Tournaments that are handicapped, and run a Calcutta / player auction

[animatedvmaker]

I was just remembering all of the tournaments that I ever played in.

Most of them were handicapped, and most of them ran a player auction (calcutta).

I never felt like I was rated / handicapped fairly, because I mostly came from out of town in most of those tournaments, and / or was not a regular.

Like for example, they would rank me as an A, but it was pretty clear to me that most of their B ranked players played just a good as I did, but I would have to give them something like the 8 and the break, playing 9 ball, and if I played a C ranked player, then I might have to give them the 7, 8 and the breaks.

And some of those C players played pretty good.

Many of those C ranked players would sell for pretty good money in the Calcutta too, so maybe some of the auction buyers knew an inside secret about them being under ranked?

If a well known road player came through, and played, then they might rank them a AA or AAA, and they would have to give out crazy weight, like the 6 out, the breaks, and maybe also a few games on the wire, going to 5 or whatever.

Anyways, if a player went for like a $100 for example, in the Calcutta, then it would seem that maybe that player probably has an unfair advantage in that handicapped tournament.

Anyways, thanks for any thoughts about handicapped tournaments, that run a player auction. Do you think they are rigged, or do you think that most of them are run fairly?

Thanks for your thoughts about this.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

Arizona back in the day, I am talking 5 ++ years ago had some Tournments that used a Handicappy System, it was called the Arizona Rating System. Players were rated 4 to 10, a "4", could hold a Cue, maybe Chalk Tip, a "10", was a Pro Player. Goofy system, but worked OK. Most tournaments also had SIDE POTS, that I never figure out how to win, and never bother getting in.

Also there were a few "open" tournments, were there was no handicapping, best player mostly won because week players were just donating to the prize pool. The argument was you got experence, but mostly were not told the experence was racking, loosing, donations - aka supporting pool.

 

[animatedvmaker]

Arizona back in the day, I am talking 5 ++ years ago had some Tournments that used a Handicappy System, it was called the Arizona Rating System. Players were rated 4 to 10, a "4", could hold a Cue, maybe Chalk Tip, a "10", was a Pro Player. Goofy system, but worked OK. Most tournaments also had SIDE POTS, that I never figure out how to win, and never bother getting in.

Also there were a few "open" tournments, were there was no handicapping, best player mostly won because week players were just donating to the prize pool. The argument was you got experence, but mostly were not told the experence was racking, loosing, donations - aka supporting pool.

Oh yeah, and there are also the handicapped tournaments that use a Number ranking system, like from 3 to 15.

It would seem that maybe spotting a player games on the wire would be easier then spotting them balls (like the 6 out for example).

 

[buckshotshoey]

Arizona back in the day, I am talking 5 ++ years ago had some Tournments that used a Handicappy System, it was called the Arizona Rating System. Players were rated 4 to 10, a "4", could hold a Cue, maybe Chalk Tip, a "10", was a Pro Player. Goofy system, but worked OK. Most tournaments also had SIDE POTS, that I never figure out how to win, and never bother getting in.

Also there were a few "open" tournments, were there was no handicapping, best player mostly won because week players were just donating to the prize pool. The argument was you got experence, but mostly were not told the experence was racking, loosing, donations - aka supporting pool.

Isnt that exactly what the gamblers on this site want you to do? It's pretty much the same thing. Just not one on one. Losing your money is supposed to give you "heart".

 

[dardusm]

That's one of the problems when playing in a handicapped tournament especially when there is a calcutta involved. I don't blame tournament directors that will handicap unknown players on the high side. Let's see piss off the out of town player that may never play in another tournament again? or piss off the locals that support your tournament?

I'm not a fan of handicapped tournaments and usually won't travel to play in one or even play in one locally. But, I understand the economics behind them so I have a choice to play in them or not. If I do play, then I don't complain about someone being under handicapped because I've never played or ran a handicapped event that at least one person wasn't happy due to their skill level or their opponent's. The other side of the coin is that I think handicap tournaments hurt the level of play overall. As long as there are both options available, I'm ok with it but if all tournaments go to pure handicap such as fargo then my days of competing in tournaments is over.

 

[Tin Man]

+1

That's one of the problems when playing in a handicapped tournament especially when there is a calcutta involved. I don't blame tournament directors that will handicap unknown players on the high side. Let's see piss off the out of town player that may never play in another tournament again? or piss off the locals that support your tournament?

I'm not a fan of handicapped tournaments and usually won't travel to play in one or even play in one locally. But, I understand the economics behind them so I have a choice to play in them or not. If I do play, then I don't complain about someone being under handicapped because I've never played or ran a handicapped event that at least one person wasn't happy due to their skill level or their opponent's. The other side of the coin is that I think handicap tournaments hurt the level of play overall. As long as there are both options available, I'm ok with it but if all tournaments go to pure handicap such as fargo then my days of competing in tournaments is over.

I agree with this 100%. I understand handicapped tournaments, but I don't enjoy them. So I don't play.

As a result, in 2019 I played a grand total of one pool tournament in my home state of Minnesota. One. It is a yearly non-handicapped event that has been going on for decades and is very sentimental. Other than that I only played in regional events or national events. I'd rather fly and get beat even up by a champion.

As for calcuttas, yeah, this really puts me off. Like these guys in the audience know who's been underhandicapped and they get to make money watching top players get torn apart by a big spot while they are chortling and cutting up money. No thanks. I'll pass.

 

[garczar]

The Midwest 9ball Tour used to have a yearly rated event in Cape Girardeau,Mo. Always got a big field and a big calcutta. No issues that i know of. Probably 95% of the field knew each other or someone knew a players skill level. Hard for player to sneak in under the radar. If no one knew you you automatically got the highest rating.

 

[Ken_4fun]

Back in the day, and maybe still today when I play in handicapped tournament they go by APA ratings.

I think I was rated a 3 or 4 the last time I played APA, but at that time I hadn't played for years but I was still playing as a 3, yeah for me!

I was gambling and I beat this woman before the tournament in some cheap gambling 9 ball. This is all well and good, but when the Calcutta was announced I was a 3 and she was a 5 or 6, and I had drilled her gambling. She threw a fit, and they raised me.

The rule was you were ranked at your APA level, so I think they should have let me play as a 3 or at worst a 4. That wasn't the case, and as noted by the OP, I was out of town so I knew I would get the short end of the stick.

Ken

 

[animatedvmaker]

The Midwest 9ball Tour used to have a yearly rated event in Cape Girardeau,Mo. Always got a big field and a big calcutta. No issues that i know of. Probably 95% of the field knew each other or someone knew a players skill level. Hard for player to sneak in under the radar. If no one knew you you automatically got the highest rating.

I always loved traveling to the Billiard Center, in Cape Girardeau. That place was always full of nits, and good players. That place was such a fun place to hang out at. There would always be road players coming through, looking for a game. Many very strong players from St. Louis would come there from time to time, but would have a hard time finding a game. I image it is still a good spot for road players to go to, and they probably still hold a good weekly 9 ball tournament.

They had a really good weekly, handicapped, 9 ball tournament going on for the longest time, and it had a Calcutta. Many of the C players played pretty good, and were "run out" players, when faced with any table that was wide open, which was pretty easy to get out on, on a 7 foot Valley table, so it was those guys who would usually go for the most money in the Calcutta, because the stronger players had to give up such a big spot to them, like the 7, 8, and the breaks.

 

[animatedvmaker]

Back in the day, and maybe still today when I play in handicapped tournament they go by APA ratings.

I think I was rated a 3 or 4 the last time I played APA, but at that time I hadn't played for years but I was still playing as a 3, yeah for me!

I was gambling and I beat this woman before the tournament in some cheap gambling 9 ball. This is all well and good, but when the Calcutta was announced I was a 3 and she was a 5 or 6, and I had drilled her gambling. She threw a fit, and they raised me.

The rule was you were ranked at your APA level, so I think they should have let me play as a 3 or at worst a 4. That wasn't the case, and as noted by the OP, I was out of town so I knew I would get the short end of the stick.

Ken

The APA was always full of sandbaggers, in my experience. I went out to Vegas as a 5, and the 5's out there played like 7's, and the 7's played much stronger then any local 7 I ever seen in my local area.

Anyways, I assume that if you were a 3, or a 4 when you played, then that rank would expire after a years time, but I am not sure how that works. If you had not played in at least a year, then your name and rank should no longer be in the system.

I think in tournaments like that, they should only allow current APA players, who are currently playing, and have at least so many matches recorded within the last 3 months (or maybe 6 months at the most).

If you are in the system, but have not played in like a year for example, and you do not have a local player to vouch for your current speed, then they should rank you at least at a 5, in my opinion.

Most would probably put you at a 7, playing 8 ball, or a 9 playing 9 ball though, if they did not know your current speed.

In my experience, they would not even allow me to play if I was not in the APA. Many tournaments only allow current APA players to enter.

 

[garczar]

I always loved traveling to the Billiard Center, in Cape Girardeau. That place was always full of nits, and good players. That place was such a fun place to hang out at. There would always be road players coming through, looking for a game. Many very strong players from St. Louis would come there from time to time, but would have a hard time finding a game. I image it is still a good spot for road players to go to, and they probably still hold a good weekly 9 ball tournament.

They had a really good weekly, handicapped, 9 ball tournament going on for the longest time, and it had a Calcutta. Many of the C players played pretty good, and were "run out" players, when faced with any table that was wide open, which was pretty easy to get out on, on a 7 foot Valley table, so it was those guys who would usually go for the most money in the Calcutta, because the stronger players had to give up such a big spot to them, like the 7, 8, and the breaks.

Changed name to Blue Diamond Sports or something like that. Haven't been in a while but from their FB pics it looks about the same.

 

[SpiderWeb]

I was just remembering all of the tournaments that I ever played in.

Most of them were handicapped, and most of them ran a player auction (calcutta).

I never felt like I was rated / handicapped fairly, because I mostly came from out of town in most of those tournaments, and / or was not a regular.

Like for example, they would rank me as an A, but it was pretty clear to me that most of their B ranked players played just a good as I did, but I would have to give them something like the 8 and the break, playing 9 ball, and if I played a C ranked player, then I might have to give them the 7, 8 and the breaks.

And some of those C players played pretty good.

Many of those C ranked players would sell for pretty good money in the Calcutta too, so maybe some of the auction buyers knew an inside secret about them being under ranked?

If a well known road player came through, and played, then they might rank them a AA or AAA, and they would have to give out crazy weight, like the 6 out, the breaks, and maybe also a few games on the wire, going to 5 or whatever.

Anyways, if a player went for like a $100 for example, in the Calcutta, then it would seem that maybe that player probably has an unfair advantage in that handicapped tournament.

Anyways, thanks for any thoughts about handicapped tournaments, that run a player auction. Do you think they are rigged, or do you think that most of them are run fairly?

Thanks for your thoughts about this.

I feel like i no the place u r talking about. They rate the locals very low and then out bid everyone so they can steal the money. the further you travel the worse they rate u.