How does the race work?
Your race is the number of games you need to win to take a single match.
Everyone starts at race 2. It adjusts based on how you finish each tournament.
| After... | Effect on your race |
|---|---|
| 1st place | race +1 (up to 5) |
| 2nd place | race +1 (up to 4) |
| 3rd place | race +1 (up to 3) |
| Played, didn't podium | race −1 (min 2) |
| Skipped tournament | no change |
Notes
Placing never lowers your race. The caps above only limit how high the +1 can take you — a race-5 player who takes 3rd stays a 5.
Higher race = stronger player, more games required to win a match.
Which game do we play?
Normally the winners' bracket plays 8-ball and the losers' bracket plays 9-ball, though the organiser can set each side to 8, 9 or 10-ball when starting a tournament. Every match on the bracket shows its own game.
The grand final is played in the winners' game. If the losers'-bracket winner takes that match, everyone is on one loss — so a deciding game is played in the losers' game to settle it.
Other kinds of events
Several tournaments can run at the same time (different locations, each with its own tables and its own TV page). Win/Loss events use one flat race for everyone, and team events pit named teams against each other — either straight win/loss or a race to a points target the organiser sets. None of those touch handicaps, season standings, or records — only regular handicap events count there.