Their clock is visible to them every time they go to sit down and turn it off. My experience in using game clocks is that it does speed up play. When the chance to lose the match if they run out of time is looming over them, the slugs put on running shoes.
Another advantage of a chess/game clock for pool is that it encourages the guy who just missed to go back immediately to his seat.
As a regular tournament director for amateur pool tournaments one of my primary goals is to assist the room owner in making a profit by bringing in patrons. Without profitable room owners there will be no rooms. Two of our largest rooms in the northwest have closed in the past couple of years (Legends in Beaverton, OR and 15th Street in Auburn, WA). In my area, there are fewer places to play pool, either due to a shift by room owners away from pool or a shift by room owners placing less of an emphasis on pool; either by not supporting league play or not caring for the equipment or both.
Another of my primary goals is to provide the pool players with the best tournament experience we can. The priorities are providing the best equipment the room owner can afford and a tournament format that allows a fair test of skills.
Scheduling weekend tournaments that reach into the early morning hours is a cost for the room owner, who must pay staff even though little food and beverage is sold and no table time is collected. Late-hour matches are a strain on the players’ ability to perform at their top level as many of us are accustomed to sleep patterns aligned with our jobs.
Our most recent
Open 9 Ball tournament used a 32 minute per player match clock with each match scheduled one hour and 5 minutes apart in a race to eight (8). We used four (4) seven (7) foot Diamond tables with Simonis 860HR and Dynasphere balls. There are no “time outs” allowed. The match clock continues running.
Average Skill Level 544 FargoRate
Average Match Duration 0:49:34
Average Game Duration 0:04:08
Number of Matches Ending Early Due to Both Players Time Expiring 4 of 95
We had forty-eight players with a FargoRate from 358 – 724. We played Friday from 6PM until the last match of the evening ended at 10:11PM. On Saturday, play started at 9AM and the last match ended at 11:55PM. We came back on Sunday with a 9AM start and the double elimination final match concluded at 5:10PM. The players that concluded their matches at midnight did not have to play until 10:05AM Sunday morning.
This is our fourth timed match tournament, The first two (2) being eight (8) ball and ten (10) ball singles and the other a team event. We are continually working to improve the match/player timing that utilizes a simple chess clock. If a player times out while behind in games, they lose the match. We have had a few matches that are tied where both players have used their allotted time. In that case, the players lag for the break and play a single game to determine the match winner.
The least desirable element of using per-player match times is the situation that develops and the ensuing process of completing a match when one player runs out of time with a lead in the match. The player trailing in the match is allowed to pocket balls continuously until they win the match or run out of time. They must rack and break with the clock running, as is done throughout the tournament. Ties are handled as previously described. Cue ball in hand fouls only apply in the case of a scratch. Any other foul results in leaving the balls as they lie and continuing to shoot. Unsportsmanlike conduct results in loss of match. For example, intentionally moving balls with the cue stick or the person, etc.
The timed match does not fit the playing routine of the more deliberate players. On the other hand, more than 90% of the players interviewed like the per-player timed format. The ninety-five matches in the bracket are scheduled completely in advance. Spectators and players know what time a match will be played. As a Tournament Director, typically, the most challenging task is to “guestimate” what time a players next match will be. At many tournaments, a match with deliberate players or matches with multiple safety battles results in slowing the entire tournament down and extending player’s wait times. The per-player match timed event does not cut down on the wait time between matches. It may still be seven hours between a player’s last scheduled match and next scheduled match. It does eliminate a player needing to be present “just in case” the tournament gets ahead. It also eliminates a player waiting additional time because the tournament has gotten behind schedule. This has been our best attempt to produce a well-run amateur pool tournament without the benefit of referees or timekeepers.
I look forward to the dialogue this brief may stir many to join in, including Bob Jewett who has proffered this solution for decades!
Regards,
Rob Cameron
Tournament Director, Tim’s Bar & Grill, Kelso, WA
League Operator, Columbia Cascade BCA Pool League #2317
503.410.9194
