When Fargo Rate first appeared, my initial internal reaction was something like, “This is super. Over time, Fargo Rate will allow me and others to better understand nuanced grades of skill in players, including where I fit into the pecking order…even if it’s way down the line.”
Right now, I view FargoRate as an almost perfect assassin for much of the joy I used to find in pool.
The accuracy with which FargoRate grades the skill of players is shocking…to me. Maybe everyone else knew this was going to happen and they don’t care, and I am late to my own observation.
When a tournament starts, the list of guys who will play at the end is fairly small. Even though players like Jesus Astencio, Tyler Styer, and John Morra are ridiculously talented compared to 99.9% of pool players, in a tournament that is well attended by players on the top 100 list, we now understand that they are “dead money” or almost "dead money" to win the event. There is no one who wants this last statement to be 100% wrong more than me. However, when one scans the banners at the DCC, the pictures are dominated by very few players and there is an outsized representation of Efren, SVB, and Fedor.
Prior to FargoRate, a player’s standing in the pecking order of skill was more of a mystery. In addition, I think it was less clear how much a player’s special expertise in a game contributed to a win or a loss prior to FargoRate. For example, prior to FargoRate, if a “Eurobot” player drew “Established Pro One Pocket Specialist”, this might be viewed as an interesting match-up.
Now, provided the “Eurobot” player has even a rudimentary understanding of One-Pocket and a sufficiently high advantage in FargoRate, it’s clear that (in many instances) the match is over before it starts in favor of “Eurobot”.
Finally, I think FargoRate makes clear that perhaps the most important part of becoming a world class player, is time at the table competing against other world class players. If you look at what countries occupy the top 100 Fargo Rates in the world, what jumps out to me is the percentage of players who come from locations where there is a custom to regularly compete (Philippines, Poland, Taiwan, China).
If you thought you could practice your way to greatness in the basement prior to FargoRate (I realize this might have always been a minority opinion), FargoRate has destroyed that misapprehension.
I am under no illusions. The FargoRate genie will not go back into its bottle, but sometimes it makes sense (to me) to notice the good and the bad.
I think the answer is finding new ways to enjoy pool in a new environment. For example, I may consider becoming a tournament director for tournaments capped at 590, where all the matches will be streamed, for free, with commentary from players whose skill level does not exceed 590, where the entry fee will be $1500.00 and the Calcutta will last 9 days, creating a purse of 3 million dollars. Obviously, the tournament will take place on bar tables with 3-inch pockets—we can’t have balls go that shouldn’t. Since the tournament is single elimination, there will be a second chance poker event. I promise to run my events as slowly as possible. Hopefully, no one is able to sleep.
The dress code for my events will be called, "Homeless Adjacent". We will encourage sports jerseys and pajamas. We will ban collared shirts as those are associated with "nits", but we will definitely not enforce this rule, because the best rules are meant to be ignored. Clearly, bathing is optional, and all disputes will be settled with loud shouting matches.
I resolve to embrace the future.
kollegedave
