Player
Ratings
... how to rate, compare, handicap, and track progress of pool players in tournaments and leagues.
Player
Ratings... how to rate, compare, handicap, and track progress of pool players in tournaments and leagues.
Dr.
Dave's answers to frequently-asked questions (FAQs),
mostly from the BD
CCB and AZB
discussion forums
maintained for the book: The
Illustrated Principles of Pool and Billiards,
the DVD series: The Video Encyclopedia of Pool Shots (VEPS),
the DVD series: The Video Encyclopedia of Pool Practice (VEPP),
and the monthly Billiards
Digest "Illustrated Principles" instructional articles
Various drills can also be used to rate and track improvement of players.
Is there a drill that can be used to measure my level of play?
I have a 9-ball rating drill that can be used to rate a player and track improvement over time. The purpose of this drill is to evaluate your offensive skills (shot making, position play, handling of clusters and problem balls, and breaking) and assign a 1-10 (or A-D) rating to those skills. Note - safety play, a very important part of the game, is not addressed in this drill.
More rating drills can be found under drills here.
from Eric.:
Joe Tucker has a thing he uses that proves to be pretty accurate. It goes like this:
Rack up some 10 ball. Break from anywhere. After the break, take ball in hand and run out, in rotation (1, 2, 3, etc...) All balls made on the break count. Any balls made on a scratch are spotted. Once you miss, the rack is over. You should shoot 10 racks and count the total balls made for each rack. After 10 racks, take your total and compare it to this chart:
30-35 D+
36-40 C
41-45 C+
46-50 B
51-55 B+
56-60 A
61-65 A+
66-70 A++
71-up ProI'm not sure if it matters what size table. I like this rating system because it takes a lot into account as far as player ability i.e. shotmaking, position play, cluster breaking, break skill. It makes no difference if you play 10 ball or not, the results are very close to reality.
How does Accu-Stats' player rating system work?
The Tournament Performance Average (TPA) can be used to measure a player's performance in a match or tournament. It is a single number (like a batting average) based on the following formula:
TPA = (# of Balls Made) / (# of Balls Made + # of Errors)
Errors are any of the following:
For example, if you make 100 balls in a match and commit 25 errors, your TPA would be 0.8 or 80% (100/125). A perfect score, with no errors, would be 1.0 or 100%.
How do you interpret the letter ratings (A-D) sometimes used to refer to player ability?
Interpretations of the A-D ratings can vary in different regions and among different league/tournament systems. Also, sometimes different labels are used (e.g., "AAA, AA, A, B, C" or "Masters, AA, A, B, C, D" or "Open A B C D" or "A+, A, A-, B+, ... , D" instead of "A B C D").
The 9-ball rating drill can be used to assess a player's offensive ability. The drill assigns the letter designation (A-D) based on performance.
Here's a typical interpretation of the plus/minus A-D scale from Capelle's "Play Your Best Pool" (p.386):
D: A beginner or someone who plays so infrequently that their game remains in the beginner category.
C-: A below average player - this denotes a player with some recognizable skills who has definitely risen from the ranks of beginners. This is the first major milestone.
C: An average player - describes a large section of pool enthusiasts with experience whose games perhaps have leveled off, or that only play occasionally.
C+: Above average player - this group plays a very acceptable game of pool. They tend to dominate their level of competition.
B-: This is perhaps the biggest hurdle, as a good number of players peak at the C+ level. A B- is a good player who is quite capable of running a rack of Eight Ball or Nine Ball. However, they usually lack consistency.
B: A solid, advanced player - these players can run out fairly regularly, but lack a little consistency.
B+: Players at this level are often mistaken for lower level A players when they are playing well because they play a very tough, well-rounded game. They can run out from nearly anywhere at anytime.
A-: Another big jump is required to break through to the "A" level. This group of players could be classified as semi-pros or top amateurs. They are very skilled in nearly all facets of the game. They run out easily and very often.
A: A professional quality player who can compete with and occasionally beat all but the best players. Very skilled, solid, and consistent. Runs multiple racks quite often. Tough to beat.
A+: Touring Pro - the best. Skilled in every area of the game. Breaks and runs out multiple racks regularly. Definitely in a class by themselves.
from Tom_In_Cincy:
9-Ball Tournament race to 7
(paraphrased from Dec.1997 "All About Pool" magazine article by Bob Cambell)Handicap rankings
D- Player
will not run a rack
average run is about 3 balls
with ball in hand, will get out from the 7, one out of 3 times
rarely plays a successful safe
C-Player
will probably run one rack, but usually not more than one rack in a typical race to 7
avg. run is 3 to 5 balls
with ball in hand, will get out from the 7, two out of 3 times
mixed results when playing safe
inning ends due to botched position, missed shot or attempting a safe.
B-Player
Able to run 1 to 3 racks
avg. run is 5-7 balls
with ball in hand will get out form the 5, 2 out of 3 times
most of the time a "B" player will play a "safety" which maybe hit easily 2 out of 3 times
a typical inning will end with a missed shot, a fair safety, or a won game
A-Player
will string 2 to 3 racks
avg. ball run, 7-9
with ball in hand, will be out from the 3 ball, 2 out of 3 times
typical inning will end with a well executed safety or a win.
OPEN-Players
average 8+ balls
string racks together more than once in a match
is a threat to run out from every ball, from every position, every inning
typical inning will end in excellent safety or win
Mr. Cambell continues this article with a handicap chart for the 4 levels of each type of player. The chart would look like this;
Lowest handicap is D4, then D3, then D2 and so on until the highest would be OPEN 1
from Jude Rosenstock:
D - Will appear as though they are stumbling through the rack. Their occasional run-outs will either consist of very easy layouts (which they will nearly mess-up), a few lucky shots and/or unintentional position.
C - Greater sense of cue control and much more of a deliberate appearance than a D. They will undoubtedly run out with BIH with 3 or 4 left and will make it look routine but are suspect beyond that.
B - Really the beginning of the run out player. If they make a ball on the break and get position on the 1 ball, they should have a reasonable expectation to get out. Any cluster or unusual position play will diminish their chances significantly. Usually, B players possess unusual strength in either pocketing, strategy or position play. Rarely two of three, never all three. Their creativity is usually limited at this level but you may begin to see glimpses of what's to come.
A - Definitely categorized as a run out player. They are supposed to capitalize on most mistakes. Greater attention is paid to more subtle details. Expect a consistent and strong break and strength in multiple attributes (pocketing, defense, position play, creativity). Most noticeable among players at this level and above is an aura of confidence.
Open & Above is very similar to what you see described in A only more refined. You will see advanced to expert break, pocketing, defense, position play and creativity. Low level opens might be advanced in all of these categories while world class professionals might be experts in most or all. All of these players are expected to run out with any routine opportunity. Any run-stopper situation (clusters, blocked position routes) is expected to be handled in such a way to still give the shooter an expectation of winning.
How does the APA Equalizer Handicapping system work?
See the following official description from APA that doesn't include much detail:
Here's an unofficial document that provides more details:
APA handicapping system description posted on rec.sports.billiards in 2003
How do APA ratings differ or compare to the A-D system?
from Koop:
SL-3 or below: D+ Player or below
SL-4: D+ to C- Player
SL-5: C- to C Player
SL-6: C+ to B- Player
SL-7: B
SL-8: B+ to A-
SL-9: A to Open
How does the 1-10 rating system developed in Arizona work and compare to other ratings?
See the following resources:
Here's how the Arizona Ratings compare to the "National Scale:"
AZ Nat. Description
10-2 A+ Top professional. World class player. Capable of winning major professional tournaments. Almost always finishes in the money in any tournament entered.
10-1 A Professional, or player possessing professional skills. Capable of winning local open tournaments. Usually finishes in the money in regional tournaments.
10 A- Semi-pro, or player possessing professional skills. Capable of winning or placing high in the money in local open tournaments.
9 B+ Advanced. Very good position play, strategy and consistency. Top league player. Consistent competitor in local open tournaments.
8 B Advanced. Good position play, strategy and consistency. Good league player. Competitive in local open tournaments.
7 B- Intermediate. Fair amount of knowledge and experience, but inconsistent in execution. Average league player.
6 C+ Intermediate. Has learned quite a few shots, but has a lot to learn about position play and strategy. Inconsistent.
5 C Novice. Has a grasp of the fundamentals, but does not know much about the physics of the game. Lower-level league player.
4 C- Novice. Very basic knowledge of the fundamentals. Knows almost nothing about position play. Lowest-level tournament player.
3 D+ Novice. Knows little about the fundamentals, but might know a couple of shots. Average social player.
2 D Novice. May not know anything about the fundamentals or making shots. Non-competitive.
1 D- Novice. Knows nothing about the game except maybe a few rules of play.
How does the Fargo rating system work?
The Fargo rating system is a statistics-based system for tracking player abilities in an 8-ball league system. Here's a complete description of the system, and here's a video summary. Here's an interpretation of the the numbering:
800 - A top world-class 8-ball player such as Corey Deuel, Shane Van Boening, Darren Appleton, or Thorsten Hohmann
700 - A top regional 8-ball player in the US – a threat to cash in the Master’s Division at the BCA/VNEA Championships – a threat to run six in a row if the break is working
600 - Likely to cash in the BCA Open Division but probably won’t make it to the top 32. – may get moved to Master’s Division and then flounder – has run three-in-a-row multiple times and maybe four-in-a row a time or two
500 - A good local league player. Runs out first time at the table in about 10% of the games
400 - Runs out first time at the table in about 1% of the games – once or twice a league season
300 - A beginner league player
200 - absolute beginner- may miscue frequently
Here's how Fargo ratings compare to those of other systems:
NPL - Fargo
135 - 700
105 - 600
75 - 500
45 - 400
15 - 300
APA Fargo
7 - >560
6 - 500-560
5 - 425-500
4 - 350-425
3 - <350
Minnesota - M8 Master/Advanced - Fargo
Master - >125 - >630
AA - 100-125 - 575-630
A - 75-100 - 500-575
B - 50-75 - 425-500
C - <50 - <425
Hopkins Q Skill Challenge Ratings
How does the Hopkins Q Skill Challenge rating system work?
The Hopkins Q Skill Challenge is described in detail here. Here are the original ranking divisions for the different score ranges, along with an estimated correspondence with the traditional A-D lettering system:
Rank
# Per Inning
# in 10 Innings
# in 50 Innings
Recreational
0.0 - 3.0
0 – 30.0
0 - 150
Intermediate
3.1 - 6.0
30.1 – 60.0
151 - 300
Advanced
6.1 - 9.0
60.1 – 90.0
301 - 450
Developing Pro
9.1 - 12.0
90.1 - 120.0
451 - 600
Semi-Pro
12.1 - 16.0
121.1 – 160.0
601 - 800
Professional
16.1 - 18.0
160.1 – 180.0
801 - 900
Touring Pro
18.1 - 20.0
180.1 – 200.0
901 - 1000
National Pool League (NPL) rating system
How does the NPL rating system work?
This basic system was developed by Bob Jewett and is described here:
www.sfbilliards.com/NPL_info.txt
Pool Quotient (PQ) progressive-drill ability test
Is there a set of drills I can use to get a good measure of my overall ability?
The
Pool Quotient (PQ) ability test, based on progressive practice drills is a good
tool to measure ability and track improvement over time. Here it is: PQ
Ability Test. Other self-assessment info can be found here.