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Several comments on tournaments..all directors please read
Posted By: Mike Main In Response To: Several comments on tournaments..all directors please read (Chuck Bower)
Date: Wednesday, 27 August 2008, at 9:11 p.m.
Hi Chuck What you guys call tomatoes we call tomatoes – The Danes call them Stoppots, I call them Stockpots.
Re: If I understand you, 'stockpot' is just a one-on-one match for $, with nothing else riding in the balance?
Correct.
There is a choice of Entry Fees – let’s say $5, $10, $20, $40, $80, $160, $320, $640
Let’s say Player A elects to enter at $5 as does Player B. $5 is a pretty small amount to play for and they’ve only an estimated maximum 30 minutes – so it’s a 3 pointer. They play.
Player A wins. He then has the choice of: 1) Using his $10 to upgrade to a $10 Entry Fee Stockpot 2) Cashing his winnings minus a 10% rake = $9.
Let’s say he chooses to upgrade. He then plays another player (C) who has also elected to play with $10. This time they’re playing for a little bit more and they have an estimated 45 minutes until both Players A & C are due to play a Main Event match so they can play a 5 pointer. They play.
Again Player A wins. He again has a choice: Upgrade or Cash minus a 10% rake = $18. He’s now gotta play his Main Event match so he asks if he can leave the decision until later. No worries.
An hour or so later he’s back ‘cause he lost his Main Event match. He’ll upgrade he says.
So he plays Player D who also puts in the required $20. Player D only has 45 minutes so it’s a 5 pointer.
Player A wins. Choice time: Upgrade to a $40 Entry Fee Stockpot or Cash minus a 7.5% rake = $37.
The rake % has now dropped because it’s the same amount of work for the TD to set up a match (except for the amount of money he has to take and check) be it for $5 or $640.
And so it goes on:
$40 Entry Fee Stockpot = $80 in kitty, 7.5% rake = $74 return
$80 Entry Fee Stockpot = $160 in kitty, 5.0% rake = $152 return
$160 Entry Fee Stockpot = $320 in kitty, 2.5% rake = $312 return
$320 Entry Fee Stockpot = $640 in kitty, 2.5% rake = $625 return
$640 Entry Fee Stockpot = $1280 in kitty, 2.4% rake = $1250 return
$1280 Entry Fee Stockpot = $2560 in kitty, 2.4% rake = $2500 return
(Figures rounded to nearest $5 for ease of transactions as figure get higher.)
So it’s possible to pay $5, win 8 Stockpot matches on the trot and have $1250 in your pocket. Is this not attractive to players?
Or a player could choose to commence his Stockpot play at $40 or $80 or whatever he fancies getting down to more serious business straight away.
Or a player can decide that play for $40 a go is quite sufficient for him. No worries, so he stays in the $40 Entry Fee bracket but does pay a $3 rake every time he wins.
Or he can downgrade ‘cause he lost a $40 challenge, is still hurting and now only wants to play for $20. No worries.
Because the rake gets lower as he plays for more he is encouraged to play for more.
Match lengths can be alter to suit time available.
Matches can be clock play matches or otherwise. (I now like to see all Stockpot matches played on clocks.)
Re: Suppose you sign up and get paired with an opponent much better than you. Can you then change your mind? Or is your best course to simply play for the minimum stake at the lowest possible score length?
Good question. No you can’t change your mind ‘cause your opponent’s name is Falafel or some such thought of Backgammon God. It’s a case of putting your money where your mouth is. If you don’t think you’re goods enough to be playing for the money you’re playing for you shouldn’t be doing so. So my current way of dealing with this is that the Stockpot TD does not reveal who he has waiting in each bracket. Ok, I admit this is not ideal in the real world because players know each other, with talk to each other and let others know who is waiting in which bracket. So yes, well done Chuck, you’ve spotted a potential Achilles’ heal. If it so happens that 3 or 4 or more players sign up at the same time for a particular Stockpot there is good reason to use a draw method so that players chances of not being drawn with a Bg God are better. If anybody has any ideas on the “Who will I play?” question problem I’d be very interesting in hearing them.
Re: Or is your best course to simply play for the minimum stake at the lowest possible score length?
Not necessarily. The Entry Fees are flexible, the match lengths are flexible and clock play is flexible. There is a stated preferred match length and clock play rule according to each Entry Fee but as long as both players agree they could play any match length for any money they like and without or without clocks if they like. I as TD do not care but I will make sure they are in agreement on these matters before they play and write it down on their match card and my laptop (from which Stockpots are run.) As long as there is just one other player willing to play for what you are willing to play for and you’re both vacant for the duration the match will take to play – you’re soon sat down playing. No delays. Players backgammon active time is maximized.
Re: Part of Neil's argument for progressive consolation is that players who last longer in the main and/or consolation get (or 'earn') byes into later rounds of the Last Chance.
Yup, I understand that and see his argument for it. However I would counter this by saying that those who lasted longer in the Main had that “leg up” chance in the Consolation Tournament. One leg up is fine but two is I think to indulgent to those that lasted longer at the likely expense of those who are not so good at the game. Just about every live event has some first time live players at it. For the long term future of backgammon there is a good case to argue that the success of an event could be measured by how many of the newbies attend another one. We cannot afford “player wastage.” Every new player though the door should be encouraged to come back – if they don’t we did something wrong or at least something that didn’t suit the newbies. Please don’t make it harder for them than it is already is my plea.
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