Excellent news. When we say we are going to dig into things some more, we try to be timely about it. Thankfully, we were able to figure it out in one day. Yesterday we discussed the possible changes to the Masterpoints formula for ACBL Support Your Club games compared to the Virtual Private Club games.
All For One bridge included statistics in their sometimes-more-than-daily email.
Two Equations and Two Unknowns
For a throwback to high school algebra, you generally need two equations to solve for two unknowns. While both formulas are linear in table count, there is the “club game” formula which pays a flat 0.1 points per table for first place. Then there is the club championship / STaC / sectional / regional formula that pays has a constant bounty bonus, plus a larger linear amount per table.
Anyway, it is the club game formula, multiplied by exactly 1.5. The open morning game with 6 tables pays 0.1 * 6 * 1.5 = 0.9 to first. The open afternoon game paid 0.1 * 24 * 1.5 = 3.60.
Huge Bug – Get It While You Can!!!
Except there is one huge loophole, and I encourage readers here to get it while you can! If you are not eligible, certainly you must have friends who are.
The limited Virtual Private Club games are currently coded as an invitational game, which haircuts the prize by 20%. If you look at the enhanced 99er game, it paid 0.96 Black to first place to the top of each section. Not overall, but each section of 8 pairs. How do you get 0.96? It’s the same formula, multiplied by 80% for an invitational game: 0.1 * 8 * 1.5 * 0.8 = 0.96.
But doesn’t that feel a little high for a small 99er game? We need to go back to the pre-virus glory days when there was a Friday afternoon 99er at Honors. Also 8 tables, but this time first place got 0.48. What happened?
The Virtual Private Club Is Not Subject To The M-Factor
You knew it was coming. We must reference the ACBL Masterpoints manual again.
When you run a 99er club game, the M-factor should be set at 0.60, meaning it pays only 0.6 times as much as the normal payoff. Contrast that with a 0-750 game, which should pay 0.8 as much (a 0-3500 also pays 0.8). Instead, it seems the 99er games are treated as an invitational game, always with a 0.8 multiplier.
Intentional Promotion For Virtual Private Clubs?
Perhaps it is an intentional loophole, but it’s the greatest deal out there for limited games. A 99er, 750, and 0-3500 game currently pays 20% more than an open game at a physical club! And the open games are at 50% more.
Now, all we need is for the open game to gain the table bonus from all concurrent restricted game tables. The 8 tables from the 99er and the 9 tables from the 750 could add 2.55 to the first prize of the open game…