What is Cueist rating?
Cueist rating is a measure of your pool playing ability. The rating system uses a proprietary algorithm to evaluate your performance in Cueist drills*. After each drill, your rating changes based on your results. The better you do, the higher your rating will be.
Beyond the main rating, you can also view a percentile rating, which shows how you compare to other players. For instance, if your percentile rating is 62%, it means that your score is higher than that of 62% of other players.
Every player in the Cueist rating system has 3 main ratings:
- Aiming rating,
- Position rating,
- Cueist rating - an overall measure of your pool skills.
*Only the results of Ghost 3 drills are considered in the rating calculation. Other types of drills, such as challenges and those additionally included in Cueist Premium, do not affect the player's rating.
Rating calculation
The Cueist rating algorithm takes into account factors like your result, the drill's difficulty, rating deviation, and more.
Our rating calculation is based on the Glicko-2 rating system, developed by Harvard statistician Mark Glickman. This system is widely used to rank players in various competitive settings, including eSports, online chess, Go, and other player-versus-player competitions.
To adapt the Glicko-2 rating system for pool practice, we made several adjustments and developed a proprietary version of the system.
Drill rating
Just as every player has a rating, so does every drill. The higher the rating, the more difficult the drill.
When we calculated the initial ratings for the drills, we factored in specific shot characteristics, including speed, spin, potting difficulty, cue elevation, and more.
Drill ratings are updated regularly. After a certain number of players complete a drill, we adjust its rating based on their performance. This process ensures that the drill's rating remains accurate and reflects how players are doing in that drill.
It's player vs drill
For rating purposes, every drill attempt is treated as a competition between two ranked opponents: you and the drill.
If your rating matches the drill's rating, your chance of winning against the Ghost is roughly 50%.
The outcome of your drill attempt will impact both your player rating and the drill's rating.
But in a way, it's also player vs player…
The drill's rating is based on the performance of players who completed it before you. So, when you take on a drill, you are essentially competing against those other players.
The outcome shows how you compare to others:
- If you won — you performed better than other players with a similar rating.
- If you lost —you performed worse than other players with a similar rating.
Rating changes
Your rating changes after each drill:
- If you win against the Ghost, your rating goes up.
- If you lose against the Ghost, your rating goes down.
How much your rating changes depends on several factors:
The exact result of the drill
For example, if you win 3-0, your rating increases more than if you win 3-1 or 3-2.
The difficulty of the drill
Winning a high-rated drill boosts your rating more than winning a lower-rated one. Conversely, losing a lower-rated drill decreases your rating more than losing a more difficult one.
Your rating deviation
A high rating deviation leads to significant changes in your rating after each drill, while a low rating deviation means your rating changes are smaller.
The rating deviation of the drill you've just completed
The drill's rating deviation also impacts how much your rating changes. However, this effect is generally a lot smaller than the influence of your own rating deviation.
Player rating deviation
Rating deviation plays a key role in how your rating is calculated. It reflects the uncertainty of the rating estimate. A low rating deviation means your rating is more accurate, while a high rating deviation means it's less accurate.
Rating deviation is influenced by several factors:
Number of drills completed
When you first start training, your rating deviation is high because we're still learning about your skills. As you complete more drills, your rating deviation decreases, and your rating becomes more stable.
Time since your last drill
The longer you go without activity, the higher your rating deviation will be.
Fluctuation in your results
This is measured by the volatility parameter. If your performance is steady, your volatility is low, which decreases your rating deviation. In contrast, if your performance varies a lot, your volatility is high, increasing your rating deviation.