I'm always looking to figure out the most fair scoring system when it comes to my tournament bracket game. Usually I go straight points per round, and try and balance it so that each round is worth approximately the same amount of points (for example, last year I used 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12 as my scoring system; other years I have used 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32). Other years I have toyed with these values along with a multiplier. Given that most of the online options are either round * seed or round + seed, what are scoring systems that you have used that tend to be the most balanced and what are the points you assign to each round? This question is geared specifically at people who have run tournaments; I can get feedback from those who are mere participants by picking up the phone. I did use a system that had round * (round + seed) and that probably was the most balanced formula, but obviously Yahoo / CBS/ etc. do not offer this as an option. Thanks!
Personally I like leaving all the point values in single digits to keep the scoring low and tight. This also allows a person to win the bracket pool even if they didn't pick the right champion. The scoring I go with is: 1st Round Games: 1 Point 2nd Round Games: 2 Points Sweet 16 Games: 3 Points Elite 8 Games: 4 Points Final 4 Games: 6 Points Championship Game: 8 Points
I agree with 1-2-4-8-16-32 because if you had a perfect bracket (obviously extremely rare) you would have the same score each round. In my opinion, the idea of a pool is to pick the winning team. Here are some facts though: the average seed to make the Final Four is 2.8, but at least one #1 seed has made it to the Final Four all but two times (last year and 1980). The bottom line is that many scoring systems work find one that you and your friends agree with and adjust your picks based on that system.
I like the idea of weighting the 1st round games based on seed # - #s 1-9 1 pt, #10 2, #11 3, #12 4, #13 5, etc. thru # 16 in increments of 1. Seems if you take the gamble on a 12 - 16 seed, and they win, you ought to get comped for it. For ex - a #12 wins every year - trick is to pick the right one and get the 4 pts. I've been doing it for over 10 yrs, and after the 1st round have gone with 2, 4, 8, 12, 16. All 8 Elite 8 10 bonus pts, all 4 Final 4 5 bonus pts. Nice incentive - tho nobody has ever gotten either of these bonuses.
I like the 1-2-4-6-12-18 (or something close) but with a modification. In the case of an upset I give the differential between the seeds as a bonus. So, a 16 upsets a 1, it's worth 16 points. An 8 upsets a 9 it's only 2. This gives real advantage to players who take a chance and allows early round games chosen correctly to have a significant impact on the winner.
