From the FAQ (https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html):

> How are stories ranked?

> The basic algorithm divides points by a power of the time since a story was submitted. Comments in comment threads are ranked the same way.

> Other factors affecting rank include user flags, anti-abuse software, software which downweights overheated discussions, and moderator intervention.

12 points is really not all that many (fewer than any of those on the front page, anyway—Edit to add: I stand corrected: there's one with 10). I don't know why it's not on the next couple of pages. For the best possible explanation you can reach out to the mods via the Contact link in the footer.