Entry fee

S

Sw10balltour

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
In today's economy, is $60 to much of an entry fee for $1000 added tournament? This is my eighth stop and I'm only averaging about 15 players.
I advertise everywhere I can think off. I try and promote the best way I know how but still not good results on my tournaments.

Any more or better ideas on how to make my tour better?

Thanks
Chris
 
RECESSION is hitting Sports HARD, Entertainment, and Leasure Actavaties HARD. People are holding on to what little money they have.

Two YEARS AGO someone would post a Justis, Scruggs, Szamboti, etc. In the For Sales Section of AZB, and Poof it was gone. Today items sits, and many items on AZB are going to the NEW Raffle Section.

Mark Cantrell aka bfdlad has had a few ideas for Event, Clinics, etc., with Pool Legends that people are not spending any money on, as Rent, Food, Utilities, etc. ARE MORE IMPORTANT.

Pool Rooms, Sports Bar with Pool Tables, & Pool Bars are CLOSING in most parts of the country, because of the RECESSION. Not OPENING.

OBAMA'S RECESSION RECOVERY PLAN IS NOT WORKING!!! JMHO
 
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Sw10balltour said:
In today's economy, is $60 to much of an entry fee for $1000 added tournament? This is my eighth stop and I'm only averaging about 15 players.
I advertise everywhere I can think off. I try and promote the best way I know how but still not good results on my tournaments.

Any more or better ideas on how to make my tour better?

Thanks
Chris
Click to expand...

Chris,

No, I do not think $60 is too much of an entry fee for a $1000 added tournament.

Advertising everywhere you can think of? and where is that? Have you contacted all the leagues in those areas and see if you can get email addresses to league member or at least the Team Captains so you could send them flyers via email. If the league wont do that, then ask if the league secretary would be willing to do this if you just send it to her.

If they are able to do that, try and send out a survey to find out why players are not attending, is it because its 10 ball, the time it starts or ends, to high of caliber of players attending, too expensive, the rules, etc.

Now I do have some questions/comments after reviewing your website.

Reviewing your past winners, there are some top notch players that are listed in the past winners section? Is that what the tournament is catering too, the top players in that specific area?

Is that making the high A/B players from not playing?

Maybe you should add a comment on adding $500 for 32 players?

Do you do a Calcutta?

Do you have a break pot?

Here is an Idea for you, if it is legal for you to have a break pot, then try and get a sponsor for a $500 10-ball break and run pot. Sell tickets for $1 each and most players will buy 5-10 dollars worth so lets say you do only get 20 players and they buy $150 worth of tickets.

Draw 5 tickets, first ticket drawn has a chance for $500, second for 400, third 300, fourth 200, fifth 100, if someone does BR, then you do not draw the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th ticket so the most you can pay out is $500.

Now if nobody does BR, then at the next tour stop, use the $150 to have a drawing for two free entry's into that tournament but you have to keep your tickets from the previouse BR pot to draw the winner.

That makes it so that the players might follow from stop to stop if they have a chance to get free entry. Once the more people start showing up to the tour, the more free entry's you can give out because more people will buy tickets.

Now, with the caliber of players you have showing up, its a $500 risk, but I think the risk to reward is worth it in the long run.


Hope everything turns out for the best.
 
i don't think it's too much. i posted in a thread last week with this same sentiment. i am about a c player. if the gsbt comes around and they are hadicapping aa, a and b, i have to play as a b. some of the b players in that category with me kick my ass on a regular basis. the entry fee is 45 for me because i play in leagues. i can only donate that money so often. recently mike janis brought the ozone/olhausen (viking) tour around here and offered REAL chep entry - five or ten bucks. i thought about playing in those until i showed up and guys like shawn putnam were there. sorry but i am not throwing five or ten bucks in the garbage, not in this econmy. that's 5 more in my gas tank. now if it were billed as a pro tournament and you had all pro's, i'd pay a five or ten dollar door fee all day to watch a bunch of pro's play. but i am not giving away free money to watch a few pros, a buch of hustlers and a few guys who have no chance. i think if you want more players you have to maybe do handicapped events and try to come up with a fair way to handicap across the area you hold your events in and you may get more people. i don't think advertising more to the leagues will help. most of the people i shoot apa with will only play in apa tournaments where thier sandbag handicap is used. bca gets more players in more tournaments. i don't know, i wish i had the answers for you. i wish more of the guys who can play and have a chance to win would step up and play, if i played better i know i'd play more. i enter a few different local handicapped tournaments that cost 15 to 20 bucks about four to eight times a month because those i've got a shot in. i have taken more than a few 1st, 2nd and 3rd's. but i guess everyone just has it too tough right now. i feel for you bro. i wish things were rollin along easier.
 
The tournaments in my neck of the woods offer a graded entry fee. Meaning an A pays a higher entry fee than a D, so this encourage participation from lower ranked players. $100 extra for the highest finish for a woman player, and/or highest C/D player.
 
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Talking to the players that you know and that arent showing always helps. I think 60 is good but not if you are mixing the c's with the a players..without a handicap. When I was a C I knew I didnt stand a chance sometimes with even one game on the wire. I would try bringing the added money down so you dont have to have such a high entry fee for people who live paycheck to paycheck. Gambling (calcuttas) and raffles always bring a few people in too.
 
Sw10balltour said:
In today's economy, is $60 to much of an entry fee for $1000 added tournament? This is my eighth stop and I'm only averaging about 15 players.
I advertise everywhere I can think off. I try and promote the best way I know how but still not good results on my tournaments.

Any more or better ideas on how to make my tour better?

Thanks
Chris
Click to expand...


I think yes, it is alot. The midwest is 65 with about 4000 added.

Besides the entry fee , try checking the areas your gonna have a tournament in, to see if there are no conflictng tournaments already scheduled there.

I know this happened at your stop in blue springs mo. On any other day I think you could of easily had 3 times the amount you had there, But everybody was at the kc rated tourney!

Don`t just post a tourney on any day you haven`t cleared yet with the local tourneys.


Hope this helps as we can always use more tournaments around here.



H.P.
 
Cater to the lesser players.

Sw10balltour said:
In today's economy, is $60 to much of an entry fee for $1000 added tournament? This is my eighth stop and I'm only averaging about 15 players.
I advertise everywhere I can think off. I try and promote the best way I know how but still not good results on my tournaments.

Any more or better ideas on how to make my tour better?

Thanks
Chris
Click to expand...

Give the lesser players a chance to cash or win. The better players will show up for the added money because they know they will win. Cater to the lesser players. The better players will win anyway but giving the lesser players a chance to cash will increase their desire to participate in your tour.

Such as: Shorter races • Alternate Break • ADVERTISE when you post on AZB, giving details of your tournament (locations, format, cost, ADDED MONEY, race to, next tournament, dates etc).

Unfortunately, the overall economy is not booming.
 
JoeyA said:
Give the lesser players a chance to cash or win. The better players will show up for the added money because they know they will win. Cater to the lesser players. The better players will win anyway but giving the lesser players a chance to cash will increase their desire to participate in your tour.
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Think a lot of lesser player don't play, or enter events, because they do not just want the "experience", or "adding" to a PRIZE POT they will never have a chance of seeing any part of.

The C & D players are the group people who if they left Pool tomorrow to take p another hobby, most of the Rooms, and Bars would close, or remove the Pool Tables.

Some of the "BETTER" Players like to call the "C" & "D" Bangers, but the BANGERS IMHO pay the bills for many Bars, and Rooms. JMHO.

My friend had (20 Pool Bar in the Valley of the Sun, he like the BANGERS, as they bought BOOZE, and Dave said first and foremost he was in the BOOZE Business, and the Pool table were just a draw to keep the Drinkers busy.
 
Sw10balltour said:
In today's economy, is $60 to much of an entry fee for $1000 added tournament? This is my eighth stop and I'm only averaging about 15 players.
I advertise everywhere I can think off. I try and promote the best way I know how but still not good results on my tournaments.

Any more or better ideas on how to make my tour better?

Thanks
Chris
Click to expand...

You will always have the best players along with a few who have no chance but play anyway. The fact is and I have run dozens of tournaments, everybody knows who the favorites are. They are just not putting up money when they have no chance. They are often even looked on as suckers and treated as such by the better players. You may be able to fill in the field with running qualifiers with like $10.00 entry fees but the reality is, the tournaments are too small to draw from a distance and all the locals know each other and who will most likely win. They get laughed at by their friends when they enter only to lose 11 to 1 they feel like fools.
 
Yes i know he does advertise with local leagues at least here in Denver. I first heard about it from an email from Melissa Little's League email, and several follow up emails since. As for cost for me atm yes ide say its to much. But that is me in my situation, If things were a little better even im not a great player i have and would throw in the cash to one get the experience, and two I love meeting people who love the game. And Hell This game i love needs support buy great people who are trying to get things going.

If there was a handy capped system in place would i still play i cant say i would, I do feel the economy is really keeping a noose on peoples wallets. I know it is around mine, well my wife has a hold on it at least :) In San Diego I played in Tounys all the time ranging from 5 to 75 entry and only placed in money 3 or 4 times, But the experience I gained was worth the investment. Now a days Like a previous poster said, 5 bucks in my gas tank is more important then a learning experience in pool. Saddly this is the time we are in, and once this time is past i hope to see our game nay sport thrive again!
 
Ok. So if I'm in an area like Denver where I only know the people who have played so far. How to I go about handicapping? On players I dont know? You can't really go by Apa because of sandbagging. I think handicapping is a great idea but I want to keep everything fair. Of course I don't want the pro level players killing my tour before it really gets started but I don't want to turn Amy player away because they are to damn good
 
Are your tournaments on bar tables? Do you charge quarters or a greens fee?

The $1000 added bar table tournaments that get the largest turnouts form what I have seen, are those w/lower entry fees ($20-$25), but they pay like crap because the entry fees are so low. Personally, if you are adding $1000 or more, the entry fee should be higher to help w/the payout and make the added money worthwhile.

If they are held on tables that use quarters, you would have to finish 5/6 to make any money at all (or at least break even if coming from the losers side)...if you are local. If you have to travel and pay for a room, you would need to finish 4th at least. So if your tables use quarters, I would suggest keeping the entry fee as high as the players would allow.

$1000 added tourney w/low entry fees just do not have the profitability opportunities that would attrack many people outside the region. So I hope you have a lot of pool players in the areas you hold your tourneys. If so, you do have the opportunity to do well.

I would suggest greens fees w/an entry fee of $40 to start. At least this a middle ground.

Good luck.
 
The tournaments are consistent to the same size table. Whichever size the room has most of. 90% of the tournaments are $15 green fees, but I make sure the tables are ready to play on when the players get there. That way they feel like they get their monies worth.
I do sn auction at each event but they aren't amounting to much. I'm having problems with the the rooms that have called me interested in hosting a tourney with them doing local advertising. Like this weekend, no flyers out and the employees had no idea there was a tournament scheduled. So when I drive 700 miles for an 11 player tournament, I get a real sour taste in my mouth
 
Sw10balltour said:
The tournaments are consistent to the same size table. Whichever size the room has most of. 90% of the tournaments are $15 green fees, but I make sure the tables are ready to play on when the players get there. That way they feel like they get their monies worth.
I do sn auction at each event but they aren't amounting to much. I'm having problems with the the rooms that have called me interested in hosting a tourney with them doing local advertising. Like this weekend, no flyers out and the employees had no idea there was a tournament scheduled. So when I drive 700 miles for an 11 player tournament, I get a real sour taste in my mouth
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Good luck. It sounds like you are trying to do the right thing.
 
The last tournament in Indianapolis at Brickyard Billiards was a $100 entry fee with $1500 added and it was full. The times before that is was $75 entry and I think the least they had was 54 or 55 once. If a tournament is run right and the players are happy it will be a success. Like someone posted earlier, there are several categories of players that will play in certain tournaments. The lesser skill level players are going to favor a lower entry fee tournament as to where the better players are not going to mind spending more money for good payday in return.
 
The most I am willing to donate is 40. By the time I spend gas food ect it turns into an expensive day.I'm a c+ b- player and the chance of me finishing is slim but I do enjoy giving it a chance.
 
Another thing that people have been complaining about lately is the fact that each game is $1 now on the bar table. That is the price in this area but im sure its different all over. There is a Saturday night tournament in town here that depending on the format is either $5 or $10. The bar add's $3 per player when it's $5 and $5 per player when it's $10. It has been averaging 15 to 25 players but after entry and quaters most people feel its not worth it.
 
I speak for myself and a few others (we talked about it just last night) that concerning the Colorado Springs tournament, none of us were willing to drive down that way and pay $60 to enter a bar table tournament.
If it were up here in the Denver area, maybe. And on the big tables, for sure.
The general conversation last night revolved around how with a tournament on the bit tables, you pretty much know who's likely to finish in the money...............................................the strong locals. So guys like me, want a shot at taking down a bigger name on the big table. It's a little more rewarding than doing the same on a bar table.
dave
 
I have never played a bar tournament before but I would be unhappy if I paid an entry fee then had t pay per game!
 
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