Pace of Play

[Bob Jewett]

... Yeah, the players that go 2 and out get their fun in. But anyone advancing is just frustrated. We often have the hot seat winner simply go home and take second rather than wait for the loser's side to catch up.

The hotseat waiting is a larger problem if the TD plays the winners' side straight through hoping to get ahead. It just makes the hotseat player sit for four or five matches. Some tournaments spread out the winners' side matches.

 

[Fore Rail]

Obviously some ways of running a tournament are viable(or not) depending on number of players and tables for said number of players. A tournament director obviously should (I say must) keep the tournament running at a reasonable rate whatever it takes.

That entails having a feel for how things should go to keep the wait times to a minimum. Not having to look for players when it is their turn to play. Keeping players at the table to finish their match within a reasonable amount of time & being able to step in when it doesn't. The list goes on & on etc.

Yes faster than allotted is most always going to be beneficial. That is if there there is a table available to start another match.

 

[heater451]

Instead we often see the finalists split the pot at 2AM. Somehow the players think running into the dawn is OK. I guess for the players who go home at 10PM, it is. They got to play for a while and see some good players, and they get to bed at a reasonable hour.

Tiered payout amounts. 100% payout by a specified time, and less by 10% every half-hour (or whatever seems right). The slower everyone plays, the less potential money to win. Could even break up the place amounts, so if the 3rd place finishes before the 100% cutoff, they get full pay, but if the 1st/2nd finishes an hour later, they only get 80% of the on/before time payout!

 

[GideonF]

That will end in about half the time as DE. Sometimes even faster than that. If people demand at least two matches, have a consolation tourney for the first round losers, if there are plenty of tables.

With SE, you could add a game or two to the match length and still finish much earlier.

In my area a Monday night tournament is run as a modified double elimination. Bar box. Usually eight ball on the A side and nine ball on the B side.

Once you get put on the B side, there is no coming back to the A side. The B side plays as normal but 3/4 doesn’t play - they split the B side pot. The A side can split the main pot if they want or play it out (the A side almost always finishes first). Handicap races.

Same pool hall also does a 9’ 9b tournament with a similar format. B side never comes back. Race to 4 on the A and 3 on the B (handicap entry).

Both tournaments are popular.

 

[Bob Jewett]

In my area a Monday night tournament is run as a modified double elimination. Bar box. Usually eight ball on the A side and nine ball on the B side.

Once you get put on the B side, there is no coming back to the A side. The B side plays as normal but 3/4 doesn’t play - they split the B side pot. The A side can split the main pot if they want or play it out (the A side almost always finishes first). Handicap races. ...

Does that mean that the losers on the A side after the first round continue to go over to the B side?

 

[GideonF]

Does that mean that the losers on the A side after the first round continue to go over to the B side?

Yes. The B side plays out like a normal 16 player bracket (for example) but ends when you get to the 3/4 match and those players split 3/4. The loser of the A side gets second.

By the way, unfortunately pace of play can still be an issue. The TD reserves the right to put a time limit on the match.

 

[maha]

time limit on a match is wrong. cant everyone see that. you punish a player that may not have done anything.

punish the slow players. simple as that.