There is one pool drill that I have been doing off and on since I got back to the game. It all started when I took a lesson, and the instructor told me to (as a practice drill on my own) spread out three balls on the table and run them out. He wanted me to be able to do this 10 times in a row. It was harder than it looked, even with starting the drill with ball-in-hand.
When I was finally able to do it, I modified the drill to make it so that I had to run the balls in order. I would use the 7,8, and 9 balls and run them out like the end of a 9-ball game. I got to where I could do this three times out of four, so I moved up to a four-ball sequence, breaking up the 6-7-8-9 and then getting ball-in-hand and trying to run out. If any balls went in on the break, they could be spotted on either spot. I wanted to keep doing this drill until I could run them four times out of seven.
This took MONTHS. Several times I got close, running the balls three times out of seven, but for the longest time I could not get over the hump. Finally, though, last month I made a breakthrough. I was able to run all four balls four times in a ROW. So, the same night, I tried to run five in a row, and managed to do THAT five times out of seven!
So, I have raised this drill to the next level. Now, when I practice it, I break up the 4-5-6-7-8-9 and then give myself ball-in-hand and try to run out. My goal is to do it six out of eleven times. So far the best I have done is two out of eight, so I have a ways to go. It takes a LOT of concentration, and there is a feeling of satisfaction each time I DO manage to do it successfully.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Monday, December 17, 2012
Chess Playing in Europe
This autumn, my wife and I went to Europe, and (like the last time a few years ago) we found that there are several places where people play chess outdoors, on large chess boards with large pieces. Last time we found such boards in Lucerne and Zurich in Switzerland, and in Salzburg in Austria.
This time, we found a board in Danau Park in Vienna, and also revisited the board on the Lindenhof in Zurich. It is always a good time playing on these boards. Depending on where you are, you can play in front of quite a crowd, and the crowd participation ranges from quietly watching to actively commenting. In Vienna, it was a lot of fun to play while 5-10 people who sat nearby would shout suggestions to both players. The trick was to ignore the bad suggestions while occasionally taking a good one. :-)
Over the years (1992 - Lausanne, Switzerland; 2003 - London, England; 2010 - Lucerne, Switzerland; 2012 - Vienna, Austria and Zurich, Switzerland), I have played many outdoor games, and through a combination of skill and luck I have never lost. I have drawn a few games, though.
I always look forward to finding places in new cities where such games are played.
This time, we found a board in Danau Park in Vienna, and also revisited the board on the Lindenhof in Zurich. It is always a good time playing on these boards. Depending on where you are, you can play in front of quite a crowd, and the crowd participation ranges from quietly watching to actively commenting. In Vienna, it was a lot of fun to play while 5-10 people who sat nearby would shout suggestions to both players. The trick was to ignore the bad suggestions while occasionally taking a good one. :-)
Over the years (1992 - Lausanne, Switzerland; 2003 - London, England; 2010 - Lucerne, Switzerland; 2012 - Vienna, Austria and Zurich, Switzerland), I have played many outdoor games, and through a combination of skill and luck I have never lost. I have drawn a few games, though.
I always look forward to finding places in new cities where such games are played.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Back on the table!
After about two months away from the pool table (due to work and vacation), I went back to Legends last Monday for a couple of hours. I did not have much in the way of expectations, since I figured I would be rusty, but things actually went pretty well. I met a nice guy named Larry, and we played several games of eight-ball and nine-ball. I won most of the games, but I was very streaky - one game I would run the table, and the next I could not make an easy shot.
At the end of my evening at Legends, I received a tip from a really good player who had been watching me shoot for the previous few minutes. He told me that even though I had my back (right) hand on the cue extension, I did not have it far enough back, so my cue was still coming up at the end of my stroke. This is not a tip one would normally get in a pool hall, since usually you do not have a really good player watching your stroke, but I was lucky.
Saturday, I went back to Buster's for the first time in a long time. I incorporated the latest tip into my play, and immediately things started to fall into place. I practiced a bit, then challenged my friend Will to some games of eight-ball. Will is someone that I played in the Straight Pool League, and he beat me then and in a casual straight-pool match that we played a bit later. I had never played him in eight-ball or nine-ball, but I knew he was a good shot. He continually ends up in the money in the straight-pool leagues.
Well, after losing the first game to Will, I came back and won the second one. Then I broke and ran out for the first time in ages...and that set the tone for the match. I went on to win 5-1 before Will had to leave, and even he remarked that my play was more consistent than he had seen in the past. It felt really good to play well against such a good player.
Tonight I will be heading back to Legends, and hopefully I can continue to improve and to remember to move my right hand further back on the cue. I will be using the extension for a longer time than I was originally planning, because the person who is making my custom cue has recently had a work-related accident, and it may be weeks or months before he can come back to work on the cues that he has in his queue.
At the end of my evening at Legends, I received a tip from a really good player who had been watching me shoot for the previous few minutes. He told me that even though I had my back (right) hand on the cue extension, I did not have it far enough back, so my cue was still coming up at the end of my stroke. This is not a tip one would normally get in a pool hall, since usually you do not have a really good player watching your stroke, but I was lucky.
Saturday, I went back to Buster's for the first time in a long time. I incorporated the latest tip into my play, and immediately things started to fall into place. I practiced a bit, then challenged my friend Will to some games of eight-ball. Will is someone that I played in the Straight Pool League, and he beat me then and in a casual straight-pool match that we played a bit later. I had never played him in eight-ball or nine-ball, but I knew he was a good shot. He continually ends up in the money in the straight-pool leagues.
Well, after losing the first game to Will, I came back and won the second one. Then I broke and ran out for the first time in ages...and that set the tone for the match. I went on to win 5-1 before Will had to leave, and even he remarked that my play was more consistent than he had seen in the past. It felt really good to play well against such a good player.
Tonight I will be heading back to Legends, and hopefully I can continue to improve and to remember to move my right hand further back on the cue. I will be using the extension for a longer time than I was originally planning, because the person who is making my custom cue has recently had a work-related accident, and it may be weeks or months before he can come back to work on the cues that he has in his queue.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Change of game, but the streak continues!
This week I was unable to play the Monday night 8-ball tournament at Buster's, so I decided (just for grins) to try my hand at the Tuesday night 9-ball tournament. I have not played a 9-ball tournament at Buster's in almost 6 years...though I did win it back then, mostly because I was given a handicap that was way too low for my level of play.
I was rated a B this time (instead of a D+), the same as two others in the tournament (Tom and Perry). Besides the three of us, there was Dennis (an A++ player) and Bob (an A+ player).
I had a bye in the first round, and Dennis beat Perry while Tom beat Bob. I played Dennis in my first match, and I managed to win mostly because of the spot. The difference in handicaps determines the type of "spot", or advantage, the lower-rated player gets. The difference between my rating (B) and Dennis' (A++) means that I get the 7-ball and the break, and instead of 3 games Dennis has to win 4. It is a pretty big spot, but his rating shows that he is a VERY good player. I won the match mainly because all I needed to do was to sink the 7 to win, and he missed a couple of shots that he should have made. I also managed to play a couple of good safeties.
My second match was against Tom, and it was ugly on both sides. Since we were rated the same, it was a race to three games with no spot. We got to 2-2, and then we both played badly in the fifth game, but I made the last mistake and lost.
So, I was in the loser's bracket, and waited while Perry got his revenge on Dennis (Bob was already out of the tournament, having lost to Perry after losing to Tom). Then I beat Perry pretty handily 3-1 to gain a rematch against Tom in the final. For the EIGHTH straight tournament, I was in the final!
I had to beat Tom twice to win the final, as he had not yet lost a match. In the first match, we got to 2-2 again, and he had the chance to put me away, but he muffed it and I won the match. I was very lucky there, as I was all night - several times my opponents had chances to knock me out of the tournament. Only the match against Perry was decisive.
The final match showed a major change in momentum, though, and I won 3-0. This meant that I won a tournament for the SEVENTH time in eight tries! I could not believe it - I had no expectations going into the tournament, I was rated correctly, and I did not shoot especially well...but things just kept bouncing my way.
I was rated a B this time (instead of a D+), the same as two others in the tournament (Tom and Perry). Besides the three of us, there was Dennis (an A++ player) and Bob (an A+ player).
I had a bye in the first round, and Dennis beat Perry while Tom beat Bob. I played Dennis in my first match, and I managed to win mostly because of the spot. The difference in handicaps determines the type of "spot", or advantage, the lower-rated player gets. The difference between my rating (B) and Dennis' (A++) means that I get the 7-ball and the break, and instead of 3 games Dennis has to win 4. It is a pretty big spot, but his rating shows that he is a VERY good player. I won the match mainly because all I needed to do was to sink the 7 to win, and he missed a couple of shots that he should have made. I also managed to play a couple of good safeties.
My second match was against Tom, and it was ugly on both sides. Since we were rated the same, it was a race to three games with no spot. We got to 2-2, and then we both played badly in the fifth game, but I made the last mistake and lost.
So, I was in the loser's bracket, and waited while Perry got his revenge on Dennis (Bob was already out of the tournament, having lost to Perry after losing to Tom). Then I beat Perry pretty handily 3-1 to gain a rematch against Tom in the final. For the EIGHTH straight tournament, I was in the final!
I had to beat Tom twice to win the final, as he had not yet lost a match. In the first match, we got to 2-2 again, and he had the chance to put me away, but he muffed it and I won the match. I was very lucky there, as I was all night - several times my opponents had chances to knock me out of the tournament. Only the match against Perry was decisive.
The final match showed a major change in momentum, though, and I won 3-0. This meant that I won a tournament for the SEVENTH time in eight tries! I could not believe it - I had no expectations going into the tournament, I was rated correctly, and I did not shoot especially well...but things just kept bouncing my way.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Of streaks, and custom cues...
Last week I did not play the tournament, but I did go to Buster's to practice for a couple of hours on the night of the tournament. The practice went pretty well, and I ended up playing a mini-match with Perry (someone from out of state who showed up to play the tournament) before the tournament, beating him 3 games to 2 in eight-ball.
During the past week, I started negotiations to get a new cue made. I have been using the same two cues (switching back and forth between them over the years) for the past 15+ years, and even though the extension I am using currently is helping a lot, it would be better balance-wise to have a longer cue without the extension on it. I am hoping that I can get pictures of the cue in its various stages of development and post them here. What will be the butt of the cue is right now a beautiful piece of unturned spalted maple, with another good-looking piece of bird's-eye or curly maple used as the contrast. The shaft of the cue will likely be a long low-deflection blank from Predator or a company like that.
The idea is that, in several months (the cuemaking is a sideline for the man who is doing it, so he works on cues when he has time), I will have a beautiful one-of-a-kind cue that will be long enough and balanced enough to use without the extension. I will likely need a new case for it, too. It will not be cheap, but it is not as expensive as I thought it would be. Part of what keeps the cost down is the fact that I just want the natural wood - no wrap, no points, no inlays. Part of what drives the cost up is the requirement of a long low-deflection shaft, which is likely to cost me about $200 by itself.
Last night I got back into the tournament, and there were five of us total. I squeaked past Geoff in the first round (it helped that his handicap is -1 and mine is 8), and then beat Chris (a newcomer) in the second match. My third match was against Tracy, who beat me in the finals a few weeks ago. I got my revenge this time, though, beating her by a slim margin to advance to the final for the seventh time in a row.
Tracy beat Geoff in the semi-final, and so (like the last tournament where we played) Tracy and I ended up playing each other for the first (and only) prize. She needed to beat me twice, but I won the first match and the first prize! Made $40 and shot pool for almost four hours!
So..thinking of this in Olympic terms, I have SIX golds and a silver in my last seven events! I have no idea how long this will last, but this is the best streak I have ever had.
During the past week, I started negotiations to get a new cue made. I have been using the same two cues (switching back and forth between them over the years) for the past 15+ years, and even though the extension I am using currently is helping a lot, it would be better balance-wise to have a longer cue without the extension on it. I am hoping that I can get pictures of the cue in its various stages of development and post them here. What will be the butt of the cue is right now a beautiful piece of unturned spalted maple, with another good-looking piece of bird's-eye or curly maple used as the contrast. The shaft of the cue will likely be a long low-deflection blank from Predator or a company like that.
The idea is that, in several months (the cuemaking is a sideline for the man who is doing it, so he works on cues when he has time), I will have a beautiful one-of-a-kind cue that will be long enough and balanced enough to use without the extension. I will likely need a new case for it, too. It will not be cheap, but it is not as expensive as I thought it would be. Part of what keeps the cost down is the fact that I just want the natural wood - no wrap, no points, no inlays. Part of what drives the cost up is the requirement of a long low-deflection shaft, which is likely to cost me about $200 by itself.
Last night I got back into the tournament, and there were five of us total. I squeaked past Geoff in the first round (it helped that his handicap is -1 and mine is 8), and then beat Chris (a newcomer) in the second match. My third match was against Tracy, who beat me in the finals a few weeks ago. I got my revenge this time, though, beating her by a slim margin to advance to the final for the seventh time in a row.
Tracy beat Geoff in the semi-final, and so (like the last tournament where we played) Tracy and I ended up playing each other for the first (and only) prize. She needed to beat me twice, but I won the first match and the first prize! Made $40 and shot pool for almost four hours!
So..thinking of this in Olympic terms, I have SIX golds and a silver in my last seven events! I have no idea how long this will last, but this is the best streak I have ever had.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
What a difference a week makes!
One week ago last night, I went to the pool hall for the weekly 8-ball tournament. While waiting to see if anyone else would show up, I had my normal hour or so of practice. The practice went really badly - I was missing shots that I should make, and my position play was way off. Luckily, no one else showed up for the tournament, and I got back my entry fee and went home.
On Thursday, my wife went to visit family for the weekend. As the weather was pretty bad for most of the weekend, I spent quite a bit of time at the pool hall (about 10 hours over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday combined). I met a guy named Scottie who plays there a lot, and he and I played quite a few games and did some drills and such on Friday and Saturday. We even played another couple of players in a team match (both 8-ball and 9-ball). Scottie taught me the rules of 3-6-9 (a variant of 9-ball) and I taught him how to play straight pool.
One of the main bonuses of playing with Scottie is that he often plays on the hardest table in the pool hall - table 16. This table combines a fast surface with smaller-than-usual pockets, which is a combination that forces a player to be VERY precise with their shots. If you get good on table 16, you will be able to shoot on any table. Of course, the process of getting good on table 16 has its frustrations, as many shots that would go in on another table will miss on that one.
Sunday I was on my own for practice, and I managed to run 20 in Straight Pool practice, only the second time I had ever run that many. Other than that, though, the practice on Sunday did not feel like it went all that well.
That brings us to yesterday - the day of the weekly 8-ball tournament. I went to the pool hall for my hour of warmup, and at first it seemed that I would be the only one there. But, before the deadline, three other players showed up, and suddenly we had a tournament!
Suffice it to say that my practice paid off! I beat each of the other three players on my way to my SIXTH straight payday and my FIFTH tournament victory out of those six! I missed a few shots that I could have made, but in general my level of play was pretty high.
After the tournament, Harold (the one I beat in the final, and someone I have played quite a few times in the tournaments) asked me if I wanted to play him in Straight Pool to 50 points for the pool time (meaning that the loser pays for the time used by both players). He has been after me to do this for a while, and the timing was never right, but this time I said I would play. I knew that he plays in the higher division in the Straight Pool League, so I figured I was in over my head, but I also had an extra $30 in my pocket from the tournament win and I saw it as a way to get a Straight Pool lesson for not much money.
Instead, I beat him! Again, I missed a couple of shots that I really should have made, but so did he, and the final score was 50-42.
FOUR hours of pool, and I came away with $30 more than I went in with! Much better than the lousy practice of the week before.
On Thursday, my wife went to visit family for the weekend. As the weather was pretty bad for most of the weekend, I spent quite a bit of time at the pool hall (about 10 hours over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday combined). I met a guy named Scottie who plays there a lot, and he and I played quite a few games and did some drills and such on Friday and Saturday. We even played another couple of players in a team match (both 8-ball and 9-ball). Scottie taught me the rules of 3-6-9 (a variant of 9-ball) and I taught him how to play straight pool.
One of the main bonuses of playing with Scottie is that he often plays on the hardest table in the pool hall - table 16. This table combines a fast surface with smaller-than-usual pockets, which is a combination that forces a player to be VERY precise with their shots. If you get good on table 16, you will be able to shoot on any table. Of course, the process of getting good on table 16 has its frustrations, as many shots that would go in on another table will miss on that one.
Sunday I was on my own for practice, and I managed to run 20 in Straight Pool practice, only the second time I had ever run that many. Other than that, though, the practice on Sunday did not feel like it went all that well.
That brings us to yesterday - the day of the weekly 8-ball tournament. I went to the pool hall for my hour of warmup, and at first it seemed that I would be the only one there. But, before the deadline, three other players showed up, and suddenly we had a tournament!
Suffice it to say that my practice paid off! I beat each of the other three players on my way to my SIXTH straight payday and my FIFTH tournament victory out of those six! I missed a few shots that I could have made, but in general my level of play was pretty high.
After the tournament, Harold (the one I beat in the final, and someone I have played quite a few times in the tournaments) asked me if I wanted to play him in Straight Pool to 50 points for the pool time (meaning that the loser pays for the time used by both players). He has been after me to do this for a while, and the timing was never right, but this time I said I would play. I knew that he plays in the higher division in the Straight Pool League, so I figured I was in over my head, but I also had an extra $30 in my pocket from the tournament win and I saw it as a way to get a Straight Pool lesson for not much money.
Instead, I beat him! Again, I missed a couple of shots that I really should have made, but so did he, and the final score was 50-42.
FOUR hours of pool, and I came away with $30 more than I went in with! Much better than the lousy practice of the week before.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
End of the line...sort of
Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Last Monday night, there were six players in the tournament, and I did not finish first. However, after being knocked to the loser's bracket, I worked my way back to the finals before losing again. Both losses came down to a single shot...these things happen.
Still, second place and my FIFTH straight time in the money...I'll take it. Second prize was the same as my entry fee, which means that I got to play four hours of pool for free. I'll take that too :-)
Still, second place and my FIFTH straight time in the money...I'll take it. Second prize was the same as my entry fee, which means that I got to play four hours of pool for free. I'll take that too :-)
Monday, July 30, 2012
Rolling along, and with improvement!
Last Sunday afternoon, I went to the pool hall for a few hours of practice. I took along with me the excellent book "Break Shot Patterns" by Phil Capelle. I was planning to run through several of the patterns in the book and see what I could learn from them.
Well, it took me over an hour to get through THREE of the patterns. By "get through", I mean that I practiced the pattern until I could get it right ONCE. They were much harder than I expected - it is amazing how easy the pros make it look.
The practice paid off immediately, though. After going through three of the patterns, I decided to practice some straight pool of my own. Within another hour, I had raised my all-time high run in straight pool from 17 to 25! This is a huge advance, and I am really happy with it.
The next night was the next 8-ball tournament. This time there were seven players, with these handicaps:
Roger (1)
Harold (3)
Jocelyn (3)
Jeremy (8)
Me (10)
David (12)
Scott (16)
I beat Jeremy in a tough match in the first round, and then beat Jocelyn in the second round. My third match was against Roger, the top player in the tournament, and our match came down to the final game, which I managed to barely win. This put me into the Finals, and I waited while Jeremy worked his way back through the loser's bracket (taking out Roger in the semifinals) to face me again.
In the final, I just needed to win one match out of two, and in the first match I won the first two games, which meant that all I needed to do was to sink two balls in the third game for the win. Jeremy broke, and nothing went in. I sunk two balls, and had my FOURTH tournament victory in a row!
Well, it took me over an hour to get through THREE of the patterns. By "get through", I mean that I practiced the pattern until I could get it right ONCE. They were much harder than I expected - it is amazing how easy the pros make it look.
The practice paid off immediately, though. After going through three of the patterns, I decided to practice some straight pool of my own. Within another hour, I had raised my all-time high run in straight pool from 17 to 25! This is a huge advance, and I am really happy with it.
The next night was the next 8-ball tournament. This time there were seven players, with these handicaps:
Roger (1)
Harold (3)
Jocelyn (3)
Jeremy (8)
Me (10)
David (12)
Scott (16)
I beat Jeremy in a tough match in the first round, and then beat Jocelyn in the second round. My third match was against Roger, the top player in the tournament, and our match came down to the final game, which I managed to barely win. This put me into the Finals, and I waited while Jeremy worked his way back through the loser's bracket (taking out Roger in the semifinals) to face me again.
In the final, I just needed to win one match out of two, and in the first match I won the first two games, which meant that all I needed to do was to sink two balls in the third game for the win. Jeremy broke, and nothing went in. I sunk two balls, and had my FOURTH tournament victory in a row!
Friday, July 20, 2012
One-on-One "Tournament"
Two Mondays ago, I was the only one to show up for the tournament, so it was called off and I got free practice time instead. (Pretty cool of Buster's to do that - I was expecting that they would charge me for the practice time when there was no tournament).
Two days after that, I went to New York, and one of the things I did there was to get two pool lessons from a pro whose books I have been reading. (Long story there, which I will likely share in a separate post). The pro, Phil Capelle, is a really nice guy and a great teacher. The lessons were fantastic.
The day after getting back from New York, there was another tournament scheduled, so I went in there with high hopes. As it turned out, there were just two of us in the tournament, so Buster's threw in an extra $5 (again, very cool of them - they made no money on this, and frequently all of the entry fee money goes to the prize fund) and made it a winner-take-all best of three matches for $25.
My handicap is still a 10, and the man I was playing against had a handicap of 3. This gave me a pretty good edge, as I was playing pretty well and I think I would have done okay if we were even. The first match was amazing - I beat him 10-5 and 10-1 and we did not even need the third game.
The second match did not go so well, and I missed a couple of chances. He won that match, which set us up for a rubber match. He won one game, and I won the second one (neither of us playing all that well), and because of the handicaps all I needed was to sink four balls in the third game to win the match. I had stripes, and he knocked in one stripe on the break, so when he missed I just needed to run three balls to win. And I did.
The lessons came in handy, but I am hoping to get in some practice this weekend to incorporate them even more.
Two days after that, I went to New York, and one of the things I did there was to get two pool lessons from a pro whose books I have been reading. (Long story there, which I will likely share in a separate post). The pro, Phil Capelle, is a really nice guy and a great teacher. The lessons were fantastic.
The day after getting back from New York, there was another tournament scheduled, so I went in there with high hopes. As it turned out, there were just two of us in the tournament, so Buster's threw in an extra $5 (again, very cool of them - they made no money on this, and frequently all of the entry fee money goes to the prize fund) and made it a winner-take-all best of three matches for $25.
My handicap is still a 10, and the man I was playing against had a handicap of 3. This gave me a pretty good edge, as I was playing pretty well and I think I would have done okay if we were even. The first match was amazing - I beat him 10-5 and 10-1 and we did not even need the third game.
The second match did not go so well, and I missed a couple of chances. He won that match, which set us up for a rubber match. He won one game, and I won the second one (neither of us playing all that well), and because of the handicaps all I needed was to sink four balls in the third game to win the match. I had stripes, and he knocked in one stripe on the break, so when he missed I just needed to run three balls to win. And I did.
The lessons came in handy, but I am hoping to get in some practice this weekend to incorporate them even more.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Somehow, it happened again...
After my first tournament victory (see last post), I did not play any pool for a week. I decided to try to defend my "title" anyway, though, so I went out last Monday and entered the 8-ball tournament again, giving myself plenty of time to warm up. My warmup went well, and only two more people entered the tournament (Ah, the dog days of summer...), so we had a three-person, winner-take-all tournament for the $30 in total entry fees. Once again, for $10 I was guaranteed an hour of warmup plus at least two matches, so I was fine with whatever happened.
For the third straight week, I ended up with a first-round bye. I asked Frank (the guy who runs Buster's, and the tournaments there) if the person with the highest handicap always gets a bye in the first round, and he said that it is all luck of the draw. Well, I lucked out again, and as a result I got to warm up some more while the two others (Chris - handicap of 3, and Matt - handicap of 5) battled it out in the first round.
Chris won a good match, so I needed to play him in the next round while Matt watched. My handicap had been lowered from 11 to 10 after last week's triumph, so I had a seven-point edge out of the gate. I needed it too, as I broke the balls only to have Chris run them out for a 10-0 whitewash in the first round. I managed to win the second game 10-7, though, which tied us up going into the third game. I won that one too! For the second straight week, I was in the finals, though this time placing second was not worth anything.
Once again Chris and Matt played each other, with the loser heading home and the winner having to beat me twice to win the tournament. Chris won again, which meant that I never got to play Matt at all, even though there were only three of us. Chris and I played once more to determine the winner of the $30. If he won the first match, we would play a second one.
The first game I won 10-6, and the second game he won 10-5. This made the score 25-19 in my favor, which meant that all I needed was to sink five balls in the third game (a 10-5 loss still would give me a 30-29 win on points). When he missed the first time, I sank four balls and then badly missed the fifth one. I had only one ball left that I needed, but none of the balls were in a good spot.
I had a long shot along the rail to win, but I made it! Two tournament victories in a row...even though they were small tournaments, it still feels really good! I feel like I have a decent chance against anyone now.
For the third straight week, I ended up with a first-round bye. I asked Frank (the guy who runs Buster's, and the tournaments there) if the person with the highest handicap always gets a bye in the first round, and he said that it is all luck of the draw. Well, I lucked out again, and as a result I got to warm up some more while the two others (Chris - handicap of 3, and Matt - handicap of 5) battled it out in the first round.
Chris won a good match, so I needed to play him in the next round while Matt watched. My handicap had been lowered from 11 to 10 after last week's triumph, so I had a seven-point edge out of the gate. I needed it too, as I broke the balls only to have Chris run them out for a 10-0 whitewash in the first round. I managed to win the second game 10-7, though, which tied us up going into the third game. I won that one too! For the second straight week, I was in the finals, though this time placing second was not worth anything.
Once again Chris and Matt played each other, with the loser heading home and the winner having to beat me twice to win the tournament. Chris won again, which meant that I never got to play Matt at all, even though there were only three of us. Chris and I played once more to determine the winner of the $30. If he won the first match, we would play a second one.
The first game I won 10-6, and the second game he won 10-5. This made the score 25-19 in my favor, which meant that all I needed was to sink five balls in the third game (a 10-5 loss still would give me a 30-29 win on points). When he missed the first time, I sank four balls and then badly missed the fifth one. I had only one ball left that I needed, but none of the balls were in a good spot.
I had a long shot along the rail to win, but I made it! Two tournament victories in a row...even though they were small tournaments, it still feels really good! I feel like I have a decent chance against anyone now.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Breakthrough, and Victory!
Last Monday night, I decided to play in the handicapped 8-ball tournament at Buster's. I wanted to break my streak of two full tournaments without winning a game, and I thought under the right circumstances I *might* win a match.
My hour of practice went okay, and my handicap was set at 11 (the same as it was for my last tournament). There were six players, and so two players got a bye in the first round. For the second straight tournament, I was one of those players, so I practiced some more.
My first match was against Jeremy, whom I had beaten in one of these tournaments a few months ago. His handicap is an 8, and he was amazed that mine was higher. It would be a recurring theme throughout the night - players commenting that my handicap was too high. My response was the same to everyone - in practice I play well, but I have not been able to put it together in a match or tournament yet.
I lost the first game to Jeremy 10-5 (see my earlier post about the scoring method for these tournaments), but then I WON the second game 10-5! This was not only my first win of a game in three tournaments, but because of the handicap, I could stay alive even if I lost the third game 10-7 (in which case one tiebreaking rack would be played). Instead, I won another game 10-5! My first match win in months!
What this meant was that I got to play Geoff in the second round. Geoff has a handicap of -1, easily the lowest I have seen. I did not even think they went below 0! In my last tournament, I had lost to Geoff narrowly after missing a couple of shots on the 8-ball. This match started off the same way, as I played well in the first game but missed my first chance at the 8. Luckily, I ended up with another shot on the 8 and made that one. The 10-5 win meant that I had a 21-4 lead going into the second game. All I needed was to make four balls in the second game, and my total of 25 would be one that he could not reach. I managed to do that, and suddenly I was in the finals!
Jeremy played Geoff to see who would face me in the final while I practiced some more. No matter what, the final would be a rematch of an earlier victory. The other three players had already been eliminated.
Geoff beat Jeremy, which meant that Geoff would have to beat me twice to win the tournament. If I beat him in the first match OR a second match (if needed), I won the tournament and the $50 first prize. I won the first game 10-6 and lost the second one 10-4, which made the score 25-15 going into the last game. All I needed was to make one ball...and when Geoff did not run out, I did just that.
My first tournament victory EVER in 8-ball at Buster's...and my first tournament victory there of any kind in several years (I won a 9-ball tournament there back before they stopped allowing smoking in pool halls). It was a good night. I made $40 and got to shoot pool for about 4 hours.
Tomorrow night is the defense of my title...I am sure my handicap will no longer be 11, though, which will make it a bit more difficult.
My hour of practice went okay, and my handicap was set at 11 (the same as it was for my last tournament). There were six players, and so two players got a bye in the first round. For the second straight tournament, I was one of those players, so I practiced some more.
My first match was against Jeremy, whom I had beaten in one of these tournaments a few months ago. His handicap is an 8, and he was amazed that mine was higher. It would be a recurring theme throughout the night - players commenting that my handicap was too high. My response was the same to everyone - in practice I play well, but I have not been able to put it together in a match or tournament yet.
I lost the first game to Jeremy 10-5 (see my earlier post about the scoring method for these tournaments), but then I WON the second game 10-5! This was not only my first win of a game in three tournaments, but because of the handicap, I could stay alive even if I lost the third game 10-7 (in which case one tiebreaking rack would be played). Instead, I won another game 10-5! My first match win in months!
What this meant was that I got to play Geoff in the second round. Geoff has a handicap of -1, easily the lowest I have seen. I did not even think they went below 0! In my last tournament, I had lost to Geoff narrowly after missing a couple of shots on the 8-ball. This match started off the same way, as I played well in the first game but missed my first chance at the 8. Luckily, I ended up with another shot on the 8 and made that one. The 10-5 win meant that I had a 21-4 lead going into the second game. All I needed was to make four balls in the second game, and my total of 25 would be one that he could not reach. I managed to do that, and suddenly I was in the finals!
Jeremy played Geoff to see who would face me in the final while I practiced some more. No matter what, the final would be a rematch of an earlier victory. The other three players had already been eliminated.
Geoff beat Jeremy, which meant that Geoff would have to beat me twice to win the tournament. If I beat him in the first match OR a second match (if needed), I won the tournament and the $50 first prize. I won the first game 10-6 and lost the second one 10-4, which made the score 25-15 going into the last game. All I needed was to make one ball...and when Geoff did not run out, I did just that.
My first tournament victory EVER in 8-ball at Buster's...and my first tournament victory there of any kind in several years (I won a 9-ball tournament there back before they stopped allowing smoking in pool halls). It was a good night. I made $40 and got to shoot pool for about 4 hours.
Tomorrow night is the defense of my title...I am sure my handicap will no longer be 11, though, which will make it a bit more difficult.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Pleasant afternoon in a Canadian pool hall
A week ago, I was in New Brunswick, Canada, and I had a few hours to kill, so I went to the Dooly's pool hall. The day rate there is about $8/hour, which is high for pool halls around here (New Hampshire), but not bad at all for Canada.
When I got to the pool hall, there were three guys playing on a table in the back, and I set up on a table near them. Immediately one of them came over and asked if I wanted to play a game. I told him that I wanted to warm up first, but that I might be interested in a game later.
Several times in the next 20 minutes he came back over to ask if I was ready, and finally I said that we could play some. I asked what game he wanted to play, and his answer was "The real game". By this, I assumed he meant 8-ball, which turned out to be the case. Apparently he did not recognize any other valid form of pool. As he was also 15 years old, I decided I could forgive him for that.
He was a decent shot, but he did not know much at all about playing position - setting up for the next shot. As long as he had a shot, he would make it most of the time, but he would usually place himself in a position where he had no valid shot and would have to try something very difficult. I would then take over an run out (often, not always). We played about 12-15 games in two hours, and he won one of them. It was a lot more fun than practicing by myself the whole time, and while he was very much a kid ("I'm a pretty good shot for my age, huh?"), we had a good time.
It was also really good practice for the next 8-ball tournament at Buster's, as it turns out.
When I got to the pool hall, there were three guys playing on a table in the back, and I set up on a table near them. Immediately one of them came over and asked if I wanted to play a game. I told him that I wanted to warm up first, but that I might be interested in a game later.
Several times in the next 20 minutes he came back over to ask if I was ready, and finally I said that we could play some. I asked what game he wanted to play, and his answer was "The real game". By this, I assumed he meant 8-ball, which turned out to be the case. Apparently he did not recognize any other valid form of pool. As he was also 15 years old, I decided I could forgive him for that.
He was a decent shot, but he did not know much at all about playing position - setting up for the next shot. As long as he had a shot, he would make it most of the time, but he would usually place himself in a position where he had no valid shot and would have to try something very difficult. I would then take over an run out (often, not always). We played about 12-15 games in two hours, and he won one of them. It was a lot more fun than practicing by myself the whole time, and while he was very much a kid ("I'm a pretty good shot for my age, huh?"), we had a good time.
It was also really good practice for the next 8-ball tournament at Buster's, as it turns out.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Still a long way to go...
After my recent success in the Straight Pool League, I decided to enter the Eight-ball tournament at Buster's on Monday nights every once in a while. The tournament is handicapped, and the scoring is a bit strange. You play three games, and you get 10 points for a win. You also get one point for each ball pocketed if you lose. So, if all of the balls are off the table when the game is over, the winner gets 10 and the loser gets 7. The score for each game is added together and then your handicap is added in to give you the score for the match.
I played an eight-ball tournament several weeks ago, and my handicap was 12. This was one of the worst handicaps among the players that night, but I still could not win a single game, much less a match. This past week I tried again - my handicap was reduced to 11 due (presumably) to my straight pool play, but even so, I did not even win a single game. Admittedly, I was playing against very good players (the first player had a handicap of -1, the best I have seen, while the second player's handicap was 3), but I had my chances to win and I could not come through.
It is possible that I just need more chances to play in competitions to develop my confidence. Right now winning a single game of eight-ball in the tournament would be a step up, and I am not used to being in that position.
I played an eight-ball tournament several weeks ago, and my handicap was 12. This was one of the worst handicaps among the players that night, but I still could not win a single game, much less a match. This past week I tried again - my handicap was reduced to 11 due (presumably) to my straight pool play, but even so, I did not even win a single game. Admittedly, I was playing against very good players (the first player had a handicap of -1, the best I have seen, while the second player's handicap was 3), but I had my chances to win and I could not come through.
It is possible that I just need more chances to play in competitions to develop my confidence. Right now winning a single game of eight-ball in the tournament would be a step up, and I am not used to being in that position.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
In the money!
Due to the withdrawal from the league of the player who was supposed to be my last opponent of the season, I was left in an interesting position. Because of the incredible comeback in my last match, I had 5 match points in the second half of the season with one match to go. Winning a match gives you a point. Winning by more than 10 balls gives you another 1/2 point. Playing above your average (number of balls sunk per inning) gives you ANOTHER 1/2 point. So, each match there is a potential for 2 points.
The way the playoffs work, the top three players from the first half play against the top three players from the second half for the six money spots. The two first place finishers compete for 1st-2nd, the two second place finishers compete for 3rd-4th, and the two third place finishers get 5th/6th (both 5th and 6th get the same money, so there is no playoff). In our division, the two first-place finishers will play off for 1st-2nd, but the same player took 2nd in both halves, so he gets third place. The same player took 3rd in both halves, too, so that player gets 4th place. As a result, if I were to take 4th place in the second half, I would get 5th/6th money.
To do this, I needed to beat Jim, who beat me at the end of March. He was the 'replacement player' designated by the league manager to take the place of the player who had dropped out. Unlike last time, when Jim spotted me 20 balls, this time the difference was only 11. I needed to get to 64, while Jim needed 75.
He took an early lead in the match, and had a pretty consistent 5-10 ball lead as we went into the homestretch. Coming into the last rack, he needed 11 balls to win while I needed 6. After we each sunk a couple of shots, I ran off 12 balls in a row to win the game! The final score (you keep shooting at the end until you miss) was a 73-66 win! I just missed winning by 10 (If he had scored 65 or lower I would have gotten that half-point), but the 1 1/2 points that I DID get were enough to put me into the 5th/6th spot. PLUS, I got an extra prize for being the "Most Improved" player in the division!
Not bad, for such a rough start. I won four out of my five matches in the second half, for 6.5 points, and as a result my outlay for about 20-25 hours of pool (for the ten matches in the league) was about $1/hour after the prize money is factored in. :-)
The way the playoffs work, the top three players from the first half play against the top three players from the second half for the six money spots. The two first place finishers compete for 1st-2nd, the two second place finishers compete for 3rd-4th, and the two third place finishers get 5th/6th (both 5th and 6th get the same money, so there is no playoff). In our division, the two first-place finishers will play off for 1st-2nd, but the same player took 2nd in both halves, so he gets third place. The same player took 3rd in both halves, too, so that player gets 4th place. As a result, if I were to take 4th place in the second half, I would get 5th/6th money.
To do this, I needed to beat Jim, who beat me at the end of March. He was the 'replacement player' designated by the league manager to take the place of the player who had dropped out. Unlike last time, when Jim spotted me 20 balls, this time the difference was only 11. I needed to get to 64, while Jim needed 75.
He took an early lead in the match, and had a pretty consistent 5-10 ball lead as we went into the homestretch. Coming into the last rack, he needed 11 balls to win while I needed 6. After we each sunk a couple of shots, I ran off 12 balls in a row to win the game! The final score (you keep shooting at the end until you miss) was a 73-66 win! I just missed winning by 10 (If he had scored 65 or lower I would have gotten that half-point), but the 1 1/2 points that I DID get were enough to put me into the 5th/6th spot. PLUS, I got an extra prize for being the "Most Improved" player in the division!
Not bad, for such a rough start. I won four out of my five matches in the second half, for 6.5 points, and as a result my outlay for about 20-25 hours of pool (for the ten matches in the league) was about $1/hour after the prize money is factored in. :-)
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The match of the season so far
On Sunday afternoon I had my rematch against Wayne, the guy who I lost to in my first match in the Straight Pool League. Due to the closeness in handicap, he was spotting me four balls - he had to get to 75 while I needed 71 to win.
As I mentioned in my last post, I have been reading a lot about how to restructure one's fundamentals at the pool table - stance, stroke, warm-up strokes, etc. Because I do not do much practicing between matches, I made the (kind of silly) decision to try to work on my fundamentals while playing the match.
As a result, I started missing shots from the very beginning. Wayne was shooting well, and even though my safeties were okay, and I would get advantageous positions on the table (my turn to shoot, several balls spread out and makeable), I would only make two or three balls before handing the table back to him. It reminded me of a chess player who can often get an advantage in the middlegame, but since he does not know how to convert it to a winning edge, he loses the game anyway. It is very frustrating. But, I kept my sense of humour about it all, and tried to keep things in perspective. Wayne is a nice guy, and there are worse ways to spend a couple hours than to shoot pool.
One interesting note is that Wayne never commented on the pace of my play - partly because he tended to take about as much time as I did on shots.
At one point in the match, I looked up at the score and saw that I was down by about 30 balls. He had 60 and I had around 29 or so. It was going pretty badly. At that moment, I decided to stop concentrating on the stuff I had read and just shoot pool the way I had been doing it before that day. Suddenly I found myself able to make shots with a bit more confidence. After I ran a few balls and then played a good safety (leaving Wayne no shot), I looked at him and said, "I come from the 'too little too late' school of Straight Pool". I figured all I was doing was making the final score a bit closer.
However, at one point I ran 15 balls in a row, easily my high for this league, and I began to think that if I kept playing carefully, I might work my way back into the match. When I had a very tough break shot lined up, I decided to play safe (all Wayne needed at that point was 4 balls, while I needed about 20). Even so, he had his chances to make the last few balls, but I think that my keeping him away from the table and out of his rhythm affected him a bit. He missed a couple of easy-ish shots that could have ended it.
Going into the last rack, he had 73 balls and I had 60. If I could make 11 balls before he made 2, I would complete an incredible comeback. I played as carefully as I could, making balls while trying not to leave him anything if I missed. (I even played a safety where no ball hit the rail, which cost me a point. Now I needed 12 balls in the rack to win.) At one point in the rack, he had a shot lined up on the rail. If he made that shot, his last shot would have been straight into the side for the game. He rattled the pocket, though, and I was able to make the two balls instead. Not only did I make those two, I ran out the rest of the rack!
When I looked up after making the last ball of the rack, Wayne congratulated me on an amazing comeback. I had not even processed that I had won the game, but the score at that point was 73-73 (The rule is that even if you make your winning ball, you keep going until you finish the run. I actually should have kept going into the next rack, but neither one of us thought about that at the time). Because of the handicap difference, this meant that I had come all the way back to win!
So, now the missing match against the guy who did not want to play looms large. Frank had said that he would pair me up against someone else if I had a chance at the playoffs (which I think I do). It seems strange that I would not get to play the person that had played everyone else, but whatever happens, happens. I will have fun with it regardless, and a playoff berth (if it happens) will be that much more enjoyable.
As I mentioned in my last post, I have been reading a lot about how to restructure one's fundamentals at the pool table - stance, stroke, warm-up strokes, etc. Because I do not do much practicing between matches, I made the (kind of silly) decision to try to work on my fundamentals while playing the match.
As a result, I started missing shots from the very beginning. Wayne was shooting well, and even though my safeties were okay, and I would get advantageous positions on the table (my turn to shoot, several balls spread out and makeable), I would only make two or three balls before handing the table back to him. It reminded me of a chess player who can often get an advantage in the middlegame, but since he does not know how to convert it to a winning edge, he loses the game anyway. It is very frustrating. But, I kept my sense of humour about it all, and tried to keep things in perspective. Wayne is a nice guy, and there are worse ways to spend a couple hours than to shoot pool.
One interesting note is that Wayne never commented on the pace of my play - partly because he tended to take about as much time as I did on shots.
At one point in the match, I looked up at the score and saw that I was down by about 30 balls. He had 60 and I had around 29 or so. It was going pretty badly. At that moment, I decided to stop concentrating on the stuff I had read and just shoot pool the way I had been doing it before that day. Suddenly I found myself able to make shots with a bit more confidence. After I ran a few balls and then played a good safety (leaving Wayne no shot), I looked at him and said, "I come from the 'too little too late' school of Straight Pool". I figured all I was doing was making the final score a bit closer.
However, at one point I ran 15 balls in a row, easily my high for this league, and I began to think that if I kept playing carefully, I might work my way back into the match. When I had a very tough break shot lined up, I decided to play safe (all Wayne needed at that point was 4 balls, while I needed about 20). Even so, he had his chances to make the last few balls, but I think that my keeping him away from the table and out of his rhythm affected him a bit. He missed a couple of easy-ish shots that could have ended it.
Going into the last rack, he had 73 balls and I had 60. If I could make 11 balls before he made 2, I would complete an incredible comeback. I played as carefully as I could, making balls while trying not to leave him anything if I missed. (I even played a safety where no ball hit the rail, which cost me a point. Now I needed 12 balls in the rack to win.) At one point in the rack, he had a shot lined up on the rail. If he made that shot, his last shot would have been straight into the side for the game. He rattled the pocket, though, and I was able to make the two balls instead. Not only did I make those two, I ran out the rest of the rack!
When I looked up after making the last ball of the rack, Wayne congratulated me on an amazing comeback. I had not even processed that I had won the game, but the score at that point was 73-73 (The rule is that even if you make your winning ball, you keep going until you finish the run. I actually should have kept going into the next rack, but neither one of us thought about that at the time). Because of the handicap difference, this meant that I had come all the way back to win!
So, now the missing match against the guy who did not want to play looms large. Frank had said that he would pair me up against someone else if I had a chance at the playoffs (which I think I do). It seems strange that I would not get to play the person that had played everyone else, but whatever happens, happens. I will have fun with it regardless, and a playoff berth (if it happens) will be that much more enjoyable.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Catching up on the league
First, a bit of background to cover the last couple of weeks:
The match I played after my last post was a bit of a downer. I never really got going, and my opponent thrashed me pretty badly. He was nice about it, though he was listening to music on his iPod for the length of the entire match. I suppose that is allowed, though it seemed a bit anti-social to me.
My next scheduled match after that was against a player who has one of the highest per-inning averages in the division (and therefore the highest handicap), but has yet to win a match in the second half of the league schedule.
Side note: I only recently learned how the standings and playoffs and such work. For each half of the schedule, the top three players make the playoffs and play each other to determine the top six places, which all pay out. I was well out of the running for the first half, but I have an outside chance of placing in the top three for the second half. More on that later.
To my surprise, this next opponent called me and offered to forfeit the match. Apparently he was very frustrated with his results in the league, and just did not want to play any more. I discussed the issue with Frank, the man running the league, and he decided that if I needed my final match in order to decide if I would make the playoffs or not, he would pair me with someone else. The player that wanted to forfeit would not play again in the league. This was okay with me - it would feel weird to be playing someone with something on the line (for me at least) while knowing that my opponent really did not want to play.
Which leads us to yesterday. The final match (maybe not for me, if I need to make up last week's match) is played against the player who is closest in handicap to you. In my case, this meant that I was getting a rematch against the player I lost to in the first week of the league. It would be a good test of whether I had improved. It would also be a test of whether I could incorporate all of the theory I have been reading about the fundamentals of my game and how to improve them.
The match I played after my last post was a bit of a downer. I never really got going, and my opponent thrashed me pretty badly. He was nice about it, though he was listening to music on his iPod for the length of the entire match. I suppose that is allowed, though it seemed a bit anti-social to me.
My next scheduled match after that was against a player who has one of the highest per-inning averages in the division (and therefore the highest handicap), but has yet to win a match in the second half of the league schedule.
Side note: I only recently learned how the standings and playoffs and such work. For each half of the schedule, the top three players make the playoffs and play each other to determine the top six places, which all pay out. I was well out of the running for the first half, but I have an outside chance of placing in the top three for the second half. More on that later.
To my surprise, this next opponent called me and offered to forfeit the match. Apparently he was very frustrated with his results in the league, and just did not want to play any more. I discussed the issue with Frank, the man running the league, and he decided that if I needed my final match in order to decide if I would make the playoffs or not, he would pair me with someone else. The player that wanted to forfeit would not play again in the league. This was okay with me - it would feel weird to be playing someone with something on the line (for me at least) while knowing that my opponent really did not want to play.
Which leads us to yesterday. The final match (maybe not for me, if I need to make up last week's match) is played against the player who is closest in handicap to you. In my case, this meant that I was getting a rematch against the player I lost to in the first week of the league. It would be a good test of whether I had improved. It would also be a test of whether I could incorporate all of the theory I have been reading about the fundamentals of my game and how to improve them.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Another win, and another dissatisfied opponent
My match this week was a thrilling, back-and-forth affair between me (a "grinder", who thinks about each shot before taking it) and my opponent (a "rhythm player", who just takes the shot that looks right and figures that he will get a decent enough leave to make the next shot). He was definitely the better shotmaker, and after a slow start (I was ahead about 20-4 at one point, but all of my matches seem to go this way) he recovered to take a lead by about 10-15 balls in the middle of the match.
I kept grinding it out, though, and because of what I have been reading I am getting a better understanding of what to do. Down 68-62, I had a pretty open rack, and I got into a rhythm of my own. I ran off the last 11 balls, which was a win for me because I only needed to get to 73 in this match (my opponent needed to get to 75)!
Afterwards, my opponent complained that I was the slowest player that he had ever faced, and that I took him completely out of his game. This was pretty much what the last opponent said after our match, too...but the fact is that I have 30 seconds to decide on a shot, and I have always been well within that time limit. Also, as I have pointed out to BOTH opponents (strangely, people do not seem to complain so much about my pace when they beat me), it is not my job to make sure they are comfortable and in rhythm! In fact, it helps me if they are cold when they come to the table, as long as I have not taken more time than I am allotted.
Why people seem to have the idea that I should facilitate their shotmaking is beyond me.
Next match is Saturday afternoon.
I kept grinding it out, though, and because of what I have been reading I am getting a better understanding of what to do. Down 68-62, I had a pretty open rack, and I got into a rhythm of my own. I ran off the last 11 balls, which was a win for me because I only needed to get to 73 in this match (my opponent needed to get to 75)!
Afterwards, my opponent complained that I was the slowest player that he had ever faced, and that I took him completely out of his game. This was pretty much what the last opponent said after our match, too...but the fact is that I have 30 seconds to decide on a shot, and I have always been well within that time limit. Also, as I have pointed out to BOTH opponents (strangely, people do not seem to complain so much about my pace when they beat me), it is not my job to make sure they are comfortable and in rhythm! In fact, it helps me if they are cold when they come to the table, as long as I have not taken more time than I am allotted.
Why people seem to have the idea that I should facilitate their shotmaking is beyond me.
Next match is Saturday afternoon.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Tale of Two Matches
Last week I ended up playing two Straight Pool matches in four days. Monday night I played against Will, who was spotting me three balls (he had to get to 75 while I needed 72 to win). As has been happening in several of my matches, I stayed with my opponent until about the halfway point of the match. He had a 36-33 lead, and then he just turned it on. I did not shoot badly, but he shot really well and the match turned into my worst defeat so far. The final score was 75-41.
Thursday night I had to play the current division leader. He had run 25 balls in one inning during his previous match, and was only spotting me 17 balls (so I needed 58 to win the match). Well, even though I had not been actively practicing, I had been studying a book called Play Your Best Straight Pool by Phil Capelle (I highly recommend it), and the study paid off! My opponent never really got into rhythm, and while I never ran more than 7 at any given time, I played some really good safeties and made some good decisions, and ended up winning the match 58-35!!
This second match also led to some discussions of etiquette, which I will try to address in a future post. Pool match etiquette, especially in a social kind of league like this one, is a delicate question.
Last night I went out with my wife's brother-in-law to shoot some eight-ball, and while I was not able to control the cue ball as much as I would have liked, I was able to use some of what I have been learning lately. We had a good time - it was my first non-Straight-Pool game with an opponent in a long while, and it was a bit refreshing to not be playing on just one part of the table (straight pool is mostly played on the half of the table where the balls are racked, and when it is played well, the cue ball does not travel long distances, as a rule).
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Thursday night I had to play the current division leader. He had run 25 balls in one inning during his previous match, and was only spotting me 17 balls (so I needed 58 to win the match). Well, even though I had not been actively practicing, I had been studying a book called Play Your Best Straight Pool by Phil Capelle (I highly recommend it), and the study paid off! My opponent never really got into rhythm, and while I never ran more than 7 at any given time, I played some really good safeties and made some good decisions, and ended up winning the match 58-35!!
This second match also led to some discussions of etiquette, which I will try to address in a future post. Pool match etiquette, especially in a social kind of league like this one, is a delicate question.
Last night I went out with my wife's brother-in-law to shoot some eight-ball, and while I was not able to control the cue ball as much as I would have liked, I was able to use some of what I have been learning lately. We had a good time - it was my first non-Straight-Pool game with an opponent in a long while, and it was a bit refreshing to not be playing on just one part of the table (straight pool is mostly played on the half of the table where the balls are racked, and when it is played well, the cue ball does not travel long distances, as a rule).
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Wednesday, March 28, 2012
A good match, but...
Last Saturday I played another Straight Pool match. Fresh off of my win, I had high hopes, and when I found out that I only needed to get 55 points (as opposed to my opponent's 75), I really thought I had a chance. I stayed right with him until we both had about 40 points, but then I started missing chances that I had to make, and he got into a groove. He beat me 75-47. I feel like I shot okay, and in fact in the first rack I made eight in a row, which started me off well, but I still missed shots I needed to make, and my cue-ball control needs a lot of work.
Monday, March 19, 2012
A measure of revenge, and my first win!
One thing I did not mention about last week is that the night after my Straight Pool match, I ran into my opponent at a different pool hall, and we played some 8-ball. I won the 8-ball match 3-1, and while it did not really count for anything, it gave me a bit of confidence that I had been lacking.
This past Saturday, I had my next Straight Pool match. Due to the handicaps, I had to get to 69 while my opponent had to get to 75. I did not shoot lights-out, and I had a few break shots where I missed the shot while breaking the rack (always a bad move in a Straight Pool game), but I was steady. I generally made shots I meant to make, and I was able to string together runs of 5 or 7 balls a few times. Suddenly I looked up at the scoreboard and realized that I only needed four balls to win! I ran out four shots in a row for my first Straight Pool match victory in about 15 years. Good to get the first one under my belt! Final score was 69-56.
So...not sure how the rest of the season will go, but it seems to be (maybe) going in the right direction for now.
This past Saturday, I had my next Straight Pool match. Due to the handicaps, I had to get to 69 while my opponent had to get to 75. I did not shoot lights-out, and I had a few break shots where I missed the shot while breaking the rack (always a bad move in a Straight Pool game), but I was steady. I generally made shots I meant to make, and I was able to string together runs of 5 or 7 balls a few times. Suddenly I looked up at the scoreboard and realized that I only needed four balls to win! I ran out four shots in a row for my first Straight Pool match victory in about 15 years. Good to get the first one under my belt! Final score was 69-56.
So...not sure how the rest of the season will go, but it seems to be (maybe) going in the right direction for now.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Still not close to where I want to be...
I played my second Straight Pool match last Sunday afternoon, and while mentally I was a lot more positive about it, I lost by even more than before. My opponent gave me chances, but I missed a lot of shots. Even though I only had to go to 66 while he had to go to 75, I lost 75-48. I have a lot of work to do...next match is tomorrow afternoon, so we'll see what happens.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Not as much improvement as I had hoped
Was it a case of nerves? Lack of confidence? I am not really sure...but though a practice session on Saturday went pretty well, my first Straight Pool match on Sunday could not be considered a success. We were both playing to 75, and I started off badly by losing the lag by a wide margin (not a huge deal - just meant I had to break) and then scratching on the break (a big deal - loss of two points). I dug myself out of the hole, and after five racks I actually held a slim lead at 40-36. I was missing shots I should have been making, though, especially shots to the pockets at the head of the table. My safeties were pretty bad too. My only good shots seemed to be the shots coming out of a cluster - deciding which balls would go into a pocket when a cluster of balls was hit a certain way. My position play was pretty bad, too.
My opponent ran 13 in a row in the middle of the match, easily more than either of us had run up to that time, and soon he was ahead by 20 at 69-49. In the last rack, I actually had a chance to catch up a bit, but then my last mistake hit - I miscued on an easy shot, giving him a runout of the match. Final score was 75-58.
I think I learned quite a bit about the need to concentrate at all times on all shots, and to play better safeties. My second match will be sometime in the next few days, so we'll see...
My opponent ran 13 in a row in the middle of the match, easily more than either of us had run up to that time, and soon he was ahead by 20 at 69-49. In the last rack, I actually had a chance to catch up a bit, but then my last mistake hit - I miscued on an easy shot, giving him a runout of the match. Final score was 75-58.
I think I learned quite a bit about the need to concentrate at all times on all shots, and to play better safeties. My second match will be sometime in the next few days, so we'll see...
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Signs of Improvement
Most days when I go out to shoot pool I am practicing on my own, which is why I have put so much effort into finding fun and instructive drills. However, it has been difficult to see if I have really improved, as a lapse in concentration (easy to do when practicing alone) can make it seem like I am not shooting well, even if I have lifted my game quite a bit.
Recently, though, I twice happened to find someone willing to play some pool with me at the pool hall. The first time was a short 8-ball match against someone at Buster's in Somersworth, and I won all three games (though luck played a part in one of them). The second time was a much longer match, and (to me at least) was more of an indicator of how far I have come.
I went to Legends in Portsmouth a couple of weeks ago, as I often do on Monday nights. As soon as I got to my table at around 5:45 (usually I practice from 7 to 9, but I was early that evening), I got into a conversation with the man at the table next to mine, and we agreed to play some 9-ball. We played for the next three hours, until I had to go, and it was a lot of fun. He was a pretty good player, but I was able to use a lot of what I have been practicing and I won the match 22-13. It reminded me a lot of the marathon 9-ball sessions I had with my friend Christopher in Chicago about 15 years ago.
I recently signed up for the Straight Pool League at Buster's, which starts in a week or so. I have not played Straight Pool in a league since I lived in Chicago, but it has remained one of my favorite games. It is a handicapped league, meaning that each player needs to sink a different number of balls based on their ability as judged by the man running the league (in this case, Frank at Buster's). Frank has seen me rebuilding my game for a while now, but I don't think he knows that I used to shoot Straight Pool quite a bit. He has said that he will start me out "in the lower division", whatever that means. At the very least, I should have a once-a-week barometer of how I am doing.
In anticipation of the start of the league, I have been practicing Straight-Pool related drills (which the Q rating drill in my previous post is, sort of) and also practicing lags and the Straight Pool break, which is not like an 8-ball or 9-ball break at all. In Straight Pool, you basically do not want the break, as on the break you try to drive two balls to a rail while not leaving your opponent a shot. It is a tough break to master.
One way in which I know I am improving is my ability to run at least 10 balls in a row, whether in the Q drill or in a Straight Pool setup. It used to be quite an accomplishment to do this once in an evening of practice. Last night I ran at least 11 balls three times in a row in the Q drill, and also ran at least 10 in Straight Pool practice (high run of 13, done twice) four times in the space of about 6 racks. What made me happiest was that the Straight Pool runs went from one rack to the next, involving a break shot on the rack in the middle of the run. This is one of the hardest things to be able to do consistently.
I am really looking forward to my first Straight Pool match in the league. I have no idea of what my handicap will be, or who I will be playing against, but I will be posting results and reactions here.
Recently, though, I twice happened to find someone willing to play some pool with me at the pool hall. The first time was a short 8-ball match against someone at Buster's in Somersworth, and I won all three games (though luck played a part in one of them). The second time was a much longer match, and (to me at least) was more of an indicator of how far I have come.
I went to Legends in Portsmouth a couple of weeks ago, as I often do on Monday nights. As soon as I got to my table at around 5:45 (usually I practice from 7 to 9, but I was early that evening), I got into a conversation with the man at the table next to mine, and we agreed to play some 9-ball. We played for the next three hours, until I had to go, and it was a lot of fun. He was a pretty good player, but I was able to use a lot of what I have been practicing and I won the match 22-13. It reminded me a lot of the marathon 9-ball sessions I had with my friend Christopher in Chicago about 15 years ago.
I recently signed up for the Straight Pool League at Buster's, which starts in a week or so. I have not played Straight Pool in a league since I lived in Chicago, but it has remained one of my favorite games. It is a handicapped league, meaning that each player needs to sink a different number of balls based on their ability as judged by the man running the league (in this case, Frank at Buster's). Frank has seen me rebuilding my game for a while now, but I don't think he knows that I used to shoot Straight Pool quite a bit. He has said that he will start me out "in the lower division", whatever that means. At the very least, I should have a once-a-week barometer of how I am doing.
In anticipation of the start of the league, I have been practicing Straight-Pool related drills (which the Q rating drill in my previous post is, sort of) and also practicing lags and the Straight Pool break, which is not like an 8-ball or 9-ball break at all. In Straight Pool, you basically do not want the break, as on the break you try to drive two balls to a rail while not leaving your opponent a shot. It is a tough break to master.
One way in which I know I am improving is my ability to run at least 10 balls in a row, whether in the Q drill or in a Straight Pool setup. It used to be quite an accomplishment to do this once in an evening of practice. Last night I ran at least 11 balls three times in a row in the Q drill, and also ran at least 10 in Straight Pool practice (high run of 13, done twice) four times in the space of about 6 racks. What made me happiest was that the Straight Pool runs went from one rack to the next, involving a break shot on the rack in the middle of the run. This is one of the hardest things to be able to do consistently.
I am really looking forward to my first Straight Pool match in the league. I have no idea of what my handicap will be, or who I will be playing against, but I will be posting results and reactions here.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Another interesting drill
Recently, while looking up some web sites that discuss the CTE aiming method that I have been using, I found myself at billiards.colstate.edu. This site is a great resource for any pool player that wants to improve.
I went looking through the instructional drills that they have on the site, and found another one that I like: http://billiards.colostate.edu/PBReview/HopkinsQSkill.htm.
This is a drill that has built-in scoring and a predetermined length (10 racks), so it is great for when you know you just have an hour or two. The maximum score is 20 per rack, or 200 for the session. I started out with an 18-point rack, which gave me a LOT of false confidence ;-). I found that the 10 racks provide a wide range of individual results, but the overall score is pretty indicative. I finished with a 78, which puts me in the "Advanced" range. Of course, even 10 racks is too small of a sample to really show me where I am at, but it is a pretty good start. The web site recommends using 50 racks (five sessions) as an indicator of your current skill level.
There are lots of drills and other great resources on the billiards.colstate.edu site. I highly recommend it.
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