Do pool players have a system comparable to the handicapping system used by golfers to enable more and less?

Question

proficient players to play together?

Answer 1

The APA does but

ill let a APA player explain it to you. its not my league

Go Kid

OK my opinion I would not consider a spot or weight a handicap its not set down as a rule like the others

Beware the guy that gives you all your balls as a spot and all you have to do is make the 8.!!!

I would think the diff league rules would be more of a true handicap

Answer 2

I actually think the APA handicaps 9-ball quite well, though it changes the game a bit; matches are based on points (each ball is worth one point, except for the nine, which is worth two). Players' ranks go from 1 (lowest) to 9 (highest), except a man can't be a 1. A player whose skill level is 1 has to get to 14 points to win a match, while a 9 has to go to 75 (in between is 19, 25, 31, 38, 46, 55, and 65). So a 1 can play a 9 and win just by making 14 balls (or fewer, if a 9-ball or two is involved). A little note about skill levels in APA...5 people play on a night, and their skill levels can't exceed 23...that means lower-ranked players pretty much have to play.

8-ball is a little different in APA and doesn't work quite as well. First of all, the skill levels go from 2-7, and the number of games a player has to win is based on the skill level of the opponent. If a 7 plays a 7, they each have to go to 5 games. If a 7 plays a 2, he has to go to 7 games while the 2 has to go to 2 games (and then there's everything in between). The problem with that is that when a lower-ranked player plays a 7, he or she has to actually win a game, so most captains choose to pit players of pretty much equal skill level against each other in 8-ball (they pretty much do that in 9-ball, too, but it's not as necessary).

--Lea

p.s. For regular non-APA 9-ball, someone might offer to give you the seven, which as Straight pointed out allows you to win by pocketing the seven. You may also get games on the wire in a race, which means if you play a race to seven and you get two games on the wire, you've already essentially won two games. You may also get more than one ball as a spot; you might get the seven and the eight, or the six out (6,7, and 8), for example.

p.p.s. Good point, Matt...I assumed the asker knew that when you get spotted a ball or two, you can still win making the nine, but she didn't necessarily know that. Also, does someone want to explain how BCA League handicaps work? I couldn't find it on the website and when I contacted two local leagues by e-mail I got no response.

Answer 3

Like Johnny, I'm not an APA guy either so I will let Lea answer on their behalf.  I can tell you that there are several ways to handicap games between players of different skill levels.  It's going to depend on the game as well.  If you're playing a point based game such as 14.1 continuous (straight pool), it's common to give the lesser skilled player a head start by giving them some points at the beginning of the match.  For example, in a 150 point game, the lesser skilled player may start out with 50 points with the opponent starting with 0 points.  In a rotation game like 9-ball, sometimes the lesser player will be allowed to win on a lower numbered ball.  For example, the lesser skilled player may only have to pocket the 7 ball to win while the opponent will have to pocket the 9.  I'm sure you'll hear a bunch of other handicapping methods.  Sometimes, when I play 8-ball with my friends, I'll give them ball in hand at the start of their turn at the table.  That's being awfully generous though.  M.D.-BCA Instructor/Referee.

Answer 4

I have played four different Pool Leagues, and yes, they all have a system that will kinda balance out players' and teams skill-levels to where it will give the weaker teams (players) a chance to win.

Our Missouri 8 Ball League player's skill-levels run from 2-8. Our teams can play only as high as 32-points for a 5-player team. So, in a match if one team plays 27-points and their opponent plays, say, 20-points, (7-points difference) the 20-point team receives 5-games on the wire (or spotted 5-games) going to 12.

The 27-point team has to win 12 games before the 20-point team wins 7 (because of the 5-games spot).

For a handicap "Singles" event if an '8' rated player draws a '4' rated player, the '8' player has to get to 8 before the '4' wins four games.

Hope some of this makes sense, Jay

Answer 5

no.  how would they.  am i suppose to give you three shots for every 1 i take.

Answer 6

APA, TAP, and BCA leagues all have handicapping systems, but there's no universal handicapping system. There's really no way to find out your rating without playing in the league, but if you're not in it there's no point in having one.

Part of the 'art' of the hustle is negotiating a handicap. If you think a player is better than you (in 9 ball), you'd ask for an extra ball (i.e., if you make the 8 OR 9 ball you win the game) or you'd play  to uneven sets.