Tournaments
1) Shooters used to have a 1,2,3 handicap tournament, and start it at
10 pm at night. I was a 3, but sometimes those 1's will bang in the 9, or get a combo on the 9 and beat you. Not a bad tournament, 5 or 10 dollar entry,
16 or 32 players.
2) 2 of our Pool rooms are using a National handicap system originated by
Bob Jewett, but they tweak it some. Handicaps run from 1 to 160.
New players start at 70 unless known to be better, then a little closer to what they would be. 8 ball races run from 2-6, 9 ball 3-7.
Two even handicaps play a 2-2 race in 8 ball, 3-3 in 9 ball.
19 is the cutoff they use, so someone say at 75 playing a 100 handicap would play a 2-3 race in 8 ball, 3-4 race in 9 ball.
Player A = 55, player B = 95, 2-4 race 8 ball, 3-5 race in 9 ball.
Player A = 60, Player B = 138, 2-6 race 8 ball, 3-7 race in 9 ball.
How you get raised depends on each match won vs lost, and whether you placed in the money (spots 1-4, I believe), or lowered depends on matches lost.
Not bad system other than some people get going up and up until they are above their true skill level and they can not win anymore if they make 1 mistake the whole night. Handicaps go down a lot slower than up.
(When players that get handicaps above their skill level and can not win anymore, they quit playing in the tournament because they are there for a shot at the money, not just to practice).
It could be tweaked to be more fair to all. The way it is now, after awhile, the ones that when are the 70-80 range (progresses towards the middle of the pack for a winner). I won the tournament years ago the second time I played it, and my handicap jumped 18 points. The system is too reactive
to winners (first 50 matches, 3 points for each match won in the money, 2 points for 51-299, and 1 point for >300)
Plus I might add that some players that never win, gradually get handicaps below their skill level, and knock off the big handicaps, but get beat by someone a lot closer to their own handicap most of the time.
I was going to TD for this type of tournament and was going to refine and tweak the handicap system some to be more realistic (meaning not getting handicaps outside of your skill range), but someone else became the TD.
Besides playing for 46 years, I have a heavy math background from college, so tweaking the system wasn't a big deal for me, but I put it aside after not being designated the TD for the tournament.
The game difference is a lot easier to manage than the ball, break spots type, and simplier to administer.
I am 'Old School' though, and I don't believe in punishing better players because they 'worked' to get as good as they are.
Therefore, for any type of handicap system, I believe the 'lessor' player has to play 10% better than average before they could win, so I guess, you could say I believe in the 90-10 rule. (We used to call it stepping up).
