Abstract:
A present scoring method relates to a billiards sessions, matches, or tournaments having a ball in hand handicap system permitting varied skill level players to compete with more experienced players. Teams comprised of multiple players compete periodic in a series of games to determine ranking based on point values assigned to wins and losses. Team tournament and scoring based from method process determine ultimate winner of said tournament.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    14/62,081,888 
       FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
       [0002]    None 
       SEQUENCE LISTING 
       [0003]    None 
       TECHNICAL FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0004]    The present invention relates to a billiards tournament scoring method having a ball in hand handicap system permitting varied skill level players to compete with more experienced players. Teams comprised of a plurality of players compete within periodic time frame in a series of games to determine ranking based on point values assigned to wins and losses. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0005]    Conventional billiard type games are played by a plurality of methods. Most billiard games depend on the order and amount balls that are deposited into pockets by players. A billiard table traditionally consists of a rectangular surface with pockets in the four corners of a table along with two additional pockets located in the center of a table on opposite sides. The billiard balls are numbered from one to sixteen in numerical order and arranged according to the particular rules of a game with an additional ball with no numbering called the cue ball. Each of the numbered balls has a corresponding color, some of which are completely covered and others merely having a stripe. These balls are then arranged in a triangular shape in a particular spot. Players or teams alternate hitting the cue ball with a pool cue, an elongated stick, to accrue points by hitting a particular ball into a pocket of a pool table. 
         [0006]    It is quite difficult to maintain interest in billiard type games wherein there is a range of skill players in the game. This is one of the main reasons why certain individuals lose interest in the sport and ultimately no longer pursue any talent or enjoyment in the billiard games. For instance, one member of a family may be considerably better and/or have acquired greater skills than another member of a family. It is quite difficult to provide a family fun game with such despairingly different levels of skill. 
         [0007]    Heretofore, different skill levels have been accommodated by handicapping the different players. In other words, one player of a game of lesser skill may be “spotted” a given score value before a game even begins. However, even this attempt to accommodate different levels of skill for the players does not solve the problem because all of the players of the game still are rolling balls at the same pin setup and the level of play of a more skilled or experienced player continues to predominate. 
         [0008]    These problems are exacerbated in a competitive environment. Recreational tournaments provide competitive entertainment for a plurality of players. However, when high skill leveled players compete directly with lower skilled players, players may become discouraged. By leveling the playing field, a handicap system will permit all skill ranged players to compete in a friendly tournament system. 
         [0009]    There is a definite need for new methods of playing a billiards type game which increase and enhance the public interest in the sport. This invention generally is directed to satisfying these needs and, particularly, to providing a new method of playing a billiards type game wherein different players of different skill levels and/or experience can compete together in an interesting and satisfying game. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0010]    The Billiards Cue Ball in Hand Handicap System consists of rules designed to allow casual pool players to compete with skilled league pool players in the game of 8-Ball billiards. The ball in hand system permits individuals who perform poorly to gain additional opportunities to place the cue ball anywhere on the table for a game or series of games. 
         [0011]    A player designated as a non-professional begins this method with a three handicap when she first joins a billiards league. A player&#39;s handicap may reduce if a condition exists wherein she wins two matches. Likewise in the reciprocal, a player&#39;s handicap may increase when she loses a series of two matches up to a maximum of six for the handicap. A handicap will thus fluctuate during session play within this scoring method. 
         [0012]    Players from one group compete with players on opposing teams randomly assigned before commencing play. At the end of the match, each team will have a certain number of player match wins and losses ranging from five wins and zero losses to zero wins and five losses, in a game with teams competing with five players each. These wins and losses are converted into a point value system. 
         [0013]    Handicaps will be adjusted over a periodic time basis according to the player&#39;s previous two wins or losses. A handicap will decrease by one unit when two wins occur in consecutive time periods. A player&#39;s win followed by a loss followed by a win, and in a loss followed by two consecutive winning time periods, both instances will trigger a decrease in a handicap by one unit. A handicap will increase when two losses occur in consecutive time periods, in a losing time period followed by a winning time period followed by a losing time period, and in a win followed by two consecutive losing time periods. This calculation will reset and repeat each time a player reaches either two wins or two losses. This flexible approach permits less skilled players to compete with more skilled players on a more level footing based on the parameters of this method of scoring. 
         [0014]    Other systems, features and advantages of this scoring method will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of this scoring method, and be protected by the accompanying claims. 
         [0015]    This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
         [0016]    Additional features and advantages of exemplary implementations of the present disclosure will be set forth below, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by the practice of such exemplary implementations. The features and advantages of such implementations may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and other features will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of such exemplary implementations as set forth hereinafter. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0017]    The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of this scoring method. In the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views. 
           [0018]      FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating the score card involved in a handicapping method. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0019]    The Billiards Cue Ball in Hand Handicap System consists of rules and a method that are designed to allow a casual pool player to become a league pool player and increase her skill and knowledge of a traditional 8-Ball billiards game. 
         [0020]    Players must be at least 18 years old and must be a GPPA Intl. member to play in the league, legal residents of her respective countries, pursuant to common practices and guidelines of the governing body for any respective league or jurisdiction. 
         [0021]    Regardless of a player&#39;s/team&#39;s location, a player/team will compete with all league players/teams throughout the United States, however the players and teams shall not be limited to specific jurisdiction unless otherwise indicated by the league&#39;s governing group, institution or company. 
         [0022]    A player must pay a yearly membership fee and a periodic fee to play in any certain league or team match. For example, these fees permit members to play in three yearly sixteen separate time period sessions, including finals if qualified, with a chance to earn prize winnings based on performance in a particular session. 
         [0023]    A session is evaluated independently of the preceding sessions with the exception of the lowest handicap. If a player has played in a previous session, she begins the new session with this lowest handicap. 
         [0024]    A team may consist between five and eight members with a maximum of one professional player. A team must have a minimum of five members and up to three alternates. A professional player is any player who competes, or has ever competed in a professional tournament. A team must choose a team captain who is responsible for payment of her team&#39;s periodic fees and acts as a point of contact to a designated group participating in a league, session or playoff. Teams compete in a team classification and each player within a team completes on an individual basis. 
         [0025]    For the individual competition, a player plays a match once per time period against an opposing team player. A player who is playing on multiple teams cannot draw or compete against herself. This player match is either a race to three games, which is the best out of five games or a race to four games, which is the best out of seven games, or a race to five games, which equates to the best out of nine games. A concept exists within this scoring method to allow slower players to play fewer games than faster players if needed. A player will therefore be playing anywhere from three to nine games per match within a given time period). 
         [0026]    The break of the billiard ball rack, or the initial beginning shot of the match, for a first game of each player match is determined by lagging, the process of opposing players competing to hit an object ball closest to the head string rail. The player who wins the lag, breaks the billiard rack for a first game. After the initial break is determined, the breaks alternate between the two players during the match regardless of who won the previous game. All players get to break within this scoring method. Players with a 4+ handicap can have someone from her team break for her during her individual player matches. 
         [0027]    A player either wins or loses her match for each designated time period, weekly or otherwise. There are no match ties or draws within this scoring method. A player who wins a match or the game race depending on a three, four or five game set, wins the match. The opposing player loses the match as determined by the scoring method. 
         [0028]    Games and matches are not required to be played sequentially within a certain time period. For example, if there is only one pool table, each player match can complete her Game 1 first before moving on to Game 2, and then all player matches can proceed to complete Game 2, and then Game 3 and so on. Under this sub-method, players are not required to endure down time or lengthy delays in the tournament. 
         [0029]    For team matches, a team plays one match per time period against an opposing team and consists of five player matches (see above). Each team randomly draws a number for each player (pool balls, cards, pill bottle, marbles, folded paper with two sets of numbers 1-5, etc.) to see which player from one team plays which player from the opposing team. After the random draw, a player from a team will have a number (or color or whatever) from one to five. 
         [0030]    Players are then matched by numbers or colors or another random system within this scoring method. If a player is a member of both teams that are playing and the random draw draws that player against themselves, the random draw must be redone until the player is not matched against themselves. The player match-ups are random each time period, she are not dependent on skill level, handicap or any type of ranking. At the end of the match, each team will have a certain number of player match wins and losses ranging from five wins and zero losses to zero wins and five losses, in a game with teams competing with five players each 
         [0031]    These wins and losses are converted into points. For example within this scoring method: 5 wins yields 7.50 points, 4 wins yields 6.00 points, 3 wins yields 5.00 points, 2 wins yield 4.00 points, 1 win yields 3.00 points, 0 wins yield 2.twenty-five points, a forfeit win yields 5.50 points, a forfeit yields 1.75 points.  FIG. 1 . The points are recorded on a score sheet.  FIG. 1 . 
         [0032]    In order to allow players to establish her handicap, during the first six time periods of play of the current session, the team point system will work as follows. This is to minimize the potential of stronger teams jumping way ahead in points due to her players having a higher handicap than she would normally have and weaker teams not accumulating points due to her players having a lower handicap than she would normally have. 
         [0033]    The Billiards Cue Ball in Hand Handicap System levels the playing field and gives every player and team an equal chance of competing and winning money. A player creates a handicap within this scoring method, which is a number in the range of minus one to six (−1 to 6). The handicap number represents the number of handicap balls in hand a player has during each game she play. The handicap is recorded on a score sheet before the beginning of play.  FIG. 1 . 
         [0034]    A negative one (−1) handicap is reserved for professional players. A professional player as determined by well-established billiards protocols, will always have a negative one (−1) handicap and it will never change throughout league play regardless if she win or lose. A negative one (−1) means the professional player has no ball in hand and she give an extra ball in hand to her opponent during each game. For example, if a non-professional player has a 3 handicap (3 balls in hand per game) and is playing against a professional, the professional would give a ball in hand to that opposing player and that player would now have 4 balls in hand for each game during that player match. If a professional is playing another professional, neither gets a ball in hand under this scoring method. 
         [0035]    A non-professional player starts out with a three (3) handicap when she first join the GPPA INTL. Then, for every two player matches she win, her handicap goes down one (to a minimum of zero). For every two player matches she lose, her handicap goes up one (to a maximum of six). A handicap may fluctuate during session play pursuant to performance of a player within a certain time period. 
         [0036]    A handicap consists of permitting a player to pick up the cue ball and place it on the billiard table wherever she chooses during her turn. A handicap cannot be used when breaking the rack, when shooting for the 8-ball, after missing a shot, or after committing a foul. To use a handicap, a player must verbally declare to her opponent that she is using a handicap before touching the cue ball. A player will lose one use of a handicap if said player touch the cue ball before declaring she will use a handicap. 
         [0037]    When handicaps are used, players will record on a score sheet in the “Ball in Hand” column what ball the player is aiming at to provide a written record of the uses of the handicap per game.  FIG. 1 . 
         [0038]    If a player plays on multiple teams she will have multiple handicaps, one per team, so her handicap for a specific player can be different from one team to another. A player&#39;s handicap on one team remains classified with that specific team under this scoring method. If a player is already playing in a session and decides to play for another team (either switching teams or playing on multiple teams), the player&#39;s handicap on her new team starts out with her lowest current handicap based on the data from all previous data from previous teams and results. 
         [0039]    A player&#39;s handicap using this scoring method should not be confused with a ball in hand penalty rewarded to a player when her opponent commits a foul from the general 8-ball well-settled rules and regulations. These instances are two separate balls in hand protocols and the methods should not be confused on a score card. A ball in hand penalty from an opponent&#39;s foul does not affect the handicap method ball in hand. 
         [0040]    A player will have a handicap based on her previous performance on a scale ranging from negative one to six (−1 to 6). Professionals will have a handicap value of negative one (−1), giving the opposing player one ball in hand per game and leaving the professional with no balls in hand. The remaining values correspond to the amount of handicaps available for a player to use. For example, a player having a handicap of one (1) will be able to use the ball in hand once. A player having a Handicap of six (6) will be able to use the ball in hand six (6) times. 
         [0041]    Handicaps may be adjusted on a periodic basis according to a player&#39;s last two wins or losses. A handicap will decrease by one unit when two wins occur in consecutive time periods, in a win followed by a loss followed by a win, and in a loss followed by two consecutive winning time periods. A handicap will increase when two losses occur in consecutive time periods, in a losing time period followed by a winning time period followed by a losing time period, and in a win followed by two consecutive losing time periods. This calculation will reset each time a player reaches either two wins or two losses. 
         [0042]    At the conclusion of a session within this scoring method, the finals or playoffs will commence. Teams with the most points proceed to a playoff session at the end of a session to qualify for the end of the year playoff, to evaluate the participants in a final event to compete for a substantial prize, determined by the governing body or group of a respective tournament. Additionally, prize money will be awarded to qualifying teams based on its performance in the individual session. 
         [0043]    A team that competes in a playoff starts out with zero ( 0 ) playoff points. Once a team enters a playoff, the original session points do not carry over to a playoff and are no longer considered within this scoring method. Session points may accumulate up to a maximum of one-hundred and fifty (150) playoff points. A player on a team can accumulate up to a maximum of thirty (30) points in a playoff. Five (5) team players multiplied by thirty (30) point player maximum will equal the one-hundred and fifty (150) point team maximum. 
         [0044]    A team member will play three (3) racks of 8-Ball in a session or match. A player can earn up to ten (10) points for every rack for a total of thirty (30) points for all three racks within this scoring method. For each rack, each ball (solid or stripe) is worth one (1) point. The specific eight (8) ball in 8-Ball is worth three (3) points. If the player has stripes, she have seven (7) striped balls worth seven points plus the eight (8) ball, worth three (3) points, for a total of ten (10) points. If the player has solids, she have seven (7) solid balls worth seven (7) points plus the eight (8) ball, worth three (3) points, for a total of ten (10) points. 
         [0045]    A player racks for herself in every game she breaks. A 4+handicap player can have another player from her team break for her. Followed by her effort to run the table to try complete as many successful shots as possible within the general well-established rules of 8-Ball, specifically all stripes or solids first respectively and then the eight (8) ball. As soon as a player misses a shot, with the exception of the break, that rack is complete. If a player calls a ball in a pocket and the ball legally goes in that pocket but the eight (8) ball also goes in a pocket, then that rack is complete and ended. The called ball that went in the pocket is counted regardless of whether it went in before or after the eight (8) ball went in. An eight (8) ball is not counted in this situation. 
         [0046]    A player proceeds to add up the number of balls she made in a row, up until she missed a shot, one point per ball, and then the eight ball, for three points. This process is repeated for three (3) racks and then the points for each of the three (3) racks is also added together. The accumulation of a players points contributes to her team&#39;s total points. A player can contribute up to thirty (30) points for her team. 
         [0047]    After all five (5) players are done with their three (3) individual racks, all the point contributions from each player provides a team point total for that session playoff. A team can have a maximum of one-hundred and fifty (150) points, thirty points (30) for every player as a maximum. The teams with the most points for the session playoff qualify for the end of the year playoff to determine the victory of the final tournament of the designated time period. 
         [0048]    At the end of the year, the top qualifying teams from each of the three playoff sessions have another playoff to determine who goes to the final event to compete for the big prize money. If a team qualifies in two of the playoff sessions she get two chances to qualify for the finals. The higher of her two scores will be used for the final rankings. If a team qualifies in all three sessions she automatically go to the finals, she don&#39;t have to playoff to go to the finals. The format for this playoff is the same as the format for the session playoffs with each team member playing three racks of eight ball by themselves and contributing up to thirty (30) points to her team for a maximum team point total of one-hundred and fifty (150) points. 
         [0049]    A team will qualify based on their performance in a session. A tie between two (2) or more teams, the tiebreaker will be determined by a team randomly drawing a player from their team. Those players will then play one individual rack of 8 ball each and accumulate points pursuant to the playoff rules. The original tied teams are then ranked (within that tied ranking position) based on the points accumulated by those individual racks. As an example of this scoring method, if three (3) teams were tied for second place the tiebreaker is to determine second, third, and fourth place. Therefore, after the three (3) players finish their individual racks, a situation exists where one player had thirty (30) points, another player had twenty-five (25) points and the other player had twenty (20) points. The team of the player with thirty (30) points would get second place, the team of the player with twenty-five (25) points would get third place and the team of the player with twenty (20) points would get fourth place. If the end result is another tie, the process repeats. 
         [0050]    A set of playoff rules are the same as in the league session play unless otherwise stated within this scoring method and description. A player can use her handicap during a playoff. For a session playoff, a player uses the lowest handicap she had during that session. For the finals playoff, a player uses the lowest handicap she had during all of the sessions she played or participated (one, two or three). GPPA Intl., or the governing body of the tournament, will review players with a handicap above three (3) to determine her session and end of year playoff handicap. 
         [0051]    If a player fouls on a break by doing the following: cue ball goes in a hole; cue ball goes off the table; or any other well-established rule of the break in 8-Ball; she must spot back up on the table all balls that have been pocketed, including the eight (8) ball. There is no penalty in this particular situation within this scoring method. A player has the option of shooting the cue ball from behind the head string or using one of her handicap balls in hand, if one is available. If only ball(s) from one group (solid or stripe) went into a pocket hole from the brake, a player must play that group of balls. If no balls went in or at least one of each group (solid or stripe) went in, a player has her choice of groups (solids or stripes). If a ball doesn&#39;t go into a pocket hole on the break the player continues to shoot. 
         [0052]    If the eight (8) ball goes in on the break, a player gets three (3) points for the eight (8) ball. A player then has a choice of either stripes or solids regardless of what balls went in on the break. This procedure is a bonus for a playoff and an added element of scoring for a player. 
         [0053]    A finals format will be a standard double elimination tournament between all of the qualifying teams. Teams are drawn at random to determine the initial bracketing positions within this scoring method. Finals rules mirror the league session rules in context and function. Teams compete against each other and accumulate points based on the number of player matches she win during each team match. 
         [0054]    Teams compete in the finals to receive prize money pursuant to the stipulations of the governing body for the tournament or session. It is assumed under this method that teams from second place to second to last place share the remaining money proportionate to playoff ranking. 
         [0055]    While various embodiments of this scoring method have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scope of this invention. This method can be applied to alternative billiards games such as 8-Ball Billiards, 9-Ball Billiards, 10-Ball Billiards, English Billiards, Snooker, and others. In addition, the various features, elements and embodiments described herein may be claimed or combined in any combination or arrangement.