# Do most Scrabble tournaments pay?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-scrabble-tournaments-pay/514888>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [October 23, 2009, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-scrabble-tournaments-pay/514888 "2009-10-23T19:02:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-scrabble-tournaments-pay/514888/1 "2009-10-23T19:02:38Z")

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(context=United States/Canada) I know the big national tournament has a first prize ~$10,000.

Do most National Scrabble Association tournaments have payouts for the winners?

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-scrabble-tournaments-pay/514888/2 "2009-10-23T19:17:41Z")

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Nope. Most consist of a small bunch of nerds in a church basement or rented room at the Y.

You might get a free cookie or two, though.

Last tournament I went to, I got a triple-triple with DOWAGERS. It is a feat I have not yet repeated.

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**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-scrabble-tournaments-pay/514888/3 "2009-10-23T19:47:30Z")

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So the entry fee is just to rent the space?

And great job on a triple-triple. I’ve never had one.

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**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-scrabble-tournaments-pay/514888/4 "2009-10-23T19:50:40Z")

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How do you guys find these? I want to play!

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**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-scrabble-tournaments-pay/514888/5 "2009-10-23T19:55:05Z")

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I’ve been getting into Scrabble (online\*) lately, and when I went looking for tournaments I found this: [Welcome to NASPAWiki - NASPAWiki](http://www.scrabbleplayers.org/w/Welcome_to_NASPAWiki)

- [http://www.isc.ro](http://www.isc.ro)

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-scrabble-tournaments-pay/514888/6 "2009-10-23T20:06:29Z")

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> [@bup](#):
>
> So the entry fee is just to rent the space?

Usually, yeah, but ask your local club.

> [@Freudian\_Slit](#):
>
> How do you guys find these? I want to play!

Check out the [NSA list](http://www.scrabbleassociation.com/clubs/roster.html) of clubs.

Most tournaments are pretty small, and some clubs meet for informal non-tournament play as well.

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**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-scrabble-tournaments-pay/514888/7 "2009-10-23T21:42:49Z")

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Moving from GQ --\> The Game Room.