New Local Event: Player's Tournament of Philadelphia

I have noticed on the Philly Darts website that George Silberzahn is holding one of his tournaments called the Player's Tournament of Philadelphia. According to the announcement, the main event is on May 4, 2008, Jokers Bar & Grill at 7312 Castor Ave, Philadelphia, PA and there will be qualifier events at multiple locations. Qualifiers will be held at Trenton NJ, Mt. Royal NJ, North East Philly, Center City Philly, dates and times to be arranged.

For anyone who has not shot in one of George's tournaments, he uses a unique format which is designed to give beginners a good chance to finish in the money. The qualifiers are merely designed to place you into one of three groups, A, B or C. Each group has its own prize money, but nevertheless everyone competes together. The equalizer is that "A" group players start their games at 501, B group players start at 401 and C group players start at 301. So, if an A player goes against a C player, there is a 200 point handicap. Also, there is a point system. For instance, C players get more points for defeating an A player, than they do for beating another C player. To discourage sand-bagging in the qualifiers, the A group money is better than B, and B is better than C. Also, the number of competitors in the A group is smaller. For more information about how the event works check out George's post on the subject.

This is a great event for local darters who are not experienced with tournaments to get out and see if they like it. The elimination system apparently cannot kick a person out without having played several matches, all in best of five leg format. With the handicap system and by dividing into groups, everyone has a fair chance of winning.