PAIHL - Chatter
 

Hi Folks,

I'm just setting up the various opening Threads for the upcoming PAIHL Team Contest - one of our most popular.

The Contest runs Saturday January 4 through Saturday May 3, 2014 - Kentucky Derby Day.

The Contest Management team has been reviewing all the comments and suggestions from those who played in the 2013 PAIHL, and some proposals for Rule Changes will appear in this space very shortly - for your commentary and discussion.

Hopefully by the end of the coming weekend, we'll have a consensus of how we all want this year's Contest to run. Then Chris (Track Collector) - will post the Official Rules and the Sign-in Poll.

Meanwhile - everyone who is interested in fielding a 3-person Team, please discuss amongst yourselves and get ready for the Sign-up.

Please stay tuned to this space!

Ted

PAIHL Proposed Rule & Schedule Changes
 

In order to finalize the Official Rules and Schedule for the 2014 Season for the PAIHL, I reviewed all the feedback given during the 2013 season and I am distilling it here, as best I understand it, for discussion and commentary over the next few days. I'll consult with Track Collector, PaceAdvantage and Jay Trotter over all the suggestions, and we'll publish the final Rules and the Team Sign-up page by Monday morning latest. I appreciate everyone's feedback!


The main concerns, and suggestions for improvement, as I see it, lie in 3 areas:

1. Treatment of BYES, for the Top 6 Regular Season finishers ('it gives them an unfair advantage over non-bye teams', versus 'it rewards them for strong showing over the long season - gives them a breather, and avoid elimination for 1 more week')

2. While the Top Half of the Regular Season teams should continue to the Finals, those teams (e.g. 18 teams last year) should continue to compete against each other through the end, rather than face elimination each week.

3. The kinds of races included in the competition schedule ('low class' races and tracks, versus 'higher class', etc)

Perhaps there are other categories for improvement, and please suggest them.


Here is a set of proposals, for commentary:

1. Eliminate BYES, and no Team eliminations Post-season. Instead, play a Regular Season for 14 weeks (versus 15 last year) then take a 1 week breather before commencing a 3 week (4 day) Finals (Post-season). The Top Half of the Regular Season teams go into a Group A which qualifies for the Cash and other main prizes. The Bottom Half go into a Group B, which qualifies for Honourable mention, perhaps some minor prizes. BOTH groups play 3 more weekends (4 days x 8 races = 32 more events) culminating with the Kentucky Derby. Contest winner is the Team (Group A) with the most points from the Finals (Post-season).

Having 32 events over 4 days (3 weeks, including 2 days at KY Derby weekend) minimizes a single 'unlucky' bad or mediocre day, which formerly lead to immediate elimination. Any team can have a bad day, but the best Teams should not have too many bad days. (For example - my team finished last year on top of the Regular Season, got a BYE, then had 1 bad day and we were finished). Emphasize the 'skill' and 'endurance' aspect of such a contest by eliminating 'sudden death'.

A by-product of continuing with 'all-play-all' post-season Finals, and having 2 Groups, is that it gives people more opportunities to continue playing - and (for advertising Sponsors: i.e. those who fund the prizes) - this continues to attract full Contest participation for an additional 3 weeks - especially during the high-point of Kentucky Derby weekend.

Teams are expected to play the full Regular Season (i.e. even after they have qualified for the Finals). This is just good sportsmanship! Teams missing one week of the Finals (post-season) are eliminated.

Instead of a Finals Round 1 BYE for the Top 6 Regular Season teams (i.e. to reward the top finishers) - how about starting the Finals with an amount of points = the number of Teams you beat in your Group. Example: Group A = 18 teams (as last year) - the Top Group, the prize group. Top Ranked Team (i.e. Regular Season winner) starts with 17 points. 18th ranked team starts with 0 points. OR - divide those points by 2 (given half the number of teams going forward in each Group). It's a certain reward for Regular Season consistent performance, though not an insurmountable one for the lower ranked teams.

2. Make a 'statement' of the important criteria in selecting races for each round. All things being equal, the Schedule Master (PaceAdvantage again this year) follows these guidelines (i.e. to the greatest degree possible, but not more ...):

a) free WhoBet Brisnet races,
b) 4 tracks maximum,
c) about 4 hours duration,
d) larger fields,
e) mindful of weather and tracks likely to cancel or switch surface = many scratches,
d) prefer few or no FTS and prefer that horses have a goodly number of races run (exception for 3YO Graded Stakes races)
e) consequently, Maidens and other ‘lower class’ races and tracks are acceptable in support of the above preferred goals

Note: I tried, but could not get any free PPs from TrackMaster, so WhoBet is all there is.


That's it from me! All commentary welcomed. Again - Rules will be finalized Sunday evening and the Sign-up posted Monday.

Everyone who is a member of another handicapping community - please promote this Contest on your other Forum. It's an Inter-Board Handicapping League!

Thanks,

Ted

Good idea. Get's my vote. :ThmbUp:

Just wanted to be the first to say "my team is back baby"! The Parlay Kings (2012 Champions) including Maumeeriverangler, ndsc32 and your truly have agreed to team up once again.

Good luck to all!:ThmbUp:

Ahem! SOME of us were waiting for the team sign-in thread to open. (Team Overlay (davew, Track Collector, and yours truly, representing Overlay Publications.com) will charitably view your post as a former champion's prerogative!) :)

OK - I too will wait for the Official Rules and Sign-in thread to open on Monday to formally announce that RDSS Team Sartin (Midland333 - Binder - Ted Craven) are returning to avenge our 2013 Regular Season Win :) (followed by our Finals Round 2 face-plant :blush: ).

http://paceandcap.com/forums/images/icons/icon12.gif

Any comments on the above ideas?

Ted

Rules, rules, we don't need no stinkin' rules! :jump:

The following "format" was put together before reading Ted's proposal. (I have subsequently read Ted's plan, and see no real concerns.). I also like the idea of the finals consisting of more races, so as to minimize the luck factor. Subject plan presented below only addresses the top A-group (which was 24 teams last year), and is based on the premise that a regular season of significant length to sufficient identify the top/best teams.

One draw-back is that some teams do get eliminated and therefore do not play every week.

The plan:

--- Top 24 teams (including ties) make the playoffs. Teams not making the playoff have their own tournament.
--- Playoffs consist of three rounds.
--- Round 1 ---> Teams ranked 11th thru 24th from regular season play. Top 3 (including ties) advance to next round.
--- Round 2 ---> Teams ranked 6th thru 10th from regular season plus top 3 from round 1 play. Top 3 (including ties) advance to next round.
--- Round 3 --> Teams ranked 1st thru 5th from regular season plus top 3 (including ties) from round 2 play.

While some folks do not like the idea of a bye, top teams (by demonstration over the entire season) desire to go to a higher level in the playoffs before they risk elimination.

As to the Group B tournament, I think that any team that does not enter selections in the last week of the regular season should not be allowed. This would act as an incentive to play the entire season, even if a team's chances are remote.


Chris

One improvement to the above proposal to reduce the amount of time off for some teams.

Most everyone has some type of interest in the Kentucky Derby (weekend), so those in Group A who are eliminated in either round 1 or round 2 of the playoffs could play in another group for the same type of prize being offered for the Group B teams who do not make the playoffs.

I recognize that Ted has a fast-approaching deadline, so I'm comfortable with whatever is decided. :)

Count me in as one who does not like the idea of byes. :ThmbDown:
And I'm sure several others don't either.

It seems to me that the main issues are:

1. How best to reward Top Teams from the Regular Season as they move to the Finals,

2. Whether to conduct the Finals on a progressive elimination basis.

1. Rewarding Top Teams - we can either give them a BYE for 1 or 2 Final rounds, or we can give them a bonus points reward relative to their Regular Season finish. Both are a reward. BYEs give both a breather and respite from elimination. It seems BYEs and the prospect of elimination go hand-in-hand (i.e. the concepts are linked). Bonus points are also a reward: the better the finish over a long Regular Season, the greater the bonus relative to the surviving teams.

It strikes me that the winner of the tournament should have had to survive continual challenge from every one else. A BYE in the Finals, while rewarding, removes some of the challenge which a Winner should have to survive. BYEs reduce competition, and also reduce activity. It seems if we're having a tournament, we should try to engage as many people as possible for as long as possible.

Thus - I favour the bonus points approach over the BYE approach as a reward for Regular Season high standing.

2. Eliminations in the Finals. The only reason to eliminate teams throughout the Finals is to more easily count points (or dollars won) to determine the winner. If points are still easily counted without eliminations, even if the competition is thinned by halving the teams going into the Finals (or making 2 Groups) - then the Finals could go forward simply continuing to count points (number of teams beat each round).

Is there any extra value eliminations serve towards the goal of counting up to the Winner, versus simply all teams continuing to compete and continuing to count the points?


The above arguments summarized, and thinking about Chris' idea (and privately received comments), my simplified proposal would be:

1. Top Half of Regular Season Teams join Finals Group A. All Teams start again with 0 points - PLUS bonus points = the number of teams you beat, divided by 2. Example: 48 teams play, Top 24 proceed to Finals Group A. Team ranked #1 beat 23 teams and gets bonus points = 23 / 2 = 11.5 rounded up = 12.

Group A teams play 3 weekends more (4 days), no eliminations, accumulating points based on the number of teams beat each day. Winner determined by points count.

2. Bottom Half of Regular Season Teams join Group B. Same bonus point system applies as for Group A, same play schedule, same winner criterea

3. Group A winners qualify for cash prizes and PACS points. Group B winner(s) receive honourable mention, perhaps some other prize.

4. Teams have to play in the final Regular Season round to qualify for Finals in either Group. If a Team misses one Finals round, they are eliminated.

5. Schedule - play 14 Regular Season rounds from January 4 through April 5. Take 1 week off (April 12). Play 3 Final weeks April 19, 26, May 2 & 3 (4 days, 32 events). Contest Concludes with Kentucky Derby May 3.

Final thoughts?

Ted

Personally, I don't see a need for Playoff rounds- points bonuses, or byes.
If one of the lower teams makes a piss pot full of money on Oaks and Derby days and wins the whole thing, so be it.
That's horse racing.

Where do we post our names as free agents?

Under this thread, which was just opened about 45 minutes ago.

I am fine with whatever rules you guys decide to change but think it's kind of hasty with less than a month.Especially if the intention is to get input from most of the players pool.