Shooting in a dive changed my ability

mvp

mvp

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Recently joined a league to qualify for state championship this winter which I haven't been involved with ether this decade. Anyhow I'm a fairly good player cruzing through my matches this season with ease (6weeks without a loss of a single game) Anyway we played a dive gravel road bar last night with the worst table I've ever seen. Rips,dirt,chipped balls, unlevel etc. needless to say I couldn't play more than 2balls in a row. English not working, slow touch shots not working etc. but for these, let's call them "good ole boys" they were Truely unaffected by this nasty set up! Firing balls in all night, lol Long story short I lost all my games and was glad to put my stick away, met some cool guys (the bangers that beat me) and plan to ride Harley's with them in the future.

My question is this: does poor equipment make a great equalizer in ability for others? i was forced to shoot hard and become a banger!
 
mvp said:
Recently joined a league to qualify for state championship this winter which I haven't been involved with ether this decade. Anyhow I'm a fairly good player cruzing through my matches this season with ease (6weeks without a loss of a single game) Anyway we played a dive gravel road bar last night with the worst table I've ever seen. Rips,dirt,chipped balls, unlevel etc. needless to say I couldn't play more than 2balls in a row. English not working, slow touch shots not working etc. but for these, let's call them "good ole boys" they were Truely unaffected by this nasty set up! Firing balls in all night, lol Long story short I lost all my games and was glad to put my stick away, met some cool guys (the bangers that beat me) and plan to ride Harley's with them in the future.

My question is this: does poor equipment make a great equalizer in ability for others? i was forced to shoot hard and become a banger!
Click to expand...

With a skill gap like you described, it shouldn't get to a point where the equipment makes the difference.
 
The opponent always has a home court advantage on his tables but a good player should adapt in pretty short order.

Al
 
Sheeeeat. I tell you what is tougher...play on brand new everything.

Not sure how people can be expected to adjust to that.
 
This just shows that your skill level is not what you think it is. The better players learn how to quickly adjust to any conditions...the best ones usually within a game...maybe two.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

mvp said:
Recently joined a league to qualify for state championship this winter which I haven't been involved with ether this decade. Anyhow I'm a fairly good player cruzing through my matches this season with ease (6weeks without a loss of a single game) Anyway we played a dive gravel road bar last night with the worst table I've ever seen. Rips,dirt,chipped balls, unlevel etc. needless to say I couldn't play more than 2balls in a row. English not working, slow touch shots not working etc. but for these, let's call them "good ole boys" they were Truely unaffected by this nasty set up! Firing balls in all night, lol Long story short I lost all my games and was glad to put my stick away, met some cool guys (the bangers that beat me) and plan to ride Harley's with them in the future.

My question is this: does poor equipment make a great equalizer in ability for others? i was forced to shoot hard and become a banger!
Click to expand...
 
mvp said:
Recently joined a league to qualify for state championship this winter which I haven't been involved with ether this decade. Anyhow I'm a fairly good player cruzing through my matches this season with ease (6weeks without a loss of a single game) Anyway we played a dive gravel road bar last night with the worst table I've ever seen. Rips,dirt,chipped balls, unlevel etc. needless to say I couldn't play more than 2balls in a row. English not working, slow touch shots not working etc. but for these, let's call them "good ole boys" they were Truely unaffected by this nasty set up! Firing balls in all night, lol Long story short I lost all my games and was glad to put my stick away, met some cool guys (the bangers that beat me) and plan to ride Harley's with them in the future.

My question is this: does poor equipment make a great equalizer in ability for others? i was forced to shoot hard and become a banger!
Click to expand...

Depends on the conditions and the player.

I've played on tables that really diminished my run out ability. Tables that are crooked, rails that are unreliable and way different than normal rails etc..

Whenever the conditions make the cueball act eratically, usually the better players game suffers more than the banger, relatively speaking. But if the table is merely slow/fast/longbanking/shortbanking, the better player can adjust. When half the rails have dead spots and the table rolls off all over the place, it's quite a different thing.

A bad rail caused me to lose a in a national championship once. This sort of thing does happen. I had a fairly easy 4 ball runout to win, but with one critical shot to get position. That shot was a one railer, and the rail completely messed it up for me. It had a low point, which my cueball hit, causing it to jump and take off at a much higher speed than normal. Keep in mind that the table had acted completely normal up until that moment. Now lets say a table has 3-4 of these low spots and maybe a high spot or dead spot that kills the cueball...I've had that happen too. Luckily I realized and started playing a no-rail game only touching the rails very softly at wide angles. The point is, it really dimishes offensive opportunities, and if you are unaware of these "traps" you might get blindsided, while the local banger knows about all of them and can stay clear.

A friend of mine lost an important game because of a bad pocket. He shot hard into it, with draw and the center pocket shot got rejected, much to his shock and chagrin. His opponent knew that the pocket was defective, so he never got cheated by it. One mistake like that can turn a match around and it did for my friend.

If the player you face is a C player and you're an A, it's hardly likely that any table conditions is going to make him a favourite, though.
 
On crummy tables you gotta ditch the finesse. Center,follow,and stop. Firm everything to avoid the inevitable roll-off. Look at your night as a major learning experience.
 
Scott Lee said:
This just shows that your skill level is not what you think it is. The better players learn how to quickly adjust to any conditions...the best ones usually within a game...maybe two.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...

It was very hard to adapt only playing 4games! It was so unpredictable I was blasting at the balls to get them to go straight! Doing that might as well throw position out the window, so Scott lee must be right I'm not as good as I think I am! A lot of no good ppl have league records of 24-0, now 24-4
 
Haha... Home table advantage. Dirty filthy table, chunks out of balls, un-leveled table with pockets held in by 'a' screw, only chalk is a drilled cube. Really makes you appreciate playing on a room full of well kept of GC's.

Might want to arrive a little before you start and 'slow roll' a few down the rails to figure out which part of the floor is sinking. Then hit balls at every rail. End rail usually 'dead'. If you have not got speed and a feel after knocking a few around and into those dead rails after 1st set you are toast.

-Late,
 
Dave-Kat said:
Haha... Home table advantage. Dirty filthy table, chunks out of balls, un-leveled table with pockets held in by 'a' screw, only chalk is a drilled cube. Really makes you appreciate playing on a room full of well kept of GC's.

Might want to arrive a little before you start and 'slow roll' a few down the rails to figure out which part of the floor is sinking. Then hit balls at every rail. End rail usually 'dead'. If you have not got speed and a feel after knocking a few around and into those dead rails after 1st set you are toast.

-Late,
Click to expand...

Don't know if you're into gambling but these type places are where you make the best scores so I suggest you learn quickly to adapt.
 
Play smarter not harder. If you don't get out then on Valley buckets then anyone can run out for the most part so you have to play smart. I have played in dives all over the country and the bar table in general is a great equalizer. With that being said I like my chances in 99% of the places with 99% of the rec players having some drinks and fun.
 
How does the old saying go? You guys are playing on the same table so it's fair for everyone involved. You guys were shooting on that same crappy table right? How did the rest of your teammates play? Either way it does sound you like you psyched yourself out.
 
I agree with Lenny. I'd like to add one thing, in these " dives " you will for sure encounter a special " breed " of chic and I'd suggest you take FULL advantage of that while you're there! But be prepared to spend 20 bucks ��
 
mvp said:
My question is this: does poor equipment make a great equalizer in ability for others? i was forced to shoot hard and become a banger!
Click to expand...


Not sure about that but I can tell you about a dive biker bar where I play occasionally.

Real biker bar. When tourists come to a hotel here they are advised not to go there. LOL!


Table? Beat up bar box.


But I know that table. I know it very well. I don't play often there as I prefer the pool hall, but occasionally I do. Usually it's because my biker buddies push me to play when we are hanging out there.

Last time I played there much I won 13 games in a row and threw the last game so I could get away from the table.

Last time I played there at all was last week. Me and by buddy were sitting at the bar. A guy comes in, must have got himself a good tax return and bought a Harley. Started making a lot of noise trying to get our attention talking about bikes and him being a biker.

Anyway he starts in on us about playing pool. Challenging us. My buddy plays OK. A banger but not too shabby. So after a while my buddy takes him up on a game and after a LOOONG game my buddy lost. We had already been drinking a while so he had a good excuse.

The guy won't shut up though. So my buddy keeps pushing me to play the guy. Finally when I give in my buddy starts in on the guy with the "You're in trouble now!" thing. Really chattered up a storm.

The stranger broke dry. Then he kind of made a snide remark to me. It kind of treaded a little close to commenting about the colors on my back. You have to understand I consider this place like my front porch. This is home. So what should a guy do?

I ran the table and went back to the bar.

Done.

The guy shut up and went away.


Is it an equalizer?


I don't know about that, but when the table is far less than perfect I think the guy that knows that table has an advantage. It's like a golf course...if you know how the course well and the other guy does not at all I think it's an advantage. I do know that table.





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mvp said:
My question is this: does poor equipment make a great equalizer in ability for others? i was forced to shoot hard and become a banger!
Click to expand...

crappy equipment is somewhat of an equalizer, but the bigger factor was they know how that table plays, you dont......
 
Scott Lee said:
This just shows that your skill level is not what you think it is. The better players learn how to quickly adjust to any conditions...the best ones usually within a game...maybe two.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...



I think that is very true.

You know a lot more than me...

But when the table is really bad with dead spots, crooked rails, divots, leveling issues, beat up balls, and other such anomalies I think that a person who knows that table well has an advantage that takes a little more time for an unfamiliar opponent to adjust to.

With "normal" variations in tables a really good (experienced) player can adjust in a game or two. But with serious tables issues it would take longer.

There are always exceptions. I think those PI boys have a lot of experience playing on some bad tables in high humidity. Probably adjust quicker.


In the case of the OP. I would like to give him the benefit of the doubt. He may actually have the technical skill to adjust better than he did. But not liking the table and starting out rough may have compromised his psychological game and done him in for the rest of the time.


I would recommend going back alone or with a shooting buddy and trying that table again. See what happens. Personally, if you are serious about playing, I think it's important.

Don't just write it off. Go figure it out. :smile:




.
 
Chopdoc...Adjustment is something you adapt your stroke and strategy to. The guy who can adapt quicker has a serious advantage, even if the other guy plays better. It's not rare that good players, even ones with good league stats, don't see the difference in experience between players who can adjust quickly...and those that can't. Obviously mvp took my comment as as disparaging, which it was not intended. As a professional instructor I see players of all abilities, all the time, who think they are better than they really are. Good instruction gives those people an opportunity to see things as they really are, and give them the choice of whether to do something about it (add/change knowledge). It's the "lead a horse to water" thing.

mvp...I apologize if you felt I was putting you down. I wasn't...it's actually quite a common phenomena. Good luck with your league progress. Playing like you are, I hope you are rated the highest handicap, to make it fair for the others.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Chopdoc said:
I think that is very true.

You know a lot more than me...

But when the table is really bad with dead spots, crooked rails, divots, leveling issues, beat up balls, and other such anomalies I think that a person who knows that table well has an advantage that takes a little more time for an unfamiliar opponent to adjust to.

With "normal" variations in tables a really good (experienced) player can adjust in a game or two. But with serious tables issues it would take longer.

There are always exceptions. I think those PI boys have a lot of experience playing on some bad tables in high humidity. Probably adjust quicker.


In the case of the OP. I would like to give him the benefit of the doubt. He may actually have the technical skill to adjust better than he did. But not liking the table and starting out rough may have compromised his psychological game and done him in for the rest of the time.


I would recommend going back alone or with a shooting buddy and trying that table again. See what happens. Personally, if you are serious about playing, I think it's important.

Don't just write it off. Go figure it out. :smile:




.
Click to expand...
 
mvp...I was not dissing your ability. I merely pointed out that sometimes having an experience like that is a stimulous (some might call it a wake up call) to making improvements in what you do. You're right, it was only 4 games. You'll probably win all 4 the next time you play there. Teaching people how to adjust quickly is one of the foundations of SPF teaching.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

mvp said:
It was very hard to adapt only playing 4games! It was so unpredictable I was blasting at the balls to get them to go straight! Doing that might as well throw position out the window, so Scott lee must be right I'm not as good as I think I am! A lot of no good ppl have league records of 24-0, now 24-4
Click to expand...
 
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