ELO ratings explained¶
ThrowSense uses several independent ELO ratings. They never mix. This page explains what each one is, what feeds it, and — most importantly — how the Global ELO and a Club ELO stay separate so a single game can never be counted twice.
The short version¶
| Rating | Where | Fed by | Who sees it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global ELO | Ranking → Leaderboard → Global, sort ELO | Casual 1v1 games routed to Global | Everyone (cross-club) |
| Club ELO | Ranking → Leaderboard → Club, sort ELO | Casual 1v1 games routed to that club | The club |
| Series ELO | Inside a tournament series | Ranked tournament matches of that series | Series participants |
| League ELO | Inside a 1v1 league | League ladder games | League members |
Every rating starts at 1500 and uses the standard Elo formula. The winner gains exactly what the loser drops.
Global ELO (the open ladder)¶
The Global ELO is the cross-club, individual ladder. You do not need to be in any club or organisation — signing in is enough.
- Fed only by casual 1v1 games (the Open ELO card on the Ranking page).
- Report a result → your opponent confirms → both ratings move.
- Anti-farming: repeatedly beating the same opponent within a short window stops moving the rating (the game is still recorded).
Club ELO (opt-in, separate)¶
A club can run its own ELO ladder — completely separate from the Global one.
Enabling it: a club owner or admin turns on Enable club ELO in Club → Settings. Until then the club has no ELO of its own.
Why it's separate: the Global ELO answers “how strong am I on ThrowSense?” A Club ELO answers “how strong am I inside my club?”. Mixing them would let the same game inflate both, so ThrowSense keeps them apart.
One game, one rating — never both¶
When you report a casual 1v1 and both players are members of the same ELO-enabled club, the reporter chooses where it counts:
- Global ELO — the default. Counts on the cross-club ladder.
- <Club> ELO — counts only on that club's ladder.
You pick this under “Counts towards” in the report box. The result is written to exactly one rating. It is technically impossible for a game to land in both the club and the global ELO.
If the two players share no ELO-enabled club, there is nothing to choose — the game simply counts towards the Global ELO.
Reading the leaderboard¶
The leaderboard has scope tabs (Global / Club / Series) and a sort toggle (Points / ELO):
- Global + ELO → the Global ELO ladder. A note reads “Global ELO — cross-club”.
- Club + ELO → that club's own ELO ladder from its separate rating. A note reads “Club ELO — fed only by 1v1s routed to this club”.
- Points sort always shows tournament ranking points, which is a different metric from ELO.
ELO tiers (visual bands)¶
A platform admin can split the Global ELO leaderboard into named, position-based tiers — e.g. rank 1–10 “Gold”, 11–20 “Silver” — each with its own highlight colour and optional shimmer. Tiers are purely visual: they label positions and never change anyone's rating. It is still one list.
Tournaments, series and leagues¶
These competitions keep their own ELO (Series ELO / League ELO) and are not affected by the club-vs-global choice above — that choice only applies to casual 1v1 games.
FAQ¶
I enabled club ELO but the club board is empty. The club ELO only fills up once members play casual 1v1s routed to the club. Global games don't count toward it (by design).
Can a game move both my club and global ELO? No. Every casual game is written to exactly one rating.
Do I lose my global ELO by playing club games? No — they're separate stores. Global games move only the global ELO; club-routed games move only the club ELO.