Brackets
The idea of brackets is 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.

At the Women’s Championships, there are several types of brackets available, including scratch, handicap and senior (age 50 and older) with entry fees ranging from $5 to $10.

First prize in the $5 brackets is $25 and second place pays $10. There will be scratch, handicap and senior $5 brackets available during each event. Handicap for brackets is 75 percent of 220.

During the team event only, $10 handicap brackets also will be available. First prize will be $50 and second place pays $20.

Second Chance Brackets
For $10, 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 up to 20 Second Chance Brackets during each event.

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.

3-6-9 Strike Jackpot
The 3-6-9 Strike Jackpot features a $5 entry fee and puts bowlers in the jackpot for all three events (team, doubles and singles) for one entry fee. The concept is simple: strike in the third, sixth and ninth frame of each game in a series and hit the jackpot. You can also cash for hitting eight of the nine strikes in the series or just for striking in the third, sixth or ninth frame of any single game. Payouts will come after the conclusion of the tournament.

Century Doubles
With an entry fee of just $10, Century Doubles pairs two bowlers who are a combined 100 years or older in the current calendar year. 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 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 in July.

Prize money goes to the bowler who signs the pair up, but the two bowlers can enter with each other and share the place in the standings. For example, Bowler A can sign up with Bowler B, and Bowler B can then pay her own $10 to sign up with Bowler A.

Side Pots
Side pots reward bowlers who are the best on their squads. These handicap pots pay out for the highest game (each game) among those who are entered. The entry fee for Side Pots during team is $10, and $20 for doubles and singles (this covers both events). The handicap for this product is 75 percent of 220.

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 $30 entry fee, one out of every 10 entrants earns a paid Team USA Trials entry.

In addition to a chance to represent the United States in international bowling competition through the optional qualifying program, USBC donates $1 from each all-events entry fee to support the Team USA program.

Bowlers interested in a chance to qualify for the Team USA Trials can register when they sign up for brackets before team event.

Gem Series
This year, we are proud to introduce a new bracket product designed specifically so bowlers will only face other bowlers in their division. The cost will be $10 per bracket, and bowlers may enter up to 20.

This product will be set up like a traditional eight-person bracket, but instead of using individual games, winners each round will be determined by their three-game series in team, doubles and singles. This new format makes things a little more exciting and gives you a chance to bounce back from a bad game.

Another unique aspect of this product is that it will be tournament-long. All bowlers will be randomly placed into the brackets at the conclusion of the 2010 USBC Women’s Championships, and winners will be determined. The winner of each bracket will receive $50, while the runner-up receives $20.

Handicap for the Gem Series will be 100 percent of 450 for the Sapphire Division bowlers, 100 percent of 540 for those in the Ruby Division and 100 percent of 660 for Diamond Division bowlers.

Reverse Scratch Brackets
A new spin on an old favorite, Reverse Scratch Brackets work like traditional brackets but the only difference is that 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).

The cost for Reverse Scratch Brackets is $5. First place will pay $25, and second place will pay $10. All bowlers are eligible, and all scores will be scratch.

Optional Scratch Bonus
With the Women’s Championships going to an all-handicap format in 2010, this optional scratch prize fund is a special bonus for ultra-competitive bowlers, and a chance to earn some additional prize money.

This product is open to all tournament competitors. The cost will be $10 per bowler per event, and bowlers can enter one, two or all three events. The team event scratch bonus will be $50 total, and the doubles scratch bonus will be $20 total. Singles and all-events will be $10 and the responsibility of the individual.

This is a yearlong product and will feature a prize-fund style payout after the conclusion of the tournament.

*This product is completely unrelated to the scratch portion of the USBC Women’s Championships that crowns overall tournament champions.

**All same-day payouts will be made on site at the El Paso Convention and Performing Arts Center.