Handicapped 9-Ball Tournament - Thoughts

I know it has been beat to death, but Fargorate is a great solution imo. The problem where I live is very few, if any, tournament brackets are posted online and nobody really reports to Fargorate, even leagues. I don’t play league so that wouldn’t help me anyway though. Just about the only way to get an established rating around here is to travel to bigger tournaments out of the state. There are quite a few guys in my area that play in the B+ to A range who aren’t in the system at all. I have a few games in system but only because, once in a blue moon, I still take a road trip and hit an open tournament here and there.

I’ve been trying to talk the owner of my local room into reporting tournament and league results to Fargorate...he just says he’ll look into it. :shrug:

Exactly I live in KY and I doubt there is 25 players from the state that are ranked accurately
 
I've played in tournaments where I was wildly over handicapped and lost. I've also played in tournaments where I was wildly under handicapped and lost. So with or without handicap, the common denominator is I lose. It doesn't concern me a bit.
 
First of all I'm not totally against Fargo ratings but they are useless to the average player
If your not a touring pro or a league player they mean nothing and cannot be used to accuratly handicap a tournament

For example I don't know you and you don't know me, let's say you me and my son
are all entered in the same handicapped tournament You said your fargorate is
around 550. Me and my son neither have a fargorate so our rating is 0. Now tell
you would handicap a match between you and either one of us using fargorate
According to fargorate you are 550 points above us which means you are a dead
lock to beat both of us. So where do we get placed in the field of say 64 players?

As you say Fargo Ratings would be useless there. But unknown players are not treated as having a 0 rating. They have no rating at all. And FargoRate would have no recommendation for the matchup between the 550 and you or your son.

There IS a mechanism to accommodate players without a rating, though for people who choose to use it. If the TD thinks you play similar to players rated 500 and your son plays similar to players rated 600, then these guesses can be used before you have a Fargo Rating. As you play in a few tournaments and collect games this guess is being adjusted/informed by the results and you have what is called a preliminary rating (not a Fargo Rating.) Once you have 200 games the original guess is ignored and you have a Fargo Rating.
 
Exactly I live in KY and I doubt there is 25 players from the state that are ranked accurately

You are almost surrounded

States in blue have 100 or more player with established ratings
 

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As you say Fargo Ratings would be useless there. But unknown players are not treated as having a 0 rating. They have no rating at all. And FargoRate would have no recommendation for the matchup between the 550 and you or your son.

There IS a mechanism to accommodate players without a rating, though for people who choose to use it. If the TD thinks you play similar to players rated 500 and your son plays similar to players rated 600, then these guesses can be used before you have a Fargo Rating. As you play in a few tournaments and collect games this guess is being adjusted/informed by the results and you have what is called a preliminary rating (not a Fargo Rating.) Once you have 200 games the original guess is ignored and you have a Fargo Rating.

Mike, what described above happened to me.

TD....witnessed me playing sky in Huntsville AL, a few years ago. It was cheap match for around a $200 for a very short set....i think to 5.

Long story short, sky played well, but I got a few (understatement) great rolls that enabled me to win the race. Remember, it was a cheap match. I'm sure it meant more to me than sky. I had to ask him to play three or four times before he accepted. It was not really worth his time but he finally agreed.

My point:

Following week, I enter a tournament in that area and the TD (same TD) entered me WAY higher than I should have been.

He later realized that he made a mistake but it was to late at that point.

He told me unless I got out often and played in tournaments that were rated I would most likely be done like that again. So, for players like myself that rarely leave their home, it sucks butt I understand that it has to be that way or the complete opposite can happen.
 
Exactly. Most of the tournaments local to me are 90% nut hunters. I refuse to play like that.

The guy that owns the room says it's a good event. Lol....he does not have a clue about pool or bow tournaments should be run. All the non-practicing players LOVE handicapped tournaments.

With handicapped tourneys they don't need to practice. As a matter of fact, if they play worse this week they get moved down......then they win the next tournament.

I had to give a guy 9 / 3 and I played this guy a few weeks earlier in private and barely beat him giving him the call 7 in ten ball.

This is how our match went:

Game 1, He won flip, broke, ran all but dogged the 9.....i pocket 9 and win. Score 1/0

Game 2, I string 4 racks. Score 5/0

Game 6, I break dry he runs out. 5/1

Game 7, he breaks, runs couple balls and shoots a nut up safe, I kick and hit it but he out. Score 5/2

Game 8, he breaks and runs out.

Match over score 5/3 in race where I go to 9 and he goes to 3.

Yeah, handicapped tournaments are awesome



That's it, I lose.
If he ran out the only 3 games he had to win, obviously his handicap was way off. Someone getting a 6 game spot in a race to 9 even against a very good player like yourself, shouldn't be able to make more than 3-4 balls in a row, once in a while. Don't blame the player - blame the TD!
 
Mike, what described above happened to me.

TD....witnessed me playing sky in Huntsville AL, a few years ago. It was cheap match for around a $200 for a very short set....i think to 5.

Long story short, sky played well, but I got a few (understatement) great rolls that enabled me to win the race. Remember, it was a cheap match. I'm sure it meant more to me than sky. I had to ask him to play three or four times before he accepted. It was not really worth his time but he finally agreed.

My point:

Following week, I enter a tournament in that area and the TD (same TD) entered me WAY higher than I should have been.

He later realized that he made a mistake but it was to late at that point.

He told me unless I got out often and played in tournaments that were rated I would most likely be done like that again. So, for players like myself that rarely leave their home, it sucks butt I understand that it has to be that way or the complete opposite can happen.
I guess I'm not a gambler, as I don't consider a $200 race to 5 as a cheap set. What are you comparing it to I guess is the question? For pro level players, I guess you're correct. For most of us here though, I'm assuming that would not be considered a cheap set.
 
If he ran out the only 3 games he had to win, obviously his handicap was way off. Someone getting a 6 game spot in a race to 9 even against a very good player like yourself, shouldn't be able to make more than 3-4 balls in a row, once in a while. Don't blame the player - blame the TD!

I understand your line of thinking. Under normal circumstances you would be mostly correct.

The TD was aware of the guys skills. So, again your correct. That, to me, makes that TD NOT FIT to be a TD ever again. But, the TD owns and operates the room and all that happens in it.

Now, for the player who accepts the rank he sandbagged to get. He and the owner are pretty close friends. Then again, there are several players that should be rated a BCA 7 that are rated a BCA 4 or 5 for the same reason.......they are the TD's (room owner) friends and he buys them (or at least does his best) in every tournament he has.

How does he almost always get them? Lol......with a player such as myself he will start off at $40 in auction and then when I bid one or more of his buddies will bid then I'm faced with knowing that if I keep bidding I will be stuck in a situation that is a loser unless I win 1st place.

Most players go for $5 to $20 in his auctions but he will cut a friends bidding off very fast so they go cheap.

Not to mention, in anyone of his tournaments there is subject to be up to 5 or 6 people that are underrated and they always go up together.

He'll, they don't even try to hide it anymore. Sometimes just one of them will go up and pay for all of their entry fees at once.

Again, you are correct. It is the TD's responsibility to stop it BUT it takes a sorry piece of crap to sandbag in that manner and to that point.

I get it. I like winning too. But I had rather win because I'm the better player or just got the rolls but never because I'm underanked by at least 2 skill levels.

So, in the end, to me, the blame is 50/50 TD (room owner) and piece of crap sandbaging players.

All of that is "most" of the reason I rarely play outside my home. Sometimes I will show up to tournament to see if all the guilty bunch is there. If only a couple then I'll sometimes take a chance a try to outrun the nuts but if there are 5, 6 or 7 of them I just and go home.

Remember, sometimes there may only be 20 or so people in the tournament. When that few, that means 25% to 30% of the field is underrated and partners. And the owner likes it that way. He says when better player show up it kills his pool business.

Anyway, I know it going in now so, I'm prepared to leave or just man up and not say a word.
 
As you say Fargo Ratings would be useless there. But unknown players are not treated as having a 0 rating. They have no rating at all. And FargoRate would have no recommendation for the matchup between the 550 and you or your son.

There IS a mechanism to accommodate players without a rating, though for people who choose to use it. If the TD thinks you play similar to players rated 500 and your son plays similar to players rated 600, then these guesses can be used before you have a Fargo Rating. As you play in a few tournaments and collect games this guess is being adjusted/informed by the results and you have what is called a preliminary rating (not a Fargo Rating.) Once you have 200 games the original guess is ignored and you have a Fargo Rating.

My point was if the TD didn't know the player. For example I played in an open tournament earlier this year nobody there knew me I finished 4th. I lost to Hennessee
and Olinger while not on their level I play decent. Another example I play the Midwest
Barbox Classic only one player in the building knew me. I bought myself in the calcutta
for $20 and finished 1 spot out of the money

My son plays at maybe 500 speed fargorate. My point is one of us is going to be way overrated or way underrated
 
You are almost surrounded

States in blue have 100 or more player with established ratings

I know players from all over the state and most have no rating or
less than 25 games in the system. No tournaments here turn in results
to fargorate and none of the leagues I know of do either. I don't play
league and only know of one that exist. Therefore it is almost
impossible for fargorate to be used in the state
 
I guess I'm not a gambler, as I don't consider a $200 race to 5 as a cheap set. What are you comparing it to I guess is the question? For pro level players, I guess you're correct. For most of us here though, I'm assuming that would not be considered a cheap set.

As far as $200 being a cheap set, well, he would not play for anything less. I have played several pros, won some and lost some. Most every pro I've played wanted to play for more and for short sets of 5 to 7 as they do not want to spend more time than needed to "make money".....after all, that is their job.

I would love to play him even everyday for couple hours a day for $20 to $30 a set race to 9 or 11 but I'm pretty sure he would laugh at the thought of that, as the $$$ amount at the end of day wouldn't add up to make it worthwhile.

As for what "is cheap", well, everyone's cheap is a different number depending on the situation at the time.

Rake
 
No, everyone cant dunk on a 9' basket.

Goals are on the ground.

Pool players...hmmmph.

They cant? I guess the playground I play at is even tougher than I thought cause most everyone at my playground can dunk on 9' basket ....even though, most of them are still doing their best to improve to the point of slamming it on regulation "basket"...(lol..not a goal) from the free-throw line.

I guess some are not happy with being just mediocre on a 9' basket even though, it seems that some are fine with it to a disturbing point.

Goals are on the ground? Damn, then that would explain why I am no better at this than I am. I do not even know the difference between the basket and the goal.

Pool players.....yep, some worse than others. Then again, some better than others. hmmmph.
 
I guess I'm not a gambler, as I don't consider a $200 race to 5 as a cheap set. What are you comparing it to I guess is the question? For pro level players, I guess you're correct. For most of us here though, I'm assuming that would not be considered a cheap set.

What do you consider to be a cheap set?

As in cheap enough to not hurt you financially but at the same time enough $$$ to force you to focus and do your level best?

I'm not gonna try to assume what others on here consider a cheap anything for obvious reasons that common sense tells us.

I've got a couple friends that consider 2 or 3k sets cheap as in, just hitting them around. Then again, I've got friends that will not and cannot play for more than $2 a game and will drag up after getting $10 hooked.

You just never know,

Rake
 
As far as $200 being a cheap set, well, he would not play for anything less. I have played several pros, won some and lost some. Most every pro I've played wanted to play for more and for short sets of 5 to 7 as they do not want to spend more time than needed to "make money".....after all, that is their job.

I would love to play him even everyday for couple hours a day for $20 to $30 a set race to 9 or 11 but I'm pretty sure he would laugh at the thought of that, as the $$$ amount at the end of day wouldn't add up to make it worthwhile.

As for what "is cheap", well, everyone's cheap is a different number depending on the situation at the time.

Rake
OK, I understand now and I agree - certainly a $200 set is considered a "cheap" set for a highly ranked pro player trying to make a living playing pool, and he may not be willing to play for anything less. I was just making the point that it would not be considered a "cheap" set for most of us.
 
OK, I understand now and I agree - certainly a $200 set is considered a "cheap" set for a highly ranked pro player trying to make a living playing pool, and he may not be willing to play for anything less. I was just making the point that it would not be considered a "cheap" set for most of us.

I too, understand. I knew what you were asking and why.

As I said earlier, I have friends that are loaded and have more gamble that anyone I've met or know of on here. Also have friends that are scared to play for more than two dollars a game.

With one of my extremely wealthy friends that would be equal to a BCA 7 or so, I give him the wild 8 and last three or wild 8 and 7 games on wire going to 21. Ever now and then he will play 10 ahead with last three and breaks using wooden rack.

He refuses to play for less than 2k a set. He made the mistake of trying to high roll me once...lol. He has not done that again. The car is in my driveway now....lol. He's a friend but money is money and I worked hard for mine. He inherited his...must be nice. I like to play him, not cause of money, he's fun to be around.

My broke (like me) friend....lol...... a few weeks ago we played a race to 15 for $20. He is probably equal to a WEAK BCA 9 or STRONG BCA 8.

I gave him call 7 and breaks race to 15. Almost went hill/hill. Talk about working hard for a twenty...lol.

Anyways, that gives you an idea of what I'm capable of/and willing to do on a given day.

Long story short:

I LOVE pool. I'd rather play pool as to eat when hungry.

There is nothing better than a long set to 25 (or more) for $50 or $100 with a player can string racks together. Thing is, most other player that can string racks at all will not play that cheap.

Anyways, I think you know where I'm coming from and hopefully understand more about why I constantly play and talk about ghost races...etc

Rake
 
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