This past weekend i attended a reputable, handicapped, touring tournament that drew about 50 players. After three days of commuting and hard play i finished 5th. Not bad for a mediocre player! However, being a business owner, this does not make monetary sense... I will elaborate. $60 entry, $40 calcutta, $40 gas, $45 food and tip and over 40 hours of play and time away from my family, 5th place pays $100. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this one out.
Having said all of this, the money is not the primary reason i play pool... But for some, it is. The cut from the tournament was fair, the way it was orchestrated was smooth and the people involved in making the tournament happen were outstanding. After much thought, i have come to the realization that it is time to do away with the current way tournaments are funded. Here is a format i created in an attempt to change the current norm , i will call it "Equal Distribution"
Format
Entry fees $60, $100 and $150
Entrants can choose their own entry fee, Think of this like a multi line slot machine. Each coin (entry) activates a different pay out. You need the maximum coins to receive the largest jackpot. The machine will pay on cherries, bars and sevens. The sevens pay the most coins. If you play one coin ($60) you can collect only on the cherries. If you play two coins ($100) you can collect on cherries and bars. You need three coins inserted ($150) to collect on the sevens. The following format would encourage players to play with "maximum coins".
For the sake of argument, here is a simple example of the entrants and the payouts without money added or subtracted from an outside source.
(20) entrants have chosen to pay $150 (1st tier )
(20) entrants have chosen to pay $100 (2nd tier)
(20)entrants have chosen to pay $60 (3rd tier )
Total available prize fund for 1st tier players $6200
Total available prize fund for 2nd tier players $5200
Total available prize fund for 3rd tier players $3600
Payouts for entrants that have chosen to pay the $150 entry fee
1st place $2400
2nd place $1200
3rd place $800
4th place $600
5th/6th $400 each
7th/8th $200 each
Payouts for entrants that have chosen to pay the $100 entry fee
1st place $2200
2nd place $1000
3rd place $700
4th place $500
5th/6th $300 each
7th/8th $100 each
Payouts for entrants that have chosen to pay the $60 entry fee
1st place $1400
2nd place $800
3rd place $500
4th place $400
5th/6th $200 each
7th/8th $50 each
Okay, now what happens if a lower tier places. For the sake of argument, here is another example.
1st place was a third tier player, they would win $1400
2nd place was a third tier player, they would win $800
3rd place was a 1st tier player, they would win $800
4th place was a 2nd tier player, they would win $500
And so on...
Inevitably there will be "extra" money left over from the the tournament after the payouts. This money should be dumped into the following tour stops 1st tier prize fund. The monetary growth of the the "jackpot" would be substantial from stop to stop and would encourage players to play with "maximum coins". This format, in my opinion, would work best in a handicapped tournament.
Your Thought?