Starter Ratings Explained
May 18, 2016 | Authors: Ozzy Reynolds & Mike Page
As you are probably aware, FargoRate will be used in the 2016 BCAPL National Championships. It is by far the best and most accurate pool-player rating system ever created and we believe it will change the entire billiards landscape forever.
However, your rating may not be accurate with just a small amount of data. For example, if you have one bad tournament in which you played terrible, your Fargo Rating may be lower than your true skill level. Likewise, if you have a great tournament and beat a few players that you normally wouldn't, your Fargo Rating may be higher than your true skill level. After analyzing tons of data, we know that it takes about 200 games of data for a rating to become "established."
Starter Ratings
Obviously, we do not have 200 games of data on every person that will compete in the BCAPL National Championships. So, what do we do about players with less than 200 games of data? What do we do with those with no data? Many rating systems require all players to start at the same number or letter and then move up or down based on how they perform. We can do better.
Although we do not have 200 games of data on everyone, we do have previous rating classifications for almost everyone (i.e. Leisure, Open, Advanced, Master, Grandmaster). So, after carefully reviewing the established Fargo Ratings of everyone in our database, we determined the average Fargo Rating of the old classifications and assigned starter ratings accordingly. Below are the starter ratings assigned based on the previous classifications.
However, your rating may not be accurate with just a small amount of data. For example, if you have one bad tournament in which you played terrible, your Fargo Rating may be lower than your true skill level. Likewise, if you have a great tournament and beat a few players that you normally wouldn't, your Fargo Rating may be higher than your true skill level. After analyzing tons of data, we know that it takes about 200 games of data for a rating to become "established."
Starter Ratings
Obviously, we do not have 200 games of data on every person that will compete in the BCAPL National Championships. So, what do we do about players with less than 200 games of data? What do we do with those with no data? Many rating systems require all players to start at the same number or letter and then move up or down based on how they perform. We can do better.
Although we do not have 200 games of data on everyone, we do have previous rating classifications for almost everyone (i.e. Leisure, Open, Advanced, Master, Grandmaster). So, after carefully reviewing the established Fargo Ratings of everyone in our database, we determined the average Fargo Rating of the old classifications and assigned starter ratings accordingly. Below are the starter ratings assigned based on the previous classifications.
|
Men Starter Ratings
|
Women Starter Ratings
|
Why are women starter ratings different than men?
You may be asking yourself why the starter ratings for men and women are different. After all, we have told you that FargoRate rates men and women on the same scale. Remember, starter ratings are based on the old classifications which did not classify men and women on the same scale. For example, a male "Open" player was very different than a female "Open" player.
Are the starter ratings accurate?
The starter ratings above are averages of each classification. Therefore, they are not a true reflection of everyone's skill level. For example, for male "Open" players that receive a starter rating of 525, approximately half play at a higher level while the other half play at a lower level. Some people have suggested that this isn't fair because some people will start either underrated or overrated. That sentiment doesn't really hold up. Let's look at a typical scenario.
Scenario: Bob & John
Bob and John are from the same local league and it is well known locally that John is a better player than Bob. However, both were previously classified as "Open" players nationally and both would play in the "Open" division under the old system. No one had a problem with this. Now comes FargoRate for 2016 and both players are assigned a starter rating of 525. Because of that, they will play in the same division. People that know Bob and John look up the ratings and suggest that the system isn't accurate and this isn't fair. But wait...weren't they in the same division last year? Yes! Nothing really changed except perception.
So, here's the thing...starter ratings are not a 100% true reflection of a person's true skill level. That would be impossible. Starter ratings are simply a starting point for FargoRate and that starting point is as good as the old system ever was. Simply put, we start out as accurate as we have been for the last 39 years and get better and better with more data.
You may be asking yourself why the starter ratings for men and women are different. After all, we have told you that FargoRate rates men and women on the same scale. Remember, starter ratings are based on the old classifications which did not classify men and women on the same scale. For example, a male "Open" player was very different than a female "Open" player.
Are the starter ratings accurate?
The starter ratings above are averages of each classification. Therefore, they are not a true reflection of everyone's skill level. For example, for male "Open" players that receive a starter rating of 525, approximately half play at a higher level while the other half play at a lower level. Some people have suggested that this isn't fair because some people will start either underrated or overrated. That sentiment doesn't really hold up. Let's look at a typical scenario.
Scenario: Bob & John
Bob and John are from the same local league and it is well known locally that John is a better player than Bob. However, both were previously classified as "Open" players nationally and both would play in the "Open" division under the old system. No one had a problem with this. Now comes FargoRate for 2016 and both players are assigned a starter rating of 525. Because of that, they will play in the same division. People that know Bob and John look up the ratings and suggest that the system isn't accurate and this isn't fair. But wait...weren't they in the same division last year? Yes! Nothing really changed except perception.
So, here's the thing...starter ratings are not a 100% true reflection of a person's true skill level. That would be impossible. Starter ratings are simply a starting point for FargoRate and that starting point is as good as the old system ever was. Simply put, we start out as accurate as we have been for the last 39 years and get better and better with more data.
