I'm just curious, where do the entrance fees in tournaments go to? The prize fund? The profits? The cost of putting on the tournament? Or all of the above?
Entrance Fee's
- Thread starter Cameron Smith
- Start date
Cameron Smith said:
I can only speculate or say from what i know..... some tournaments take some of the money out and give half to the house and half to a tournament director. So if a promoter took $20.00 out of a $100.00 entry fee then the tournament director and house would split that money and the balance of $80.00 would go to the prize fund. That is how a part time tournament director would get paid... not bad.... if you get 64 players for a weekend tournament and you were the tournament director you would pick up $640.00 for 2 days work.....mike
The arrangements often vary. The bulk of an entry fee goes toward the purse. Of course, the Tournament Director will take a portion and yes, occasionally the house will, too. Often times, the house will contribute to the purse in the form of "added money". In some instances, there will be added-money and the house will still take a cut. If turn-out is low, the players benefit. If turn-out is high, the house benfits.
The key is to strike that point where everyone is happy. Tournaments can often be a loss for poolrooms and not worth it for organizers and players depending on which way they choose to split the funds. For example, the WPBA's classic events can be rather expensive for rooms to host. The WPBA pays 75% of the field AND pays for ESPN coverage. Obviously, the entry-fees do not cover the overall which is why 7 of 8 Classic events this year were in casinos. A poolroom simply can't afford them. Also, spectator fees will also contribute either to the room or the purse, I don't know.
On the otherhand, Joss events often try to arrange it so their host-rooms break-even. There is no television coverage and only 25% of the field gets paid. However, the events attract regional players only (with the exception of their Turning Stone events) so the travel costs are minimal for most players. There is rarely an admission fee for spectators and if there is, it's usually a small amount and kept by the host-location.
The WPBA has a great arrangement with its players. Their format makes it very easy for an aspiring player to compete without worrying so much about their personal costs. National men's events such as The US Open are very expensive to compete in. A strong professional player must shell-out $500 for entry, pay for travel (which could be upwards of $300 depending on where they're from) and hotel for a week ($700, if they're lucky, split if they get a roommate). Add on the costs of food and drink and you're looking at a 2k trip. Go with the wife/girlfriend and you can easily add on another 1k.
The key is to strike that point where everyone is happy. Tournaments can often be a loss for poolrooms and not worth it for organizers and players depending on which way they choose to split the funds. For example, the WPBA's classic events can be rather expensive for rooms to host. The WPBA pays 75% of the field AND pays for ESPN coverage. Obviously, the entry-fees do not cover the overall which is why 7 of 8 Classic events this year were in casinos. A poolroom simply can't afford them. Also, spectator fees will also contribute either to the room or the purse, I don't know.
On the otherhand, Joss events often try to arrange it so their host-rooms break-even. There is no television coverage and only 25% of the field gets paid. However, the events attract regional players only (with the exception of their Turning Stone events) so the travel costs are minimal for most players. There is rarely an admission fee for spectators and if there is, it's usually a small amount and kept by the host-location.
The WPBA has a great arrangement with its players. Their format makes it very easy for an aspiring player to compete without worrying so much about their personal costs. National men's events such as The US Open are very expensive to compete in. A strong professional player must shell-out $500 for entry, pay for travel (which could be upwards of $300 depending on where they're from) and hotel for a week ($700, if they're lucky, split if they get a roommate). Add on the costs of food and drink and you're looking at a 2k trip. Go with the wife/girlfriend and you can easily add on another 1k.