In order to register for the Tournament, you must have an Xbox Live Gold account prior to registration, own or have access to a Xbox 360 and a copy of NBA 2K10, have a broadband internet connection, be 18 years of age or older, and be a resident of and residing in the 50 United States or the District of Columbia (Excluding Arizona, Maryland, North Dakota and Vermont). Each entrant is allowed to register only once. To register online, log-in to your Xbox Live account via the Website and follow the registration directions to submit all required information and accept the Tournament Terms and Conditions.

Registration opens at 12:01pm ET on December 23, 2009, and ends on 11:59pm ET January 16, 2010.

After registering for the Tournament, registrants must qualify and Check-In (see Official Rules for details) to participate in the Online Playoffs. The two (2) Finalists from the Online Playoffs will be invited to the Finals in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday, February 13, 2010.

The Qualification Period begins on December 23, 2009, at 12:01pm ET, and ends on January 16, 2010 at 11:59pm ET. During the Qualification Period, all ranked games played online will count towards an entrant’s qualification ranking. The Leaderboard will track player rankings, be displayed on the website, and updated daily. Rankings are calculated using an ELO rating system, a mathematical equation used to rank players based on the results of matches they have played.

On January 18, 2010, at 12:01 am E.S.T., the top sixty (60) Tournament registrants who have checked in (see below) with at least fifteen (15) completed games during the Qualification Period will advance to the Online Playoffs.

At the conclusion of the Check-In Period, the top sixty (60) registrants who have checked in on the Leaderboard will advance to the Online Playoffs. These qualifiers will be placed and scheduled into two (2), thirty (30) person single elimination online tournament brackets. The top seeds in each of the two (2) tournament brackets (designated as those eligible qualifiers with the highest Leaderboard ranking) will receive a bye in round 1. Each thirty (30) person tournament bracket will consist of five (5) rounds of matches. The winners from each match advance to the next round. The loser of each match is eliminated from the Tournament. The ultimate winner of each thirty (30) person tournament bracket will advance and be awarded a trip to compete in the Finals in Dallas at the NBA All-Star Game.

See Official Rules for additional details.