Hey Tournament Players!! How do you decide...?

[Aslan]

For the tournament bowlers out there...a quick question:

Many tournaments allow you to re-bowl/re-enter. When I first participated in a tournament, I found this out when I beat a guy and then saw his name on the scoreboard with a higher series (that he bowled earlier in the day).

But the question is...how do you decide whether to re-enter or to just enter once??

Like, in poker...my rule is that I never re-enter. I figure if God and/or luck are not on my side...spending another $140 is probably not going to change that. Plus, it puts me behind everyone else in terms of stack size. However...on a rare occasion...if I lost early due to a bad beat (a hand I statistically should have won but the other player lucked out)...I 'might' do it.

But with bowling...every chance is a fresh start. So if you're in a tournament and lets say your sanctioned average is 180. If you bowl a 540 series...you've bowled your average. Would you stop and go home or re-enter? What if you instead bowled a 465? Do you see that as an aberration and re-enter? Or do you just chalk it up as a loss and save the money? What if you bowl a 615 series? Does it matter how everyone else is doing?

For me...if the entry fee is low ($25-$35)...I try to re-enter as many times as I can. But if the entry fee is in the $35-$65 range...it's more of a dilemma.

If I bowled a 465...I'd probably look at the leaderboard and see what I'd need to cash. Obviously a 465 isn't going to cash...but if I need to bowl more than a 550 to even cash...maybe I decide to return home and lick my wounds and chalk it up as a learning experience. But if I bowl a 465 and need a 690 to cash...then I'm definitely out.

But once I get in the 540-690 range...and lets say am just outside the cashing group...I'd be tempted to try my luck again...since things are going well...but at the same time...what are the odds that I can improve upon my scores? If I'm bowling above my average to begin with...then am I just hoping to have the series of my life?

So do you guys have a 'system' you use when deciding to re-bowl? Or is it just how you feel? Or is it money dependent?

[RobLV1]

If you bowled well, but think you can do better... re-enter. If you started badly, but found something late... re-enter. If you never found anything... go home.

[vdubtx]

Rob's thinking is exactly how I would look at it. I don't enter enough smaller tournaments that I would want to do a re-entry, but I would certainly look at my last few games to determine if I wanted to attempt to get a better score in.

[billf]

Well we are three for three. Tournaments are an investment to me so it depends on what I see as return on investment. Bowing bad I cut my losses and head home. If I bowled well I won't waste money knowing I probably won't bowl any better. However, found something near the end then I will.
Of course most of the good money tournaments around here don't allow re-entry.