WORKINGS OF THE SNOOKER RANKING SYSTEM HOW DOES IT WORK?
The snooker ranking system is based on a points system earned through players’ performances in various tournaments. Points are awarded based on how far a player progresses in a tournament, with more significant points awarded in prestigious events. Rankings are updated after each tournament, reflecting the players’ recent performances. The higher a player’s ranking, the better their seedings in future tournaments. The World Snooker Tour and World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) manage and administer the snooker rankings.
There must be at least one individual who is still unclear about how the snooker ranking system operates. To be honest, before I did any research, I felt like I had a fairly good notion. I’ll make an effort to keep this first post straightforward and easy to read, in contrast to the sources I utilized to research this.
The prize money gained in ranking events is the main factor in the ranking system, as most people are probably already aware. For instance, Ronnie O’Sullivan earned 100,000 ranking points for winning the Players Championship 2019 and taking home a £100,000 prize. Of course, this excludes both high break awards and non-ranking competitions like the Masters.
The most important thing to realize is that prize winnings from the preceding two years are factored into the ranking “points.” To put it another way, it employs a system wherein the points/money gained at the same corresponding event two years ago* are replaced by the tournament that is presently being played.
*Since not all events may take place on the same days and times each season, tournaments are occasionally conducted later in the year or a little sooner than in the past. Accordingly, when the China Championship takes place in August 2018 and the World Open takes place in August 2016 instead of the CC, the World Open ranking points will be subtracted from the total ranking total in August 2018 when the CC comes to an end.
Hence, whenever you view the world rankings list that displays the total amount of money earned by the top players, which determines their ranking, it also includes their winnings over the previous two years. Mark Selby is still ranked number one in the world despite not having had his finest play in the last two seasons thanks to his impressive performance from 2014–17, especially at the World Championship.
To help with the understanding, let’s look at a scenario. In 2017, Mark Selby won the World Series of Cricket, earning £375,000. The 2019 WSC is approaching (as of this writing). Assuming that the first prize remains at £375,000. Mark’s rating will remain the same, but if he wins this year, the £375,000 he would receive will replace the 375 he received in 2017. His rating points will decrease if he accomplished anything other than winning. The £375,000 from 2017 will be deleted from the current rankings and he will only receive £32,000 if he was eliminated in the second round, when he only received £32,000. Easy enough, huh?
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