One of my old needlers, stuck me with a pin recently, complaining about my stance on Calcuttas and prompted this thread on an old position that I still hold strongly. 
First off, I believe in paying VERY DEEP in all tournaments (basically 25% of the field shoud get paid even if it is only their entry fee back.
For a 64 person tournament I suggest the following percentages:
25, 16, 12, 9, 5, 5, 4,4,3,3,3,3,2,2,2,2.
This would apply to the 16 places which is 25% of the field if 64 players.
I also suggest that the Calcuttas be paid in a similar fashion per centage wise. My reasoning is that many people participate in the Calcutta for the sake of being part of the community and that most of the participants would appreciate getting a little taste of the Caluctta Pie even if it is a small taste. I think for some it takes the sting out of having to donate extra money to a Calcutta, although as we all know you don't have to participate in them. The majority of the people would love to come in the money even if it is only to get their calcutta bid returned. This is not possible when you pay just a few places.
Most of these people do not have the opportunity of getting to the top 6 or 8 places let alone the top 4 places which is often done in Calcuttas, yet most make their contribution because of a variety of reasons some of which they don't want to be embarassed by not bidding on themselves.
The tournaments are generally won by the very best players and that's fine, they earned it but my contention is that you must spread the wealth around or the tournaments continue to shrink until there is no more tournament due to "lack of interest/participation by the local also-ran players". It seems that the successful pool leagues understand this and have capitalized on this. The tours are catching on as far as the tournament is concerned but they continue to pay but a few places for the Calcuttas and with most of the money going to first place. It doesn't make sense to me that the same top players should win 50% of the Calcutta money, with second place often being paid 30% and third and fourth being paid 15 & 5 per cent respectively.
It is my belief that if the Calcuttas were treated like the tournaments, more people would participate in the tournaments and take part in the Calcuttas.
At the very least a 64 person Calcutta should pay at least 8 places (although IMHO preferably 16 places). If 8 places I suggest the following per centages 35, 25, 15, 10, 5,5,2.5,2.5.
With that being said, it my belief that the more people who are able to sit at the dining room table and partake BOTH OF THE TOURNAMENT PAY BACKS AND THE CALCUTTAS, the better off the tournament is as a whole. The people who generally win the tournaments will continue to win the higher places as usual but they would have to share the bounty a little more.
So the question is for people who actually play or would play in entry fee/calcutta based local, regional or national pool tournaments: HOW MANY PEOPLE SHOULD GET PAID AND HOW MUCH SHOULD THEY PAID?
The big Calcutta guys, you know who they are; they buy up all of the good players and while they pay a good price in doing so, they also consistently win most if not all of the Calcutta money (often times even the top players cannot afford to purchase themselves in the Calcutta and have to rely on the generosity of the bidder for a sliver of a bone). I think that this is why you see some dumping in the tournaments because the players could not justify participating in the Calcutta. Paying deeper in the Calcutta might reduce the number of dollars paid out and then again it may not as the lesser players would be more inclined to buy themselves for higher prices if they knew they had any chance at all of coming in the Calcutta money.
I guess I just don't see why just a few people should benefit from the calcutta. I think everyone should have a chance to have a piece of the Calcutta pie.
What say you? (And for the record, let us know where you generally place in the tournaments or what your level of play is)
Thanks,
JoeyA
First off, I believe in paying VERY DEEP in all tournaments (basically 25% of the field shoud get paid even if it is only their entry fee back.
For a 64 person tournament I suggest the following percentages:
25, 16, 12, 9, 5, 5, 4,4,3,3,3,3,2,2,2,2.
This would apply to the 16 places which is 25% of the field if 64 players.
I also suggest that the Calcuttas be paid in a similar fashion per centage wise. My reasoning is that many people participate in the Calcutta for the sake of being part of the community and that most of the participants would appreciate getting a little taste of the Caluctta Pie even if it is a small taste. I think for some it takes the sting out of having to donate extra money to a Calcutta, although as we all know you don't have to participate in them. The majority of the people would love to come in the money even if it is only to get their calcutta bid returned. This is not possible when you pay just a few places.
Most of these people do not have the opportunity of getting to the top 6 or 8 places let alone the top 4 places which is often done in Calcuttas, yet most make their contribution because of a variety of reasons some of which they don't want to be embarassed by not bidding on themselves.
The tournaments are generally won by the very best players and that's fine, they earned it but my contention is that you must spread the wealth around or the tournaments continue to shrink until there is no more tournament due to "lack of interest/participation by the local also-ran players". It seems that the successful pool leagues understand this and have capitalized on this. The tours are catching on as far as the tournament is concerned but they continue to pay but a few places for the Calcuttas and with most of the money going to first place. It doesn't make sense to me that the same top players should win 50% of the Calcutta money, with second place often being paid 30% and third and fourth being paid 15 & 5 per cent respectively.
It is my belief that if the Calcuttas were treated like the tournaments, more people would participate in the tournaments and take part in the Calcuttas.
At the very least a 64 person Calcutta should pay at least 8 places (although IMHO preferably 16 places). If 8 places I suggest the following per centages 35, 25, 15, 10, 5,5,2.5,2.5.
With that being said, it my belief that the more people who are able to sit at the dining room table and partake BOTH OF THE TOURNAMENT PAY BACKS AND THE CALCUTTAS, the better off the tournament is as a whole. The people who generally win the tournaments will continue to win the higher places as usual but they would have to share the bounty a little more.
So the question is for people who actually play or would play in entry fee/calcutta based local, regional or national pool tournaments: HOW MANY PEOPLE SHOULD GET PAID AND HOW MUCH SHOULD THEY PAID?
The big Calcutta guys, you know who they are; they buy up all of the good players and while they pay a good price in doing so, they also consistently win most if not all of the Calcutta money (often times even the top players cannot afford to purchase themselves in the Calcutta and have to rely on the generosity of the bidder for a sliver of a bone). I think that this is why you see some dumping in the tournaments because the players could not justify participating in the Calcutta. Paying deeper in the Calcutta might reduce the number of dollars paid out and then again it may not as the lesser players would be more inclined to buy themselves for higher prices if they knew they had any chance at all of coming in the Calcutta money.
I guess I just don't see why just a few people should benefit from the calcutta. I think everyone should have a chance to have a piece of the Calcutta pie.
What say you? (And for the record, let us know where you generally place in the tournaments or what your level of play is)
Thanks,
JoeyA
