One pocket Handicapping Chart

MattRosendaul

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Sep 16, 2005
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For a while, I ran a one-pocket league and needed a good handicapping system. We worked out this chart with the help of Grady Mathews and Eddie Robin. Establishing the initial rating is a bit arbitrary and takes some guess work, but after everyone has a rating, this chart really seemed to level the field for our leagues. I don’t remember all the handicapping system, but I think after you beat two players with a higher rating then you would move up one rating, same thing for losing twice you’d go down a rating. Something like that.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a chart anywhere else, but maybe there’s one buried in a book somewhere I don’t know about. Putting this out here so it can live on and find some better use than sitting in my file drawer. Hopefully it might find use in another league setting.


339FAAAD-8CE8-4ADE-AD8B-42DEF10A34AB.jpeg
 

NH Steve

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Apr 25, 2004
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New Hampshire
Nice Matt! It is similar to some other charts (including on here), but works in the break in creative fashion -- both just the first break, and all the breaks -- that is a nice twist!!
 

gulfportdoc

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Jun 25, 2004
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Gulfport, Mississippi
It's interesting that 9-7 & the breaks is the next highest handicap from 9-7, rather than it being 10-7. I suspect they wanted to avoid higher ball count games.
 

MattRosendaul

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Sep 16, 2005
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It's interesting that 9-7 & the breaks is the next highest handicap from 9-7, rather than it being 10-7. I suspect they wanted to avoid higher ball count games.
Yes, in league play you need to keep things moving along, so shorter ball counts are better. I think we limited match times to two hours and the players had the option of calling the winner with whoever was ahead at the moment or continuing on the clock (paying time).
 

jrhendy

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May 24, 2004
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Placerville, CA
For a while, I ran a one-pocket league and needed a good handicapping system. We worked out this chart with the help of Grady Mathews and Eddie Robin. Establishing the initial rating is a bit arbitrary and takes some guess work, but after everyone has a rating, this chart really seemed to level the field for our leagues. I don’t remember all the handicapping system, but I think after you beat two players with a higher rating then you would move up one rating, same thing for losing twice you’d go down a rating. Something like that.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a chart anywhere else, but maybe there’s one buried in a book somewhere I don’t know about. Putting this out here so it can live on and find some better use than sitting in my file drawer. Hopefully it might find use in another league setting.


View attachment 437583

Thank you Matt. We are working on putting together a handicap league in Sacramento. This will be helpful..
 

NH Steve

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Apr 25, 2004
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New Hampshire
I don’t remember all the handicapping system, but I think after you beat two players with a higher rating then you would move up one rating, same thing for losing twice you’d go down a rating. Something like that.
So just winning you might not move up, if the players you beat were ranked even or below? But two wins against a higher ranked player then you did go up? The corollary to that would be you stay where you are unless you lose twice to a weaker player, in which case you move down.
 

MattRosendaul

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Sep 16, 2005
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34
Yes, the logic was that if the handicap was correct then you had a 50/50 chance against anyone else. So once it was accurate you shouldn’t have a winning streak. And each step was a small increment.

We also ran a straight pool league that used a balls per inning average. I don’t remember the handicapping formula but I might have my old spreadsheet someplace. I had built an excel file to do it all.
 
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