Why we built FargoRate
The Problem
As passionate pool players, we saw a fundamental issue with how player ratings were handled in the pool community. Traditional rating systems were limited, often only adjusting ratings between two players in isolation. This created an environment where fair gambling was difficult, hustling was rampant, and players couldn't trust that ratings truly reflected skill levels. The pool community needed a more sophisticated, statistically sound rating system that could provide accurate assessments of player abilities.
The Solution
We created FargoRate, a revolutionary player rating system that goes beyond traditional approaches. Built on the foundation of the Elo system used in chess, FargoRate introduces a unique "ripple effect" where every new match re-evaluates and potentially adjusts every player's rating in the system to make the most statistical sense. This comprehensive approach ensures that ratings are not just accurate between two players, but across the entire pool community.
Transparency & Peer Review
We believe in complete transparency and peer review as core tenets of our system. All data submitted to FargoRate is publicly viewable, ensuring accuracy and preventing bias. We've partnered with platforms like Salotto to make individual match submission possible while maintaining data integrity. Our goal is to create a fair, open system that benefits the entire pool community by making it easier to find balanced matches and reducing the ability to hustle.
Best regards, founders
STEVE ERNST
Steve is a former senior software developer for Microsoft Corporation with background in electrical engineering and computer science. His programming expertise was crucial in developing the sophisticated algorithms that power FargoRate's rating system.
MICHAEL PAGE
After finishing a post-doctoral research fellowship with the US National Research Council, Michael spent eight years as scientist in the Laboratory for Computational Physics at the US Naval Research Laboratory. He followed this by eighteen years as Associate Professor of Chemistry at North Dakota State University, where he taught graduate and undergraduate courses in physical chemistry and ran an active research program that produced several PhD scientists. He is the author of over 40 published articles and book chapters in the areas of quantum chemistry and computational molecular physics. He quit his academic career in 2008 to become the proprietor of Fargo Billiards & Gastropub in Fargo, ND. His earlier work on a global pool rating system laid the foundation for FargoRate.