What happens if you lose to a USCF provisional player?

Does anyone know how the game is rated if you lose to a provisionally rated player in a USCF tourney? For example, if I am 2100 and I lose to a player with a provisional rating of 1600, what happens? is it rated the same as if I lost to an established 1600?

From looking at Mark Glickman's paper (PDF) on the rating system, it depends on how many games and the results of those games the provisional rating is based off of. If less than 8 games or all games are Wins (or losses), then the "special" rating formula is used. If there are more than 8 game in the provisional rating (and not all wins or losses) then the normal rating formula applies.

The number of games played overall also can impact the rating formula some. So, the answer kind of depends on the player in question I guess.

thank you. Unfortunately the mathmatical formulas boggle my mind :) Maybe I will take another crack at the Glickman article

I wish USCF would do their ratings more like FIDE does , with a K factor and all .... 

How are they different? Why do you wish that? I am out of my depth on this subject.

They are different in their basic formula for one thing and the K factor limits the amount of points you can win/lose for any one game . 

The USCF does use a K factor; it's listed on page 12 of that PDF.

Martin, I see you live in Joplin. I am from Springfield!

When did they start using a K factor ?  So there is no " bonus points " anymore for a win against a higher rated ?  It used to be a basic 16 points for a win +- 4% of the difference in ratings ...  ?? 

Yeah, we played a rated game together in 2009 at the Springfield club.

I think they have been using it for a while, though I'm not sure for how long. I seem to recall it being mentioned in the 5th edition rule book and that was published in 2003.

Wow, small world! Really glad to see you are doing tournament stuff. I was extremely sadenned last time I visited the Springfield Club (where I cut my teeth) by the lack of rated games. Glad to see chess is still alive in the region.

Yeah, there isn't a lot in this corner of the state. I'm trying to help out and run stuff up there a couple of times a year. Have one scheduled on the 25th at MSU, co-sponsored by the club there.

NM Reb

The Fifth Edition Rulebook (published in 2003) discusses the k factor.  So they've been using it for at least 12 years.

Ok , thanks . I lived in Europe for 14 years so they made the change while I was across the pond . 

So what is the special rating formula used if a player has less then 8 games? I lost to a player who has played 6 games, and his rating was 1854 from those games. So do I lose to him as an 1854 player?

That paper I linked to should have that formula in it.