Weekly Donations

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unlshdfrk2

New member
First off, I am a long time reader, and first time poster. My family, and I have moved to a new area in the last month, and have finally gotten settled in. Found a local tournament that is run bi-weekly, and have decided to give it a go.

Have never shot in a tournament of any kind, and have only met maybe one or two people in the area so far. Have a lot of experience with shooting in leagues, but have decided to give this a shot, and maybe find myself back onto a new team for league. Only have shot APA (only thing going in old area), and hold my own mostly as a 6 in 8, and 9 ball.

What should I expect going into this? Am I going to be donating my money every week? Or are these pretty level playing fields? Does a lower shooter like myself even have a shot?

Maybe being a new guy could help me out....lol Going to try to keep the nerves back...

Any other ideas on what to look forward to? Any help is greatly appreciated?

Thank you.
 
Have you tried approaching the tournament director with your questions and concerns?
If you don't feel comfortable playing the first time, how about come out and just watch?

If the tournament is handicapped, ask about the handicap scale. Ask the local players what are their handicap in other leagues, (leagues with handicap scale that you're familiar with), and a copy of the rules.
 
unlshdfrk2 said:
First off, I am a long time reader, and first time poster. My family, and I have moved to a new area in the last month, and have finally gotten settled in. Found a local tournament that is run bi-weekly, and have decided to give it a go.

Have never shot in a tournament of any kind, and have only met maybe one or two people in the area so far. Have a lot of experience with shooting in leagues, but have decided to give this a shot, and maybe find myself back onto a new team for league. Only have shot APA (only thing going in old area), and hold my own mostly as a 6 in 8, and 9 ball.

What should I expect going into this? Am I going to be donating my money every week? Or are these pretty level playing fields? Does a lower shooter like myself even have a shot?

Maybe being a new guy could help me out....lol Going to try to keep the nerves back...

Any other ideas on what to look forward to? Any help is greatly appreciated?

Thank you.
Click to expand...

it is understandable to be nervous when trying something new , especially in a new environment. i think you are looking at it wrong with your comments about donating money or having a shot.sure everybody wants to win but you are sounding like you dont wanna play unless its a sure lock for the money.

i have flip flopped back and forth the last 3 sessions between an apa 4 and 5, seem to be stuck between a strong for and a weak 5 lol. anyway i play in a few non handicapped tournaments every month. all of these tournament are a race to 2 and are double elimination. my best finish is 3rd and i came in 4th the last 2 with the same guy knocking me out in both, he is an apa 7. i have beat him once and know i can do it again.

there are quite a few apa 3s that play in these tournaments also. they dont have a snowballs chance in hell of coming in the money, they play for the same reason i do. its because we love to shoot pool and want to improve. call it donating if you want to but its a night out playing pool, hanging out with old friends and making new ones.

what do you think you do in leagues if not donate money? in leagues you are paying to play pool with the hope to get something back.

a piece of advice here, if you decide to play in tournaments, play the table not your opponent.
 
Lorider, you need to just play your game.

If you are an APA 6, then you know how get position. Well, I think. I've played in tourneys with a bunch of A players but they are short races. If they make a mistake, I know I have a chance. Remember, you control the table after that. Don't be afraid of who who you play. Just have fun. What to expect is up to your area. Enjoy yourself fool! Lol. You'll be amazed at the opportunities that arise and when you know you are out. Experience is what you will earn. Just what I think, or maybe the alcohol in me thinks.:thumbup:
 
Put something in your bag to snack on. I have learned that it is better to have a few granola bars in my bag in case I get a little hungry.

Don't forget to pack your own chalk if you prefer a certain kind.

No matter what happens, smile and have fun. Don't get upset if you go 2 and out. Even Archer and Strickland scratch from time to time. :)

If it's a bar pool tournament, bring your own quarters. It's one less thing to fool with, so you can focus on other more important things.

Introduce yourself to the tourney director before you start and throw him/her a little jelly if you get in the money. Tourney directors are underappreciated.
 
Tournaments

While its true that you can't expect to win every game in life. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't try. Enter your tournament. Play the best game you know how. Learn something. Go Home. Make your game better and repeat. Some day you will look in the mirror and wonder when did I get this good?:thumbup:
 
I finally gave up playing on leagues and decided to play in weekly tournaments only. There are a couple of reasons.

It seems as if I was just donating for no return except playing time and if it was a partner league that could amount to one or two turns at the table for a three game set.

In a handicap league I could sit there all night and not play because of the pairings. So it was basically a waste of time plus the other cost involved and no table time.

Plus the weekly commitment.

By doing weekly tournaments if I don't show up that is okay.

I know that I will get to play, plus there is plenty of good match ups with more tables to watch instead of having to watch the agonizing 2 playing a 2.

I can leave any time that I want without feeling guilty about not being there to support the team.

Plus I am helping to support the pool bums. :thumbup:
 
For someone who is on this site everyday I am horrible about signing in and posting. Hard to believe it's been a year since I moved to this area, and started shooting. Have learned that the tournaments were a great way to meet people, and a great place for learning. Just watching some of the other players helped to make me a better player. Also had two guys take some of there free time, and help me work on a couple of problems that I always had. Nerves have gone down, and am shooting better then I ever would have imagined.

Thanks for all the advice..
 
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