Poker Handicapping?

Guernica4000 · #1 10-22-2005, 08:35 AM

Would it it be possible to handicap a tournament poker?
If so, do you think it would be better to have a lower buy in or more starting chips?

Could there be a mathematical formula used?

Let say the handicapping was used with a group of 30 players (from beginner to expert) where their stats were kept for “X” number of tournaments. Would there be a fair system to play a final tournament where all players had the same chance or is there just too much luck involved in the short run to make any handicapping fair?

tek · #2 10-22-2005, 10:39 AM

Do you mean they would start with different number of chips?

Guernica4000 · #3 10-22-2005, 11:33 AM

As one of the options. Yes

AaronBrown · #4 10-22-2005, 11:44 AM

I think different numbers of starting chips would lead to a bad tournament. Some of the best players would be knocked out early, but the surviving ones would have their stacks up to the average and would then be favorites.

It seems to me a better approach would be to make the blinds bigger for the better players. This gives a constant drag on the better players, meaning a more natural tournament. The trouble here is chip denomination. You don't want $10, $11, $12 and $13 blinds for different players, you'd need too many $1 chips.

A better system might be to divide the players into normal blinds, double small blinds, double big blinds and double both blinds. If you need more categories, do a three blind structure, or maybe use antes as well.

This is relatively easy to calibrate since players are used to measuring their advantage in big bets per hundred hands (or per hour). If someone has a 1 big bet per 100 hands advantage over the bottom players, and there are 10 players at the table, that translates to 0.1 big bets advantage per round. If the small blinds are 0.25 the big bets, doubling them for this player should make things about equal, since about half the blind amount is lost to the poster.

#5 10-22-2005, 02:06 PM

Hmm. Why would you want to handicap a poker tournament?

tek · #6 10-22-2005, 02:13 PM

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A better system might be to divide the players into normal blinds, double small blinds, double big blinds and double both blinds. If you need more categories, do a three blind structure, or maybe use antes as well.

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Then you've got 3 or more different tournaments with the oddness of having a certain number of semifinalists from each blind structure play off. Then you are back to square one because the blinds would be one level for all the semifinalists.

If you are able to identify the "better" players, the mediocre players and the really bad players out of the huge number of potential tournament players, then why not just put a rating on each particular tournament similar to movie ratings?

SmackinYaUp · #7 10-22-2005, 02:51 PM

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Hmm. Why would you want to handicap a poker tournament?

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Yes, luck give bad players all the handicap they need.

Guernica4000 · #8 10-22-2005, 03:40 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Hmm. Why would you want to handicap a poker tournament?

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One of the reasons is to keep more players interested in playing. We play a regular home game and as time goes on more and more of the players that lose more than they win have stopped coming.

I can't blame them as they are not idiots and they can clearly see that there is a group of 5 or so that is always in the money. I am trying to find a system were all players will be eager to play and all have a chance.

No one has mentioned it but how about the buy in. Let's say for example that it is a $60 tourney and if you are out of the money 4 times in a row the 5th buy in is for $50, 4 more times out of the money and it cost $40 to play in the same tourney maybe even go as low as $30.

Keep in mind that it is the same or most of the same players week after week.

AaronBrown thanks for another great reply but if I cam trouble you one more time. Can you think of an easier system? Something we common folk can use in a regular weekly game [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Maybe if I ask the question a little different.

I want to run a weekly Poker tournament with about 20 to 30 regular players of different skills and I want to make it fun and interesting for all players over the long run.

Think of it this way.

I am not a good golfer and I probably wouldn't play for money against some of my friends that are better without a handicap. It is the same for many other recreational sports/games so why should I expect these same players to fork over their money time after time in a game they are not as good?

Seether · #9 10-22-2005, 11:00 PM

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It is the same for many other recreational sports/games so why should I expect these same players to fork over their money time after time in a game they are not as good?

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There isnt a giant variance in performance in those games. Depending on skill level, the better golfer may win 95% of the time with no handicap...in poker even bad players can get really lucky.

AaronBrown · #10 10-23-2005, 12:23 PM

I didn't make myself clear. The players play as one group, it's just that some players have to post double blinds when their turn comes. Say the normal blinds are $25 and $50. Player A is a bit better than average, he has to post $50 whenever he is in the small blind, as well as the normal $50 when he is in the big blind. Player B is better still, he posts the normal $25 in the small blind, but $100 when it's his turn to post big. Player C is the best of all, she has to post $50 for a small blind and $100 for a big blind. As the blinds increase in the tournament, the doubled blinds go up as well.