The first straight pool league in the area was started at Shoreline Billiards in 2001. The handicap system in use then simply assigned a number of points to each player that they had to score in order to win. A 120-player would need to get to 120 before his 100-player opponent got to 100. The rating was static - it did not change during the season, though the league operator (LO) could change it after the season was over. The result of this system was that the highest rated players made the playoffs consistently. Since it was obvious that the system heavily favored the better players, a new approach was needed to give everyone in the league a better chance at winning, and making the playoffs. We asked our local pool and billiards guru, Bob Jewett, a two time National Collegiate Straight Pool Champion and columnist for the Billiard Digest, to develop a better method. Bob had already developed a 9-ball handicap system for the National Pool League (NPL) which was based solely on a player's results (win and your rating goes up, lose and it goes down). He adapted that approach to straight pool, developing a series of match-up tables based on the difference in the ratings of the two players. After each match, a shooter's handicap changes by a set amount. The more a player wins, the higher the rating becomes.
The system was implemented in the summer of 2003, and has been in use continually since then. Three California leagues currently use Bob's system: Crown Billiards in San Ramon, Shoreline Billiards in Mountain View, and Lucky Shot Billiards in Sunnyvale. Over 200 players have received ratings thus far, and each new season brings new players.
Bob Jewett's article from the June 2003 issue of BD explains the concepts behind the approach:
The system was implemented in the summer of 2003, and has been in use continually since then. Three California leagues currently use Bob's system: Crown Billiards in San Ramon, Shoreline Billiards in Mountain View, and Lucky Shot Billiards in Sunnyvale. Over 200 players have received ratings thus far, and each new season brings new players.
Bob Jewett's article from the June 2003 issue of BD explains the concepts behind the approach: