Do you allow players to bring glasses of water, lemonade or beer to tables on which tournament games are played?

EDIT: Title edited for clarity.

Edited Petr Hudeček (Feb. 1, 2015 04:13:06 PM)

I don’t mind them taking their drink to the table as long as it remains either on the floor or on the table with a cap on.

Keep in mind that some venues have additional restrictions. Some GP venues don’t allow food on the play area and my LGS doesn’t allow alcoholic beverages, for example.

In my LGS,
they only sell bottled drinks,
it's mostly to prevent the drink from spilling over and damaging cards
(both the player's and the opponent's)

reading the title,
I originally thought it was about reading glasses..

I personally don't allow it, even in casual environments. Accidents happen and we are working with collectibles who has monetary value so I feel a lot better by disallowing open containers on the table than risking a possible issue.

If the container is closed with a good cap I don't have reasons to prohibit, but I always believe it is better be safe than sorry.

In the other hand, be very mindful about your local restrictions about alcoholic beverages. In my country, for instance, it is strictly forbidden if you don't have a liquor expending license, and those aren't granted to places who might be receiving under aged people.

In case of any doubt, have your TO contact her/his local WPN representative to keep her/him from getting a sanction from WotC.

I strongly discourage any open beverages due to the spill risk.

As per above, alcoholic beverages are both an issue of local law and something you should check out with your WPN rep.

Personally, I think it is the TO's responsibility and not the judge.

We can give a recommendation (and I share Thomas' opinion here) but ultimately, the TO can pretty much allow what he think is best for his business.

Jeremie

It's fairly common practice to disallow open drink containers on the playing surface; I also think it's a very good idea. It's not unusual to hear an announcement at larger events, right around the noon hour, reminding players to comply with this. (And it's common to hear some REALLY bad puns - “We don't want your deck to take on an Aqueous Form”…)

d:^D

I agree with everything Scott said.
Conversely, I regularly play in & judge at events in a pub. So open containers and alcohol have to be allowed.

Which is to say, this is a question subject to so many local details that there isn't really a practicable best practice for it. Some TOs and venues might ban something that others require.

Edited James Winward-Stuart (Jan. 22, 2015 10:20:56 AM)

Originally posted by Scott Marshall:

“We don't want your deck to take on an Aqueous Form”

Scott, Im stealing this, thank you!

Just wanted to say that I got totally tricked by the title.

My TO sells canned soda and while there is no official rule it is some what of an unspoken One that you're supposed to have finished your drink before the round starts or keep it on the ground.

Edited Walker Metyko (Jan. 22, 2015 05:57:23 PM)

At the store where I am from there would be a revolt if drinks weren't allowed at the tables. Although on the ground seems like a good alternative.

Yes I have seen a couple of glasses falling, yes I have seen a few of them splashing onto decks and other valued belongings. One time I have see it going over a trade binder.

The problem is that the store where I am going is also more of a bar and sometimes people who do not play any games use the tables to socialize.

Players also like to have a drink at reach during play. I must say however that the amount of glasses on the table is very low during competitive tournaments compared to an FNN or weekly draft.