Well nothing. Character defect. Who's perfect anyway?...
Opinions regarding a former top pro playing in and dominating a Poolroom‘s weekly handicapped tournament?
- Thread starter ChrisinNC
- Start date
The smart thing to do when a player like him came to town would be pool your money and buy group lessons. Well tournaments can amount to that for those that Pay Attention. 
Sure. Or should it Be Shirley.
Separating the wheat from the chaff is worth the effort. It's hard for me with Earl but there's nuggets there....somewhere. Is this a poll or a raffle?
We are in danger of offending the citizens forum patrol. Shirley you jest.
Gawd I love living on the edge.
Gawd I love living on the edge.
And all it takes is a quart of beer. Miller High Life!
How much to get in with the consensus?
Okay one last try. It is my opinion that. The participants in the "weekly handicapped tournament " should take up a collection to put the "former top pro" back on the tour. Just buy a one way ticket....just in case.
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! Can't get more On Topic than that. Shirley
! Can't get more On Topic than that. Shirley
It's not clear the room cares. Few bucks admission to rub elbows with player. Maybe it catches on becomes a mecca. (?)
InsertCleverNameHere
Well-known member
For those saying you learn nothing getting beaten by a far superior player:
I think that is likely true for most people. Most people do not learn while sitting in the chair. Most people are too wrapped up in the result and not enough in the process to truly benefit. Most people learn by doing, and you're not DOING much just racking for your opponent.
However that's exactly how I learned. I played several big name players for very little money and sometimes even larger amounts(that I could stomach). Donating so to speak. I watched up close and personal how they went about it in a way you cannot see on video. No commentator can explain it. I took what I could from their habits and process and developed my own process as a result. I improved in small ways with every donation and in several cases I even became competitive with them over time. You will NEVER get comfortable playing against great players without actually playing against great players. If you're serious about the game and want to compete at the highest or even close to that levels then you simply have to dive in the fire.
To each their own but we all spend money in our lives on less fruitful things than competition. You learn a lot more about yourself through adversity.
I think that is likely true for most people. Most people do not learn while sitting in the chair. Most people are too wrapped up in the result and not enough in the process to truly benefit. Most people learn by doing, and you're not DOING much just racking for your opponent.
However that's exactly how I learned. I played several big name players for very little money and sometimes even larger amounts(that I could stomach). Donating so to speak. I watched up close and personal how they went about it in a way you cannot see on video. No commentator can explain it. I took what I could from their habits and process and developed my own process as a result. I improved in small ways with every donation and in several cases I even became competitive with them over time. You will NEVER get comfortable playing against great players without actually playing against great players. If you're serious about the game and want to compete at the highest or even close to that levels then you simply have to dive in the fire.
To each their own but we all spend money in our lives on less fruitful things than competition. You learn a lot more about yourself through adversity.
Biloxi Boy
Man With A Golden Arm
Psychological Conditioning/Mental Toughening
I can say without question that I've learned by having my brains beaten in by great players (Steve Cook, Gary Spaeth, George Rood, Jason Miller...) But, like most things in life, there are caveats to that. First, I wasn't a beginner and already a semi solid player. Second, the things I learned like tempo, timing, focus, etc. weren't completely unfamiliar concepts. I just used my time getting throttled to watch for little things that the pro was doing that I knew I wasn't. I know the things I'm talking about aren't as tangible as, say, stance, stroke, pattern play, and things like that. But I did still learn.
But none of this helps us deal with the issue in the first post. I know it's been stated already in this thread, but the handicap needs to be adjusted. It's basically going to have to be adjusted to a point where the pro is going to need to outrun the nuts every tournament to win. And just like how your Fargo Rate fluctuates, the handicaps are going to have to do that too. If he keeps winning, his race number is going to have to keep going up until there's an noticeable change.
George the Greek
Well-known member
Yeppers! My personal progress is proof of concept. Approaching My highest level, while not exactly the level of a pro......well wait a minute being down 6-2 going to 7 in the point match of the big event and winning!!!! Forged In Fire is how I think of it.
While I harbored no illusions of quiting my day job. Achieving such a victory is Priceless.
Baby steps . While the big success is seered in the memory banks. The shaking hands and deer in the headlights feelings early on memories are just as vivid. Learning from mistakes and failures doesn't happen overnight but diligence and dedication can be rewarded.
I enjoy learning and improving even when the improvements are micro. Of course the Oldtimers (can never remember it's altzheimers
) makes learning and improving a daily event.
Well the early on part should be discarded. I recall talking with Dan Louie after he lost a hill/hill match to Earl Strickland. He said, "you know Greg, I just got nervous." I said, "Dan, I can identify with that."
Well not as a group but a few smart ones did take lessons from John Schmidt when was was in Tri Cities. The progress showed in their performances in the small tournament almost immediately.The smart thing to do when a player like him came to town would be pool your money and buy group lessons. Well tournaments can amount to that for those that Pay Attention.
The disclaimer would be ....Just because they play top drawer doesn't mean they can teach it. Teaching is in and of itself a skill. My theory and method was that 1 sampler lesson was a small investment. If I got lucky and he could teach the reward could be.....well I flashback on the Pretty Woman scene and HUGE.
I got lucky when I asked Backward Jan for actual lessons rather than just shooting my weekly allowance at him to see what I might learn.
Going from B+ to Master is proof of concept. And no I no longer play at a Master level but I got there and have the
s to prove it. And the memories. Damned italics button got stuck and I wasn'teven aiming for that button..oh well
Guess my posts will be slanted for a while.
I know what you mean. I recall when Jim Rempe wanted to play a $75 monthly tournament at our local pool room. Back in the early 80s that was a significant amount of money and first place was like a month's worth of paychecks for most of us. Our local shortstops really wanted and needed that money. The room owner called a quick meeting and asked a group of us what we thought about allowing him to play. One guy, who oddly enough didn't play in those monthly tournaments, said he would gladly play if he could be guaranteed to play Rempe. A bunch of others agreed with that sentiment, so he was allowed to play. He won of course.
Still, while it's cool to be able to say you played a legend in a tournament, I think the thrill would wear off after he plays the bongo drums on your head week after week, month after month.
I’m just kidding. I’ve known Ray for a long time and was hoping he was the one winning Chris’s tournament.Oh that's just wrong.
It does however give me a flashback. I think it was the Portland room. At the golf game, the one Senior Citizen hobling around the table in his walker threatening the other Senior Citizen with mayhem....if he ever catches him.