What was different about DCCs 2022 and earlier that allowed a 2AM or earlier finish?

As a fan, I understand what you guys not happy with. There is nothing worse than poorly run tournament and that's exactly what we had. It reminds me of a local tourney, we have 41 players it ends at 2 am, we have 22 players, it ends at 2 am, for crying out loud!!!

As a player, I don't think limiting the field is the answer, not in any game. This is a once a year event on pro and amateur calendars alike. We all can't type on here how much we want pool to grow and then say ah ah ah, sorry you low ranking fargo non-pro or whatever, you missed the cut and now cannot play in one of the few mixed events that allows you to be side by side with the very players you are trying to study, learn, and emulate from all over the globe. Most definitely when the cause is so clearly sub-poor event management. Calls to mind a quote "God can do anything Charlie, can God create a stone so heavy even he can't lift it?" :unsure:
 
Tin Man said:
There is clearly a problem with DCC schedules and the finishing times this year and last year have been quite problematic (tournament finishing at 7AM last year and around 9AM this year). There have been a lot of solutions proposed, but to me that overlooks the fact that for a number of years the events were able to finish on time. My question is simple. What has changed?

Last year we had 4.25" pockets and I thought that was the culprit. This year, however, we moved back to 4.5". In addition they instituted the Grady rule (after 2 hours into a one pocket match no more than 4 balls in the kitchen or they'd be spotted at the foot end of the table to keep balls in play). Yet it appears that the schedule fell just as far behind.

Yet in 2022 the tournament finished around 2AM, and I remember in other years the event finished on a more normal schedule. So before we propose any radical changes to the format, what the heck has changed in the last two years?

Is it number of players enrolled? I didn't think so, because they have been capping entries and per-registration has been filling up faster each year. Is it the quality of play? I don't think this is it either, the average opponents are better than I've ever seen.

I'm just wondering why we can't look to the past for the solution. Thoughts?
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From my perspective, I think the one pocket got too much of the blame last year. I do think the pocket size last year contributed to slowing that tournament down. This year, it seemed like all of the events ran close to on-time except the 9 ball. I think the one pocket was a little behind schedule, but not like last year. Given how late the tournament ended this year, it would seem that whatever the problem is, it must be occurring in the 9ball. Not surprisingly, this leads me to believe that SJM is right, and a significant part of the problem is that there are too many 9ball entries.

I saw a couple of high end pros complaining online about the "low" prize money. It seems they are already growing accustomed to match room paydays. One way to help in addressing the issue of low prize money and huge fields is to simply raise the entry fee for the 9 ball. I saw another person suggest that players be allowed / mandated to buy back (if they intend to) when signing up initially, so the the desk doesn't have to wait for them. I don't mind either idea.

Another way to thin the field and to class the event up a bit is to actually enforce a reasonable dress code. This year the tournament enforced "Grady Rules" with vigor and enthusiasm. However, whilst I endured the cold bite of a Grady rules controversy in my first match, I competed against a guy whose tournament wardrobe closely approximated pajamas and was clearly violative of the dress code. In my humble opinion Rule enforcement works better when all the rules are enforced the same. That is to say, people are less worried about the Grady Rule when they see players openly violate the dress code, because they think the rules are suggestions and not rules.

Given the prize money match room is offering along with the expense of traveling to those events, I wonder how many high level pros might just elect to skip DCC in the coming years, choosing instead to concentrate on tournaments held at nicer venues with fewer discomforts to tolerate? (giant walk from room to venue, expensive yet not awesome food, scheduling snafu s, pajama clad opponents, etc.)

kollegedave
 
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