Differences between A, B, and C players?

midnightpulp

midnightpulp

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
After reading the differences between APA ranks in another thread, I like to ask what are the differences in skill level between As, Bs, and Cs?

It's something I always kind of "intuitively" known, but actually never considered a objective criteria.

When I used to play small tournies years ago in F. Galindo's room, the As were borderline professional, competing on the tough SoCal tourney trail in which Francisco himself competed. Bs were strong, just not as consistent. And Cs were 4-5 ball runners in 9 ball. If they got an open rack, they'd probably run it 20% of the time.

I ask this, because I like to evaluate where am I at and where I'll be.

For instance, how often should an A be able to run a rack a of ball in hand Equal Offense, provided there are no impossible trouble spots? A B? A C?

How bout 9 ball? How should an A perform against the ghost?

Defensive play?

Thanks alot.
 
I'd say an "A" is just a slight favorite to beat the nine ball ghost.

A "B" player should be able to play the six ball ghost even.

A "C" player should be able to beat the three ball ghost but should be overmatched by the four ball ghost.

Just one man's opinion.
 
sjm said:
I'd say an "A" is just a slight favorite to beat the nine ball ghost.

A "B" player should be able to play the six ball ghost even.

A "C" player should be able to beat the three ball ghost but should be overmatched by the four ball ghost.

Just one man's opinion.
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SJM, I think your opinion is right on the money if played on forgiving equipment.
 
sjm said:
I'd say an "A" is just a slight favorite to beat the nine ball ghost.

A "B" player should be able to play the six ball ghost even.

A "C" player should be able to beat the three ball ghost but should be overmatched by the four ball ghost.

Just one man's opinion.
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I think the above is perfect! I would add the following:
A+ (Shortstop) 10Ball Ghost

Semi-Pro (a whisker below pro or past pro) would lose to the 15ball but would come close

Top 50 pro would beat the 15 ball Ghost.

Nick
 
cheesemouse said:
SJM, I think your opinion is right on the money if played on forgiving equipment.
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Yup, this is a thread about amateurs, not pros, so I did not assume pro level equipment specifications im making my assessment.
 
sjm said:
I'd say an "A" is just a slight favorite to beat the nine ball ghost.

A "B" player should be able to play the six ball ghost even.

A "C" player should be able to beat the three ball ghost but should be overmatched by the four ball ghost.

Just one man's opinion.
Click to expand...

It is also interesting to note that all of this depends on your conception of the ratings. An A player in one area is a B player in another. I've always found this lack of standardised handicapping interesting.
 
sjm said:
I'd say an "A" is just a slight favorite to beat the nine ball ghost.

A "B" player should be able to play the six ball ghost even.

A "C" player should be able to beat the three ball ghost but should be overmatched by the four ball ghost.

Just one man's opinion.
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you know i like that description the best of any I have heard.

I have always said it roughly like this. an a player has run 3-4 racks , a c player is bad and everybody else is a b. of course there is still a+ and semipro and pro and I liked those def. also

thanks
 
This may be a silly question, but by "beating the ghost" what length of a race is the general consensus? I play the ghost fairly often and like to see what others consider the standards for being a certain class player but I never know if I am doing the same things. I race the ghost to 7 usually and 9 when I have the time. Is that the norm?
 
PoolSponge said:
This may be a silly question, but by "beating the ghost" what length of a race is the general consensus? I play the ghost fairly often and like to see what others consider the standards for being a certain class player but I never know if I am doing the same things. I race the ghost to 7 usually and 9 when I have the time. Is that the norm?
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Personally, I think 7 would be the standard. That is what I usually use.
 
I 've never thought about it objectively, except trying to evaluate APA ratings which make little sense on the national level. Here is what I think;

C-player runs a few balls, not much defense

B-player runs as far as he or she can and then plays defense

A-player goes for the breakout early with the intent of running out

AA-player gets the breakout and runs out

AAA-player/shortstop/semi-pro I hate playing them,
it gets me out of stroke
 
Snorks said:
I race to 1... I've beat him twice :)
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My god you make me laugh!

I have personally seen Snorks beat the ghost race to one at least once. That three ball ghost with BIH is tough on him!
 
cuesblues said:
AAA-player/shortstop/semi-pro I hate playing them,
it gets me out of stroke
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I love playing Pro's or guys just below them, it brings the best out of me, I dont like to play weaker players than me, running over people dosent bring the best out of me, i would rather play by myself.
 
I play the ghost to 11 or until she gets a game behind :) Then I quit!

If I am up 11-7, I keep going til its 12-11, 16-15, etc... I hope to get her stuck 21-0 someday :) Until then, I'll quit before I lose lol
 
Fatboy said:
I love playing Pro's or guys just below them, it brings the best out of me, I dont like to play weaker players than me, running over people dosent bring the best out of me, i would rather play by myself.
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Same here, I have one of those "play at whatever level my opponent plays" habbits :( I usually play just good enough to win even if its a low B player. I hate that! So, playing somebody better is the best way for me to have a good showing...

One of these days, in a galaxy, far, far away, I am going to play the table and not my victim :) or maybe I'll be below the frost line before that happens :)
 
Blackjack recently got me into the 12 ball ghost. I find that for whatever reason it plays easier than the 10 ball ghost. I get better spreads off the snap and tend to make more balls on the break then I do breaking 10 ball. Last week I played a bit of the 12 ball ghost and put together a 4 pack but my best in 10 ball is only 3. Weird.

I am trying to get better at 14.1, however, and find it very frustrating. I tend to put together a few racks and just as the run starts to get interesting I screw up. :mad: I need to work on my focus. Nonetheless it is a great game and a ton of fun. It really works on the worst area of my game which is raw shot making.

What would you guys say is the expected runs of A,B,C and better players? I have heard that pros will consistantly hit 200 and shortstops are 100 plus. That about right?
 
PoolSponge said:
I have heard that pros will consistantly hit 200 and shortstops are 100 plus. That about right?
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Not even close, IMO... 200 consistantly is unheard of for anybody. 100 consistantly would be hard to believe, as well...

That game is just too tough :)
 
PoolSponge said:
What would you guys say is the expected runs of A,B,C and better players? I have heard that pros will consistantly hit 200 and shortstops are 100 plus.
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I think a middle-of-the-pack pro that plays a reasonable amount of 14.1 can be expected to break 200 once or twice in a lifetime and an A player can expect to break 100 once or twice in a lifetime.

A "B" player can expect to run 50 every once in a while. A "C" player will very rarely run more than two racks consecutively.

Then again, if you ran a four pack against the twelve ball ghost, you are likely stronger than a typical "A" player, so 100 might prove a realistic goal to set, even in the short-term.
 
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