[A short dissertation on how the payoff algorithm works (or "How Do The
Arena Masters (those cheap bastiches!) Determine My Share Of The Gate
Receipts?")] - by Alex Dwelis.

    The payoff is determined by four factors: experience, success in the 
arena, rating, and the level of a combat android.
   First, experience.  The experience--number of matches fought--of both
combatants is compared.  If the are approximately equal, the winner can
expect to earn about 250 in gold.  If the winner, however, is much more 
experienced that the loser, he can get as little as 10 gold pieces.  If,
however, the winner has much, much less experience than the loser, than
he can expect that the experience portion of the payoff will be a maximum
of 1000.
   The success of both combatants is next compared.  Success here means
the ratio of total wins to total fights.  Should both opponents be equal,
this portion of the payoff is about 1000.  If the winner is much more 
successful than the loser, this portion can get as low as 100.  Finally,
if the winner is much less successful in the arena, than he can earn up
to 4000.
  Next, the ratings of both fighters are compared and that comparison results
in a number that is multiplied with the total of the experience and the success
components.  When both warriors are approximately equal in their ratings, 
within a range of plus or minus 12 points, the multiplier is simply 1.  If the
winner is rated higher than the loser, the multiplier will range from .1 
(yes, that's one-tenth) up to almost 1.  If the loser is rated higher than
the winner, than the multiplier increases linearly up to 3. The multiplier
can jump up to 6 if the loser is, if I remember correctly, rated 200 or more
points higher.
  Finally, if a combat android is the loser, than the winner gets a bonus
of 1000 times the level of the combat android ... where terminators are
considered level 10. Target androids, of course, net you nothing.