Brackets

The USBC Open Championships experience is a lot more than nine games of team, doubles and singles competition. It's a multi-event extravaganza that provides participants with a number of optional side events to fulfill competitive urges and expand opportunities to win additional prize money.

What are brackets?
Brackets are quite simple: each “bracket” includes eight randomly-selected bowlers on your squad during team, doubles and/or singles events. You need to bowl a higher game than the bowler you are paired against to advance out of each round. If you win all three matches, you win your bracket.

During team, doubles and singles, there are $5 and $10 brackets. First prize in the $10 brackets is $50, and second place pays $20; first prize in the $5 brackets is $25 and second place pays $10. In addition to regular brackets, there are special brackets for senior bowlers age 50 and older. A bowler may enter a maximum of 80 brackets. 

  

Back by popular demand, there will be $5 individual brackets for Classified bowlers during doubles and singles.

Second Chance Brackets
For $10 during the team event only, the Second Chance Brackets are similar to regular brackets but four of the eight bowlers will have a chance to at least win back their entry fee. Bowlers may enter 40 Second Chance Brackets.

Bowlers who lose the first game will advance to a losers’ bracket. Bowlers who lose again will be eliminated. Bowlers whose first loss comes in the second game will advance to a second sub-bracket. The bowler who loses again will be eliminated.

The person who makes it through the initial bracket undefeated will win $30. Two wins and a loss in the final will earn the bowler $20. A win in the first game, followed by a loss in the second and a win in the third will earn the bowler $15. The winner of the initial losers’ bracket will earn $10. 

  

Reverse Brackets

Reverse Brackets work like traditional brackets, but instead of using your scores in order (Game 1, Game 2 and Game 3), they are used in reverse order (Game 3, Game 2, Game 1). Reverse Brackets cost $5, and the maximum number of Reverse Brackets you may enter is 80 per event.

  

There also are Senior Reverse Brackets for bowlers 50 and older the day they compete (available in team, doubles and singles) and Classified Reverse Brackets during doubles and singles for bowlers with entering averages of 180 and below. Senior and Classified Reverse Brackets will be limited to 40.

  

Super Brackets

Super Brackets allow bowlers to compete in side events which last more than just the traditional three games. Bowlers are randomly matched the day after the USBC Open Championships concludes. Super Brackets are offered for individual bowlers only.

  

Entries into the individual Super Brackets will be $25 with a top prize of $5,000 in each. Bowlers may enter up to 20 individual Super Brackets. The individual Super Brackets include 512 bowlers, and include all nine games. Also, players 50 and older can enter individual 50+ Super Brackets for $10 each. Seniors may enter up to 20 of these brackets, which feature a $2,000 top prize.

  

Century Doubles

With an entry fee of $20, Century Doubles pairs two bowlers who are a combined 100 years or older on their day of competition. Bowlers may only enter with other competitors on their squad (up to five partners) in this tournament-long event. For example, a bowler who is 35 years old must find a bowler on his/her squad who is 65 or older in order to enter his event and vice versa. Bowlers will use their combined doubles scores to determine the winner at the end of the tournament’s run.

  

Prize money goes to the bowler who signs up the pair, but the two bowlers can enter with each other and share the place in the standings. For example, Joe Bowler can sign up with Jim Bowler, and Jim Bowler can then pay his own $20 to sign up with Joe Bowler.

  

Senior Side Event 

This exciting product returns just for our senior bowlers (age 50 and older on day of competition). For $25, bowlers will be entered into two special senior-only prize funds (singles and all-events). Both divisions will feature a 1:4.5 cash ratio. Singles and all-events totals from the main tournament will be used for this product. Out of each Senior Side event entry fee, $1 will be donated to the USBC Senior Masters prize fund.

  

Ultimate Mulligan 

The Ultimate Mulligan requires entrants to compile their three highest games of the 2013 tournament to arrive at their Ultimate Mulligan series score. Then, they will see how their three-game set holds up for the duration of the tournament. The Ultimate Mulligan features a prize-fund-style payout with a cash ratio of 1:4.5. The entry fee is $20.

  

There is one version of the Ultimate Mulligan for our super seniors (bowlers age 60 and older the day they compete) and one for Classified bowlers. Out of each Super Senior Ultimate Mulligan entry fee, $1 will be donated to the USBC Super Senior Masters prize fund.

  

1-5-9 and 3-6-10 Strike Jackpots 

The 1-5-9 and 3-6-10 Strike Jackpots feature a $10 entry fee, which puts bowlers in the jackpot for all three events (team, doubles and singles). Bowlers who record strikes in the first, fifth and ninth frames (or the third, sixth and first shot in the 10th frame for the 3-6-10 Jackpot) of all three games in an event will split the accumulated total at the end of the tournament. Last year, 21 winners earned $1,945 for hitting the 1-5-9 Jackpot, and 23 winners took home $1,860 in the 3-6-10 Jackpot.

  

Additionally, bowlers who hit eight of nine strikes in will share 10 percent of the jackpots. So even if you miss in the first shot of the first game, you still have a chance to cash.

  

Super Side Pots

The Super Side Pots are a modern version of the traditional side pots that reward you for being the best on your squad. There’s also a built-in bonus feature that allows you to cash in for a share of the yearlong jackpot.

For a $25 entry fee for each event (team, doubles and singles), players are entered into traditional side pots during each squad ($17 from each entry), along with a yearlong high game jackpot ($4 from each entry).
 
Beat the bowlers on your squad and take home your prize money that day. Then see how your scores hold up in the yearlong jackpot. The yearlong jackpot will feature a prize fund-style payout, and the cash ratio will be 1:10. For example, the Super Side Pot entrant with the highest overall score (and all bowlers who match that score), will finish in first place and receive equal shares of the jackpot. If there are 1,000 people entered, the top 100 each will receive prize money.

If you enter the Super Side Pots, you have nine chances at the squad prizes and nine opportunities to earn a share of the yearlong jackpots. There will be a separate yearlong prize fund for each event.

 

30 Clean Jackpot

The 30 Clean Jackpot offers participants three chances to earn a share of a tournament-long jackpot for a $10 entry fee.

  

Each bowler will have three chances – team, double, singles – to record 30 consecutive frames with a strike or spare. If a bowler is successful in any of the three or, for that matter, all three, he/she will share in the end-of-tournament payoff. Last year in Baton Rouge, the 30 Clean Jackpot was hit 151 times for $320.

  

Each 30 Clean qualifier will receive a special award to commemorate the achievement. Out of each 30 Clean Jackpot entry fee, $1.50 will be donated to the USBC Charitable Giving Program. 

              

Team USA Qualifying

Open Championships bowlers are encouraged to use their nine-game all-events totals as qualifying scores to earn paid entries into the USBC Team USA Trials, an event that gives bowlers a chance to be on Team USA. For a $35 entry fee, one out of every 10 entrants earns a paid Team USA Trials entry. USBC donates $1 from each all-events entry fee to support the Team USA program. Bowlers can register when they sign up for brackets before team event. The Team USA Trials traditionally is held in January.

  

Senior and Super Senior Tournament of the Americas Qualifying

Earn the chance to represent the United States at the 2013 Lee Evans Tournament of the Americas, scheduled for July 28-Aug. 3, 2013, in Sunrise, Fla. The top two finishers in each category (based on their nine-game all-events totals) automatically will earn spots on the team that will represent the U.S. in this international competition. The cost for this will be $35.

  

Senior entrants must be at least 50 years of age and Super Senior entrants must be at least 60 years of age before the first day of competition at the 2013 Tournament of the Americas. If a bowler age 60 or older would like to sign up in both divisions, he can do so by paying both entry fees. Should he qualify in both, he will choose which division he’d like to compete in at the TOA. Women only will be eligible to qualify through the 2013 USBC Women’s Championships.

  

Team USA will pay for the TOA entry, hotel and uniform. Competitors will be responsible for their own travel and meal expenses.

  

Classified Cash-O-Matic Bracket

Introduced in 2010, Classified Cash-O-Matic gives Classified bowlers their own product with a same-day payout. Bowlers may enter a maximum of 20 at $10 each. All Cash-O-Matic entrants must be verified as Classified bowlers prior to the start of their team event.

  

The Cash-O-Matic Bracket, available only during team, plays just like a traditional bracket, but in this case, every bowler cashes. The four bowlers who lose the first game each will receive $3. Those who win the first game but lose the second each will receive $8. The bowler who wins all three games will receive $24, while the person who wins two games and loses the final will take home $18.

  

  

Please note: Unless and until claimed, all bracket earnings are the property of USBC. Claims for bracket earnings of $19 or less must be made at the Sands Regency within 72 hours or such claims are forfeited.

Also, in order to participate in any side event that requires scores from all nine games, specifically Super Brackets and Team USA qualifying, bowlers must bowl team event before doubles and singles and must sign up prior to throwing their first ball.