Opinions on split bracket formats

iusedtoberich

iusedtoberich

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
This format seems to be taking off in the recent year or two. What do you guys think? Pros/cons?

High side bracket, determined by a fargo or league cutoff (lets say 600 and above).
Low side bracket, let's say (599 and below).
Each bracket plays to the last 4 players, then those 8 players are combined into a single, final bracket. Numbers could be adjusted based on field size, of course.

Feedback thus far?

Now, what about the scenario where the two brackets had equal number of entrants, compared with the scenerio where the low bracket had twice as many entrants?

Feedback now?

Thanks.
 
If matches are still being handicapped, being a 550+ sucks. In terms of fargo rate you can loose big, but not win big.

But I guess they do it for a reason, because some will say they won't play, if not split bracket. And you avoid giving big handicaps. Also, the way I know them here in NYC, you can also play in the higher bracket, if you really want to. Sometimes with adjusted Fargo.
 
Split brackets are tough on the players toward the bottom rung of each bracket - only in the sense that you always have to play at your max potential to win multiple matches and win your bracket - any handicaps usually don’t compensate you to the degree of the difference in abilities.
If one is a 505 Fargo in the 500 to 750 Fargo bracket you had better play the best 500 of your life or you just have no chance in a bracket with 10 or so players at 600 or above.
 
In my opinion, split bracket format like that is just an unnecessary complexity that favors some players much more than others (those at the upper edge of the lower bracket). Normal handicap tournaments, where you assign everyone a handicap either manually or automatically (Fargo etc.) are more balanced, and I don't see what issue split bracket solves that normal handicaps don't.

I'd be interested to hear what benefits people are seeing with this system. I just can't come up with any reason to use it over normal handicaps. Surely no-one prefers a random split-off point that hugely benefits others, over a handicap distribution, which yes, is never perfect due to sandbagging, lack of knowledge etc., but is still much more balanced than a split bracket format.
 
Oikawa said:
In my opinion, split bracket format like that is just an unnecessary complexity that favors some players much more than others (those at the upper edge of the lower bracket). Normal handicap tournaments, where you assign everyone a handicap either manually or automatically (Fargo etc.) are more balanced, and I don't see what issue split bracket solves that normal handicaps don't.

I'd be interested to hear what benefits people are seeing with this system. I just can't come up with any reason to use it over normal handicaps. Surely no-one prefers a random split-off point that hugely benefits others, over a handicap distribution, which yes, is never perfect due to sandbagging, lack of knowledge etc., but is still much more balanced than a split bracket format.
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I think the idea is these type of tournaments will get more players. People are afraid of playing players who are much better than them even with the handicap. Now they go in knowing they will only be playing people with similar ratings until they make it deep. Just my thoughts not that I personally believe this.
 
Great points by all. I agree with about all of them thus far.

What do you guys think about vastly different numbers of players in one bracket vs the other? I guess no one saw what I saw yet:)
 
In the last few yrs there have a few split-br. events that have had massive payouts. The one's down south, Big Tyme Road Show, have had $300,000+ in the calcuttas. Some of the Vegas events have been really big as well. They tend to get big fields.
 
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