here that collects operational notes and vendor links.
The previous paragraph leads to a practical Quick Checklist you can print and use.
## Quick Checklist — Pre-event and live-event essentials
– [ ] Run an attack simulation and capacity test 72–48 hours prior.
– [ ] Confirm scrubbing provider SLA and on-call contacts.
– [ ] Test client reconnection logic across all supported devices/browsers.
– [ ] Ensure payment gateway endpoints are isolated and have independent routing.
– [ ] Prepare templated player communications and support scripts.
– [ ] Enable 2FA and rate-limits on login endpoints.
– [ ] Backup session-store and enable rapid failover (Redis clusters).
– [ ] Confirm legal/compliance contact (for CA jurisdictions).
Completing these items reduces failure modes and prepares you to respond fast.
The checklist above leads naturally into common mistakes organizers make when preparing for DDoS, which we cover next.
## Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Hold on—don’t repeat these.
1) Relying on a single layer (e.g., only a CDN). Avoid by adding app-layer detection and session protections.
2) Not testing WebSocket reconnections. Fix by doing multi-device reconnect tests under simulated packet loss.
3) Hard-coded IP allowlists for clients. Instead, use tokenized session auth with short TTLs and rotate keys.
4) Silent refunds/payout promises without legal review. Always coordinate finance and compliance before offering blanket compensation.
5) Over-blocking (blocking entire regions). Prefer targeted rules and behavioral detection to minimize collateral harm.
If you avoid these mistakes the rest of your defenses will be far more effective.
## Mini-FAQ (3–5 quick questions)
Q: How fast should my DDoS scrubbing kick in?
A: Ideally within 1–15 minutes for on-demand scrubbing; always-on scrubbing gives zero-delay protection, but costs more and requires contract negotiation.
Q: Can I rely on cloud provider DDoS protection alone?
A: Cloud provider scrubbing is excellent for volumetrics and basic app protection, but you should layer it with WAF rules for complex application attacks and with per-service reconnection logic for WebSockets.
Q: Do I need an incident SLA with my hosting provider?
A: Yes—define response windows (15/60/120 minutes) and escalation paths; include them in vendor contracts for high-stakes tournaments.
Q: Should I tell players about the attack during the event?
A: Yes—honest, time-stamped updates reduce frustration and support load. Include expected timeframes and next steps.
These FAQs point to operational steps that keep things calm and predictable.
## Mini-case 2: Small operator, big lesson (hypothetical)
Short and real-seeming.
A small operator ignored WebSocket session persistence and saw mass disconnects during a 2 Gbps UDP flood; the CDN absorbed most traffic but the gateway’s ephemeral TCP table filled and clients flapped. After the incident they moved session state to a distributed cache and limited concurrent connections per IP, which eliminated the reconnection storm on the next test.
That wraps into the final set of vendor/implementation selection tips below.
## Vendor selection tips (practical)
Hold on—choose carefully.
– Validate real scrubbing capacity with proof-of-performance tests.
– Ask for references from other gaming customers.
– Ensure provider supports both UDP/TCP scrubbing and application filtering.
– Insist on transparent billing for attack mitigation hours and any overage.
– Contract emergency change windows during events with no penalty.
If you combine prudent vendor selection with the architectures above you’ll have a resilient foundation for tournaments.
## Sources
– Industry technical papers on DDoS mitigation (providers’ whitepapers and vendor test results).
– Operator post-mortems and public incident reports (various gaming forums and provider status pages).
– Canadian regulatory guidance for online gaming operations (provincial resources).
## About the Author
I’m an operations-first technologist with experience running online gaming events for Canadian markets and working on reliability for mid-sized platforms. My focus is practical resilience: rehearsals, simple automations, and transparent player communications. For additional operational resources and community guides useful to tournament hosts and players, you can find a concise operational hub and reference material collected here.
18+ only. If online poker or gambling is affecting you or someone close, seek help from your provincial helpline or national resources and use self-exclusion or limit tools; always maintain KYC/AML compliance and protect player funds and privacy.