unique playoff format for my league

[djoverboard]

My league does not use a traditional bracket style playoff. instead we use what is called a ladder format. Say our league is 16 players The first playoff match is 16 vs. 15. The winner then plays #14 the winner then plays #13 and on down the line.
It incentivizes and rewards people to finish higher up in the standings. If you finish first the worst you can do is finish in second place.

I'm curious if anyone else has ever used this format and what peoples thoughts on it are?

 

[David in FL]

My league does not use a traditional bracket style playoff. instead we use what is called a ladder format. Say our league is 16 players The first playoff match is 16 vs. 15. The winner then plays #14 the winner then plays #13 and on down the line.
It incentivizes and rewards people to finish higher up in the standings. If you finish first the worst you can do is finish in second place.

I'm curious if anyone else has ever used this format and what peoples thoughts on it are?

Sounds like it would take forever since you have to play 15 matches, none of which could be played simultaneously.

Beyond that though, why even bother with playoffs if your goal is to “reward” those who finish higher in the session standings. Give the first place team/player the cheese and be done with it.

I much prefer seeding the playoffs. 1 plays 16, 2 plays 15, etc... A better system imho.

 

[cstrombe]

We had a ladder at work where we had a table in the break room and people would challenge up the ladder when they had time. It was a good format for kind of a never-ending tournament essentially. Not sure how well it would work in a defined tournament, but was fun at work.

 

[sjm]

I like your league's format. As it can take a while, I'd go with shorter races, perhaps 50. This format is not unlike how pro bowling works. In bowling, the top five reach the playoff. Five plays four, then the winner plays #3, and so on. The top seed is guaranteed second place for excellence in the qualifying rounds.

 

[The_JV]

Waaay back in the tail end of my snookers days. The room I played out of had a ladder season. You could challenge above you and had to accept a challenge from below. Once the challenge was made you had a week to play it, or forfeit your position. The person at the bottom had to accept a challenge from anyone who wasn't already on the ladder and paid to join in.

If you lost a challenge you made, the you couldn't challenge that player for another week. This gave an opportunity for the player below you to jump into your spot.

I was never close to the top so I can't recall what the top shots ended up with.

 

[Bob Jewett]

My league does not use a traditional bracket style playoff. instead we use what is called a ladder format. Say our league is 16 players The first playoff match is 16 vs. 15. The winner then plays #14 the winner then plays #13 and on down the line. ...

Does your league also require a minimum number of matches in a season?

Is play scratch?

 

[djoverboard]

Does your league also require a minimum number of matches in a season?

Is play scratch?

 

[djoverboard]

we play a season of two matches against each opponent (double round robin?)

then thee top 8 qualify for playoffs

All play is hadicapped

 

[Bob Jewett]

we play a season of two matches against each opponent (double round robin?)

then thee top 8 qualify for playoffs

All play is hadicapped

I don't think I've ever heard of a ladder competition where play was handicapped.

 

[Saturated Fats]

I don't think I've ever heard of a ladder competition where play was handicapped.

Does it matter?

 

[Bob Jewett]

Does it matter?

To me a handicapped ladder doesn't make any sense. Usually the point of the ladder is to establish a pecking order. If the matches are handicapped, ladder play just tells you who is rated wrong.

 

[alphadog]

To me a handicapped ladder doesn't make any sense. Usually the point of the ladder is to establish a pecking order. If the matches are handicapped, ladder play just tells you who is rated wrong.

Handicapping is to establish a fair match - if it does establish a fair match - only playing 1 match only tells who was better that day. It does not indicate unrealistic handicapping.

 

[Bob Jewett]

Handicapping is to establish a fair match - if it does establish a fair match - only playing 1 match only tells who was better that day. It does not indicate unrealistic handicapping.

I apologize for having misread the OP. I didn't fully understand that it was only for the playoffs.

The problem I see with that playoff format is that it's going to take 15 matches in series and one player may play in all 15 matches. That takes longer than a traditional single-elimination playoff on multiple tables.

I suppose it could be exciting if #16 has a good playoff and wins 10 or 12 matches in a row. That seems like a reasonable playoff format if you only have one table available.

In the leagues I've seen, about half the money was for season performance (to incentivize high finishes) and half in SE playoffs.