Why is everything handicapped in the US or how to improve as a B-ish (or 525-ish) player?

easy-e said:
I spend more than most. Many low rated players spend as little as possible. You’re stereotyping. I don’t need your thoughts on this anymore, maybe someone with real info will chime in?
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Don't worry I am not the guy who would open Bar, just the guy who watches, learn, and has an opinion based upon what I see, and have seen with my eyes.

The OX Bar was what could be discribed as neighborhood dive bar with 5 or 6 Pool tables. Place catered to 8's and Under, 7's Understand, and did Scotch Double Tournment monthly. Never under 20 for a singles event, Scotch Doubles 14-20 Teams.

Rick the owner of OX Bar, did well in Bar Biz. Beer, hard liquor,and wine paid bills, pool event brought in people from 20-30 miles away. Then Rick sold his little Gold Mine, new owner "F-ED" it up, it's closed.

No I am not stereotyping, unlike you I have spent time out, and about in Valley before you came to town. Things might have change, but I think not much.

BTW most recreation players with 1/2 brain are not going to play money to be in Tournment they have ZERO change of placing in. That is why the smart Room n Bar owners catered to the AZ System 4's to 7's or 8 rated players.
 
A lot of the improvement up to a decent B player is as much knowledge as skill . Learn as much as you can away from the table. I would get a folder and start watching training videos by Dr Dave or whoever you like Tor Lowery is also excellent.
Put a series of progressively more difficult shots and concepts in your folder and work on them when you have time at a table. If you get stuck ask a better player for help, knowing not all good players are good teachers or even play all the shots properly.
I have watched thousands of guys ,go to leagues , play their game and then try to get better afterward, it is not going to happen. Your either too tired , unfocused or whatever, but I have never seen anybody get much better that way. The prerequisite for all improvement is , you can hit the cueball at least 99. % of the time, where you are aiming and you have a straight stroke and a steady bridge on all shots. There are ways to make sure you meet those requirements, otherwise you will chase your tail for years or give up.
 
I've got a different take on this.

In the last year, I've ran two straight pool tournaments. Both were non handicapped, blind draws. First one drew around 13 players and the second one I believe was at 11. $100 entry fees.

I made sure to tell everyone that they knew what they were getting themselves into and that they are more than welcomed to take their money back and leave. Noone did. And this was a mixed group of different levels of players.

Now the last tournament I ran was non handicapped express ten ball, winner breaks, split chart, added money and only two people showed up. It also did not help that an established tour announced a stop the week of my tournament on the same day but theirs was handicapped.

So my point is, maybe non handicapped works for games like 14.1 but not for rotation.
 
CocoboloCowboy said:
Don't worry I am not the guy who would open Bar, just the guy who watches, learn, and has an opinion based upon what I see, and have seen with my eyes.

The OX Bar was what could be discribed as neighborhood dive bar with 5 or 6 Pool tables. Place catered to 8's and Under, 7's Understand, and did Scotch Double Tournment monthly. Never under 20 for a singles event, Scotch Doubles 14-20 Teams.

Rick the owner of OX Bar, did well in Bar Biz. Beer, hard liquor,and wine paid bills, pool event brought in people from 20-30 miles away. Then Rick sold his little Gold Mine, new owner "F-ED" it up, it's closed.

No I am not stereotyping, unlike you I have spent time out, and about in Valley before you came to town. Things might have change, but I think not much.

BTW most recreation players with 1/2 brain are not going to play money to be in Tournment they have ZERO change of placing in. That is why the smart Room n Bar owners catered to the AZ System 4's to 7's or 8 rated players.
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So many things wrong with your post. No point in explaining them to you. Enjoy living in the past.
 
Somebody said before I am arguing both ways. In a way, split into divisions by skill level is another way of handicapping. Just creating a level playing field for an event, not just a match. As mentioned by another poster before, those division can be and have to be attractive for each tier. As a "one-off-try by some place to run a non-handicapped tournament, your turn-out will fail or fade quickly, because the majority will see better chances elsewhere. Tony Robles did a great tour until he moved down south, which tried to be an in-between. No ball-handicap,only games on the wire, split bracket -> Most of the event you would spend playing even or 1 or 2 games on the wire on a race to 7(?). But I think the best part was, that he at the end had 26+ events/year or any other weekend around NYC. He published standings per skill level and had rewards for "Best D-Player" or "Best Female Overall" and so on.

I am not arguing against handicapped events, I just wish there would be more non-handicapped. Having moved to the US at a not-so-young age, I see the different cultures around amateur competitions in general.
 
They have a chip tournament in my area every Friday night. It's handicapped by Fargo so the lower your rating is, the more chips (lives) you get. Anyone can enter. In all of the weeks I have been there, no player over 640 has placed top 3. Very difficult tournament to win since it's bar table 9-ball with the incoming player breaking. I still play since there is nothing else available, and it's usually a pretty fun time.
 
easy-e said:
So many things wrong with your post. No point in explaining them to you. Enjoy living in the past.
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You ask question, I replied based upon what I saw, knew, and experenced.

Maybe you just don’t like truth?

Maybe you should open Room or Bar that cater to competitive player, 9’s and up.

Show the other owner how it’s done.🤭
 
Around my area, the entry fees are handicapped, but not the races.... which is good and bad for the weaker players. They get lots of practise, but get steamrolled by the better players. Same 4-6 players are always in the money. Personally, I wish they would handicap the race lengths, but use the Fargo Fairmatch MILD formula, which I feel favours the better players, but does give the weaker players a chance.
 
eastcoast_chris said:
Around my area, the entry fees are handicapped, but not the races.... which is good and bad for the weaker players. They get lots of practise, but get steamrolled by the better players. Same 4-6 players are always in the money. Personally, I wish they would handicap the race lengths, but use the Fargo Fairmatch MILD formula, which I feel favours the better players, but does give the weaker players a chance.
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Well all you can do is talk to venue owner or TD. They can not read your thoughts.

Never had own or or TD ask what your you like to see different in this business?

Sooner or later the people who never win will move on, to place they like.

It’s like eating a resturant that is always bad food, why eat there?

Some one should do reality show about Pool Rooms, call Pool RoommRescue, like Bar Rescue?
 
CocoboloCowboy said:
Well in old days before Fargo Rating, 90% of Tournaments in AZ, were 7 & 8s, and under handicap.

Few were for better players 9, and up to 10-2.

Bar & Room owner want spenders to pay bills. Mystique of Efren doesn’t pay Bills, with 30 watching the magician.

Room or Bar owners are in business hoping to make living, not run in red.

Remember Alexander's Bar that was like one of the places in PHX hosted 10 Ball Shootout. Big purse add. Many came over from So. Cal, NV, NM to try their hand at winning,

Several of these top player must have been thirsty, they went to Asia market in same place for 16 Iz bottle of soda.

Why Alaxanders’s charge $3.00 or more for a soft drink.

Better player we’re not supporting venue they came to play in. Typical Mistique.

I would also not recommend open a Grommet Pork Bacon Shop in Jewish Neighborhood.😀

Failure waiting to happen.😄
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CocoboloCowboy said:
Don't worry I am not the guy who would open Bar, just the guy who watches, learn, and has an opinion based upon what I see, and have seen with my eyes.

The OX Bar was what could be discribed as neighborhood dive bar with 5 or 6 Pool tables. Place catered to 8's and Under, 7's Understand, and did Scotch Double Tournment monthly. Never under 20 for a singles event, Scotch Doubles 14-20 Teams.

Rick the owner of OX Bar, did well in Bar Biz. Beer, hard liquor,and wine paid bills, pool event brought in people from 20-30 miles away. Then Rick sold his little Gold Mine, new owner "F-ED" it up, it's closed.

No I am not stereotyping, unlike you I have spent time out, and about in Valley before you came to town. Things might have change, but I think not much.

BTW most recreation players with 1/2 brain are not going to play money to be in Tournment they have ZERO change of placing in. That is why the smart Room n Bar owners catered to the AZ System 4's to 7's or 8 rated players.
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You'd be the first person you'd kick out of you own bar.
 
CocoboloCowboy said:
Well I have played so I good, been few years.

When you opening your Room EZ’s Pool Paradice?
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What makes you think I was talking to you? Is it because:

A) You only talk about small time bars that have closed down.
B) You keep referencing a rating system that died years ago.
C) You haven't played in a tournament in years.
D) All of the above.
 
book collector said:
If they did not handicap leagues and tournaments pool would have died 30 years ago.
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Bingo. Pool isn't the only individual sport that handicaps. Virtually all of them do. There will always be players that go to the weekly tournaments knowing they probably won't finish in the money. However, if they keep getting their head kicked in, they won't come back. Just like an example a page or two before, eventually he went from over 20 players down to the top 6-8 players. You don't want to "scare away" the lower/mid level players that spend a lot in the pool room/bar.
 
briankenobi said:
Bingo. Pool isn't the only individual sport that handicaps. Virtually all of them do. There will always be players that go to the weekly tournaments knowing they probably won't finish in the money. However, if they keep getting their head kicked in, they won't come back. Just like an example a page or two before, eventually he went from over 20 players down to the top 6-8 players. You don't want to "scare away" the lower/mid level players that spend a lot in the pool room/bar.
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Hell in High School the sports were handicapped.

Varsity, Junior Varsity, and B’s for Sophomre.

Yes if you were talented Sophomore, you could play varsity.
 
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