Open any polo report and you will see numbers in brackets after the players’ names. They are handicaps, and they are the key to understanding how the sport balances its matches. Here is our quick guide, written with the Wellington season in mind.
The scale
A polo handicap runs from minus 2 to 10 goals. A minus 2 player is a novice, and a 10-goaler has the highest rating possible. Players are described by their rating, so you will hear about a 2-goaler or a 10-goaler.
It is not a goal tally
The number does not predict how many goals a player will score. It rates skill, experience and value to a team.
How teams are matched
A team’s handicap is the sum of its four players’ ratings. In a handicap match, if one team has a higher total than the other, the difference is added to the scoreboard of the lower rated side before the first ball is thrown in. That is why you will sometimes see a team start a game with a goal or two in hand.
Tournaments are classified by level. A 22-goal tournament, such as each leg of the Gauntlet of Polo in Wellington, has teams whose handicaps add up to around that figure, and the Wellington events host teams of 18 to 22 goals.
Open polo is different
Not every tournament is handicapped. In Argentina, the Triple Crown tournaments are Opens, where matches start at zero and teams must have a combined handicap of at least 28 goals. La Natividad La Dolfina’s four players are each rated 10 in Argentina, so they sit at the 40-goal maximum, and they will start every game level with their rivals.
Who decides?
- Handicaps are set by committee and reviewed at the middle and end of the season.
- The USPA reviews its ratings twice a year, and ratings can go up or down with form.
- The scale is not identical across countries, so a player rated 10 in Argentina may be rated 9 in the USA.
- Women’s polo has its own scale for women-only matches, while mixed games use the normal handicap.
Once you know how it works, the numbers in the brackets start to tell a story. Next time you see them, you will know who is expected to carry the match.
Sources: Wikipedia, Polo handicap, La Nación, Triple Crown 2025 teams
