SCOOP Warm-Up!
(More than $545 added!)

PSO presents the SCOOP Warm-Up! Take part in our special $11 Main-Event satellite with 5 x $109 tickets added! We are also hosting 2 live-training sessions with access to our $2.20 sub-satellite with $55 added!

Training Video
(NLHE 6-max)

In this Live Training Video Dave "TheLangolier" continues his Play of Hands - Large Pots series where navigating large pot situations in 25NL and 50NL 6-max is discussed.

ZOOM
(Theory)

After three hundred million hands, PokerStars has stripped the beta label off Zoom Poker and made it official. The newest poker innovation from PokerStars HQ is now officially ready for primetime.

Training Video
(SNG)

In this Live Training Video Andy "ahar010" runs a special session on the MicroMillions Tournament Series. To see all upcoming trainings check out our training calendar.

Skill League Scoring Formula

The Skill League scoring formula is intended to measure each player's overall performance, and eliminate variance and luck.

Summary of the Formula

Each month all players start with a score of 1,500 points. After each tournament, the new scores for all participating players will be calculated. Points will be added to or subtracted from the current score based on the following factors:

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' (if you survive beyond 'the bubble', you earn more points)
'Final Table' (if you finish in the top 9, you earn even more points)

Position

The most important factor for the score is your overall performance in the Skill League tournaments. So try to get as far as possible in the tournaments as you can by practicing the skills you've learned from our lessons!

The points are distributed as follows:

1. Top 1/16. (For example, if there are 800 players, the top 50.)

For the top 1/16 finishers the points are distributed linearly. So the difference between two adjacent spots is relatively small. The payouts are 'flatter' than in a regular multi-table tournament.

2. Top 25% to Top 1/16.
The points increase logarithmically.

3. The bottom 75%
Points also increase logarithmically, 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 to the average field strength. Players that start a tournament with a higher score will gain less 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.

Example: A player finishes 300th in a field of 1,150 players The average score is 1,500.

Case 1. Ranking of the player is 1,700. His score is 200 points better than the average of the field.

Case 2. Ranking of the player is 1,300. In this case he is 200 points below the average.

In case 1 he 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 ... finish 'in the money' will receive an additional +3 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 3 Skill League points for finishing in the money.

Final Table

Reach the final table receive extra points as follows:

Position	Points added
1st	+50
2nd	+30
3rd	+20
4th - 9th	+10

Conclusion

The Skill League points payout structure is considerably flatter when compared to a regular MTT prize structure. In those, it doesn't matter if you bust out as the first person or become bubble boy. In both cases you will win nothing. In the Skill League scoring formula, the difference between these two places is about 40 points. Also the difference between the 1st and the 10th place is smaller than a usual prize structure. The winner will get about 68% more points than place 10. In a regular tournament he will usually receive at least 100% more. And 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.

IF you like math, here is the formula in detail ... (click to open)

field := size of field

rank := players finishing position

field strength:= average of starting scores of all tournament participants
2ln := Logarithm with the base 2

New score = [old score] + delta + 4 + ([field strength] - [old score]) / 33

Formula for delta:

Top 1/16 finishers:

delta = 40+(1/16-(rank/field))*16*40

Top 25% finishers:

delta = (2ln (field/rank)-2)*20

Bottom 75% finishers:

delta = (2ln (field/rank)-2)*10

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's anyone's game to win!

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