Skill League Scoring Formula
This large sample size reduces the influence of short-term variance and luck and gives a fairer impression of a player's skill.
Summary of the formula
Each month all players start with a score of 1,500 points. After each tournament played, the new scores for all participating players will be calculated. Points will be added to or subtracted from the player's current score based on the following factors:- Finishing position - the better your finish in the tournament, the more points are added to your score
- Field Strength - if you do well against tough competition, you will earn more points
- 'In the money' bonus - if you survive beyond 'the bubble', you earn more points
- 'Final table' bonus - if you finish in the top nine, you earn even more points
Finishing position
The most important factor in determining your score is your overall performance in the Skill League tournaments, specifically how long you last in the events. Of course, you might still get really unlucky and bust early with aces when someone makes a bad call, but there are many tournaments to play and a single stroke of bad luck can be overcome. Try to get as far as possible by practicing the skills you have learned from our lessons.
The points increase according to a specific logarithm, detailed below.
Points also increase according to a logarithm, but not as steeply as in the middle section
Example: In the very first tournament of the month all players start with 1,500 points. The average field strength is therefore 1,500. Given a field size of 1,150 players the distribution of the points will be as follows:
| Rank | Skill Rating | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1636.4 | +136.4 |
| 2 | 1615.9 | +115.9 |
| 3 | 1605.3 | +105.3 |
| 50 | 1559.2 | +59.2 |
| 150 | 1522.8 | +22.8 |
| 300 | 1503.4 | +3.4 |
| 500 | 1496 | -4 |
| 1150 | 1484 | -16 |
Field strength
Another factor that determines the points you earn is your starting score compared with the average field strength - ie, the average score of players also in the tournament. Players starting a tournament with a higher score will gain fewer points than a player who started the same tournament with a lower score. Additionally the player with the higher starting score will lose more if they bust out early.
Case 1. Ranking of the player is 1,700. His score is 200 points better than the average of the field.
In Case 1 this player will lose 2.6 points. In case 2, he will earn 9.6 points for his result in the tournament.
'In the money'
This is a simple one. If you finish "in the money", you will receive an additional three points.
You may notice, especially in our Open Skill League tournaments, a difference between the announced payout in the "Tournament Info" and in the tournament lobby. Here is the explanation:
The "Tournament Info" displays the theoretical payout of the prize pool as a percentage. When the actual prize amount for a place drops below $0.01 the prize is not credited to the player, but instead added to the prize of the tournament winner.
The PokerSchool Skill League points are calculated with the theoretical prize distribution. For example, a player that is theoretically entitled to a prize below $0.01 will receive no actual money award for the tournament, but he will still receive the additional three Skill League points for finishing in the money.
Final Table
| Position | Points added |
| 1st | +50 |
| 2nd | +30 |
| 3rd | +20 |
| 4th - 9th | +10 |
Conclusion
Also the difference between the first and the tenth placed finishers is smaller than a usual prize structure. The winner will get about 68 per cent more points than place ten. In a regular tournament he will usually receive at least 100 per cent more.
Finally, there is another big difference: for very early bust outs there will be points deducted from your score. This way early gambling will be punished and continuous good results over the month rewarded. And remember, even if you don't do well in the league this month, everyone starts the next month with the same 1,500 points, so it is anyone's game to win.
2ln := Logarithm with the base 2
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