The document of our pool related road trip across the U.S. updated daily

[Eric.]

So now that we know my skill level then i can just play all the APA 4s even and get a spot from all the APA 5s... I will never lose a match again in my lifetime.

Rhea,

I mentioned taht in our area, you would (guessing) be an APA 4 or 5.

That said, have you tried matching up with some APA 5's, playing even?

Again, Im just guessing at your speed, but since we have an idea where Gene plays (and he aint pro level), if he can spot you a monsterous spot like the 7&8 and you cant beat him, then that is a fair indication. No?


Eric

 

[bmsclayton]

no chance

Rhea you would have been a 5 or maybe even a six a few years ago here. Now you would easily be a 6 or 7 here. I know several 7's here you would at least play even and prob win against. That being said apa handicaps are nothing to judge peoples skill level as any good c player thru pro speed are all 7's.

 

[Rhea]

Rhea,

I mentioned taht in our area, you would (guessing) be an APA 4 or 5.

That said, have you tried matching up with some APA 5's, playing even?

Again, Im just guessing at your speed, but since we have an idea where Gene plays (and he aint pro level), if he can spot you a monsterous spot like the 7&8 and you cant beat him, then that is a fair indication. No?


Eric

Gene plays approximately even with Skylar Woodard. Skylar could give a 9-ball APA 8 the 7out and like it.

 

[bmsclayton]

really

Gene plays approximately even with Skylar Woodard. Skylar could give a 9-ball APA 8 the 7out and like it.

I would think sky would play Gene and like it a lot. just a hunch

 

[Rhea]

I would think sky would play Gene and like it a lot. just a hunch

The last set they played went 21-18 Skylar... I would say Skylar is probably the slight favorite but it takes alot of work to beat Gene.

 

[Cdryden]

Gene plays approximately even with Skylar Woodard. Skylar could give a 9-ball APA 8 the 7out and like it.

BTW Rhea, I envy what you are doing and wish you the best of luck. You have a great opportunity to take your gave to a higher level and get a great life experience to boot. Be safe and take home the cash!

 

[Eric.]

Gene plays approximately even with Skylar Woodard. Skylar could give a 9-ball APA 8 the 7out and like it.

Little Sky? He plays well, but not pro speed.

Again, Im just guessing at your speed, but since we have an idea where Gene plays (and he aint pro level), if he can spot you a monsterous spot like the 7&8 and you cant beat him, then that is a fair indication. No?


Eric

 

[bmsclayton]

skyler

Little Sky? He plays well, but not pro speed.

Again, Im just guessing at your speed, but since we have an idea where Gene plays (and he aint pro level), if he can spot you a monsterous spot like the 7&8 and you cant beat him, then that is a fair indication. No?


Eric

Isn't quite so little anymore and is playing about prospeed. see his finishes at derby city, or beating bergman in a gambling match, winning Olathe, winning several midwest 9's, beating Gary A gambling etc.....and the 7,8 is not a big spot for Rhea to get against Gene, she prob has no chance.

 

[Rhea]

Little Sky? He plays well, but not pro speed.

Again, Im just guessing at your speed, but since we have an idea where Gene plays (and he aint pro level), if he can spot you a monsterous spot like the 7&8 and you cant beat him, then that is a fair indication. No?


Eric

Eric, I can interpret what you are getting at, but your estimate of my speed is pretty far off. I am only considered a C player in Indianapolis, everywhere else I have been to I have been at least a B- speed.

When I left the APA back in 2009 I was a 6 at that time.

When I was in OHIO going off like a rocket right before Gene met me I was playing around APA 7 speed.

And my game has improved drastically since then. In fact I strongly feel that the few people in OHIO that spotted me 1 ball could now get 1 ball from me and I would like it.

By the time I got to NC they had me playing as a skill level 8 in their tournament. And by the time I got to VA they had me rated as a B+.


I know I am not a B+ yet but I am at least a B speed, I can put together a 2 or 3 pack in 9 ball on a tight 9 footer, and I couldn't do that a few months ago.


So there you have it that is where I stand now... which is why APA 4 or 5 is laughable and yes I would play an APA 5 for money and be the favorite in every city.

 

[stljohnny]

I have to agree with bmsclayton on this one... I'd think Skylar, especially now, would like playing Gene.

Eric - is the 7&8 a "moster spot" now? Just curious, cuz that's pretty common around here. A monster spot, imo, would be anything more than the 6-out; which you just don't hear about too often these days.

Rhea, I also have to agree with Cdryden, as frustrating as it might be, it also has to be really cool to travel around and watch the top players go at it; even finding your own action once in a while.

But, don't forget why you signed up for this in the first place - to learn. Don't get distracted, take advantage of all the resources you have at your disposal right now. And when you come back through STL I'm sure you can find several games waiting for you. I might be able to find something for Gene as well, but that'd take a little more legwork.

 

[bmsclayton]

monster spot

I have to agree with bmsclayton on this one... I'd think Skylar, especially now, would like playing Gene.

Eric - is the 7&8 a "moster spot" now? Just curious, cuz that's pretty common around here. A monster spot, imo, would be anything more than the 6-out; which you just don't hear about too often these days.

Rhea, I also have to agree with Cdryden, as frustrating as it might be, it also has to be really cool to travel around and watch the top players go at it; even finding your own action once in a while.

But, don't forget why you signed up for this in the first place - to learn. Don't get distracted, take advantage of all the resources you have at your disposal right now. And when you come back through STL I'm sure you can find several games waiting for you. I might be able to find something for Gene as well, but that'd take a little more legwork.

I'll tell you a monster spot. A pro and his girlfriend played Scotch against me and gave me the out of rotation game. I play bad.

 

[stljohnny]

I'll tell you a monster spot. A pro and his girlfriend played Scotch against me and gave me the out of rotation game. I play bad.

Bwahahahaha!

 

[Eric.]

I have to agree with bmsclayton on this one... I'd think Skylar, especially now, would like playing Gene.

Eric - is the 7&8 a "moster spot" now? Just curious, cuz that's pretty common around here. A monster spot, imo, would be anything more than the 6-out; which you just don't hear about too often these days.

The 7&8 is a pretty big spot. Maybe monsterous is not a great definition. For my area, taht would be a spot that someone playing 4-5 levels below, would get.

If our area, assuming that Gene plays Open/shortstop(not pro) speed, then a C+ would get that spot.


Eric

 

[Neil]

Eric, I can interpret what you are getting at, but your estimate of my speed is pretty far off. I am only considered a C player in Indianapolis, everywhere else I have been to I have been at least a B- speed.

When I left the APA back in 2009 I was a 6 at that time.

When I was in OHIO going off like a rocket right before Gene met me I was playing around APA 7 speed.

And my game has improved drastically since then. In fact I strongly feel that the few people in OHIO that spotted me 1 ball could now get 1 ball from me and I would like it.

By the time I got to NC they had me playing as a skill level 8 in their tournament. And by the time I got to VA they had me rated as a B+.


I know I am not a B+ yet but I am at least a B speed, I can put together a 2 or 3 pack in 9 ball on a tight 9 footer, and I couldn't do that a few months ago.


So there you have it that is where I stand now... which is why APA 4 or 5 is laughable and yes I would play an APA 5 for money and be the favorite in every city.

Rhea, here's something for you to consider. I'm only an A player in an area that goes to A, A+, pro or AAA. In the local tourneys here, I have to give the B- players the 6 ball in a race to 7 or 5. The longer race I usually win, the shorter races depend more on the rolls. The B- players here are APA 7's.

Putting together 2 or 3 packs will put you at a B if you do it more than rarely. A good test for you is to play the ghost a couple of sets. That will give you a better idea. I say that, because you want to be able to get out when you are at the table. That will let you know if you are reliably capable of doing that or not. And, if not, then you know that you will need to be playing a number of safes in your games.

 

[Banks]

that said, if it were me, I would be more conservative with picking match ups. From my experience, there won't be many games where you have the best of it. For that matter, being on the road, I would keep the bets in the $5 to $10 range. Other than some light action, you're not ready to try taking down a big score with unknown players.

Rhea's learning but the hard way and being a little hard headed as to understanding how all this works.

When i told her she was done I looked at him and said the stealing was over. I wasn't going to let the 9-7 score fool me into continuing the heist.

So now that we know my skill level then i can just play all the APA 4s even and get a spot from all the APA 5s... I will never lose a match again in my lifetime.

I don't know you from Adam, but that seemed a little sarcastic. Maybe I am reading you wrong, if so I apologize, if not, I would think your attitude would be holding you back some. Knowing your position on the food chain accurately is very useful and shouldn't be looked down on no matter what your skill level is.

I can say that when Rhea was a regular here, she was super quick to get into action, playing just about anyone. Whatever game she found herself in, good or bad, when the set was over, she'd flip it again. She has the gamble, as has been noted here several times, but it sounds like she needs to be a little wiser when picking games and knowing when to walk away.

Are you "on the road" for an adventure or do you actually plan on making something out of it? If you're just doing it for shats and gargles, then it's all fine and dandy. If you're doing it to make some money, then you'd better drop the ego and listen to what people are telling you.

You're walking into places where people are looking to heist you and you won't even know it until you're down to your last dollar and nobody will give you the advantage by then because you've already been clocked.

If I was looking for an easy score, I'd want to play you, because you won't even quit when everybody else knows you're beat.

When you're gambling, you should be looking for a return. Throwing your money away when you have a job is one thing, but now you don't have a job and you're still throwing it away.

Play the cheap games(actual cheap, not gambler cheap) until something comes along that even your grandma would bet on - an actual sure thing, not just your ego saying it is. Then bet it up.

 

[Cdryden]

I am a little curious as to what your actual goal is Rhea. I would be looking to cover my daily nut plus a bit to boot while getting the "education". Whatever your plan is, it should play some factor in your gambling. I know some hard core gamblers wont really agree with that, but I think it is just good sense.

I if was in your position I think my goal would be to cover my daily nut so I can continue with my main goal of gaining the experience. So that would dictate what chances I would be willing to take on the table.

 

[Rhea]

I am a little curious as to what your actual goal is Rhea. I would be looking to cover my daily nut plus a bit to boot while getting the "education". Whatever your plan is, it should play some factor in your gambling. I know some hard core gamblers wont really agree with that, but I think it is just good sense.

I if was in your position I think my goal would be to cover my daily nut so I can continue with my main goal of gaining the experience. So that would dictate what chances I would be willing to take on the table.

The other day I gave Gene my half of our bankroll and told him to manage everything from now on. I know I am not good at matching up, if anyone wants to play me they have to tell Gene the spot and ask him if it is okay otherwise I don't get to play. And if I want to initiate a game I have to ask Gene first what he thinks of the game. That is just the way it is. So I probably wont get much action from now on. But I am still allowed to get some money to play in small tournaments.

 

[Cdryden]

The other day I gave Gene my half of our bankroll and told him to manage everything from now on. I know I am not good at matching up, if anyone wants to play me they have to tell Gene the spot and ask him if it is okay otherwise I don't get to play. And if I want to initiate a game I have to ask Gene first what he thinks of the game. That is just the way it is. So I probably wont get much action from now on. But I am still allowed to get some money to play in small tournaments.

Well, I get what your saying but look at it as a chance to learn how to get better at matching up. I knew a guy back in the 90's that was a pretty strong 9 ball player. But his biggest problem was that he was a terrible gambler. He would give up the world to get a game. He played CJ in Quincy and got his brains beat out but wouldn't quit.

I admired his pluck but questioned his sanity. He ended up doing a lot of coke to try and get a edge over his opponents when all he really needed to do was match up better. But he wouldn't listen to ANYBODY, no matter what.

It seems like you have a little bit of that in you (stubbornness) if you don't mind me saying. Keep that fire, just learn to control it a little better. Again, I really admire what you're doing and wish you all the luck in the world.

 

[stljohnny]

The other day I gave Gene my half of our bankroll and told him to manage everything from now on. I know I am not good at matching up, if anyone wants to play me they have to tell Gene the spot and ask him if it is okay otherwise I don't get to play. And if I want to initiate a game I have to ask Gene first what he thinks of the game. That is just the way it is. So I probably wont get much action from now on. But I am still allowed to get some money to play in small tournaments.

I think this is a great idea. And while you might not have as much fun as you would want immediately, it will make for a longer and more rewarding experience in the long run.

 

[wimpy]

wish you and rhea would come down to eliz.city,we're only an hour away from pockets. she could get all kinds of good action,and she'd probably win.