Eight-ball round robin home tournaments

Original by Joe Waldron (last revised 26 January 2008).

Modified by Glenn O'Brien (last revised 14 March 2023).

## Introduction

This tournament format was designed for players who have a table at home and want people over for a friendly tournament. It is a handicapped system that allows less experienced people to play against experienced players and have a chance to win. The round-robin format allows everyone to play without having to sit and watch for long periods of time.

Handicaps from pre-existing leagues can be used or one can use the system shown in the text to establish a player’s handicap.

The tournament format allows for four to seven players to play.

Players agree on how long each player is allowed for the game. It is recommended to use a chess timer for this puirpose. When their turn is over, the player presses the button that starts the opposing player’s timer. When a player's time has expired, that player loses the game. The clock is used to make sure the tournament is completed in a reasonable time. With preliminary start-up and shut down, about one hour should be added to the tournament times. Players may want to arrive 30 minutes before the tournament to practice and complete the preliminary matters, such as establishing handicaps and assigning player numbers (see below).

## Handicapping games

The table below presents suggestions for assigning handicaps.

Suggested handicap assignments
 1 | Can make cut shots less than three feet. Other shots are inconsistent. Often not sure what strategy to use when playing.

A player's handicap is revised for the next tournament as follows:

Statistics are kept for the last 12 games. When a player loses 9 of 12 games (75% losses), the handicap is dropped by one level. When a player wins 9 of 12 games (75% wins), the handicap goes up one level. Two consecutive tournament wins, and the player's handicap goes up one level.

When playing 8-ball, the lower-handicapped player has to make fewer balls before pocketing the 8-ball. The lower-handicapped player may (at the player's discretion) remove any or all of the player's own balls from the table when it helps the player make a shot. All balls removed stay off the table. Removing balls is usually only advisable if it provides a distinct advantage.

## Required number of balls to win a game

To determine how many balls the lower-handicapped players must pocket before shooting the 8-ball, subtract the lower handicap from the higher handicap. This is the lower handicapped player's ball advantage. The lower-handicapped player has to make 7 minus the ball advantage before playing the 8-ball.

For example, a 6 plays a 4. There is a two-ball advantage for the lower handicap (6-4 = 2). The lower-handicapped player must make five balls (7-2 = 5) and can then play the 8-ball. The higher-handicapped player (or both players if equal) must always make all seven balls before playing the 8-ball.

## Game assignment

Players are assigned a player number using a deck of cards numbered one through the highest player number. Cards are shuffled, cut, and each player receives a card that assigns their position in the match.

The table below shows the player assignment for each game. The first person assigned (the number on the left) breaks the rack.

The "hours" column is based on 10 minutes per game.

The game assignment has been changed from the original. It is based on Tournament Designs: All-Play-All, but the game order is changed so that the same player does not play in successive games in tournaments for 5 or more players.

## House rules

1. Players are to agree on the rule set before play begins.
2. Players should be present in the room before their game.
3. Handicap = Higher – Lower = Lower handicap's ball advantage.
	1. Example 5-3 = 2. Lower has a two-ball advantage.
	2. Lower handicap has to make seven minus ball advantage.
4. First player on assignment sheet breaks.
5. Winner of the last game racks for the next game.
6. Unless there is a volunteer timekeeper, the winner of the last game is the timekeeper/referee for the next game.
7. Clock is changed when the player misses the shot and begins to walk away or when the opponent approaches the table (whichever comes first).
8. The player loses if the clock expires on the player's turn.

## Winning the tournament

1. The tournament winner is the person with the highest number of wins.
2. In case of a tie, there is a sudden-death handicapped game.
3. The higher-handicapped player makes the break.
4. If there is a three-way tie, the highest handicap plays the next-highest handicap.
5. The winner of this game plays the lowest handicap for the tournament win.
6. If two players have the same handicap, decide who breaks by a coin toss.