Avoid showing favoritism to any player or team.

This can be really hard to do. Not only do you have to avoid evil, you have to avoid even the appearance of evil. It’s a tough thing to do, especially if you’re judging in your home turf and you know a lot of the players there. The same thing applies if you’re out of state and surrounded by people you know but rarely get to see.

Of course, your friends are going to want to say hello and tell you how their games are going. Talk to them before the event begins, reminding them that you must be impartial and that you have to avoid the appearance that you’re favoring one group over another. This can help control their desire to gossip.

If you’re a member of a team and you’re judging at an event where your team is playing, you should inform the head judge so he or she can zone you away from your teammates as much as possible. Try and get other judges to handle disputes there, because if your team member gets the advantage of a ruling—even one that’s clearly correct—there’s always the possibility that someone will interpret it as favoritism. Teams get a lot of attention in the game now, both good and bad, so you need to do all you can to avoid being placed in a situation that could be misunderstood.

Quickly and efficiently resolve any rules errors that they witness.

You don’t have to wait for a hand to shoot into the air—you should be keeping an eye on the duels in progress as you move around the floor. If you catch a game error and the players are unaware of it, stop play and do what you can to rectify the situation, assessing penalties where appropriate. Do this quickly and in a contained manner, so as not to distract the matches on either side.

If you’re unsure of the ruling, ask the players to hold the duel, assure them they’ll get a time extension, then go and double check. Ask the head judge or consult a rulings document—do whatever you need to do to make sure your ruling is correct. Don’t guess! A wrong ruling can cost a player a match and even a shot at the upper tables. Players and fellow judges will think better of you for double-checking than they will if you make the wrong call. If it takes longer than a minute or so to make your ruling, give the players an appropriate time extension. This is easy to forget, so make an effort to remember it.

If you do make a wrong call (like we all do eventually, and it doesn’t automatically mean you’re a horrible judge), apologize to the player when possible, then move on. It happens. Do what you can to prevent it from occurring, but don’t collapse if you rule incorrectly. Learn from your mistake so you don’t make it again.

Notify the head judge immediately if a player appeals a ruling.

Players need to listen to your ruling first. They’re not allowed to say something like, “I don’t want to hear what you have to say, I want the head judge now.” Once you’ve made your ruling, if a player still wishes to appeal (and the opponent also has the option of appealing, not just the player who requested the ruling), have the players stop the duel, remind them that they’ll get a time extension, and locate the head judge immediately. You need to be prepared to give a detailed explanation of the situation, so make certain that you understand the scenario completely. The head judge may issue a ruling for you to deliver to the players, or he or she may personally go and take over the situation. If possible, you should return so you can hear the ruling for your own benefit, but don’t let it distract you from helping other players who might need assistance.

Assist the head judge and tournament officials to run a smooth tournament.

This is where things get tricky, since there are all kinds of jobs involved here. “Running a smooth tournament,” includes picking up the garbage that players leave on tables, straightening tables, chairs, and tablecloths, and making sure the table numbers are in good order. Judges usually are responsible for doing things like handing out match slips quickly, putting up pairings and standings as soon as they are ready to go, and removing outdated pairings and standings about halfway into the round. There is always something a judge can be doing, so go out there, find it, and do it. Don’t wait for someone to find a job for you. Your diligence and hard work will be noted, because this kind of work ethic is what separates the judges who will be asked back again and again from the judges who will be viewed as “last resort only.” Your willingness to work hard without having to be micromanaged is worth just as much, if not more, than your rules knowledge. It really is that important.

Ensure that they've been entered into the list of judges when the tournament organizer is using MANTIS tournament software.

You still need to bring your UDE tournament ID, even when you’re judging at the event. Don’t forget to bring it! If you’ve lost or forgotten it, then contact ude@upperdeck.com to find out what it is. Many judges show up without realizing they’ll need this number.

Ensure that all tournament warnings are reported to the scorekeeper.

If you hand out a warning to a player, you need to write it down clearly on the match slip. Ask the TO and scorekeeper how they would like this done. A good system is to write “WARNING” on the front of the slip next to the player’s name (make sure it’s the correct name) and add, “Details on back.” On the back of the slip, write down the player’s name again, and exactly what he or she received the warning for—for example, “[player name] Procedural error, minor.” It’s not a bad idea to carry the slip up to the scorekeeper yourself if you can, then hand it over and call the scorekeeper’s attention to the warning.

Remember that as a floor judge, a warning is the only penalty you may assess to a player who’s present at the table (you may hand out game or match losses for tardiness). Anything beyond a warning must be handed down from the head judge. If a player has committed an infraction that rates a higher penalty than a warning, stop the match and inform the head judge. Floor judges should never hand out game loss or match loss penalties for errors in play.

Ensure that all match results are verified by both players and reported quickly.

The TO will usually have a preferred policy for turning in match slips. Some like the judges to collect and deliver them, and others request that the players do so. If you’re not sure what your TO would prefer, ask him or her. The quicker the slips get to the scorekeeper, the quicker the next round will start. If you’re carrying them up, do so as quickly as possible, and if the players are responsible for it, remind them to hand them in if you see them sitting at the tables or standing around with match slips in their hands. If you are stationed to watch a game that is going close to time, make sure that as soon as the match is over, the slip is signed, verified, and turned in. Otherwise, the next round can be held up.

Know and follow the most current and applicable TCG rules and UDE tournament policies.

Policies can change at any time, and UDE doesn’t necessarily have to announce the changes. You should always verify tournament policy, penalty guidelines, and rulings before heading to an event. This is also a good reason to register for the judge mailing list, as these types of announcements are often sent out there. The UDE main site will often have updates for policy changes as well. You are responsible to keep up to date of your own volition. Don’t expect that you’ll always be handed the information without knowing you need it.

Showing up when you know exactly what you are expected to do is going to make your job a lot easier. You may have other jobs not listed here, like crowd control, line management, and so forth. It’s important to get to the venue early so you can get the answers to any questions you may have about your duties. Head judges and TOs would rather have you ask a few times, “Is there anything else I can do?” than look over and see you sitting on your behind. Hard-working, knowledgeable floor judges are invaluable to head judges and TOs alike. If you aspire to eventually be a head judge, then putting in solid, dependable performances on the floor will do more to help you attain that goal than anything else.