About a month ago I entered a double elimination Intermediate 8 & 9 ball tournament in the Anchorage, Alaska Fur Rondy Tournament. Shot on nice 9' Diamond tables. A race to 4 in the 8 ball and a race to 5 in the 9 ball. There were 64 players in the 8 ball field and 39 in the 9 ball field. When the smoke had cleared I had won the 8 ball tournament and got to with in one match of the hot seat in the 9 ball tournament. I had 3 hill hill matches in the 8 ball tournament and one guy should of put me in the looser bracket but scratched with the 8 ball. I won the hot seat 4-1 and he finisher 4-2. I had every opportunity a shooter needed to win in the 9 ball and screwed it up. A couple of the guys I shot against in the 8 ball matches lost because of the pressure. What did I see and learn? You really do loose games because of your mistakes. I am getting older. I am 62 and just started shooting pool again about 3 years ago after a 40 year break. A month before the tournament I had a 2 week vacation in the hospital with heart issues. All better now. Back to what I learned. Never give up and treat every shot as though it is the game/match winner. If you make a mistake suck it up and learn from it, never ever get angry. A few of the talented younger players had a hard time with that. Keep it fun for your self, that is why you started playing pool in the first place. Be humble in victory and gracious in defeat. Always go play in a tournament where no one knows you. There was $5,000 in the 8 Ball Calcuta. Yup, bought myself for $20.00, no one wanted me. My dear wife came up for the finals and I know her prayers worked.
Last edited:
). It helps me calm down, stay focused, evaluate my options, and execute cleanly. It's weird how you can channel the knowledge of a great commentator and use it in your game, if you can just imagine what they would be saying during your match.