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Castle Elo & Handicap System

A fairer, smarter way to rate players and create competitive matches. Register to get your provisional Castle ELO Rating and Handicap.

From the 2026–27 season, every active Castle player has an ELO Rating which tracks their playing strength over time. Your Castle handicap is calculated from that rating, meaning handicaps are based on actual match results rather than simply being adjusted because you reached a particular round of a tournament.

Better ratings. Fairer handicaps. More competitive snooker.

Player Registration
WATCH: HOW THE NEW CASTLE SYSTEM WORKS

Your ELO Rating

Every active player has a Castle ELO Rating. The higher the rating, the stronger the player.

Win and your ELO rises. Lose and it falls. Beating a stronger player is worth more, and the match score matters — a 3–0 result has more impact than a 3–2.

Your Castle Handicap

Your handicap is calculated from your ELO Rating rather than being manually changed because of where you finish in a tournament.

Roughly every 10 ELO equals 1 handicap point. The lower the handicap, the stronger the player. Match starts are capped at 80.

Scratch Matches

Scratch matches have the biggest effect on ELO because both players start level. The result and scoreline both matter, so a convincing win moves the rating more than a close one.

Handicap Matches

Handicap matches also affect ELO, but rating movement is smaller because the handicap already helps balance the match. The better-rated player still goes into the match as the favourite.

Tournament and Ladder

For tournaments, your ELO and handicap are frozen at the start of the event so they stay fair throughout the day. Results are applied after the event. Challenge Ladder results update your ELO immediately.

New Players & Provisional Ratings

New players receive an initial ELO Rating and handicap from the Castle player assessment. We also use comparisons with existing Castle players where possible to help get the starting point right.

New ratings are provisional, so they can move more quickly while the system learns the player’s true level. The first 5 rated matches receive the largest adjustment, matches 6–9 still move faster than normal, and from match 10 the standard rating movement applies.

There is also an extra safeguard for a new player’s first tournament, helping prevent an inaccurate starting handicap from giving an excessive advantage.

Why This Is Fairer

Handicaps are no longer changed simply because somebody wins a tournament or reaches a certain round. Your rating develops from your actual results over time.

The system is designed to create competitive matches while still keeping the stronger player as the favourite.

Follow Your Progress

Players can follow their Castle ELO, handicap, Active Ranking, match record and rating history through their Player Profile.

Your rating is live across eligible Castle competitions, so your progress follows you from event to event throughout the season.

Ready to join the Castle System?

Register your details to get your Castle ELO Rating and Handicap and start tracking your progress.
Player Registration