Chess clocks
- Thread starter kilby
- Start date
Good News and Bad News
So, I've been using the clock a bit and it is fantastic. I usually play by myself so I suppose I'm always simulating a game between two people. I shoot white, hit the clock, shoot yellow, hit the clock, etc.
My average sucks and I'm only near 30 points in 45 minutes if you add the two 15s from each player together, hah.
So, I've been using the clock a bit and it is fantastic. I usually play by myself so I suppose I'm always simulating a game between two people. I shoot white, hit the clock, shoot yellow, hit the clock, etc.
My average sucks and I'm only near 30 points in 45 minutes if you add the two 15s from each player together, hah.
Further thoughts on the clock that has been discussed (anyone who has it, please feel free to offer clarifying or competing views on anything here...):
----Touch/Tactile
-I like the smooth operation of the 'left player','right player' selector. If I haven't scored and therefore don't need to go across the table to use the score beads on my wall, I'll often just tap the selector with the cue tip from wherever I am to change over turn, and it doesn't worry me that I'm using my cue to do it. Real soft/smooth operation
----Unit On/Off
--This has been mentioned in this thread, but it's got a pause feature that works well. I'm always using this if my kids wake up crying or otherwise pull me away from the game (it's as if they don't respect that I'm pursuing my life's calling
)
--I'm using mode #2 of the machine, as has been mentioned here already in this thread
--Unless I'm missing something, there's a silly amount of steps to run through every time you power on the unit to set the time to be counted (I would actually like to not have to even set a' time elapsed' value sometimes, and just use it for inning count, but have not tried to figure out yet if that's possible)
----Mental Game
--So I am a terrible player who has played a minimal amount of tournament games.
I'm also terrible at gambling at billiards. I like to drink booze when I play and listen to loud music, and I additionally let my kids crawl around on the table because that's adorable and they like it.
--I've never tried keeping track of my average, really, 'til now. That said, I can already tell that using this thing is making me buckle down and give a real damn. Since I've started using it I've had several .68 and .71 averages to 15 points (against myself). I know I wouldn't have had those were I not actually tracking an average and caring so much about it.
--However, since I always play the white ball as one player and the yellow as another, trying my best to simulate an actual game with an opponent, I've noticed that whenever I play those better averages as the one player, I usually suck terribly as the other player (that is to say, I'll have a .71 average with the white ball and .25 or something with the yellow).
--I have arrived at the conclusion that the yellow ball is haunted. End of story
----Touch/Tactile
-I like the smooth operation of the 'left player','right player' selector. If I haven't scored and therefore don't need to go across the table to use the score beads on my wall, I'll often just tap the selector with the cue tip from wherever I am to change over turn, and it doesn't worry me that I'm using my cue to do it. Real soft/smooth operation
----Unit On/Off
--This has been mentioned in this thread, but it's got a pause feature that works well. I'm always using this if my kids wake up crying or otherwise pull me away from the game (it's as if they don't respect that I'm pursuing my life's calling
)--I'm using mode #2 of the machine, as has been mentioned here already in this thread
--Unless I'm missing something, there's a silly amount of steps to run through every time you power on the unit to set the time to be counted (I would actually like to not have to even set a' time elapsed' value sometimes, and just use it for inning count, but have not tried to figure out yet if that's possible)
----Mental Game
--So I am a terrible player who has played a minimal amount of tournament games.
I'm also terrible at gambling at billiards. I like to drink booze when I play and listen to loud music, and I additionally let my kids crawl around on the table because that's adorable and they like it.
--I've never tried keeping track of my average, really, 'til now. That said, I can already tell that using this thing is making me buckle down and give a real damn. Since I've started using it I've had several .68 and .71 averages to 15 points (against myself). I know I wouldn't have had those were I not actually tracking an average and caring so much about it.
--However, since I always play the white ball as one player and the yellow as another, trying my best to simulate an actual game with an opponent, I've noticed that whenever I play those better averages as the one player, I usually suck terribly as the other player (that is to say, I'll have a .71 average with the white ball and .25 or something with the yellow).
--I have arrived at the conclusion that the yellow ball is haunted. End of story
Haha at least you have guys making the choice to not come play! In my neck of the woods there's literally one other player...
We are trying to convert some pool players, however.
We are trying to convert some pool players, however.
I was going to tell him to get the hell off my lawn, but instead I decided on a gentler approach. I said, "Young man, which do you think is the worse problem for our society today, ignorance or apathy?"
"Hey, boomer, I don't know and I don't care."
I suspect that those two problems explain the lack of implementation of chess clocks for billiard competition in the US. Some feel it's not a problem and most don't know they exist or how they work. If I were less apathetic, I'd work with the USBA to make them standard.
I have not used the clock at all the last year.
It was proving I sucked, so I shot the messenger.
More seriously, my game actually dropped so badly through lack of practice that using the clock was salt in an open wound. I'd like to get back this year to where I was previously, and start using it again.
It was proving I sucked, so I shot the messenger.
More seriously, my game actually dropped so badly through lack of practice that using the clock was salt in an open wound. I'd like to get back this year to where I was previously, and start using it again.