What a rating is — and is not
An Elo rating is a prediction tool, not a grade. If you are rated 300 points above an opponent, the system expects you to score about 85% against them. It says nothing about how you achieved that expectation.
Ratings move based on expectation versus result. Beat a much higher-rated player and you gain a lot; beat a much lower-rated player and you gain little. Losses mirror this.
Why new accounts swing so much
When a player has few recorded games, the system is uncertain about their strength, so it moves their rating aggressively to find the right level quickly. This is called the provisional period.
As your game count grows, the system becomes confident and each game moves your rating less. On Gambet, ratings also have a per-game movement cap, so a single great or terrible game cannot redefine your rating — it is a trend, not a verdict.
Different pools, different numbers
A rating only means something inside its own pool. Your blitz rating and your bullet rating measure different skills, and free-play and competitive pools can drift apart too.
Gambet tracks separate ratings for free and paid play. Treat each number as a measure of that specific environment rather than comparing them point-for-point with other sites, which use different pools and starting values.