Explain Tie Break please

Hi - I've read this:

http://www.chess.com/tournaments/help.html#tiebreak

but I still don't understand the tie break calculation.I thought it had something to do with the rating of one's opponent but I think I read it wrong (thought it was based on the rating differential).

I'm in this tournament and am wondering why 'Matter's tie break rating is so low relative to the #1 & #3 players. (not that I really care or have a chance - I am a total patzer but I was just wondering).

http://www.chess.com/tournament/the-biggest-super-rapid-tournament-like-in-blitz2

Oh, fwiw - looking at some of the other games, it seems like other players just give up at points that don't seem lost to me. I guess I am just not seeing the loss in x moves or whatever.

It's based on the number of wins they have in that tournament.

For every game you win, your tiebreak goes up by the score of the player you beat. for every game you draw, your tiebreak goes up by half the score of the player you draw against.

as i post this, Matter's tiebreak is

5+5+4+4+2+2+2+0+0+0 = 24

yours is

4+2+0+0+0 = 6

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonneborn-Berger_system has an explaination.

Ok - thanks -think I get that. Guess I thought that the differential was what mattered (i.e. the difference between your rating and the person you won against)

Nope.  Rating of the players has nothing to do with tie-break.  Even that bit about Neustadtl Score is only their strength for that particular tournament only.