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.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
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.
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