While I have not gotten out to the pool hall as often as I would like in recent weeks, I had a good practice session the other night at Buster's. While I was doing one of the drills I got from the Internet (shooting balls off of the rail, all around the table), I was approached by one of the older regulars. He helped me level out my stroke on the rail shots (the tendency is to angle your cue downward towards the cue ball, which makes the shot itself much less accurate), and then he showed me some interesting shots and a new drill to practice.
The new drill is fairly simple to set up: Place an object ball on the rail at every "middle diamond", i.e. the middle diamond on each short rail and the middle diamond between each set of pockets on the long rails. This should total six object balls. Then, place the cue ball on either the head spot or the foot spot, and try to run out all of the balls without missing. This drill increases awareness of inside english use, and also makes you much more comfortable with shooting balls that are on the rail. The gentleman who showed me the drill says that he practices it until he can do the drill seven times in a row. I was able to do it twice in six or seven tries, so I have a ways to go.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
High run under match conditions
Last week I met up with a friend of mine at Buster's, and we decided to play "our" version of Straight Pool. Basically, the rules are the same as in regular Straight Pool, but safeties are not allowed. No matter how the balls are arranged on the table, you have to try to go for a shot. While it does not help develop defensive skills, it DOES force you to play very good position (especially as you get toward the break ball at the end of the rack). If you end up the rack and you do not have a break shot, you have to try a crazy shot off of a full rack, and that will often result in a spread layout for your opponent.
While this was not technically a Straight Pool match, it was not just a practice session either. We were both trying our hardest to put a run together. My high run in an actual match was 15, but in this game I ran 7, gave myself a good break shot, made the shot and broke the rack, and then ran 13 more, for a total of 21! This was my second-highest run EVER (I had run 25 in practice once), and it showed me once again how much I need to focus, as the 22nd shot was the ball before the break ball and it was very makeable. If I could have sunk that 22nd ball, and then broken the rack with the 23rd, I might have broken my all time high run.
I'll take it, though...only the second time I have ever broken 20!
While this was not technically a Straight Pool match, it was not just a practice session either. We were both trying our hardest to put a run together. My high run in an actual match was 15, but in this game I ran 7, gave myself a good break shot, made the shot and broke the rack, and then ran 13 more, for a total of 21! This was my second-highest run EVER (I had run 25 in practice once), and it showed me once again how much I need to focus, as the 22nd shot was the ball before the break ball and it was very makeable. If I could have sunk that 22nd ball, and then broken the rack with the 23rd, I might have broken my all time high run.
I'll take it, though...only the second time I have ever broken 20!
Friday, January 11, 2013
Lightning in a bottle
It was the kind of an evening where you question why you went to the pool hall in the first place. I woke up at 4:00 AM last Wednesday, and had an active day. Still, after some caffeine (Mt. Dew) and a shower, I thought I might be awake enough to get some practice in, so I went to Buster's for a couple of hours.
I did my usual opening drill, rolling the stripes and the 8-ball onto the table and trying to run them out. When I miss on this drill, I put one of the solids out there too (making the layout a bit harder) and try again from the beginning. Each time I mess up the runout, another "opponent" ball goes into the layout. This time I needed SIX tries before running out the stripes. I knew then it could be a rough night on the table.
Once that drill was finished, I started my drill of breaking up the last six balls of a nine-ball rack and running them in order. As I detailed in my last post, I was able to do this 4 out of 10 times a couple of weeks ago. This night, I could not even do it ONCE in my first 12 tries. I kept coming close, but could not complete the runout.
As a side note, the pool hall was crowded and people were playing decent music on the jukebox. So, I was having a pretty good time anyway. When the music stopped for a bit, I figured I would put in some songs and give the drill one more shot (so to speak).
Well, I don't know if it was that "my music" was playing, or that I finally woke up...but I was able to complete the drill SIX OUT OF NINE TIMES! I got my degree in Statistics, and I KNOW how improbable it is that I could do it 6 out of 9 times after not being able to do it even once all night. Not only that, but after the sixth victory, I tried a few more times and once again I could not complete it even once. Truly, it was lightning in a bottle...I am not sure whether to move on to seven balls for the drill, or make it so that I have to do the six-ball drill again first.
On another note, I ran into the man who is making my new cue. He seems mostly recovered from an accident he had last autumn, and he is working on getting the blank for my cue. After that, he will be working on getting the cue itself. It will likely still be a few months, but at least there is progress being made.
I did my usual opening drill, rolling the stripes and the 8-ball onto the table and trying to run them out. When I miss on this drill, I put one of the solids out there too (making the layout a bit harder) and try again from the beginning. Each time I mess up the runout, another "opponent" ball goes into the layout. This time I needed SIX tries before running out the stripes. I knew then it could be a rough night on the table.
Once that drill was finished, I started my drill of breaking up the last six balls of a nine-ball rack and running them in order. As I detailed in my last post, I was able to do this 4 out of 10 times a couple of weeks ago. This night, I could not even do it ONCE in my first 12 tries. I kept coming close, but could not complete the runout.
As a side note, the pool hall was crowded and people were playing decent music on the jukebox. So, I was having a pretty good time anyway. When the music stopped for a bit, I figured I would put in some songs and give the drill one more shot (so to speak).
Well, I don't know if it was that "my music" was playing, or that I finally woke up...but I was able to complete the drill SIX OUT OF NINE TIMES! I got my degree in Statistics, and I KNOW how improbable it is that I could do it 6 out of 9 times after not being able to do it even once all night. Not only that, but after the sixth victory, I tried a few more times and once again I could not complete it even once. Truly, it was lightning in a bottle...I am not sure whether to move on to seven balls for the drill, or make it so that I have to do the six-ball drill again first.
On another note, I ran into the man who is making my new cue. He seems mostly recovered from an accident he had last autumn, and he is working on getting the blank for my cue. After that, he will be working on getting the cue itself. It will likely still be a few months, but at least there is progress being made.
Friday, January 4, 2013
New drill, slight progress in current drill
In a recent post, I detailed a drill that I am doing where I try to run the last six balls of a nine-ball rack 6 times out of 11. Up until recently, the best I could do was 2 out of 8 times.
Over the recent holiday week, I went to a pool hall while in Canada and worked on this drill a bit. By the end of the session, I was able to complete the drill 4 out of 10 times, including twice in a row! While this is not where I want to be, it marks a bit of progress, and gives me hope that I may be able to hit my goal sometime soon.
I also found another drill that I decided to try. In this drill (found on pool.bz originally), you put the object ball on the spot, and the cue ball against the side rail, parallel with the object ball. You can start on either side of the object ball. The point of this drill is to sink the object ball, then replace the object ball and move the cue ball one diamond up the rail. Each time you miss, you shoot again from the same spot. Each time you sink the object ball, you move the cue ball one diamond further up the rail. The last shot is taken from the diamond that is parallel with the object ball on the other side from where you started - 17 shots in all. In the video where I first saw the drill, the 17 shots were made with only three misses. My first attempt at this drill included 14 misses, for a success rate of 17/31, or 55%. It is a great drill for getting familiar with the difficult shots that you sometimes need to take from the rail, though.
Over the recent holiday week, I went to a pool hall while in Canada and worked on this drill a bit. By the end of the session, I was able to complete the drill 4 out of 10 times, including twice in a row! While this is not where I want to be, it marks a bit of progress, and gives me hope that I may be able to hit my goal sometime soon.
I also found another drill that I decided to try. In this drill (found on pool.bz originally), you put the object ball on the spot, and the cue ball against the side rail, parallel with the object ball. You can start on either side of the object ball. The point of this drill is to sink the object ball, then replace the object ball and move the cue ball one diamond up the rail. Each time you miss, you shoot again from the same spot. Each time you sink the object ball, you move the cue ball one diamond further up the rail. The last shot is taken from the diamond that is parallel with the object ball on the other side from where you started - 17 shots in all. In the video where I first saw the drill, the 17 shots were made with only three misses. My first attempt at this drill included 14 misses, for a success rate of 17/31, or 55%. It is a great drill for getting familiar with the difficult shots that you sometimes need to take from the rail, though.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Escalating drills on the pool table
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.
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.
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.
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