Poker Houou-sen Season 4 Kicks Off — A Two-League Format You Can Play 24/7
Seeker Start's competitive poker league Houou-sen starts Season 4 on Monday, August 3 at 20:00 JST. The new two-league format pairs the Select League (A/B, Monday nights) with an Open League (C/D) you can play around the clock. Full rules: qualification hands, promotion, relegation, special promotions, and the Houou Feathers.
Houou-sen is no longer just "that Monday night thing."
Seeker Start's competitive poker league, Poker Houou-sen, takes a big step forward in Season 4. The new format splits into two leagues: the Select League, where A and B ranks battle every Monday across eight rounds, and the Open League for C, D, and new players — open 24 hours a day. Late night after work, a lazy weekend afternoon, whenever suits you: your total BB won keeps stacking up.
Season 4 runs from Monday, August 3 at 20:00 through Monday, September 21 at 23:00 (JST).
Your official standing is decided by total BB won across the season — a long grind that luck alone can't fake. Promotions and relegations are settled when the season ends, and the top three in each rank can jump up to two ranks at once through special promotion. Even brand-new players have a path to reach B rank in their very first season.
At the summit of it all sits the Houou title, reserved for the strongest 6-max players alive. If you think you're strong, this is where you prove it.
How to join (takes about 5 minutes)
Just open the link below and sign in with either Google or Discord.
📌 Every new player starts at D rank. There are no skill or experience requirements. And because the Open League runs around the clock, you can start playing the same day you register — jump in any time during the season.
What changed in Season 4?
| Item | Through Season 3 | Season 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule | Monday nights only | Select League = Mondays / Open League = 24/7 |
| Table split | All leagues mixed | Select (A/B) and Open (C/D/new) separated |
| Naming | A–D leagues | A–D ranks (two leagues: Select and Open) |
| Qualification hands | 1,000 hands | 1,000 hands (now a formal qualification system) |
| Rank jumps | None | Top 3 in each rank can skip up to two ranks |
| Multi-tabling | Single table | Up to 4 tables at once |
If Monday at 20:00 never worked for your schedule, Season 4 finally lets you compete on your own time.
League overview
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Period | Mon, Aug 3, 20:00 – Mon, Sep 21, 23:00 (JST) |
| Format | No-Limit Texas Hold'em / 6-max / Fast Fold |
| Platform | Seeker Start poker (SSpoker) |
| Stack | Fixed 100BB every hand (no carry-over between hands) |
| Multi-tabling | Up to 4 tables |
| Hand volume | No cap |
| Official standing | Total BB won for the season |
| Qualification hands | 1,000 hands |
Because every hand starts at exactly 100BB, stack depth never distorts the contest — it's pure 6-max skill, hand after hand. There's no cap on volume either, so the standings reward not just win rate but players who keep winning while putting in the hands.
The two leagues: Select and Open
Season 4 runs across two separate leagues.
| League | Ranks | Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| Select League | A and B ranks | Mondays 20:00–23:00 (8 rounds) |
| Open League | C and D ranks, new players | 24 hours a day, all season |
- Select League results determine the official standings and rank movement for A and B
- Open League results determine the official standings and rank movement for C and D
- A and B players are free to play in the Open League too. Those hands show up in your hand history, BB/100, and lifetime stats, but they do not count toward official standings, rank movement, or your qualification hands
🔥 Mondays 20:00–23:00 are the official prime-time slot. Both leagues run simultaneously and players from every rank show up at once — by far the busiest tables of the week. Recommended playing hours are 20:00–23:00 daily, but Monday night is when everyone gathers.
Select League schedule (8 rounds)
| Round | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Mon, Aug 3 | 20:00–23:00 |
| Round 2 | Mon, Aug 10 | 20:00–23:00 |
| Round 3 | Mon, Aug 17 | 20:00–23:00 |
| Round 4 | Mon, Aug 24 | 20:00–23:00 |
| Round 5 | Mon, Aug 31 | 20:00–23:00 |
| Round 6 | Mon, Sep 7 | 20:00–23:00 |
| Round 7 | Mon, Sep 14 | 20:00–23:00 |
| Round 8 | Mon, Sep 21 | 20:00–23:00 |
How official standings are decided
Your official season standing comes from the total BB won in the league that counts for your rank.
- A and B ranks: total BB won in the Select League (a shared A/B ranking)
- C and D ranks: total BB won in the Open League (a shared C/D ranking)
Separately, within-rank rankings are calculated based on your rank at the start of the season — these are used for the bottom-20% checks and special promotions. Your rank never changes mid-season: everything is settled after Season 4 ends, and the new rank takes effect when Season 5 begins.
Qualification: 1,000 hands
To be officially qualified for the season, you need 1,000 hands in your rank's official league.
- Reach it → you become a qualified participant for Season 4, eligible for official standings, promotion, and the Houou Feathers
- Fall short → you are relegated one rank regardless of results (A→B / B→C / C→D; D rank stays put)
⚠️ Players who miss the requirement are excluded from everything: the qualified-participant count, standard promotion, additional promotion, special promotion, and the Houou Feathers. Note also that hands A and B players log in the Open League do not count toward the Select League's 1,000.
With Fast Fold and up to four tables at once, 1,000 hands is far closer than it sounds.
Rank distribution — more players means more spots at the top
The size of each rank next season is calculated from the number of qualified participants in Season 4, using cumulative borders (rounded up).
| Rank | Share | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| A | ~6% | A = 6% |
| B | ~15% | A+B = 21% |
| C | ~27% | A+B+C = 48% |
| D | ~52% | Everyone else |
The more players who qualify, the more A and B seats open up. For example:
| Rank | With 500 qualified | With 1,000 qualified |
|---|---|---|
| A | 30 players | 60 players |
| B | 75 players | 150 players |
| C | 135 players | 270 players |
| D | 260 players | 520 players |
For reference, Season 4 starts with 30 in A, 70 in B, 84 in C, and 84 in D — 268 players total, with 100 in the Select League.
Promotion
Promotion generally requires both of the following:
- 1,000 hands completed in your league
- A positive total BB won for the season
On top of that, each step has its own rule.
B → A
Decided by the shared Select League ranking. Finish inside the A-rank baseline border — the A-rank headcount derived from the qualified-participant total — and you move up. The same single border governs both promotion into A and relegation out of it.
C → B
21% of qualified participants (rounded up) becomes the Select League's baseline size for next season. Whatever that figure exceeds Season 4's 100 Select League seats, plus a number equal to any additional relegations out of B (missed hand requirement or bottom 20% of B), opens up as promotion spots for top-ranked C players in the Open League.
D → C
Finish inside the C-rank baseline border in the shared Open League ranking and you're promoted. Results posted by A and B players in the Open League are excluded from that border, so it's a clean contest among C and D players. Any additional relegations out of C create matching extra promotion spots.
📝 If fewer players meet the requirements than there are promotion spots, nobody with a non-positive BB total or an unmet hand requirement gets bumped up to fill the gap — the spots simply go unused.
Special promotion — top 3 in each rank can skip a rank
Promotion is normally capped at one rank per season, with one exception: the top three players by total BB won within each rank.
| Season 4 rank | Highest rank via special promotion |
|---|---|
| Top 3 in B | A rank |
| Top 3 in C | A rank, skipping B |
| Top 3 in D | B rank, skipping C |
Special promotions are allocated ahead of standard promotions, and every eligible player moves up even if that exceeds the available spots. Requirements: 1,000 hands, a positive BB total, and no relegation for missing the hand requirement.
📌 Even a first-season player can reach B rank. Normally your first season tops out at C, but finish in the top three of D and meet the special promotion requirements and you skip straight past C into B. Anyone starting in Season 4 has a live shot at a Select League seat.
Relegation
Relegation is also capped at one rank per season. Even if you trigger several conditions at once, you never drop two ranks.
A → B (three conditions)
- Finishing outside the A-rank baseline border in the shared Select League ranking
- Missing the 1,000-hand requirement
- Landing in the bottom 20% of the A rank by total BB won (6 players based on the 30 who start in A, rounded up) — this applies even if you finished inside the A border
B → C (three conditions)
- If the Select League shrinks relative to Season 4, the reduction is taken from the bottom of B
- Missing the 1,000-hand requirement
- Landing in the bottom 20% of the B rank by total BB won (14 players based on the 70 who start in B, rounded up)
C → D (two conditions)
- Finishing outside the C-rank baseline border in the shared Open League ranking
- Missing the 1,000-hand requirement
C has no bottom-20% rule like A and B. D rank has nothing below it, so D players stay in D even if they miss the hand requirement.
📝 Whenever the hand requirement or a bottom-20% check pushes someone down beyond the baseline movement, that same number of extra promotion spots opens up in the rank below. Someone falls, someone climbs.
The Houou Feathers — and the Houou title
The Houou Feather is the token that leads to the league's highest honor, the Houou title. To earn one in Season 4, you must satisfy all of the following:
- Be in A rank at the start of Season 4
- Play at least 1,000 hands in the Select League
- Finish in the top 6 of the Select League's overall season ranking
B-rank players cannot earn a feather that season even with a top-6 finish — including those set to be promoted to A once the season ends. Climb to A first, then finish top 6 as an A player. Only those who clear both stages get to touch a feather.
Collect three Houou Feathers in total and you are awarded the Houou title — a peak no single season can deliver.
Small print worth knowing
Ties
- Players tied with a promotion or retention border are all included on the favorable side
- The same applies to ties for third place in special promotion and ties on a bottom-20% border
- The resulting headcount differences are accepted — the distribution percentages are baseline targets, not hard caps
Order of evaluation
After Season 4 ends, results are settled in this order: (1) confirm total BB won and hand requirements, (2) derive baseline headcounts and borders from the qualified-participant total, (3) apply baseline movement from the distribution, (4) apply forced relegations (hand requirement, bottom 20%), (5) calculate the extra promotion spots created, (6) settle special promotions, (7) allocate the remaining standard promotion spots. Forced relegation conditions always take precedence over standard promotion and retention.
Supplementary rankings
Total BB won decides the official standings, but the league also tracks BB/100, total hands, days played, lifetime BB won, and clan / team / venue / friend-group rankings (none of which affect rank movement). Plenty of ways to compete with the people around you.
Sponsors and prizes
Season 4 sponsors and prizes are still being finalized. Announcements will follow on the official site, official social accounts, and the Houou-sen web app.
Monday, August 3, 20:00. This time, every day is game day
Until now, the battlefield was three hours on a Monday. Not anymore. The Open League is waiting 24 hours a day. A late-night session, thirty hands on your lunch break — all of it stacks into your season total.
"Monday doesn't work for me" isn't an excuse anymore. Which also means whatever you build here becomes proof of skill that nobody can argue with. Start in D, clear the C border, crack the top three and leap into B. Aim for the Monday night where the Select League calls your name.
Monday, August 3, 20:00 JST. Your seat is ready. All that's left is to sit down and take your first 100BB.
For the authoritative rules, including the exact promotion and relegation calculations, see the official Season 4 rules page. For everything about the league, visit the official Houou-sen site (/houou). Both are in Japanese. See you at the tables.
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