how do calcuttas work?
- Thread starter Bohemyth
- Start date
The auctioneer puts each player up for auction and anyone can "buy" that player.
Players are auctioned off (with a usual minimum bid of $20).
The auctioneer may know the player and start the bidding higher (Chris Miller is an excellent auctioneer).
Once all players are bought, the money goes into the pot and is broken down into payouts.
Example:
Calcutta Payouts:
1st: $20,000
2nd: $8,000
3rd: $2,500
If Shane Van Boening goes up for auction and I win him for $4,000.
That money now goes into the pot.
If Shane Van Boening wins the tournament, he will win the tournament payout and whoever bought him, in the auction, will be payed $20,000.
Some calcuttas allow the player to buy half of themselves. Resulting in them receiving half of the payment. So, SVB would receive $10,000 of the $20,000 if he bought half of himself.
Shane would also be allowed to bid on himself in the auction and if he won himself, then wins the tournament, he would receive the full $20,000 for 1st place in the calcutta.
Players are auctioned off (with a usual minimum bid of $20).
The auctioneer may know the player and start the bidding higher (Chris Miller is an excellent auctioneer).
Once all players are bought, the money goes into the pot and is broken down into payouts.
Example:
Calcutta Payouts:
1st: $20,000
2nd: $8,000
3rd: $2,500
If Shane Van Boening goes up for auction and I win him for $4,000.
That money now goes into the pot.
If Shane Van Boening wins the tournament, he will win the tournament payout and whoever bought him, in the auction, will be payed $20,000.
Some calcuttas allow the player to buy half of themselves. Resulting in them receiving half of the payment. So, SVB would receive $10,000 of the $20,000 if he bought half of himself.
Shane would also be allowed to bid on himself in the auction and if he won himself, then wins the tournament, he would receive the full $20,000 for 1st place in the calcutta.
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Good explanation, but one point to clarify: the tournament prize pot and the Calcutta pot are different and separate pots.
thanks for clearing that up, was gonna be my next question. so the Calcutta is all side action? does everyone have to be purchased. If they are not purchased and they win who gets the money?
It's all side action, but every tournament I've played in, they made the calcutta mandatory. A mandatory calcutta is bulls*** in my opinion.
Calcutta is fairy simple. It's just a player auction. Each player is auctioned off and starting bid should be $5-$10 or so. The money collected from the auction us divided up into a first second and third payout or should reflect same payout and percentages of the tournament money. Players and spectators alike can buy the players. Whoever the bidder who bought the player which wins the tournament win the first place calcutta money. For example, you're the best player at the tournament and everyone knows it so you are getting high bids on the calcutta. You are auctioned off for $80, and bought by Susie. Bill, an average player is auctioned off for $40; bought by Mike. Let's say that Bill, the average player, wins the tournament by beating you. Bill would get first place tournament money and you would get second place tournament money. Mike would win first place calcutta money, and Susie would win second place Calcutta money. Often the calcutta winnings are more than the tournament winnings.
so if no ones wants to buy a player who pays? the player has to put it on himself??
Typically any player not bought would go into the pool. At the end of the auction the pool is sold as a group.
makes sense, thanks everyone!
i have never seen a calcutta where a player won who was not sold and ive seen 100s or more
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You forgot the player may be so pissed he did not get himself, he will intentionally lose to "warn" about future calcuttas and to leave him alone. Buy at your own risk.
JV
JV
He would be playing for at least third place, I can't imagine them losing on purpose. Also, usually the player has the option to buy half of themselves.
Efren Reyes ( Caesar Morales) in Houston at Reds tournament. He sold on one $100.00 bid by one of his buddies and won the tournament. Heck, I sold for more then that.
After witnessing a very good open speed player throw a tantrum and lose two matches to C players, I know this happened. Yes, they had the option to buy themselves.
I have also seen players lose the first round and forfeit the second in a "screw it" I am behind, lets go to the go-go bar or poker game...
As I said.. buyer beware
JV
No one said it is not a gamble. If the player does not have a piece of themselves they can do what they want. They have enough to worry about much less some guy who is trying to make a buck off their efforts. Many players see them as parasites. I have seen exactly what said happen with Strickland. He got so mad he was just raking the balls any time he didn't get out forfeiting the game.
He lost to a guy who should not have gotten to 5. in the race to 11. Then never showed up the next day and forfeited out of the tournament. there was no calcutta, but I doubt it would have mattered to him anyway. When he goes nuts he doesn't think about anyone else. I saw Sigel also do something similar. He lost his first match and just didn't even try after that. He lost his next match and left and went fishing.
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Should state that SVB would receive $10,000 if he bought half of himself. He gets the whole $20,000 if he bought all of himself.
Here's something I was never clear on, is the payout just randomly decided by the TD?
Do they always pay back 100% of the money, and just redistribute it from a bunch of people
to a handful of people? Or do they keep a cut for themselves? Any legal ramifications to keeping a cut?
What's the typical percentage breakdown? I think they posted pics of the white diamond calcutta
and first was 25% (?) of the pot, is that typical?
Do they always pay back 100% of the money, and just redistribute it from a bunch of people
to a handful of people? Or do they keep a cut for themselves? Any legal ramifications to keeping a cut?
What's the typical percentage breakdown? I think they posted pics of the white diamond calcutta
and first was 25% (?) of the pot, is that typical?
From my understanding and experience (bolded in red)
What is legal and what isn't varies from state to state.
Usually calcutta payout is not nearly as deep as tournament payout, and there's a good reason for this, especially for tournaments with one or two clear favorites.
a 64-player tournament might pay out 16 in the tourney and just 4 in the calcutta. Calcutta payout might be 40%, 30%, 20% and 10%