The PoolStars rating system incorporates a proprietary formula for determining ratings. All real money matches and tournaments are rated. Ratings are based on a wide degree of factors including your opponents rating, stakes played, and number of games played. Your rating will be more accurate the more games you play, but most recent play is weighted the most. When you start out, your rating will be 1.5 Stars provisionally as a new player.

Your numerical rating will only be visible to you and does not have much significance other than a more accurate way to track your own rating. The star rating system is simple in determining relative skill. Players playing within ½ star of their opposition are most likely to be playing a level match.

The rating system is not linear and is based on the distribution of the player’s numerical ratings. This means it is progressively higher to attain a higher rating as the star ratings follow a bell curve of sorts.

An approximate distribution of star ratings:

• Top 2%: 5 Stars
• Top 5%: 4 ½ Stars
• Top 12%: 4 Stars
• Top 25%: 3 ½ Stars
• Top 40%: 3 Stars
• Top 50%: 2 ½ Stars
• Bottom 40%: 2 Stars
• Bottom 25%: 1 ½ Stars
• Bottom 12%: 1 Star
• Bottom 5%: ½ Star
• Bottom 2%: No Stars

The rating distributions will be periodically reviewed and rating ranges adjusted to reflect a proper distribution. As time goes on it is more likely to achieve a higher rating, and like with Chess ratings, an inflation of the numerical rating will occur. The star ratings are there to combat this.