[ArtK78]

I just played in a regular BBO ACBL matchpoints pairs event. These events are stratified, and they award additional points to the top overall finishers, in addition to awards in sections. They are very well attended, and this particular event had 6 sections of 14 or 15 pairs in each direction.

I was particularly intrigued by the fact that the two pairs that finished last and next to last in my section in the opposite direction (13th and 14th in a 14 table section) won masterpoints. This should NEVER be possible. They were both flight C pairs, and there were 4 flight C pairs in their direction in our section. Needless to say, they finished 3rd and 4th in Flight C in the section. Both of these pairs scored very close to 40%.

How can it be possible that the two pairs that finished last and next to last in their section can win masterpoints?

[Mbodell]

Could it be the overalls (for C) that gave them the MP? I hate the strating on BBO since I'm always in C and then even when I have a bad game I usually win MP.

[mike777]

This problem sounds self correcting...no issue.

I DONT remember the exact number but more than 50% of acbl members have close to zero points.

I posted the numbers a few years ago.

[Mbodell]

But BBO doesn't strat by masterpoint. It strats by BBO masterpoint. I have 2000 master points. My partner is a life master. We are always C strat on BBO.

[ArtK78]

mike777, on 2013-August-08, 23:45, said:

This problem sounds self correcting...no issue.

I DONT remember the exact number but more than 50% of acbl members have close to zero points.

I posted the numbers a few years ago.

I don't believe you understand my point.

I am saying that two pairs, that finished 13th and 14th in a 14 pair section, won masterpionts.

There were 4 pairs in Flight C in this section, and these two pairs finished 3rd and 4th out of the 4 pairs in Flight C.

Given that masterpoints are awarded by section, and that in no event are masterpoints awarded to more than 50% of the pairs in any given flight in a section, the masterpoint award to these two pairs is not possible.

It was mentioned that it might be possible that these two pairs (whose scores were about 40% each) might have placed in the overall among the Flight C pairs. I checked the standings and found that there was a Flight C pair which scored over 50% which did not get any masterpoints, so these pairs did not earn any awards for their finish in Flight C (or, for that matter, in Flight B).

[jnichols]

I have no idea why this might have happened, makes no sense to me. It could be a programming problem. It would help if you let those who can investigate and correct the problem know just which game/section this happened in. Instead of just griping!

[ArtK78]

jnichols, on 2013-August-12, 07:20, said:

I have no idea why this might have happened, makes no sense to me. It could be a programming problem. It would help if you let those who can investigate and correct the problem know just which game/section this happened in. Instead of just griping!

Isn't that what I just did?

I am sure that this is not an isolated incident. If the person(s) responsible need to have me report the game/section in which this occurred, they know how to get in touch with me.

[Bbradley62]

Are non-ACBL members allowed to play in ACBL tournaments on BBO? Might this be why the pair that scored 51% didn't get masterpoints?

[barmar]

Bbradley62, on 2013-August-12, 21:08, said:

Are non-ACBL members allowed to play in ACBL tournaments on BBO? Might this be why the pair that scored 51% didn't get masterpoints?

If you're not an ACBL member, you still get BBO masterpoints when you play in these games. We align the BBO masterpoint formula with the ACBL formula, so the awards are the same. And if you later join ACBL, all your old awards will be sent to them.

[inquiry]

Many people have considered ACBL rating points as attendance points. Guess this situation fits that description. A third or 4th place section C award can not be much in the way of points.

[barmar]

inquiry, on 2013-August-12, 22:27, said:

Many people have considered ACBL rating points as attendance points. Guess this situation fits that description. A third or 4th place section C award can not be much in the way of points.

But points should generally only be awarded to something like the top 40 or 50% of the strat. You shouldn't get points for coming in LAST in C.

I suspect there's a problem with the algorithm we're using to calculate masterpoints.

[barmar]

I think I see what was going on.

The tourney he's referring to is presumably this one:

http://webutil.bridg...7823-1376013600

Every section had between 4 and 6 C pairs in each direction. In sections with 4-5, points were awarded to the top 4; this means that in sections with only 4, they all got points, even if they came in last in the section. In sections with 6, points were awarded to the top 5.

[Vampyr]

barmar, on 2013-August-12, 23:14, said:

Every section had between 4 and 6 C pairs in each direction. In sections with 4-5, points were awarded to the top 4; this means that in sections with only 4, they all got points, even if they came in last in the section. In sections with 6, points were awarded to the top 5.

Why were so many pairs given masterpoints?

[billw55]

Vampyr, on 2013-August-13, 04:49, said:

Why were so many pairs given masterpoints?

Incentive for participation. ACBL and BBO run a business after all.

[ArtK78]

barmar, on 2013-August-12, 23:14, said:

I think I see what was going on.

The tourney he's referring to is presumably this one:

http://webutil.bridg...7823-1376013600

Every section had between 4 and 6 C pairs in each direction. In sections with 4-5, points were awarded to the top 4; this means that in sections with only 4, they all got points, even if they came in last in the section. In sections with 6, points were awarded to the top 5.

Actually, no. The tournament was ACBL Pairs Tournament #7826.

[barmar]

ArtK78, on 2013-August-13, 06:52, said:

Actually, no. The tournament was ACBL Pairs Tournament #7826.

That was the tourney you finished just before posting. But you said the tourney had 6 sections, and #7826 has only 4. Not that it really matters, they both illustrate the issue.

[TylerE]

billw55, on 2013-August-13, 06:41, said:

Incentive for participation. ACBL and BBO run a business after all.

The funny thing is, it's coming back to bite them. Many of the players at the local club are now unhappy because they're having to play in Flight A at sectionals (they often have just stopped going to tourneys). Many of 'em went from non-LM to have 2000+ in just a few years, without really getting better. Was so easy, especially a few years ago when clubs could run "special" games every session.

[1eyedjack]

Interesting thread. I have just taken part in an 8 board robot tourney (individual, MP, best hand South). Note this is not ACBL tourney, but still ...
There were a total of 6 tables, ie 6 human participants, myself included.
I came last, LOL. In my defence I am rather drunk recovering from escallating Slieve Donard in the (usual) driving rain. Damn those paths are rocky.
Anyway much to my surprise and euphoric delight I find that I am the proud owner of 0.10 extra BBO masterpoints. How come? Apparently I qualified for flight C. As I was the only participant in that flight I only needed to turn up and complete the movement to be sure of leading that flight.

[barmar]

1eyedjack, on 2013-August-16, 11:06, said:

As I was the only participant in that flight I only needed to turn up and complete the movement to be sure of leading that flight.

You were not the only one in the strat to show up, but you were the only one to finish. The tourney started with 8 players, but 2 of them dropped out. The strat boundaries are set at the beginning, with an approximately equal number of players in each strat (and if the tourney is too small, we reduce the number of strats).

We just don't bother showing the players who dropped out in the leaderboard. Think of them as being at the bottom of the list, with scores of zero, so you beat them. And at least one of them must have been in strat C.

[42krunner]

I don't have many ACBL masterpoints, anm relatively new to the game, but consider myself to be rapidly improving.

Something odd has been going on with the Speedball's as discussed. I've noticed every speedball, very low performing C's are getting MP's. I've seen as low as 28% getting points, and yes last place on one side gets paid. (Sometimes their score is lower than last place in the other direction).