just send us some e-mail and we can cash you out manually.
Q.I have a balance but I am unable to cashout my account. What do I do?
A.No problem, just e-mail us. Give your playername and the amount you wish to cashout and we do it for you manually.
Q.When I try to install the TournamentGames software, I keep getting the message: "The connection wizard was unable to connect to TournamentGames.Com. Please use the advanced button to check your internet settings and try again." I did that but it still won't work. What's wrong?
A.This is caused by a communications failure of some kind. If you get this problem:
make sure you are connected to internet. Our software attempts to connect you automatically but in some cases you must connect before running the software. AOL is a good example. AOL users MUST connect to AOL first. (You may need to minmize AOL after you conenct, to see the game icon on your desktop.)

Windows 95 / Netscape users
Our software uses the same technology that Internet Explorer 4.0+ is based on. Windows 98 users have this software installed as part of Windows 98, however if you have Windows 95 and use Netscape or Microsoft Internet Explorer version 3.02 or earlier you should download and install the latest version of Internet Explorer. You'll find it herehttp://www.microsoft.com/ie. The minimum installation will do and you can continue to use Netscape without making Internet Explorer your default browser if you choose.

Our software uses SSL encryption to send your user information to our server. SSL is commonly used to encrypt credit card transactions over the internet. If you system is not configured to handle SSL then our software may fail. To make sure you system is configured for SSL, check the following:
  • Click the windows START button, move to SETTINGS, and select CONTROL PANEL.
  • Find and Double-Click on Internet Settings
  • Click on the ADVANCED tab at the top and scroll down until you see SECURITY.
  • Make sure that SSL 2.0 and SSL 3.0 are checked.
If these setting are correct, check with your ISP to see if there is a problem.

If you are behind a proxy, firewall or use connection sharing software then you must make sure that your software is configured to allow SSL. (SSL operated over port 443 by default)
Q.How can I update my account information (E-Mail, Mailing Address, etc) ?
A.Click on the My Account button from any page in the website.
Q.I have been playing for a while and I never get anywhere near the top ten. The scores are too high and the same players are always winning. I think that
...your game is rigged
... your game has been hacked
... you're cheating
A.Our game(s) are designed for skill. The players who develop the most skill will win more often. In a game of chance, all players have an equal opportunity to win each time. It is undeniable that there is an element of chance in any game, but we have gone out of our way to ensure that those players who take the time to learn the subtle features of our games are rewarded. It is of no benefit to us if one player wins over another. We suggest that you visit our "Meet the Players" section of our website for hints and tips from some of our top players for increasing your score.
Please note: We are commited to producing bug-free software. We take bug notifications seriously and do our best to correct problems found in our software.