FargoRate for Singles Divisions
May 19, 2016 | Author: Ozzy Reynolds
Starting in 2016, the BCAPL National Championships will use FargoRate to determine the players in each of the singles divisions. Why should you care? How will this benefit you? Read on and it will quickly become clear.
The Old Way
The old way was simple to understand but flawed. If you finished high enough in a division, your rating would be raised and you would have to compete in a higher division next year. The old rating classifications were:
So, if you finished high enough in the Open division, your rating would be raised to Advanced and you could no longer compete in the Open division. Sounds reasonable, right? Well, it was the best we could do at the time but it created many problems.
Problems with the Old Way
This old and outdated method of rating players created many problems. The most significant were as follows:
FargoRate - The New Way
The new way solves these problems. Rather than registering for a specific division, players simply register for a type of singles - either Mixed Singles, Women's Singles, or Senior Singles. Once registration is closed, the entire field of players is divided into separate divisions by their Fargo Ratings. For example, the make-up of Mixed 8-Ball Singles could look something like this:
Although players don't know which division they will compete in at the time they register, they can be confident they will play in a division with similarly rated opponents.
FargoRate Makes Divisions Fair
FargoRate allows us to create divisions based on true ability rather than the amount of money a person won in the past or someone's subjective judgment. It will now be difficult for high-level players to sneak into the lower divisions. Whether you are a beginner, an average player, or the strongest of amateurs, you will be in a division with others of the same relative skill.
FargoRate Makes Sandbagging Useless
It would have been simple for us to create divisions by setting FargoRate boundaries. For example, we could have decided the Gold Division was for players rated 525-625. Anyone within that range would simply register for the Gold Division. However, that creates an incentive for some to intentionally lose to stay below those arbitrary lines. For example, if a player has a rating of 527 or 626, he or she would have an incentive to purposely lose matches to drive the rating down a few points and get into the lower division. We want to discourage such tactics and create an environment where everyone plays their best and always has an accurate rating. By not defining the rating boundaries up front, no one knows where the division breaks will occur and there is no need to ever lose in an attempt to lower a rating.
FargoRate Doesn't Punish Success
Let's face it; occasionally we "get hot" and play better than normal for a short period of time. Sometimes, we actually win a tournament against better players. What a feeling that is! But wait...with the old approach, your classification changes and you are no longer allowed to play in that division. Now you must compete against far superior players. The hottest of hot streaks won't allow you to even be competitive in that division. What do you do? Do you purchase airfare, hotel, and pay your entry fee to play next year? Probably not. You have a great memory but that's it for you. You never return.
FargoRate corrects this. In most cases, winning a tournament means you played above your normal ability and your rating will naturally rise with your performance. But that's not always the case. FargoRate doesn't punish you for winning or reward you for losing. It simply measures your true ability at all times. Therefore, even if you place high or win this year, you can come back next year and again be placed in a division of people of similar skill level. Maybe it's the same division. Maybe not.
FargoRate - More Opportunity for Women
Because men and women can now be rated on the same scale, they can finally play together! A male rated 500 plays the same as a female rated 500. Therefore, women can now compete in the mixed divisions with men where there are often larger fields and more prize money. For women who prefer to play in the women-only divisions, that's fine too!
Summary
Change is difficult for many people. You may be skeptical of FargoRate. You may be uneasy about registering for singles without knowing which division you will be in. We understand. However, we are confident that FargoRate will solve all of the problems noted above and you will have a much better tournament experience. See you this July!
The Old Way
The old way was simple to understand but flawed. If you finished high enough in a division, your rating would be raised and you would have to compete in a higher division next year. The old rating classifications were:
- Leisure - beginner
- Open - average skill
- Advanced - above average skill
- Master - exceptional skill / semi-pro
- Grand Master - pro
So, if you finished high enough in the Open division, your rating would be raised to Advanced and you could no longer compete in the Open division. Sounds reasonable, right? Well, it was the best we could do at the time but it created many problems.
Problems with the Old Way
This old and outdated method of rating players created many problems. The most significant were as follows:
- Unfair Competition - High-level players (sometimes pro-level players) could easily sneak into any division.
- Winners Never Return - Players would not return after having their rating raised.
- Limited Opportunity for Women - Women were not allowed to play in men's divisions because the old ratings were not comparable. For example, a female Open player was often very different than a male Open player.
FargoRate - The New Way
The new way solves these problems. Rather than registering for a specific division, players simply register for a type of singles - either Mixed Singles, Women's Singles, or Senior Singles. Once registration is closed, the entire field of players is divided into separate divisions by their Fargo Ratings. For example, the make-up of Mixed 8-Ball Singles could look something like this:
- Platinum Division - upper 15% of field, rating range 651-720
- Gold Division - upper middle 35%, rating range 551-650
- Silver Division - lower middle 35%, rating range 451-550
- Bronze Division - lower 15%, rating range 450 & below
Although players don't know which division they will compete in at the time they register, they can be confident they will play in a division with similarly rated opponents.
FargoRate Makes Divisions Fair
FargoRate allows us to create divisions based on true ability rather than the amount of money a person won in the past or someone's subjective judgment. It will now be difficult for high-level players to sneak into the lower divisions. Whether you are a beginner, an average player, or the strongest of amateurs, you will be in a division with others of the same relative skill.
FargoRate Makes Sandbagging Useless
It would have been simple for us to create divisions by setting FargoRate boundaries. For example, we could have decided the Gold Division was for players rated 525-625. Anyone within that range would simply register for the Gold Division. However, that creates an incentive for some to intentionally lose to stay below those arbitrary lines. For example, if a player has a rating of 527 or 626, he or she would have an incentive to purposely lose matches to drive the rating down a few points and get into the lower division. We want to discourage such tactics and create an environment where everyone plays their best and always has an accurate rating. By not defining the rating boundaries up front, no one knows where the division breaks will occur and there is no need to ever lose in an attempt to lower a rating.
FargoRate Doesn't Punish Success
Let's face it; occasionally we "get hot" and play better than normal for a short period of time. Sometimes, we actually win a tournament against better players. What a feeling that is! But wait...with the old approach, your classification changes and you are no longer allowed to play in that division. Now you must compete against far superior players. The hottest of hot streaks won't allow you to even be competitive in that division. What do you do? Do you purchase airfare, hotel, and pay your entry fee to play next year? Probably not. You have a great memory but that's it for you. You never return.
FargoRate corrects this. In most cases, winning a tournament means you played above your normal ability and your rating will naturally rise with your performance. But that's not always the case. FargoRate doesn't punish you for winning or reward you for losing. It simply measures your true ability at all times. Therefore, even if you place high or win this year, you can come back next year and again be placed in a division of people of similar skill level. Maybe it's the same division. Maybe not.
FargoRate - More Opportunity for Women
Because men and women can now be rated on the same scale, they can finally play together! A male rated 500 plays the same as a female rated 500. Therefore, women can now compete in the mixed divisions with men where there are often larger fields and more prize money. For women who prefer to play in the women-only divisions, that's fine too!
Summary
Change is difficult for many people. You may be skeptical of FargoRate. You may be uneasy about registering for singles without knowing which division you will be in. We understand. However, we are confident that FargoRate will solve all of the problems noted above and you will have a much better tournament experience. See you this July!
