Board Game Arena

Hello!

I am trying to figure out how someone could have over 650 ELO rank when their gaming history shows playing only 15 games in total ever.

Are there certain games that give out higher ELO in general?

Because in this case they would need to be getting at least 43 elo points per game with a perfect win record to reach this score.

The-True-KingofTokyo wrote: ↑03 June 2026, 06:51 Hello!

I am trying to figure out how someone could have over 650 ELO rank when their gaming history shows playing only 15 games in total ever.

Are there certain games that give out higher ELO in general?

Because in this case they would need to be getting at least 43 elo points per game with a perfect win record to reach this score.

There aren't games that give out higher Elo, but the first few times you play a certain game, you get more for a win than you would after you've completed 20 games.

In case you haven't read the related FAQs, here are the links:
How does the ELO change calculation work?
How is my ELO updated?

Unfortunately, in a revision to the FAQ they removed the explanation most relevant to your question, which is how the K-factor works on BGA. The FAQ used to explain that:

K, the 'elasticity factor,' has a value that depends on the number of games you have played: 60 for your first 10 games, 40 between your 11th and 20th games, 20 for your 21st onwards.

The K-factor is a linear scaling factor in the Elo calculation, so a person with a K-factor of 60 will gain (or lose) three times as many points as someone with the same rating who has already finished a game 20 or more times, all other things being equal.

So if someone really good at a game outside of BGA starts playing it on BGA, they can soar up the Elo track because for their first 10 games they would gain 45 points for a win if they'd normally gain 15, and 30 points for a win instead of 15 for games 11 through 20. This is approximately what it would be if they were consistently playing people 200 Elo points above them. They would gain more if the gaps is even larger.

The-True-KingofTokyo wrote: ↑03 June 2026, 06:51 Hello!

I am trying to figure out how someone could have over 650 ELO rank when their gaming history shows playing only 15 games in total ever.

Are there certain games that give out higher ELO in general?

Because in this case they would need to be getting at least 43 elo points per game with a perfect win record to reach this score.

Did you check their game history? 15 total games is small enough to easily skim how much they got for each game. The higher k-factor for early games is an obvious accelerator. Did you check how many players were in the game? More players increase the change of gains/losses as more exchanges take place in one game.

Thanks all! Did not realize k factor was a thing at all so now it makes sense.

It was 4 players each game and after checking the history they did win each game.

I appreciate the help in understanding.


Cheers