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First, we proudly call our annual event a “SUPER DOUBLES Tournament” because of the number of games played. Our true Round Robin format in 5 flights leads into a Championship Double Elimination bracket. With (9) teams per flight, every team is guaranteed 8 games. By itself, that 8-game guarantee is unique. Those that qualify for the Championship Bracket play on, and a single team can potentially have played a total of (18) total games before being crowned champion. That’s A LOT of bocce and worthy of the “SUPER DOUBLES” tag.Entry Fee
$200 per team, due day of flight or in advance.
100% of entry fees go to prize money.
Tournament sponsorship money to cover cost of Sunday food, with excess going to prize money.
Food
Flight play - each team is responsible for their own food and drink. Teams are expected to eat during their bye, allowing for efficient use of time.
Championship bracket – lunch will be provided for the (20) qualifying teams.
Prize Pool
$8,400 prize pool, based on 42 teams entered as of March 8, 2025.
Final prize money payouts TBD in week of April 27, but based on 42 teams it would be: 1st – $2,400 / 2nd - $1,700 / 3rd - $1,200 / 4th - $700 / 5th-6th - $500 / 7th-8th - $300 / 9th-12th - $200
Format – All Games
Backboard dead Own balls allowed 1 pallino toss No 12” rule from sideboard Measure 1st point anytime Referee decision is final
Format – Flights (Sunday 4/27, Thursday 5/1 - Saturday 5/3)
Round robin play, with each team playing every team in their flight.
Games played to 12 points.
No substitutes are allowed in between games. Top 4 finishers from each flight advance to Championship Bracket, to be played on Sunday, May 4.
Tie-breakers: 2-teams: Head to Head result 3+ teams: a) Point differential in all games played / b) Total points scored / c) 1-frame roll off
Format – Championship Bracket (Sunday, 5/4)
Double elimination. Games played to 14 points.
Winner final, Loser final and Championship games played to 16 points.
Teams qualifying for Championship Bracket are allowed to substitute (1) player for the day, however no subs are allowed in between games. A substitute must play the entire day. Substitute must not have played in flight rounds. If a player is substituting on an EMPIRE CUP team in Championship Bracket, that player is on that team’s EMPIRE CUP roster.
Championship Bracket Match-Ups:
Order of finish in flights has an impact on the first-round match-ups in the Championship Bracket. We do this to give additional meaning to the round robin flights, beyond just determining which teams qualify for the Championship Bracket.
Bracket placement for teams who finished 2nd-4th in all flights will be pre-determined based on a draw on Saturday, April 26. Teams will be drawn in such a way that guarantees that 2nd-4th place finishing teams from the same flight will not play each other in the 1st (2) rounds of the Winner Bracket. At the conclusion of the April 26 drawing, (15) of the (20) placements (all 2nd-4th place finishers) will have been determined (“3rd place finisher – Friday”, for example) for the Championship Bracket opening rounds. Only the (5) 1st place flight finishers will not be placed at this time.
Round 1 of the Winner Bracket consists of (4) play-in games, and those 8 spots will be taken by (5) 4th place flight finishers and (3) 3rd place flight finishers. No teams finishing 1st or 2nd in the flights will play in the (4) play-in games. Play-in game match-ups will be drawn as follows: 3-4 / 3-4 / 3-4 / 4-4, with no match-ups being between teams from the same flight.
Teams receiving a bye and beginning play in round 2 of the Winner Bracket will be: (5) 1st place flight finishers, (5) 2nd place flight finishers and (2) 3rd place flight finishers. (4) teams will advance from the play-in games to complete this group of (16) teams in this round. The (4) losers from the play-in games will move to the Loser Bracket.
The (5) 1st place flight finishers will be ranked based on their performance in the flights, as follows: a) W-L record / b) Point differential in all games played / c) Total points scored / d) 1-frame roll-off.
On the morning of the Championship Bracket, and before play begins, the top-ranked 1st place flight finisher will select their spot from the (5) open spots. The 2nd ranked 1st place flight finisher will select their spot from the (4) remaining open spots, and so on. The 5th ranked 1st place flight finisher will take the last remaining spot. Again, this benefit for the top finishers in flight play adds importance to the flights, allowing the 1st-4th ranked teams the ability to select their “path”, to a degree.
The Loser Bracket is set traditionally for a 20-team bracket, though the initial Winner Bracket placement is such that only (1) 1st place flight finisher and (3) 2nd place flight finishers CAN fall to the 1st round of the Loser Bracket. This is another benefit for the top flight finishers.
EMPIRE CUP Points at Stake
- Participation = 5 Points
- Wins = 3 Points (Round Robin & Championship Bracket)
- 1st Place = 100 Points
- 2nd Place = 75 Points
- 3rd Place = 50 Points
- 4th Place = 30 Points
- 5th / 6th Place = 20 Points
- 7th / 8th Place = 10 Points
- 9th – 12th Place = 5 Points
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Short Street Patio Bar, 1 Short St, Lockport, NY 14094-2611, United States,Lockport , New York
