pentejr is right, i have noticed that when playing a series of separate games against a similarly rated opponent, if we end up splitting, we both gain a few points in the end. i don't really have a problem with this as it rewards people for playing more and not sitting on a rating like I..er..I mean..some people do in chess.

As for Loop/Pahtum, that's easy. Pahtum seems to have an insane advantage for the starting player (maybe it's even a forced win with perfect play?), so playing both colors will shave the ratings down since if there's no or not enough skill involved, the cream will have trouble rising to the top. on the other hand, while loop does confer an advantage to white, like chess, it is not insurmountable and one can play a great game from either side.