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AFK Players

Someone stops playing. Maybe their connection dropped, maybe the dog needed walking, maybe they've lost and would rather walk off than concede. You don't have to sit there forever. This page goes through each case and what you can do about it.

The short version: the idle timeout is what catches AFK players, and it only works if the table has one. Public tables always do. If you host your own tables, see Table Settings.

Your tools at a glance#

Tool Where When it's available
Poke Their player tab Their turn has run for 2 minutes
Force Concede Their player tab Their idle timeout has run out. Any player still in the game can use it
Kick Their player tab Host only, once they've gone idle or their disconnect countdown has run out
Vote to kick a disconnected player Their seat Their disconnect countdown has run out
Propose a draw Handshake in the sidebar Any time during the game
Vote to Kick Gavel in the sidebar Tables with Vote to Kick on, three or more players still alive
Request a break Turn clock in the sidebar Any time during the game, needs everyone to agree
Report a player Feedback button in the sidebar, or their profile Any time

It's their turn and nothing is happening#

  1. Poke them. Once their turn has run for 2 minutes, a Poke button appears on their player tab. Click it, then click again to confirm. They get an alert, which is often all it takes when someone has tabbed away. You can poke the same player again after 30 seconds.
  2. Wait out the idle timeout. If they still don't act, the table's idle timeout runs out and their tab is marked idle. On a public table that's 3 to 15 minutes, 5 by default.
  3. Force Concede them. Once they're idle, Force Concede appears on their tab for every player still in the game. It concedes them exactly as if they'd pressed the flag themselves. The host also gets Kick, which removes them from the game.

The game carries on without them. If they were your last opponent, you win, and it counts as a win.

The idle timer only runs for whoever's turn it is, and it starts again from zero whenever that player does anything in the game: draws, moves a card, changes life, passes a phase. Chat doesn't count. If they come back and act, the idle mark clears.

They closed the game or lost connection#

Leaving the game page or closing the tab counts as a disconnect.

  • A 5 minute countdown shows on their seat. If they're back inside it, they carry on as if nothing happened. Having the game open in another tab counts as still being there, so someone looking up a card isn't disconnected.
  • After 5 minutes their seat reads "Disconnected (Auto-passing)" and their turns pass automatically every time they come round, so the game keeps moving.
  • To remove them, use the kick vote on their seat. It needs a majority of the players who are still connected, and shows how many votes it has so far. The host can Kick them straight away instead.

They've lost but won't concede#

The board's yours, they know it, and they've gone quiet hoping you'll give up first. This is the most common AFK complaint, and the idle timeout is the answer:

  1. Pass the turn. The idle timer only runs on their turn, so finish yours and hand it over.
  2. Wait out their idle timeout, then Force Concede them. You get the win.

On a table with three opponents doing this, each one is a separate wait on their own turn, which is why short timeouts on public tables matter.

If the table has no idle timeout (only possible on friends, private and playgroup tables), Force Concede never appears. Your options there are a draw, Vote to Kick if there are three or more of you still alive, or conceding.

Ending it with a draw#

The handshake in the sidebar proposes a draw. Every player still in the game has to accept, and one decline cancels it. Anyone who doesn't answer before the idle timeout runs out (15 minutes if the table has none) counts as accepting, so an AFK player can't hold a draw vote open forever.

A draw isn't a win, but it ends the game for everyone. It counts as a game played, earns a small XP bonus on top of the base amount, and doesn't count towards your win rate.

Someone is there but ruining the game#

Idle and disconnect handling only covers people who've stopped playing. For someone who is present and taking turns but making the game miserable, there's Vote to Kick, the gavel in the sidebar:

  • Any player can call a vote on any other player, with a short reason.
  • Every other player still in the game has to vote yes. One no and it fails.
  • It needs at least three players still alive, and isn't available in team formats.
  • The vote lasts 90 seconds. A failed vote puts a 10 minute cooldown on both the caller and the target.
  • Every vote, pass or fail, goes to staff.

The gavel is greyed out when a vote can't be called; hover it to see why. If it's the behaviour rather than the game that's the problem, report them too.

Before the game starts#

  • In the lobby, anyone who closes the site while seated shows as AFK. If they're not back within 10 minutes their seat opens up. The host can also kick anyone from a seat before the game starts, and if the host wanders off another seated player can claim host.
  • During mulligans, each player has the table's mulligan timeout (3 minutes by default). Anyone who runs out keeps their hand automatically. Under London mulligan the right number of cards still goes to the bottom, chosen at random.

When you need to step away#

It happens to everyone. Be the player you'd want at your table:

  • Say so in chat. "Back in 5" or "gotta go, kick me" saves everyone the wait.
  • Request a break. Open the turn clock in the sidebar and pick 20, 30 or 60 minutes. Everyone has to accept. While the break is on, idle timers are paused, and play resumes once everyone has clicked ready.
  • Concede and leave. The flag in the sidebar offers Concede & leave table, which frees everyone else to finish. In a best of three, conceding the match forfeits the remaining games.

Just closing the tab works too, but it costs the others at least 5 minutes before your turns start passing.