After running pub trivia nights across the Tri-Cities for years, I've seen every kind of team. The brilliant. The hilarious. The strategic. And the kind that makes the rest of the room sigh when they win. This is the etiquette guide I wish every team read before showing up.
Apply 80% of this and you'll be one of the teams hosts genuinely root for. (And tip better. We notice.)
Before the night
1. Show up 15 minutes early.
Get a table. Order food early so your dinner doesn't arrive mid-round. Use the bathroom. Trivia waits for no one.
2. Bring cash for tips.
Your trivia host is providing free entertainment. Most of us tip out of the prize pool ourselves; a buck or two per team member at the end of the night makes our week.
3. Pick a team name that won't get you in trouble.
Hosts have to read these out loud. There are kids and grandmas in the room. "Quizzy McQuizface" is fine. The other thing is not. Use your judgment.
During play
4. No phones at the table.
This is the only rule that ruins trivia if broken. If your team cheats, you don't win, you just confirm to yourselves that you'd lose without cheating. Don't be those people.
5. Talk QUIETLY.
The team at the next table also has answers — and they can hear you shouting "BUDAPEST!" across the room. Lean in. Whisper. Cup your hands.
6. Don't argue answers during the round.
Pick one answer. Move on. The team that spends two minutes arguing over question 3 loses three other questions while doing it. Trust your captain.
7. Designate a writer.
Best handwriting on the team. Hosts have to read 30 answer sheets in 90 seconds; if yours looks like prescription pad, points get missed.
8. Be okay with being wrong.
The team that bets it all on a wrong answer in the final round and laughs about it is more fun than the team that wins by 1 and gets quiet about it.
About the host
9. Listen to the question the first time.
We'll repeat once. We won't repeat twice. The teams that constantly ask for repeats slow down the entire room.
10. Don't argue with the host.
If you think an answer is wrong, the standard move is to write "challenge" on your answer sheet and turn it in. Don't yell across the room. Don't approach the host between rounds with a Wikipedia screenshot.
11. The host's call is final.
Even when they're wrong. We move 30 teams through 50 questions in 90 minutes; arguing creates a logjam that ruins the night for everyone. If you have a real grievance, talk to us at the end of the night and we'll often correct retroactively.
About other teams
12. Cheer when other teams win.
The room is way more fun when winners get applause. We notice. Other teams notice. Your good night is downstream of being a generous winner.
13. Don't gloat if you win.
Especially if you win every week. Especially if your team is named something subtle like "Smartest Team Here." (We see you.)
14. Tip the host extra if you win cash.
This isn't required. But it's good karma and pros do it.
Where to play trivia in the Tri-Cities
Heat Entertainment Group runs weekly pub trivia at venues across the Tri-Cities. Browse trivia in Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, West Richland, and Prosser, or see the full trivia calendar for this week.
Want to book private trivia for a corporate team-builder, holiday party, or fundraiser? We write custom rounds. Get in touch.
The actual winning move
Trivia teams that consistently win the Tri-Cities circuit have one thing in common: they're fun to lose to. They cheer, they tip, they joke, they're generous in victory. That's the room the host is rooting for. That's also, weirdly, the team that wins more often — because when you're enjoying yourself, you remember answers you wouldn't otherwise.
See you Tuesday.
