If GGPoker cancels a tournament because of a server crash or unscheduled downtime, its house rules decide your payout by how far the event got. If it had not started, you get the full buy-in and fee back. If it had started, you get your fee and current bounty back, and the prize pool is shared among the players still in. Guarantees that had not been met are not paid. Source: GGPoker’s House Rules (updated 27 March 2026, checked October 2026). Natural8, on the same network, publishes the same policy.
What happens if GGPoker crashes during a tournament?
When its servers crash mid-tournament, GGPoker pauses the event, then resumes or cancels it. If it cancels, the payout depends on the stage the tournament had reached. To work out refunds, GGPoker uses the state of play just before the disruption began.
The steps below cover server crashes and unscheduled downtime. For any other kind of disruption, GGPoker decides at its own discretion.
Do I get my buy-in back if the tournament had not started?
Yes. If a GGPoker tournament is cancelled before it starts, GGPoker refunds all buy-ins and fees to every registered player. Seat Prize entries, such as satellite seats, come back as a ticket of the same value or T$.
How is the prize pool split if a tournament is cancelled before the money?
If a GGPoker tournament is cancelled during late registration or before the paid places, remaining players get their fee and current bounty (if any) back. Half of the prize pool is then paid equally to everyone still in, and the other half is paid by chip count.
A made-up example of the maths: a $10,000 prize pool cancelled with 20 players left pays each of them $250 from the equal half. A player holding 10% of the chips also gets $500 from the chip-count half, so $750 plus their fee.
What if the tournament is cancelled in the money?
If a GGPoker tournament is cancelled after reaching the paid places, every remaining player gets their fee and current bounty back plus the next prize to be won. The rest of the prize pool is paid by chip count.
Is the guarantee paid if a tournament is cancelled?
No, not if the guarantee had not been reached. GGPoker’s rules say that if a guaranteed prize pool “has not been met or exceeded at the time of cancellation”, only the money collected from player registrations is paid out. If a $1M GTD event has only collected $600,000 when it is cancelled, the payout is based on $600,000, not $1M.
PokerNews reported that when the $150 GGMasters Anniversary ($5M GTD) crashed again in March 2025, GGPoker rolled stacks back to Level 17, then ended the event and absorbed an overlay of about $100,000.
What happens to a cash game hand when the server crashes?
GGPoker rolls back every cash game hand that was in progress when the server crashed. Each player’s chips go back to what they had at the start of that hand.
What if only my own internet dropped?
If only your own connection drops, the server-crash refund rules do not apply. GGPoker’s house rules say it “does not accept any responsibility for a player disconnect except in the case of a server crash”. If you time out during a hand, your hand is folded, or checked if there is no bet to call. GGPoker says it gives extra time to reconnect late in real-money tournaments, but does not say how much. See our guides to poker disconnect protection and GGPoker app connection fixes.
Does WPT Global have the same cancellation rules?
We could not find a stage-by-stage tournament refund table like GGPoker’s on WPT Global‘s site. WPT Global’s terms and conditions (checked October 2026) say only that if a game fails because of a breakdown, all stakes and winnings from that game are cancelled. If a WPT Global event is cancelled, ask support how your entry will be settled.
What should I do right after a tournament is cancelled?
Screenshot the lobby and your chip count right away. GGPoker pays from the moment it decides the disruption began, so your own record is how you check its figures. Then check your cashier for the refund. If you sold action, backers share any cash refund in proportion to their stake (see our GGPoker staking guide). If the numbers look wrong, contact support with your screenshots. Stuck getting through to support? Message @PAGDaddyBot on Telegram.
FAQ: GGPoker tournament cancellations
What happens if GGPoker crashes during a tournament?
GGPoker pauses the event and either resumes it or cancels it. If it cancels, refunds and payouts follow its house rules, based on the state of play just before the crash began.
Do I get my money back if a GGPoker tournament is cancelled?
Yes. Before the start you get the full buy-in and fee back. After the start you get your fee and current bounty back plus a share of the prize pool: half paid equally and half by chip count, or the next pay jump plus the rest by chip count if the event was in the money.
Am I refunded if my own internet disconnects during a tournament?
No. GGPoker accepts responsibility for disconnects only when its own server crashes. If you time out, your hand is folded or checked, though GGPoker says it tries to give extra reconnection time near the end of real-money tournaments.
Does Natural8 use the same tournament refund policy as GGPoker?
Yes. Natural8‘s house rules publish the same rules: a full refund before the start, the 50/50 split before the money, the next prize plus chip count in the money, and no payout of a guarantee that had not been met.
What happens to my backers if a staked tournament is cancelled?
Backers share any cash refund in proportion to their stake. If the refund came as a ticket or replacement entry, backers get their stake back in cash.