Poker Articles

By Adam | Published Oct 20 2006, 02:50 AM
For the 21 months that we've been running this site, our Online Tournament Player Rankings have been a focal point of the community.  The first year of the rankings were documented in this article.  It's been the most popular ranking system of its kind, but as everyone knows, it's also been the most controversial.

Wednesday marks a new era on PocketFives.com, specifically a new era in the rankings.  The P5s Staff is letting go of control, letting the players determine by themselves who ascends to the top of the list.  Will it make getting to number 1 any easier?  Probably not much easier....but we'll see a few more names than before, no doubt.  To get to number 1, you still have to be at or near the top of the 3 month TLB AND be at or near the top of the pro poll (Click here for more information about how the rankings will be compiled).

We'll be releasing the new rankings in dramatic fashion, starting at 7:00 p.m. EST.  Every ten minutes, 5 new names will be released, starting with numbers 96-100.  That's right, 100 players will be ranked now instead of 75.  We figured the more the merrier, and 100 is a nice round number.  Even better, if you're a registered P5er and have any cashes in tournaments that qualify for the rankings, you'll automatically have a TLB score that you can compare to other members of the community.  When you reach the top 200 of the TLB, that's when you can receive consideration to be a ranked player.

People have been coming to us for nearly two years with ideas for a systematic approach to the rankings.  After going back and forth for months between a more scientific subjective system and an automated system that was strictly results-based, we realized that neither was more "correct" than the other.  The best players don't always have the best results on paper---afterall, is Jamie Gold the best player in the world?  I doubt there are many people with $12M in tournament wins. 

On the other hand, opinions can be skewed as well.  The person everyone thinks is the best isn't always the best.  People are biased....biased by the opinions of their peers, by certain results they've seen that stick out, by past performance, by reputations, and by numerous other factors.  And we haven't even gotten into the fact that not all of us have the same opinion about what it means to be the best.

There's no possible way to have a perfect ranking system--not one that would satisfy everyone, as we all have different views about what's important.  Just as there will always be controversy surrounding the BCS (and for that matter, the AP Poll and Coaches Poll that preceded it), any online player ranking system will always be subject to scrutiny.  The beauty of our new system, though, is that it incorporates both the results and the opinions---neither of these two very important factors is neglected.  And if you want strictly results based rankings, you'll be able to view the TLB in itself.  If you just want the opinions, you can take a look at the most recent Pro Poll results.  It's all going to be available for anyone who wants to see it.

I, for one, am looking forward to the change, and I think the online poker community has a lot to look forward to as we forge ahead with the most complex and comprehensive online player ranking in the industry---and certainly the only one that includes the opinions of the top players themselves.

So don't forget, Wednesday night at 7:00 EST.  Be there.