Tips on Forming and Operating a Local
Backgammon Club
These tips were kindly supplied by Bill Davis of the Chicago Point newsletter and
Chicago Bar Point Club. I
have put them here unedited. They are primarily based on experience of United
States clubs, and you may have to make one or two adjustments for your local
culture and laws. However, most of the advice should apply anywhere.
A. For Starters:
- Find a good location. To keep your club sociable, choose a
location that serves reasonable food and drinks. You also want an establishment
that remains open until at least midnight. Check out Bar/Restaurant locations
that are easily accessible to players in your metropolitan area. A side room
with individual tables or booths is better than a closed room with long tables.
Also, try to immediately get the waitress on your side. Give her a nice tip
each week, and encourage your players to do likewise. Tell her to report to you
if anyone is ill-mannered. An efficient waitress is a valuable asset to your
club.
- Be flexible on the day you meet. If you find a nice place, ask
the owner which day he would prefer to have you on a weekly basis.
That's the day he most needs the additional business.
- Pick a friendly club name. Avoid "corporation" or
"association" in your name. These are words suitable for a business
environment. You want your players to think of the backgammon club as a
sociable place to go for food, drink and friendly competitive action.
- Reject the notion of a formal club "board of directors."
Again, too business-like. Besides, if you're a fair-minded monarch, you'll be
able to make a lot more "good" decisions for your club in much shorter time.
- Don't charge a membership fee. A membership fee is a possible
option when your clubs is established, but not when it's just beginning.
- Hold a "Grand Opening" event. Try to guarantee a big turnout
by having flyers printed and doing mailings. Put up flyers in the bar and at
colleges in the area. Also make phone calls. Try to get a free listing in the
"Events Calendar" of your local newspaper. This regular listing will be your
BROADEST EXPOSURE. Keep the entry fee at a level that your area's economy is
comfortable with. Return 75%-85% of the entry fee in the Open division (perhaps
higher for your kickoff event) and make the "Grand Opening" entry FREE in the
Beginner division (award prizes like backgammon books, precision dice, etc.).
You'll lose money on the first tournament because of the supplies, advertising
costs and prizes, but this is to be expected with any new business.
- Be prepared for initially low attendance following your "Grand
Opening." It will take a number of months to build a base of players. Just make
sure that you always hold a tournament, even if there are only four of you.
Occasional players must know that if they decide to attend, there will always
be a tournament and the chance to win cash prizes and master points.
B. When You Get Into Operation, You'll Need:
- ... to develop your own mailing list by taking every player's
name, address and telephone number the first night they attend. This is the
only way to be sure of a true "up-to-date" area listing.
- ... these supplies: pencils, score sheets, chouette sheets, a
notebook, tournament draw sheets, numbered cards for the draw ... and a
briefcase to carry everything.
- ... a master point system. Follow the American Contract Bridge
League's concept: the more you attend, the greater your chance of earning
points. Never deduct master points (like they do in chess tournaments). The
idea is to encourage attendance. Honor each "Player of the Month" with some
small token (perhaps a free drink). Award prizes to your top players at the end
of each year at an "Awards Night."
- ... a monthly newsletter that lists the master point standings
and perhaps some club news (results from previous month, upcoming events,
etc.).
C. Ways To Build Up Your Attendance Once You're In Operation:
- If things aren't going well, seek a new location (see A.1).
- Work hard to get a free listing in the "Events Calendar" of
your local newspaper. As stated in A.6, this is the broadest long term
advertising exposure that you can achieve -- and it's free.
- The players must always come first. When they come to you with
results, you must be receptive even if you're in the middle of a match. The
same is true if you're involved in a chouette. The players must never feel like
they're bothering you when they approach you with results or a question.
- Arrive at least one hour prior to the tournament and order
dinner. You'll be surprised how many others will join you. Dinner begins the
evening on a sociable note and provides the restaurant with a reason to host
your club.
- Offer free lessons to beginners. If you're busy taking
sign-ups, perhaps one of your regulars will help out.
- Warn the new players if your waters are shark-infested.
Money-hustling sharks must be exposed. They are a backgammon club's most
destructive force.
- Stress the importance of everyone playing in the
tournament. Let people know that if they only come by to play on the side,
they're not supporting the club. Charge non-tournament players a side fee and
limit the number of times they may attend without entering the tournament. This
tule is the best way to weed out your sharks because no true shark will want to
waste three or four hours playing in a small $5 or $10 tournament.
- Start the tournament on time. If you advertise holding the
drawing for byes at 7:00PM, then hold it at 7:00PM. If you're regularly late in
starting, players will be late in arriving. And adhere to a cut-off time when
entries are no longer accepted. You may turn away a few players, but those
players will never be late again. And if you let them playm the entire
tournament will run late thus penalizing those who arrived on time.
- Keep tournament entry fees as low as possible, yet still
interesting. It's unlikely that you'll lose and players who enjoy the game and
you may gain some players who live on a tight budget. If you survey the players
on raising the entry fee, take the results with a grain of salt. Money-oriented
players will push for a raise, and few will challenge them, because who wants
to admit that their money is tight.
- Offer an optional side pool for those who seek extra action.
If your entry fee is $10, perhaps the side pool would be $5 or $10. The player
in the pool advancing the furthest in the tournament wins all the side money.
This is a good way to increase the action in your tournament without increasing
the required entry fee.
- Hold a special tournament once each month. Perhaps you'll
award double master points, or maybe return more of the entry fees. The idea is
to get an increase in attendance that will carry over to the other weeks.
- Consider awarding a free play (or free pool entry) to regulars
who bring a new player.
- Buy a drink for players who have perfect attendance in any
given month.
- Don't be afraid to make a difficult decision regarding a
trouble-maker if that decision will benefit the club as a whole. You may
lose the respect of the trouble-maker, but you'll win the respect of those who
understand fair play.
- Above all, seek out players who enhance the social aspects of your
club. The friendly, skilled player who shares his knowledge with others is
your club's best friend. The money-hungry shark is your worst enemy.
Chicago Bar Point Club Tournament Procedure
This procedure guarantees everyone at least two matches.
- Arrive an hour early and support your establishment by having dinner.
- List the names of the players and collect their entry fee as they
arrive. Don't forget to note whether or not they enter the optional side pool.
- We schedule our drawing for possible byes at 7.00pm. All players
arriving by this time have an equal chance for a bye. You should not
accept phone-in reservations for this drawing.
- Following the draw, names are entered on the drawsheet. Players who
have an opponent may begin their match. Those with no opponent have "temporary
byes."
- Late comers (those arriving after 7.00pm) may sign up for the
tournament until 7.30pm. (The way the draw sheet is numbered, late comers
always have an immediate match). Afer 7.30pm, entries close and the remaining
byes become official.
Here's a sample for a 14 player $10 entry fee tournament (with 80%
return) and a $5 optional side pool. (Side pools give the "high rollers" more
money action). The elimination format we use guarantees two matches. If you win
your first match, you're in the Main Flight; if you lose your first, you're in
the Consolation. A loss after your first match eliminates you from the
tournament.
CONSOLATION MAIN FLIGHT
__ 1 Sandy __
__Sandy__|__16 *BYE* __|__Sandy__
| |
__Sandy__| __ 8 Bill __ |__Sam __
| |__Bill __|__ 9 Sam $__|__Sam __| |
| |
Sandy__| __ 4 Joan __ |__Al
| | __Jeff __|__13 Jeff $__|__Joan __ | |
| | | | | |
| |__Nick __| __ 5 Nick __ |__Al __| |
| |__Nick __|__12 Al $__|__Al __| |
| |
|-- Cons. Split __ 1 Mary __ Jim --|
| __Kelly__|__16 Kelly$__|__Mary __ |
| | | |
| __Ted __| __ 8 Ted __ |__Mary__ |
| | |__Ted __|__ 9 Rob $__|__Rob __| | |
| | | |
Ted __| __ 4 Jim __ |__Jim
| __*BYE*__|__13 *BYE* __|__Jim __ |
| | | |
|__Peter__| __ 5 Bob $__ |__Jim __|
|__Peter__|__12 Peter __|__Bob __|
$ = Optional Side Pool
RANK OF FINISH IN SIDE POOL MASTER POINTS PRIZE MONEY
1. 1st Jim 1.12 1st = $56
2. 1st/2nd split Al 0.56 2nd = $28
3. 2nd Mary 0.40 1st Cons. = $14
4. 1st Cons. Sam 0.40 6 in Pool = $30
5. 1st/2nd Cons. split Sandy 0.44
6. 2nd Cons. Ted 0.44
7. Main semifinal
Notice that although Sandy drew a bye, she still went into the
consolation after losing to Sam. (Everyone is guaranteed two matches). Jim also
drew a bye, but because he defeated Bob in Bob's second match, Bob is
eliminated and Peter gets a bye into the next consolation bracket.
Jim receives $56 for winning the tournament. Al gets $28 for second
place and $30 for advancing furthest among the pool players. Ted and Sandy
split the consolation to win $14 each.
Develop your own master point system, or write
Chicago Bar Point Club and
we'll mail you ours. (3940 W. Bryn Mawr 504, Chicago, IL 60659-3155, Tel
773/583-6464, Fax 773/583-3264, E-mail online@chicagopoint.com).
Note by Stephen Turner: Another couple of methods you might think about
are the following. (1) Knockout with progressive consolation. This means that
two losses are required to knock anybody out of the tournament. The system is
that the further you get in the main flight, the further on in the consolation
you enter. See the
FIBS
tournaments for examples of this method. (2) Swiss tournament. Everyone
plays the same number of matches (say 5 or 6). The system is that after each
round finishes, the top two players so far meet in the next round, also the 3rd
and 4th, and so on. A lot of the BIBA tournaments are run this
way.
Michael Crane has another page on
setting
up a new club too.
Oh, and if you do start a club, tell me, and I'll include it in my
worldwide list of clubs.
Corrections and additions welcome! Email them to
Updates@Gammoned.com
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