The game rating is a single number that shows how strongly you play in ranked matches. On tamashebi.cc it is not calculated with plain Elo but with Glicko-2, the system published by the statistician Mark Glickman. The key difference: the system knows not only your number but also how sure it is about that number. That is why a new player’s rating moves quickly while an experienced player’s moves slowly and calmly. Below is everything you need to know — where it starts, how it changes, and which matches count and which do not.
What the rating is
Every account carries three numbers. The first is the rating itself, and everyone starts at 1500. The second is the deviation — how unsure the system is about your number; a new player has 350, the maximum. The third is volatility: how erratic your results have been. On screen you see only the rating and your rank, and after each match the change in whole points, such as +17 or −9.
Each game has its own rating. Domino, Classic Joker, Japanese Joker and nardi (Georgian backgammon) each keep a separate ladder, so a strong domino player does not start out ranked as a strong Joker player until they prove it at the Joker table too. The first five ranked matches are placement: until then your rank is “Novice” whatever number you carry, and you do not appear on the leaderboard. A number built on two or three games is not a measurement yet.
The ranks
- Novice (damts’qebi) — during your first five ranked matches.
- Bronze — below 1450.
- Silver — from 1450.
- Gold — from 1600.
- Platinum — from 1750.
- Master — from 1900.
- Grandmaster — from 2050.
Your rank always follows your current rating, not your best one. If you are Gold and lose several matches in a row, your rating drops below 1600 and your rank becomes Silver. On the other hand, one bad evening will not cost you much: an established player’s number moves slowly in both directions. Your profile also keeps the highest rating you have reached.
How it is calculated
Before each match the system compares the two ratings and works out the expected result. Beat a stronger player and you gain a lot; beat a weaker one and you gain little, because that was expected. Then the deviation comes in: the less certain the system is about you, the bigger the step. Every match shrinks the deviation, but it never falls below 30, so a rating never freezes completely. Both players are rated against each other’s rating as it stood before the match, so the result does not depend on whose account happens to be processed first.
A worked example with real numbers
These figures come from the site’s own formula. Two brand-new players, both 1500 with a deviation of 350: the winner gains +162 and the loser drops −162. The system knows nothing yet, so it takes a big step. Now two established players, both with a deviation of 80: if a 1500 beats a 1500, the winner gains +17. If a 1500 beats a 1700, they gain +26 and the 1700 loses −26. If the same 1500 loses to the 1700, they drop only −9 — losing to a stronger player was expected. One last case: a newcomer (1500, deviation 350) beats an established player (1500, deviation 80). The newcomer gains +175, while the established player loses only −12, because one result against an unknown opponent says little about their well-measured number.
The margin does not count. In domino a 175:170 win and a 175:0 win are the same win — what is measured is whether you won, not by how much. Classic Joker has four players, so a match is treated as if each player had played three games, one against each opponent: finish above that opponent on the final score and it is a win, level is a draw, below is a loss.
Why it is fair
- A ranked match changes ratings exactly once. That is guaranteed by the database, not just by careful code: a repeated request or two servers racing cannot count the same match twice.
- Only a match played to the end counts. A domino match that ended because a player left does not touch anyone’s rating — leaving can neither dodge a loss nor steal a win.
- In Joker, if a player leaves and a bot takes over the seat, the result still belongs to the human. Otherwise disconnecting would be a way to escape a rating loss.
- Bots and guests never take part in a ranked match: a rating is a result between two registered accounts.
- The formula is public and everything is calculated on the server. The browser only shows the result.
- The leaderboard holds only real accounts: no padded rows and no test players.
Ranked vs casual matches
A casual match is for playing, not measuring: it has no effect on the rating. A ranked match needs an account — guests have no rating. At the moment the site offers ranked play when you create a Classic Joker table: you pick “ranked” on the form, and the table card shows it. Domino, nardi and Japanese Joker tables, friend challenges and tournament matches are casual. Each game’s ladder is still kept separately.
- Ranked: needs an account, a human in every seat, and the result moves your rating.
- Casual: guests welcome, the result shows in your history, the rating does not move.
- Playing the bot: always practice, never rated.
- Tournament match: moves you through the bracket, not up the ladder.
How to climb the rating
- Finish placement. Your number moves fastest during the first five matches, so that is when your full attention pays off most.
- Do not avoid strong opponents. Losing to them costs little; beating them is worth a lot.
- Do not walk out of a match. In Joker a bot takes your seat and the result is still yours.
- Watch your clock. If your time runs out, the server makes one move for you — and it may not be the move you would have chosen.
- Play consistently. Wild swings between streaks tell the system your number is less reliable.
- Study strategy: in Joker, accurate bidding is worth more than any single lucky hand.
On the leaderboard every game has its own table. The domino table also shows periods — day, week, month and all time; over a short period players are ranked by the points they gained in that window, not by their current rating. The administration can also run seasons: at the end of a season the final standings are archived and never change again, while your wins and match history are never wiped.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this an Elo rating?
- No, it is Glicko-2 — a development of Elo. Unlike Elo, it tracks how sure it is about your number: a new player’s rating changes quickly, an experienced player’s slowly.
- Why am I not on the leaderboard?
- Only players with at least five ranked matches appear on it. Casual matches, games against the bot and tournament matches do not count towards that.
- Does beating the bot raise my rating?
- No. Playing the bot is always practice, and its result has no effect on your rating.
Every game on tamashebi.cc is free to play. Domino Coin is a virtual in-game coin: it is never money, cannot be bought or cashed out, and means nothing outside the site. The site is available in Georgian, English, Russian and Turkish.
The games on Tamashebi.cc are played in a Georgian-language interface. They are free and use a virtual coin, never real money.