FAQ

Most SBT events follow the format described below. Special events may operate differently, but any such differences will be explained thoroughly in that tournament's flyer.

• All regular events are Singles only. We may have special events for doubles, trios, or teams from time-to-time, but Singles is our primary format.

• All prize funds are fully guaranteed, regardless of the number of entries we receive. When we advertise a $5,000 first-place prize, we will pay $5,000 even if the turnout is small. All prizes, from low-to-cash to the top prize, are known in advance so you can bowl with confidence.

• Multiple divisions, grouped by average or age, covering a wide range of abilities. We design our tournaments to be accessible to competitive bowlers from an intermediate skill level to expert. Even beginners appreciate the professional tournament experience of SBT. See the "Averages and Divisions" section of the FAQ for details on our divisions.

• There are multiple qualifying squads. You can bowl any squad to try and qualify for the next round.

• Each qualifying squad consists of 3 games across 6 lanes, bowled against other bowlers in your division. On any given pair, you may cross with bowlers from other divisions, but you are not competing against anyone except those in your own division.

• Each event has multiple cuts. You only have to make one cut to advance to the next round. See the "How do cuts work?" FAQ for details.

• Unlimited re-entries are permitted. If you don't bowl well, you can try again, typically at a discounted price.

• Cuts are 1 in 5 per division at Saturday Shootout events and 1 in 6 at "Classic" multi-day events.

• Bowlers who make the cut return for a Cashers Round following the last qualifying squad and are guaranteed at least the low-to-cash prize.

• The Cashers Round consists of another 3 games across 6 lanes against all the other cashers in your division. Scores do not carry over from the Qualifying round. The cut is typically 1 in 3 per division to reach the Eliminator Finals. Bowlers making the Cashers Round cut win an additional cash prize.

• The Eliminator Finals are single-game matches against 1 to 5 other bowlers from the same division, all on the same pair. If 2, 4, or 6 bowlers are on the pair, the top half advance to the next round. If 3 bowlers are on the pair, 1 bowler advances. If 5 bowlers are on the pair, 2 bowlers advance. Each round advanced credits the winning bowlers with an additional cash prize.

• The last remaining bowler in each division is the division champion and advances to the championship round.

• In the championship round, each of the division champions face off for a single game final match to determine 1st through 4th place.

• If the champion entered the Progressive Pot, additional prize money is available. See the "What is the Progressive Pot?" FAQ for details.

• If ties occur in any round, they are not broken except as follows:

  • Ties for the last available qualifying spot: Both bowlers advance to the Cashers Round, but the advancer prize money is split evenly.

  • Ties to advance from the Cashers Round or Eliminator Finals are broken with a 9th/10th frame roll-off. Handicap is calculated as ⅕ of the difference in full-game handicaps between the two bowlers, rounded half up.

  • Continued ties are broken using a one-ball sudden-death method with no handicap.

  • In the championship match, ties for anything other than first place are not broken. Prize money is split instead.

Each SBT event will have multiple cuts from the Qualifying Round to reach the Cashers Round. Typically, there are two qualifying squads per cut, but there may be more or less depending on the tournament schedule.

• • Cut ratios vary by event. Saturday Shootouts typically use 1-in-5, meaning that 1 bowler will advance to the Cashers Round for every five entries. Classic events typically use 1-in-6 cuts.

  • Cuts are rounded up to "50%+1"

    • With a 1-in-5 cut, where 50% is 2½, there must be at least 3 entries in a division for that cut to advance a bowler to the next round, 8 entries to advance two bowlers, 13 entries to advance 3, and so on. 

      • With fewer than 3 entries, all scores are carried forward to the next cut, if there is one. If not (it's already the last cut), then the top bowler advances regardless of the number of entries.

    • With a 1-in-6 cut, there must be at least 4 entries in a division for that cut to advance a bowler to the next round, 10 entries to advance two bowlers, 16 entries to advance 3, and so on.

      • With fewer than 4 entries, all scores are carried forward to the next cut, if there is one. If not (it's already the last cut), then the top bowler advances regardless of the number of entries.

  • A bowler who enters multiple times may have multiple high scores, but only the first high score to make a cut is counted as advancing. Additional scores in that cut or subsequent cuts are counted for determining the number of bowlers to advance, but the scores are ignored when determining which bowlers advanced.

Saturday Shootouts are single-day tournaments, with multiple qualifying squads early in the day, a Cashers Round near the end of the day, and then the eliminator-style finals after that. First place is typically $2,500 with the Progressive Pot, and low-to-cash is typically $200. The entry fee is usually $99 for early-bird entries. Typically, a Saturday Shootout will have four qualifying squads, split into two cuts, a morning cut and an afternoon cut. Special editions of the Saturday Shootout may have slightly different formats and payouts.

Classic events are multi-day tournaments with qualifying each day and the Cashers Round and eliminator finals on the last day, with multiple cuts across the length of the tournament. First place is typically a minimum of $5,000 with the Progressive Pot, and low-to-cash is typically $250. Entry fees are usually slightly higher than Saturday Shootouts.

The SBT Progressive Pot allows the tournament winner to earn extra money at the end of an event. Bowlers pay an additional $10 at check-in time to enter the pot. The pot is truly progressive: It continues to grow from event-to-event as long as the pot is not broken.

• If the tournament champion entered the Progressive Pot in the squad in which they qualified, that bowler is guaranteed a fixed, additional amount of prize money taken from the pot and will have a chance to win as much as 70% of the pot balance (rounded to nearest $5) by throwing up to three more strikes after their victory.

• If the bowler throws the first strike, they win 10% of the available pot balance.

• The bowler can then choose whether or not to try throwing another strike. If the bowler chooses to try, another strike awards an additional 20% of the available pot balance for a total of 30%, but a missed strike reduces the previous prize won to only 5% of the pot balance. If the bowler chooses not to try again, they keep the 10% they earned.

• If the bowler throws the first two strikes, they can then choose to try one more time or not. If they choose to try and convert, the bowler wins another 40% of the pot for a total of 70%, but if they don't convert, their prize is reduced to only 10% of the pot balance. If the bowler chooses not to try again, they keep the 30% total they earned.

• Any available money remaining in the Progressive Pot at the end of the event is carried over to the next event. Pot balances for Saturday Shootouts and Classic events are separate, but each partially feeds into the other. When one type of event is immediately followed by a different type of event, 25% of any remaining balance from the earlier event is transferred into the pot of the later event. 

  • Example 1: At the end of a Saturday Shootout immediately prior to a Classic event, $1,000 remains in the Progressive Pot. $750 of that will be carried into the next Saturday Shootout and $250 will be added to the Classic Progressive Pot.

  • Example 2: After the Classic event is done, presuming a Saturday Shootout is next on the schedule, then if $2,000 remains in that pot after the event, $1,500 will be carried into the next Classic and $500 will be added to the next Saturday Shootout.

Yes! All side action is available for all qualifying squads. The Cashers Round has Squad Brackets and Squad Side Pots only.

Squad Brackets
Forward and Reverse. $5 each. Limit 10 brackets of each kind per bowler per squad.

Squad Side Pots
One $25 entry price includes all three games and series against other bowlers in your squad. Pays 1 in 5.

Event Brackets
Forward and Reverse. $5 each. Limit 10 brackets of each kind per bowler per squad. Brackets are sorted across all qualifying squads in the event, not just the squad entered. Pays out at the end of all qualifying squads. Bowlers who enter Event Brackets in multiple squads may have their own scores from different squads randomly paired against each other. In such cases, the scores of the series with the winning game are carried forward in the bracket.

Event Side Pots
One $25 entry price includes all three games and series against other bowlers across all qualifying squads in the event. Pays 1 in 5. Bowlers who re-enter can cash up to twice per game and series. Pays out at the end of all qualifying squads.

Progressive Pot
One $10 entry increases your payout by $500 to $1,000 if you win the tournament and gives you a chance to win even more. See the Progressive Pot FAQ answer for more details.

Mystery Score
Win as much as $500 with your $10 entry in each squad! If your 2nd game scratch score matches the first score drawn after the squad, you win whatever is in the Mystery Score Pot up to $500! If no one matches, we will continue drawing up to 4 more numbers to win half the original prize or $100, whichever is greater. If we still have no match, we will take the closest score to any of the numbers drawn without going over, with the winner getting $100. Ties split the prize. If the pot has multiples of $500 in it, then multiple $500 draws will occur, but only one $500 prize can be awarded per squad.

Example: If there's $1,250 in the Mystery Score Pot, there will be two chances for someone to win $500; on the first draw and again on the second draw. If someone wins on the first draw, there will be no second draw. But if the first draw didn't match, the second draw could award $500. If no one matches that, either, then up to 3 more numbers are drawn to win $250. If none of those matches, then the closest score to any of the five numbers without going over wins $100.

Divisional Breakdowns
Foundation & Challenge bowlers are sorted into separate handicap side pots and brackets from Senior & Scratch bowlers when there are enough entries in each group to allow it. If there are fewer Senior & Scratch brackets available than entries, those extra Senior & Scratch entries will be rolled into the handicap brackets unless the bowler requests a refund instead, and likewise for side pots.

No, we are not a membership club. You don't need to pay any dues to bowl in our events. If you qualify to bowl our events under the rules, you just need to pay the entry fee.

Yes! We have a loyalty program that banks rewards for you after every tournament you bowl. With the points you earn by bowling our tournaments, you can become eligible for rewards at the end of each year, including our Player of the Year race!

How to earn points

• Earn 50 points for every tournament you bowl

• Earn 25 points every time you re-enter a tournament

• For Saturday Shootouts:

  • Earn 100 points every time you cash in a tournament plus 50 more points for each additional round advanced, up to maximum of 250 points for winning your division.

  • Earn an additional 500 points for all Saturday Shootout tournament wins, with an additional 250 points for 2nd place.

• For Classic (multi-day) tournaments:

  • Earn 150 points every time you cash in a tournament plus 50 more points for each additional round advanced, up to maximum of 500 points for winning your division.

  • Earn an additional 1,000 points for a Classic (multi-day) tournament win, with an additional 500 points for 2nd place.

Player-of-the-Year Award

Top point winners at the end of each year will be eligible for prizes!

• Must bowl at least 3 tournaments and cash in at least 2 to be eligible

• Re-entry points are not considered in the PotY rankings

• Prizes will include a trophy for the top eligible point-earner, free entries into future tournaments for the highest several point-earners, and other prizes yet to be announced.

• Ties will be broken using the following criteria, in this order:

  • Highest number of tournament wins

  • Highest number of championship round appearances, with higher finishes worth more

  • Highest number of cashes

  • Highest average for all games bowled in the year

Spend Your Points

Our last event of each calendar year will be a FUN spend-your-points event where the more points you earn during the year, the bigger discount you will receive off your entry fee into that event!

• Points convert to discount dollars at a rate of $0.01 per point.

• If you don't use your points in the first year, they may be carried over to the next year's event. If they cannot be used at that time, they may be cashed in at 50% value toward any event in the following year.
  Example: Bowler earns enough points to receive a $20 discount to the December 2026 fun event, but is unable to bowl it. Those points carry over to be used in the December 2027 fun event. If the bowler can't make the 2027 event either, then he/she may take a $10 discount toward any 2028 event.

Track Your Points

At any time after your first event is complete, you can track your points earned and your rankings for the season-to-date on the Bowler Portal page.

SBT is designed for nearly all bowlers across a wide range of abilities. However, we do have tight restrictions on highly-accomplished bowlers looking to compete in our events. We want every bowler to feel that they have a chance to win one of our events, which means we may limit access for consistently high-achieving bowlers.

In the discussion below, we recognize that the PWBA is no longer a membership organization and that PWBA Tour bowlers no longer carry a membership card. Therefore, when current PWBA members are referenced, we interpret such bowlers as women who have held a PWBA membership and/or bowled at least three PWBA national tour stops in the past 24 months. Regional PWBA stops do not count.

We recognize that there are many bowlers who hold (or have held) a PBA or PWBA membership for the benefits they provide and not necessarily because they regularly compete on national or regional PBA/PBA50/PWBA tour stops. (You may be bowling with PBA members in your league without even knowing it!) For this reason, pro bowlers holding a membership currently or within the past two years may be permitted to bowl SBT events if they meet every one of the following restrictions:

The following restrictions apply to all bowlers regardless of professional status:

• Cannot have won a PBA, PBA50, or PWBA national tour event in the past 20 years.

• Cannot have won a PBA, PBA50, or PWBA regional tour event in the past 3 years.

• Cannot have earned more than $2,500 total in any given calendar year in the past 5 years on the PBA, PBA50, and/or PWBA national and/or regional tours. National and regional prize money within the same calendar year is combined for this rule.

• Current card holders meeting all of the above restrictions may bowl, but will not receive handicap. They may bowl in the Scratch division or the Senior division, if eligible.

• National team members within the last two years must compete in the Scratch division.

• Cannot have won a prize of $10,000+ in any one scratch tournament in the past 2 years.

• Bowlers who have won $10,000+ in a handicap tournament in the past 2 years may bowl SBT events until they win one, at which point they will be prohibited for a period of 6 months.

• Bowlers receiving handicap who win an SBT event may have their average temporarily adjusted. See the "What is a TAA" FAQ for an explanation.

• Scratch bowlers who win an SBT event will be prohibited from bowling the next scheduled tournament of the same kind (Shootout or Classic). This includes bowlers in the Senior Division who are bowling scratch as well as all Scratch Division bowlers.

• Bowlers who win two SBT events within a one-year period from the same division will be re-rated one division higher for a period of one year after their first win of the two, or three months after their second win, whichever is later. Senior bowlers will be re-rated to the Scratch division for this time period. Scratch bowlers will be prohibited from bowling during this time period. 

• Bowlers carrying SBT tournament averages of 215 or above will be required to sit out the next scheduled event of the same kind (Shootout or Classic) if they cash twice in a row in such an event.

The tournament director reserves the right to temporarily or permanently prohibit or re-rate bowlers for reasons beyond these rules as he sees fit to ensure fair competition for all.

SBT is designed for competitive bowlers across a wide range of abilities. Our rules prohibit many professional and other highly-accomplished bowlers from participating; however, a few players who still meet our entry qualifications may be so dominant at SBT events that we decide to cap or otherwise restrict their ability to participate in future events. We do this to keep the playing field relatively competitive for as many bowlers as possible. No one wants to see a select few bowlers win so frequently that others feel they don't have a chance.

Therefore, we have rules in place to limit participation by bowlers who have repeatedly demonstrated superior ability over time. We have objective limits outlined in our rules, but the tournament director may also exercise discretion to restrict certain bowlers even if they don't meet the exact guidelines of those rules. Such restrictions may be in the form of a "throttle" (limiting the number or type of events) or a full ban (either temporary or permanent).

We follow the USBC regulations for bowling balls that may be used in sanctioned leagues. The current list of approved bowling balls can be found at this link. However, any bowling balls that have not yet reached their worldwide release date are not permitted.

Regarding the current controversy with urethane bowling balls: We have no plans to ban urethane bowling balls beyond those that are already banned by USBC for league play. We do not intend to implement USBC national tournament rules for urethane bowling balls at this time. However, we will not rule out running an occasional "no urethane" event once in awhile.

• Appropriate, casual bowling attire is allowed.

• We encourage bowlers to wear bowling jerseys at all events, and especially name jerseys so spectators and staff can find you easily and viewers of the Championship Round live stream know who you are. 

• No headphones at any time.  

• No hats or earbuds in the Cashers Round and beyond. 

• Tournament Director has the final word on attire that may be deemed inappropriate.

We are building our new registration system, which we believe will be the quickest and easiest registration system in the business when fully implemented. In the meantime, we will offer a straightforward web page for registrations. When registration opens for a particular event, you will be able to reach it from this link.

In the near future, you will have a Bowler Profile page on this website where you can retrieve and update your personal information as well as register for events and add/change/remove squads for an event without needing to come to the tournament desk. Once your profile is set up, you'll even be able to use text messaging to register for events and make changes!

Early-bird discounts

We offer an early-bird discount to bowlers who register early for Saturday Shootout events as well as for bowlers who both register and pay early for Classic events. Those discounts range from $10 to $20 depending on the event.

We offer these discounts because it shortens lines for check-in with each squad and it allows us time before the event to research averages for new bowlers, which can often be very time-consuming. It also allows us to coordinate with the bowling center on lane availability should there be a need an increase or decrease in capacity for certain squads.

We offer this incentive to encourage people to register early for these reasons. Otherwise, we would need to hire more staff on the day of the event to handle all the late registrations and keep the lines moving, which is more costly. We pass the savings on to you with early-bird entry discounts. It's a win-win for everyone!

Re-entry discounts

When you re-enter the tournament, the re-entry price is often lower than the Single Entry price.

Multi-entry discounts

Instead of buying a single tournament entry, you may choose to buy multiple entries in advance. When you buy a Double Entry, you get two entries into the tournament at a discount compared to buying a Single Entry and then a re-entry later. The trade-off is that the second half of a Double Entry is not refundable if you make the cut in your first squad.

You can also buy a Triple Entry in some events. With a triple entry, you get three entries into the tournament at an even lower price, but with a similar drawback to a Double Entry if you qualify before you bowl your last squad, but with an opportunity to get a partial credit or refund back. This is explained further in the "Do you give refunds" FAQ section.

Re-entries are also discounted more when you buy a Double Entry, and further still if you buy a Triple Entry.

Yes! We're pleased to announce a feature in our registration system which will let you select preferred crossing partners. For now, you will do so event-by-event. But when we enable the Bowler Profile page, you'll be able to select other bowlers you wish to bowl with in any future events. That list of preferred crossing partners is remembered from event to event. You can also request certain crossing partners event-by-event when you register. 

In order for the system to match two bowlers as crossing partners, both bowlers must select each other when registering. If only one bowler asks to cross with the other, the system will not match them (although they may be randomly paired together anyway).

If the system is unable to put you and your crossing partner on the same pair, it will try to place you as near each other as possible.

You can request up to 5 crossing partners in your profile. If all of you bowl on the same squad and all requested each other, the system will try to keep all of you as close together as possible. Complicated multi-way crossing requests between large groups of bowlers in the same squad will make matches less likely.

The earlier you and your friends check in for a squad, the more likely it is that we can accommodate crossing requests, but there will be times when we are unable to do so. We will accommodate your requests whenever it is feasible, but we will not change the lane assignments of bowlers who checked in earlier than you and your friend did.

IRS rules require that we collect SSNs and issue a Form 1099-MISC at year-end for any U.S. resident bowlers who win more than $600 in a calendar year. To speed processing of your prize winnings, we ask for this information in advance.

You may decline to provide that information until you reach the $600 threshold; however, our system will refuse to allow us to pay you once your annual winnings reach $600 without your SSN. These winnings include not just main event prizes, but also side action.

Refunds for Cancelling an entry

Our policy is to provide refunds to bowlers whenever a bowler paid for an event but is unable to attend and notifies us prior to their scheduled squad. However, if a squad is sold-out and the cancellation occurs less than 30 minutes prior to the squad, the entry may not be refunded if the cancelled spot is not filled by another bowler. In such cases, the bowler may receive a partial credit toward a future tournament. If you have an emergency, we can make an exception for this rule.

Refunds for No-shows

Bowlers who no-show will be also offered refunds or equivalent SBT credit provided that their no-show didn't prevent someone else from bowling a full squad. If anyone on a wait list was denied the ability to bowl because of a no-show, the entry fee of the no-show is forfeited.

Refunds on Triple Entry

Bowlers who purchase a Triple Entry and make the cut in their first squad may choose to sit out BOTH of the remaining squads and receive one of the following two options as compensation:

• $75 immediate cash refund

• $100 credit toward a future SBT tournament, which can be converted to $50 cash in the future upon request

• These amounts may vary for special events with lower or higher entry fees than normal

For bowlers making the cut in the first squad of a Double Entry or the second squad of a Triple Entry, the remaining squad is not refundable.

Refunds when Paying by Card or Venmo

If you paid by card or Venmo, the Convenience Fee associated with those payment types is not refundable.

We do not allow pacing at this time.

SBT uses a transparent system for assigning and updating tournament averages. 

When running handicap tournaments, especially those that pay as well as ours, there is a constant danger that someone will misrepresent their ability and be granted more handicap than they deserve and thereby win money they didn't earn. At SBT, we make average integrity our top priority, and take many steps to ensure that bowlers are rated properly so that competition is as fair as possible. We know that no system is perfect, but we seek to continuously improve our average system to make it as good as we can.

Averages Overview

• SBT uses Challenge patterns for most of our events, so we rate everyone on their Challenge average rather than on Sport or Standard. If you are not familiar with the difference between Sport, Challenge, and Standard bowling patterns, click this link for a great summary, then come back here.

• Every bowler entering an SBT event for the first time is rated based on their most recent full-season league records. We may also refer to recent tournament results as needed. All averages from other sources are converted to Challenge as necessary using the USBC conversion chart.

• New bowlers with limited league or tournament history will receive additional scrutiny during their first events and may be re-rated higher or lower if such bowlers display a talent level considerably higher or lower than originally assessed. The affected bowler will always be notified of such re-rates immediately.

• Once a bowler starts accumulating games in SBT competition, their entering average is phased out until only SBT games are considered in the calculation.

• Game scores from SBT events run on Sport or Standard patterns are converted to Challenge when calculating averages.

• We have an adjustment built in to the system to minimize the effects of potential sandbagging.

• We have additional adjustments built in for bowlers who cash much more frequently or much less frequently than normal.

Entering Average

• Bowlers who are new to SBT will be initially rated using the following criteria, in order of preference. In all cases, when non-Challenge averages are used, those averages are converted to Challenge via the chart.

  • Composite USBC Standard average for the most recent full season of at least 21 games within the past two years. If this average is lower than the season previous to it, then a weighted average of both seasons will be used.

  • If the referenced season(s) have fewer than 50 games (combined) and the bowler participated in non-sanctioned leagues in sanctioned bowling centers in those years, and final standing sheets are available, those averages may be included and the composite average updated accordingly.

  • If we still don't have 50 games to work with, we will factor in current-season league averages, adding the current season to a weighted average of the previous two seasons.

  • If we still have fewer than 50 games, we will factor in documented tournament scores in the past two years to supplement the composite average and reach the 50-game minimum. The pattern difficulty (Sport, Challenge, or Standard/Recreational) for such tournaments must be known.

  • If the sum of these methods still does not reach 50 games, bowlers may be assessed a Provisional Average for their first event based on all available information. Bowlers entering an event with a Provisional Average will have their skill level assessed while they bowl their first squad - not based on their pinfall, but based on our observations of their skill at throwing a bowling ball - and may have their averages adjusted in real time. These bowlers will be subject to increased scrutiny and possibly further adjustments until they reach 60 games of SBT history.

Average Maintenance

• After each event bowled, averages are recalculated, regardless of whether a bowler cashes or not.

• Until a bowler reaches at least 60 SBT games bowled, the entering average remains part of the calculation, but is phased out on a prorated basis as the bowler records more SBT games.

• Immediately after the first September SBT tournament each year, all SBT bowlers with fewer than 60 SBT games bowled will have their entering average recalculated using the latest information available. This new entering average will replace the old one in the prorated calculation described above.

• Although most events are bowled on Challenge patterns, games from any events bowled on Sport or Standard patterns are adjusted per the conversion chart before being used for average calculation.

• The following steps are performed to calculate updated averages:

  1. The most recent 60 SBT games are accumulated. If the 60-game mark is in the middle of an event, the number of games considered is increased to encompass the entire event. 

Example: Bowler has participated in 10 SBT events (from #1 to #10). For simplicity, we'll assume they bowled 8 games in each of the 10 events. Looking back 60 games takes us into the middle of event #3, so we'll consider all games in event #3 for a total of 64 games.

• 2. Factor out 1 high game and 1 low game for every multiple of 10 games bowled.

     • Example: With 64 games, we factor out the 6 highest games and the 6 lowest games and use the remaining 52 games to calculate the bowler's average.

     • Why factor out the highs and the lows? Because it provides a reasonable failsafe against sandbagging and also controls for extremely high games that can skew averages too high. The scoring system in bowling is skewed against a normal distribution ("bell curve"), but by removing these extreme high and low games, we actually can get pretty close to a normal distribution where the average is a more accurate assessment of a bowler's ability.

  3. Our system will automatically "flag" games that show symptoms of sandbagging for later review. For you stats-nerds: We're using a modified Z-score based on the MAD (median average deviation). After each event, all flagged games are manually reviewed by the tournament director to see if the flag is warranted or should be removed. After this assessment, if any still-flagged games were not already factored out using the rule above, they are then factored out.

     • Example: A bowler with a 190 average bowls poorly in the first two games of a qualifying round with scores of 150 and 160. He knows he has no chance of making the cut, so he sandbags, scoring 120 in the third game. The system will flag such a game for review. If the score was already factored out by the high-low score removal, no action is taken. But if the game is not already flagged, it will be reviewed and if the flag is retained by the director, the game will not be counted toward the bowler's average. All available evidence is used to decide whether the flag should be retained or removed.

  4. If we have fewer than 50 games to consider, we will pro-rate in the entering average to reach 50 games.

     • Example: Bowler has a 170 entering average and has 40 SBT games available for calculating their tournament average after removing the highs and lows. In those 40 games, let's say the total pin count was 6,500 - meaning an average of 162.5. But we need a 50-game average, so we need to prorate it by adding in 10 more games at the entering average of 170 (1,700 pins) to reach a 50-game total. So the final calculation becomes (6500+1700)/(40+10) = 164.0. So the bowler's new average is 164.

  5. After all the above calculations are done, the system may perform an automatic adjustment to an average in order to ensure that every bowler has a chance to be competitive, using the following criteria:

     • If a bowler has not cashed in three consecutive events and the bowler's average has not dropped by at least one pin from what it was on the first event in that streak, the bowler's average will be reduced by one pin for the next event.

       1. For each additional consecutive event of not cashing, one additional pin may be dropped from the bowler's average if it did not drop an additional pin on its own, up to 5 pins maximum from the average at the start of the streak.

       2. When a bowler cashes using a reduced average, that adjustment is halved (rounded down) immediately if the bowler reaches the Championship Round, or immediately after the tournament if not.

     • Similarly, but only for bowlers receiving handicap: If a bowler has cashed in three consecutive events and the bowler's average has not increased by at least one pin from what it was on the first event in that streak, the system will increase the bowler's average by one pin for the next event.

       1. For each additional consecutive week of cashing, one additional pin may be added to the bowler's average if it did not increase an additional pin on its own. There is no upward bound on these adjustments after consecutive cashes.

       2. When a bowler fails to cash using an increased average, that adjustment is halved (rounded down) immediately after the tournament.

     • Example 1: Bowler with a 172 average fails to cash in event #1, and continues to fail to cash through event #3. At the end of 3 events, the bowler's normal average was calculated to be 170. Because this is less than 172-1, the average remains unchanged.

     • Example 2: This same bowler misses another cut in event #4, though he bowled well and actually increased his average to 171. Using the 172 average at the start of the streak and subtracting 2, the system now assigns a 170 average to this bowler instead of 171.

     • Example 3: This same bowler misses yet another cut in event #5, though he again bowled well and held their average at 171. Since 172-3=169, the system now assigns a 169 average to this bowler instead of 171.

     • Example 4: This bowler finally cashes in event #6. He bowls fairly well and raise their average to 173. After the event, the adjustments are halved (3÷2)=1.5 and rounded down to 1. He will use 172 (173-1) in his next event. The bowler will not receive further adjustments until not cashing for 3 consecutive events.

     • Example 5: Imagine instead that this bowler continued to miss the cut for 7 events in a row, but his average stayed above 167 (172-5). In that case, his average is set at 167 and will stay there for subsequent events (because of the 5-pin maximum drop) unless/until his true average drops below that.

  6. All new averages are reviewed by the tournament director after each event to ensure accuracy and guard against inappropriate behavior (sandbagging) that may not have been caught by our systems. In such cases, the director can and will adjust averages upward as appropriate. Downward average adjustments are not anticipated, but if a gap in the above rules is discovered that puts one or more bowlers at an unfair disadvantage, such adjustments may be made on an interim basis until the rules and the software system enforcing them can be modified. Downward adjustments for this reason should be exceedingly rare.

Handicap is calculated at 80% of the difference between a bowler's Challenge average and 200. Each division has a maximum handicap per game allowed in that division.

Bowlers with Challenge averages of 200 or more bowl scratch.

All SBT tournaments use multiple divisions so bowlers with a wide range of abilities can compete with their peers. Our division average cutoffs are based on Challenge averages, not the Standard averages used by most leagues. For a detailed explanation of how we calculate averages and the difference between Sport, Challenge, and Standard averages, click here. 

Foundation Division

• For all bowlers with Challenge-converted averages under 175.

• Maximum handicap for bowlers in this division is 45 pins per game, equivalent to a 143 Challenge average.

Challenger Division

• For all bowlers with Challenge-converted averages of 175-199. 

• Maximum handicap for bowlers in this division is 20 pins per game.

Scratch Division

• For all bowlers with Challenge-converted averages of 200 or higher.

• No handicap.

• Qualified PBA/PWBA members under the age of 50, must bowl in this division.

Senior Division

• For bowlers aged 50 and over who have Challenge averages of 180+. 

• Maximum handicap for bowlers in this division is 16 pins per game.

• Seniors with Challenge averages over 200 Challenge get 0 handicap. 

• Seniors with Challenge averages under 180 should bowl in either the Challenger or Foundation division, but are not prohibited from bowling in the Senior division if they wish; however, they will be limited to a maximum of 16 pins per game of handicap.

• Seniors with Challenge averages under 180 must select their division and stay in that division for the entire tournament, including all re-entries. Seniors may request a division change at any time prior to the start of warm-ups in their first squad.

• Qualified Senior PBA/PWBA members may choose to bowl in this division or the Scratch division unless their Challenge average is 210 or higher, in which case they must bowl in the Scratch division.

Bowlers who win a tournament from the Foundation, Challenger, and Senior divisions may receive a TAA (Temporary Average Adjustment) after their win. This adjustment is effective only for the bowler's next event. The TAA may result in the bowler moving up a division. This is a one-event change that helps ensure fair competition with bowlers who may be in a rapidly-improving stage of their game where their tournament average is lagging their current ability. 

After their win, if their new calculated tournament average is not at least 10 pins higher (Foundation) or 5 pins higher (Challenger & Senior) than their average when they won, their average will be increased to their previous average plus 10 or 5, respectively. If that moves the bowler into a higher division, that too will only apply for that one event.

Example: Bowler from the Foundation division with a 168 average wins a tournament. Their new calculated average after the tournament is 174. Because that's only 6 pins higher, the bowler receives a TAA to 178 for the next event they bowl. This places the bowler in the Challenger division for their next event.

If the bowler wins again in their next event with their TAA, the process repeats and another average adjustment is made. If not, the bowler's average is calculated normally for their next event, without the TAA.

All prizes are paid the same day. We pay all low-to-cash money and the highest Championship Round prizes with checks. Side action and advancing prizes are paid in cash. All are payable in person on the day(s) of the event. Brackets and side pots are typically payable within 15 minutes of squad completion, assuming timely delivery of score sheets to the tournament office.

If you do not collect your winnings at the event:

• Any checks already written will be mailed to the address we have on file.

• Uncollected cash prizes will be recorded on your account as SBT Credit which may be used toward a future event. Your credit balance will appear on your SBT profile once each event's results are made official. We will not notify you of such credits until you register for a future event, at which time we will adjust your balance due by the amount of credit you have on-file. You may request payment of any such Credit balances through your SBT profile page on our website.

We live stream the Championship Round match on Facebook Live to our Facebook page. Within 24 hours, we will cross post that live stream to our YouTube Channel.

Due to the high cost of producing a quality extended live stream, we do not have any plans to live stream other parts of our tournaments. This may change in the future for some of our largest events.