How to kill a local tournament...

[Billy_Bob]

I've seen a couple of small local tournaments "fizzle out" and die.

What happened in one case was the better players got greedy, designed the tournament to best suit themselves, and paid no attention to those people who show up and lose every tournament.

Well without those who show up and lose every week, you don't have a tournament!

So I feel it is *very* important for keep the losers happy and design the tournament the way they want it. Then when you get more people showing up, there is more money in the pot, and the better players win more cash.

Simple as that!

Things which can cause a tournament to fizzle out and die...

In one case, a tournament had a race to two for 8-ball on a *weeknight*. This was in an area where most of the people had to get up early to go to work the next day. Well many people told the TD they would play if it was a race to one and was over earlier, but they could not play if it was a race to two and lasted until 11 or midnight. The TD ignored all these people. The tournament fizzled out and died.

In another case, the better players insisted on having a 9-ball tournament in a small town bar where all the losers only played 8-ball. This did not succeed. Tournament fizzled out and died.

More?

 

[chefjeff]

In the 80's there used to be a Sunday night 9-ball tourney at a local bar.
It was supposed to start at the same time as when the Simpsons first came on. They started waiting til the Simpsons was over to start the tourney so anyone who actually showed up at the scheduled time was forced to wait for the tv. Then Married with Children started so then they begin to wait until it was over before starting. Then they waited whenever a good player called late and said he was coming and put him in a bye. After waiting for over an hour and a half one night and getting stuck with playing a late, A player, I quit it for good. It died soon thereafter and the director hadn't a clue as to why.

Jeff Livingston

 

[Cory in DC]

In the 80's there used to be a Sunday night 9-ball tourney at a local bar.
It was supposed to start at the same time as when the Simpsons first came on. ... After waiting for over an hour and a half one night and getting stuck with playing a late, A player, I quit it for good. It died soon thereafter and the director hadn't a clue as to why.

Jeff Livingston

I used to run a local tournament back in Chicago and had this problem for a while. And I've seen lots of tournaments get killed by the death spiral: the 8:00 tournament starts at 8:30, so everyone comes at 8:40 next week and it starts at 8:50, then 9:00 the next week, and so on. It's pretty important to start on time. But I never wanted to let byes go unfilled when I had paying players. Here's what I did, and it worked pretty well:

1. Arrive on time or before: free practice time and $10.00 entry (the weaker players consistently were the ones taking advantage of the free pool).

2. Call and arrive within 15 minutes of the start time: $12.00 entry (it goes up an additional $1.00 every five minutes). These players have a chance at a bye because they're in the draw. But these people can lose their spot to anyone who's currently in the bar and wants their spot.

3. Arrive without calling 1 second or more after start time: $15.00 entry, if there's room. They get randomly placed into the bye spots, so because they're late they have no shot at a bye.

4. In no case would I let a table sit empty waiting for someone to show up. Once I've played the available matches, it's a forfeit and the name goes to the losers side. They can still buy into the losers side if they show up before that match comes up.

5. We had a progressive 9-ball break pot with 2 names drawn. The first name gets a shot at the whole pot and the second gets a shot at half. My trick: the only names that go into the hat are those physically in the bar at start time.


Actually, to reward the regulars (mostly the weaker players -- APA 3s - 5s) even more, I only drew the names from those that (1) played the previous week, AND (2) were there on time in the current week.

Once I got all the rules in place, I had almost everyone arriving on time. And since the late players added money to the pot, and sometimes lost their spots, no one complained that it wasn't fair. At times there was bit**ing that it was arbitrary or vindictive, but it was all written down. Plus I could always say if you don't like it, come on time.

Cory

P.S. What's with censoring the word "b.i.t.c.h.i.n.g"? I can understand the F and C words, but "*****ing"? I wonder if "Hell" and "Damn" get asterisk-ized, too?

 

[The Bamboozler]

We had a local tournament die because the T.D. would hold up the tournament to allow players to show up late. Every week the tournament would be delayed because one player couldn't make it there on time. And it was this one player who won almost every week. Pissed people off and they stopped showing up. Plus, the owner was pool illiterate which didn't help much (poor table maintenance).

 

[Slowhand]

Slowhand has left the building

 

[LWW]

Absolutely correct.

Even with something as simple as a football pool I've always instituted a "last place gets their money back rule"...the person you want to stay is the person who never wins, and you can't do that unless you throw them a bone now and then.

LWW

 

[Black-Balled]

...They started waiting til the Simpsons was over to start the tourney

Jeff Livingston

I am pleased to hear that IA has its priorities in line. I would support that decision.

 

[vagabond]

It died soon thereafter and the director hadn't a clue as to why.

Jeff Livingston

like a guy who ate lot of garlic that morning and can`t understand why others are turning their heads away from him when he gets into the elevator.There are millions of them around us.

 

[mnorwood]

Death of tournaments.

1. Late starts....
2. A+ player mopping up....
3. Not enough tables...
4. Screwing around with the bracket....
5. Adjusting how the final works to benefit the TD himself or his good buddy...
6. Winner take all prizes...
7. Rules that change during the tournament to benefit td's jerk off buddy...
8. Bad equipment...
9. Smoke that's so thick even the smokers comment about it...
10.TD's who urge you to split first place money in lieu of playing the final..
11.Having to have 30 dollars worth of quarters to work your way through a field cause the greedy ass owner will not open the coin op tables.

Ha I could go on for a while!

 

[Craig Fales]

1. Late starts....
2. A+ player mopping up....
3. Not enough tables...
4. Screwing around with the bracket....
5. Adjusting how the final works to benefit the TD himself or his good buddy...
6. Winner take all prizes...
7. Rules that change during the tournament to benefit td's jerk off buddy...
8. Bad equipment...
9. Smoke that's so thick even the smokers comment about it...
10.TD's who urge you to split first place money in lieu of playing the final..
11.Having to have 30 dollars worth of quarters to work your way through a field cause the greedy ass owner will not open the coin op tables.

Ha I could go on for a while!

That pretty much sums up the tournaments here in sunny, southern Michigan....some are still going, some not....
________

 

[Mind4Pool]

My biggest beef with local tournies is that they don't like new faces. I ran a tourny and loved it when a new player showed up and won. This always meant that they would be back and most likely, tell their friends about it.

I played in some small local tournaments and felt very awkward when I won any matches. Everyone treated me like I was a cheat just because I got into a zone. I even got disqualified in the semis of one when their local pro was doing bad and I got a few LUCKY games on him. He told them I was a shark cause I should not have been able to beat him. I got punished for playing well.

In order for any tournament to survive, you need new faces. Do not cater to pros unless they are positive and helpful.

 

[StormHotRod300]

i live in western michigan, and the problem i see with tournaments, is you have some players who want to steal tournaments with easy wins.

So you have A rated players trying to get into C/D or C/B tournaments.

Also why is it, you can get 40 good players to show up at a 5$ race to 3 tournament? But its impossible to get 16 people to show up for a 15$ race to 7 tournament?

Big problem, 7ft tables need i say more.

Short races, making it a crap shoot.

crappy tables, billard balls that havent been cleaned.

 

[The Bamboozler]

No wonder so many pool players have taken up poker.

 

[Bamacues]

All Star Billiards, Frederick MD has had a great Saturday tournament going on for around 3 years now, every Saturday. It is based on APA handicaps and is divided into 2 brackets, SL2,3,4 and S/L 5,6,7. The brackets play through and then the winners of each bracket (usually top 4 places in each) play an APA race against the same position bracket finisher in the other bracket. This way, the low skill level players are guaranteed to finish in the money if they place in their bracket's top 4. Also, it can be very difficult for an S/L 7 to beat a very good S/L 4 in a 5-2 race. We always have around 40-60 players every Saturday. Practice starts at 11AM, Calcutta auction begins at 12 noon, and the tourney starts right after the calcutta. Entry fee is $15. Payout includung the calcutta can be quite good.

 

[Skeezicks]

It is based on APA handicaps and is divided into 2 brackets, SL2,3,4 and S/L 5,6,7. .

I assume this is 8-ball.

The brackets play through

Are these APA races? SE or DE?

and then the winners of each bracket (usually top 4 places in each) play an APA race against the same position bracket finisher in the other bracket.

So 1st high plays 1st low for 1st and 2nd, 2nd high plays 2nd low for 3rd and 4th, etc?

This way, the low skill level players are guaranteed to finish in the money if they place in their bracket's top 4. Also, it can be very difficult for an S/L 7 to beat a very good S/L 4 in a 5-2 race. We always have around 40-60 players every Saturday. Practice starts at 11AM,

How many tables are used? How late does it run?

 

[BRKNRUN]

No wonder so many pool players have taken up poker.

Actually I think it's more because it takes no skill to win a poker tournament...

It takes actual skill to shoot decent pool. I have never seen a first timer win a pool tournament...I have seen first timers that have no clue cash and even win poker events...

Case in point....Did you notice in the WSOP how many "first timers" there were in the field...There was one guy that was just in town for a bowling tournament and ends up scoring something like $200k.....

NOTE TO ALL POKER FANS: I am NOT saying that there is no skill in poker...There is definatley a skill set that will give you a definate advantage when playing someone who has not developed poker skills..(knowledge)....All I am saying is that there is no amount of skill that is going to stop that gut shot 6 from spiking on the river that gives your "first timer" the A/6 two pair against your all in A/K kicker.