A.P.A. guys?
- Thread starter Shaky1
- Start date
Banks
Banned
I'm in it as part of a team. If the team doesn't get to participate, that blows. Once in a while I'm reminded of a situation in (Cities) in which the other high player(also a 7 at the time, I think) and I were taking turns playing. Well, we get to a more difficult team that we know and we stayed with the alternating thing, so it was his turn up. He ended up losing and somebody said maybe I should've played.. I said maybe, but you never know. Either way, we got there as a team and went out as a team. No biggie, I just want to have fun.. and if my team isn't having fun, I'm not having fun. I can do the singles stuff, tournaments or BCA for more individual stuff.. I enjoy playing with my friends on APA teams.
I don't really think there is a right and wrong. Sometimes you have a lot of tough players and someone has to sit!
We go with who is hot. Practice games beforehand sometimes have a lot to do with it. I don't like to save someone for match 5. There might not be one.
Either way someone will sit! You have 8 and can only play 5 at most. Who is going to not play?
We go with who is hot. Practice games beforehand sometimes have a lot to do with it. I don't like to save someone for match 5. There might not be one.
Either way someone will sit! You have 8 and can only play 5 at most. Who is going to not play?
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I think it depends upon your team make up and the team you're playing. When you make the playoffs, the focus has to be totally on winning the match. In some circumstances, you might think putting your 3 best players up first may be the best strategy. In other circumstances, it may not.
We were in this situation recently and were discussing this very thing. We decided to take the opposite approach. When we did the "what if" scenarios, we decided we really didn't want to put a SL 2 or 3 up in the 5th match with the added pressure involved in knowing advancing was solely dependent upon their success. If it came down to it, we wanted our most tested players playing the 4th and 5th match.
I would add that our team is made up of friends and while we're all very competitive and want to win, we're no where near as serious about it as some of the teams are. In other words, our perspective is right IMHO. We know we're not professionals, we know we're not going to make a living at pool. We're doing it for the camaraderie, the friendship and the fun.
We were in this situation recently and were discussing this very thing. We decided to take the opposite approach. When we did the "what if" scenarios, we decided we really didn't want to put a SL 2 or 3 up in the 5th match with the added pressure involved in knowing advancing was solely dependent upon their success. If it came down to it, we wanted our most tested players playing the 4th and 5th match.
I would add that our team is made up of friends and while we're all very competitive and want to win, we're no where near as serious about it as some of the teams are. In other words, our perspective is right IMHO. We know we're not professionals, we know we're not going to make a living at pool. We're doing it for the camaraderie, the friendship and the fun.
If it's handicapped (not Masters), then I wouldn't change anything that you did to get your team there to start with. If you try to match up playing within one skill level (either one up, one down, or equal skill levels), you can still play your middle-of-the-road players and if one or even two of them manage a win, then you will be in better shape towards the end of the matches as you will have both strong AND weaker players left (sometimes it is better to go ahead and play your weaker player if the other team eventually has to put one up. Sometimes a stronger player will "play-down" against weaker opposition and just fold up completely, especially if the weaker player starts running balls). I would play my lesser skill level players whenever my team got up 2-0 in match wins, for sure.
If I was a lesser skill-leveled player on a team, I would be perfectly happy for the better players on my team to try and get us as far as we could get (Vegas???). I would also understand the reasoning for possibly not getting to play. But then....I am different than a lot of other people. I just have a blast being "around" the pool scene.
If it's ultimately YOUR descision, go with your heart and not your brain if the sole intention is to have fun. Go with your brain and not your heart if the sole intention is to win.
Whichever you choose, stand firm in your decisions with yourself and your teammates.
I hope it goes well for you. Good luck and good shooting to you and your team!!!
Maniac
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Would you ever sit out totally your most tested player?
I realize that you aren't aking me, but if you were, I can say that I would find a place within the 5 matches to play him/her.
Maniac
Sometimes you're damned if you do, and damned if you don't, lol
If you don't shoot your weak players, usually the 2's and 3's, you take a chance on them leaving the team.
If you do shoot them and you get beat, you take a chance on the whole team quitting! lol
If you don't shoot your weak players, usually the 2's and 3's, you take a chance on them leaving the team.
If you do shoot them and you get beat, you take a chance on the whole team quitting! lol
Regular league play is to establish your team's rank in the division, it's also to establish who the consistently skilled shooters are. Regular league play is for comraderie.
Playoffs/Tourneys/HLTs are for the consistently skilled shooters, it's not for making friends. The players on your team should know it's about business and success at this level. If they put the table time in during the regular season, they earn the right to play in playoffs and beyond.
One caveat to this rule: When the opposing team puts up their star SL7 BLIND in the first matchup, you can bet the farm I going to put up the SL2 as a lamb. It makes me feel better if that SL2 also tends to skimp out on regular season matches or drinks more than s/he shoots.
But it's not all about the higher levels either. I'm not playing the 1 for 12 SL5 when I have a 10 for 12 SL3. In fact, that SL3 is going to get put up against the SL4 or weak SL5 that my 1 for 12 shooter WOULD have faced.
Playoffs/Tourneys/HLTs are for the consistently skilled shooters, it's not for making friends. The players on your team should know it's about business and success at this level. If they put the table time in during the regular season, they earn the right to play in playoffs and beyond.
One caveat to this rule: When the opposing team puts up their star SL7 BLIND in the first matchup, you can bet the farm I going to put up the SL2 as a lamb. It makes me feel better if that SL2 also tends to skimp out on regular season matches or drinks more than s/he shoots.
But it's not all about the higher levels either. I'm not playing the 1 for 12 SL5 when I have a 10 for 12 SL3. In fact, that SL3 is going to get put up against the SL4 or weak SL5 that my 1 for 12 shooter WOULD have faced.
I agree with just about all of that, other than if they put up their 7, I will put up my toughest lower skill level against him, or my best on their best.I won't hand it to him or her. The tough 2 just might win!
All good points being made here. Maybe it's better to just draw numbers out of a hat.
:grin: You might be right too!
We're pretty fortunate that most everyone on both my teams plays pretty well, for their skill level. So it was pretty easy to work everybody in, to play at least once over three rounds.
We have a couple of guys who are clearly better, and we used them everytime. But the rest of us mixed in, and it worked out perfectly. Everybody but one guy won at least one match, between both the 8 and the 9 ball tourneys.
I was the third ranked shooter in both divisions, and I only played once per day. That's how balanced it was. We had a ball.
To answer the direct question, we will play the strongest combination possible, given the handicaps and all. Especially when we get to states in June. The 2 on our 8-ball team isn't likely to play. Yet both our 2's on the 9-ball team can and will play....
We have a couple of guys who are clearly better, and we used them everytime. But the rest of us mixed in, and it worked out perfectly. Everybody but one guy won at least one match, between both the 8 and the 9 ball tourneys.
I was the third ranked shooter in both divisions, and I only played once per day. That's how balanced it was. We had a ball.
To answer the direct question, we will play the strongest combination possible, given the handicaps and all. Especially when we get to states in June. The 2 on our 8-ball team isn't likely to play. Yet both our 2's on the 9-ball team can and will play....
If for some weird set of circumstances, that seemed like the right thing to do in a playoff situation, absolutely. I could imagine situations where that might make sense. Let's say you have all 8 players on your team show up. Let's say that "most tested" player on your team in a 7. Let's say the other team's 7 is at least as good, possibly better. Further, if you play your 7, you're going to have to sit out a 5 and a 6 in favor of a 3 and 4 in order to meet the 23 total. In this case, it may make more sense to let your 7 sit as you figure they're a 50/50 AT BEST to win their match. Whereas, you may determine playing your 5 and 6 gives you a real advantage for one win for sure and perhaps the 5 could sneak a win out against the 7 given they have to win 3 games versus 5.
There are so many potential variables it is impossible to create scenarios to cover them all. Bottom line, you have to consider the individual match ups and determine which 5 players on your team have the best chance of winning 3 matches. If that means sitting out your best and most tested play, that's what you do. Yes, that sounds illogical and it may suck, but that's part of APA, love it or hate it. It is what it is.
I forgot, are you a 7? I seem to think that was correct.
If it sucks so badly to you, why do you click on a thread talking about it? To piss and moan and make others miserable? Nice...
Banks
Banned
What up, chump?
I'm trying to remember.. what is it, 3 of your 46 posts aren't you jumping into a thread about APA and shooting off something retarded like this?
PS - You got an aweful big beef with APA for one not being able to max out in a slop league.
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Great post. Totally agree. I play as an 8 in nine ball and will sit in playoffs. You play the strongest player which means regardless of handicap has the best chance of winning or at the very least minimizing the loss!
This can sometimes be the strongest "mentally capable" player on the team, not necessarily the best pure player. Playoffs add a lot of pressure to the game at hand. Some handle the pressure better than others.
In an 8-ball city championship tourney (LTC) my wife and I played in several years ago, our team was tied 2-2 and it came down to whoever won the next match would be guaranteed second place and a trip to Vegas. We had two players left to choose from, my wife (SL3), or a pretty decent male player (SL5) who was also the captains brother-in-law. The team captain went with the SL5 although his reputation preceded him that he always plays nervously and to top it off, he had been drinking most of the day to calm his nerves (he is an alcoholic). Needless to say, his nerves got the best of him and he made mistake after mistake and basically just fell flat on his face. I know (and so does my wife) that we would have had a much better chance if she would have played. She stays fairly composed and would have gotten spotted 2 games to boot.
Just another thing to consider in the overall picture.
Maniac