Is playing in a league really worth it?

JimmyJaymes

New member
Hey guys I am new here, so don’t be too hard on me. I just found this site a few days ago. I recently started trying to play a little more and trying to get better at the game with fundamentals and controlling the cue ball the way your suppose to, about a year ago. I must say I love my home room and there are very good players there and they have taught me a lot. It feels like a family with everyone who plays there. They are very welcoming and accepting of anyone who comes in the door. It’s one of the most clean and nicest rooms I have been to. We as house players really try to take care of the house and make sure we clean up and do our part to keep it that way. Anyways I have thought about joining a league since I have been playing better. I have been reluctant to because I have heard horror stories even in our area (not at our pool room) of sandbagging and manipulating score cards and such. After reading a few posts about the APA team in Vegas which I do feel bad for, because it seems like they got the rug pulled out from them in the heat of competition. Which is why we all play right? To win? And win a championship if we can. I just want to ask is it worth it to play in a league? And deal with all the Busch league stuff, because I do want to prove myself against better players. Or do I just just keep playing for fun and keep learning from our great house players and have the friendly competition amongst ourselves. I love playing! I do have a lot of fun playing for hours at a time and get bummed when I have to leave. I just don’t want to join a league and have a bad experience and then hate pool because of it. Because regardless of the APA Vegas story if that happened to me, It would discourage me to keep playing by have someone else (a league) take the fun part away from me. Let alone a chance at a championship if I ever made it that far cause it seems like a lot of hard work, sacrifice, time and money just to make it that far. My second question is since it seems to be APA mentioned a lot with the Busch league stuff. I have also heard BCA is more professional with better players. Does anyone have a better experience or bad experience with BCA? Thanks for any feedback good or bad. I just want to make sure pool stays fun for me whether I choose to play in a league or not.
 

mikemosconi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I think that league play is a very individual decision based on your desire when entering a sport. some people enjoy it as a night out/ or for the social aspect. some look at it as the only way they will play regularly because they are not the type to play solitary, gamble, or match up on their own. I would advise trying it at least once.
Some people try it and never go back - I was one of those -Some people ONLY do league play- you will have to decide for yourself.
I will say that most people who enjoy a lot of solitary play, or want gambling type action, or want to progress much faster in the game, usually do not find league play suitable.
 

couldnthinkof01

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Leagues are good for a few things.
- They give you a chance to compete on a regular basis
- You can make lifelong friends
- They give you access to better players who
will help your game because they have an
interest in your improvement.
- Better players also have time to help you
over a long period.
- You learn to deal with poor sports, distractions,
pressure, playing and winning for a team(as
opposed to just your self)

The bad-
- competition and pressure often brings out
the worst in people.
- league championships are riddled with B.S.(as you have noticed)
- Free trips to Vegas are not free
- apa may ban or put your team in a position
where your unable to play.
- bca will allow those who dont have established
ratings play in divisions they dont belong.
- Fair is the place where you eat fried food,
not these so called championships.

Play them for the good reasons and disregard
or accept the bad before you begin.

Apa masters has no handicap funny buisness.

Weekly tournaments pay better and have
better overall competition.

Pool is not your job, just a hobby.
Treat it as such and you will have fun.

-
 

jason

Unprofessional everything
Silver Member
I would suggest trying a league of your choosing. BCA, if in your area, usually has a lot tougher competition. The Vegas completion is tough as well. APA is a "starter" league and it might be right for you. A lot of people enjoy the APA despite all of the negative publicity you may hear. Don't let that discourage you from trying it.

The only one who will discourage you from playing and enjoying the game will be you. If you don't like the league you can always quit and continue doing what you are now. If you enjoy it now, you shouldn't let anyone change that. There will be all types of people you will encounter in life and the pool world, but that shouldn't ever change you unless you let it. Take the good from every experience and improve yourself. Let the bad stuff and bad people go.

Enjoy the game. Always respect the rules and your opponents.
 

JazzyJeff87

AzB Plutonium Member
Silver Member
I think that league play is a very individual decision based on your desire when entering a sport. some people enjoy it as a night out/ or for the social aspect. some look at it as the only way they will play regularly because they are not the type to play solitary, gamble, or match up on their own. I would advise trying it at least once.
Some people try it and never go back - I was one of those -Some people ONLY do league play- you will have to decide for yourself.
I will say that most people who enjoy a lot of solitary play, or want gambling type action, or want to progress much faster in the game, usually do not find league play suitable.

I agree with this.

I joined a league just to see what would happen pretty much. I liked it some at first but I quickly came to resent everything about it lol. It's like pool with rules. Rules beyond those of the game being played. Not my thing.

I've heard singles leagues are pretty cool, and you personally may love team play depending on personality. It really is something you should try if you're serious about pool. Commit to 1 session and see what happens
 

jokrswylde

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The things that I get out of playing league might be different from you. I have been an athlete all my life, and after school moved on to things like flag football and beer league softball...but pool is my passion.

So leagues allow me to get that competition against an opponent as well as that adrenaline of having a team or match come down to my score. The bonus for me is I get to do it with some of my best buddies.

As others have said, the negatives are there, but for me they aren't close to outweighing the positives.
 

misterpoole

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I havent played APA in many years but the problems you are reading about were the reason i quit all those years ago. Its not a serious league for playing teams.
BCA is not perfect but if improving is most important then i would try to get on a bca team with decent players. The biggest problem for me is that bca teams play is made up of single games.
The ups and downs of a well matched race is what i found to be most satisfying. You dont need a league for playing races. Find someone who is a little better than you and match up with a race.
 
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AkGuy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Ya go me.

I really don't think playing in a league is needed to help ones game. But, if some one enjoys it then have fun.

I wonder if these guys ever played in a league. In no particular order of talent or importance.

Archer
Reyes
Strickland
Shaw
Filler
VanBoening
Chang
Hall
Parica
Morris
etc.

I guess I don't believe it is needed, what is needed is regular competition against shooters as good or better then you on a regular basis.
 

Tony_in_MD

You want some of this?
Silver Member
VanBoening, and his whole family (mother, sister, grandfather) were big in BCA, if memory serves.

The rest, I don't know.

No, leagues are not needed. But it is a good way to experience competitive pool and develop without the risk of losing your rent money.

I really don't think playing in a league is needed to help ones game. But, if some one enjoys it then have fun.

I wonder if these guys ever played in a league. In no particular order of talent or importance.

Archer
Reyes
Strickland
Shaw
Filler
VanBoening
Chang
Hall
Parica
Morris
etc.

I guess I don't believe it is needed, what is needed is regular competition against shooters as good or better then you on a regular basis.
 

Tony_in_MD

You want some of this?
Silver Member
I think you got some good advice from a number of posters.

The thing to do is travel to venues on league nights and talk to the players so you can make an informed decision regarding what is best for you.

Hey guys I am new here, so don’t be too hard on me. I just found this site a few days ago. I recently started trying to play a little more and trying to get better at the game with fundamentals and controlling the cue ball the way your suppose to, about a year ago. I must say I love my home room and there are very good players there and they have taught me a lot. It feels like a family with everyone who plays there. They are very welcoming and accepting of anyone who comes in the door. It’s one of the most clean and nicest rooms I have been to. We as house players really try to take care of the house and make sure we clean up and do our part to keep it that way. Anyways I have thought about joining a league since I have been playing better. I have been reluctant to because I have heard horror stories even in our area (not at our pool room) of sandbagging and manipulating score cards and such. After reading a few posts about the APA team in Vegas which I do feel bad for, because it seems like they got the rug pulled out from them in the heat of competition. Which is why we all play right? To win? And win a championship if we can. I just want to ask is it worth it to play in a league? And deal with all the Busch league stuff, because I do want to prove myself against better players. Or do I just just keep playing for fun and keep learning from our great house players and have the friendly competition amongst ourselves. I love playing! I do have a lot of fun playing for hours at a time and get bummed when I have to leave. I just don’t want to join a league and have a bad experience and then hate pool because of it. Because regardless of the APA Vegas story if that happened to me, It would discourage me to keep playing by have someone else (a league) take the fun part away from me. Let alone a chance at a championship if I ever made it that far cause it seems like a lot of hard work, sacrifice, time and money just to make it that far. My second question is since it seems to be APA mentioned a lot with the Busch league stuff. I have also heard BCA is more professional with better players. Does anyone have a better experience or bad experience with BCA? Thanks for any feedback good or bad. I just want to make sure pool stays fun for me whether I choose to play in a league or not.
 

mchnhed

I Came, I Shot, I Choked
Silver Member
The ups and downs of a well matched race is what i found to be most satisfying. You dont need a league for playing races. Find someone who is a little better than you and match up with a race.

I would do that if I knew what it meant.

But as a Noob.....most Pool Halls are not a very friendly place to go and ask for pointers.

So, leagues are the Gateway for bringing in new players.
 
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Ssonerai

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
No mention NAPA?

When i got back shooting a number of years ago in a then weekly tourney, was asked to join a team & thought "why not?" As someone else noted, i've made some friends that will probably be for life. People from all walks. For a year or so the Regional VP of my bank scheduled a regular tuesday practice session for both of us when we were on competing teams on Wednsedays. Then he retired & coincidentally the pool hall also closed. League became sort of the only option for a while, but again loads of good connections.

I thought it would make me practice, but actually everyone else practiced all week, I was from out of town and would show up on league nights. They kept getting better, i regressed..... Found myself getting busy with preparing for retirement & some non-pool interests and dropped our 2 years ago. Wife & I have travel plans this year. Will probably join again next winter. Pool around here is moribund unless you are in a league. Nearest hall is an hour, not reliable to find someone to match up with when you get there. There is a bar with free big tables within about 25 minutes, but not many players.

Anyway, if there is a good league with people who do interesting things in the rest of their lives, it could be a good option, at least for a half a year, or whatever the sessions are in your part of the wold. You can get better playing in a league, but as has been said, the social part might be a bigger factor. Even then, you can meet people to play/practice/match up with elsewhere that you might not run into otherwise.

I'm one who also thinks that if pool is ever going to grow again, some sort of league will be a big factor. OTOH there's at least 3 national leagues and still problems; per recent posts.

smt
 

strmanglr scott

All about Focus
Silver Member
League play ranks right up there on top of the list of debatable subjects on this site.

You're in a stage where you want competition, take some time to think about how you want that competition.
 

sjm

Older and Wiser
Silver Member
I really don't think playing in a league is needed to help ones game. But, if some one enjoys it then have fun.

I wonder if these guys ever played in a league. In no particular order of talent or importance.

Archer
Reyes
Strickland
Shaw
Filler
VanBoening
Chang
Hall
Parica
Morris
etc.

I guess I don't believe it is needed, what is needed is regular competition against shooters as good or better then you on a regular basis.

Yes, but the four Germans who won the World 9-ball Championship (Ortmann, Souquet, Hohmann, Filler) are all products of the superb German league system often written about on this forum by our European posters.
 

megatron69

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Probably the best answer to your question was given in post #3.

At least in terms of potential benefits to playing in a league.

I'll simply add this: to improve as a player, your skills need to be constantly challenged. Whether your anvil of choice is league play, or tournaments, or whatever, you need to constantly be looking to play against those that are better than you, in order to temper your skills.

Another way to look at this is to decide what skills you want to improve upon. Is it your pre-shot routine? Your shape-making? Decision-making? In a league, it's usually possible to find people that are markedly better than yourself in an area or two and then be able to not only try to emulate them, but also ask them questions in a friendly setting, and compare notes, as it were.
 

poolguy4u

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
.



I play in a handicap league. I spend $10 dollars a week and get to shoot pool with friends.

We have gone to nationals a few times which makes it great for a bunch of old farts from the country.

I mean, a lot of the best players in the world have played in leagues and some still do.




.
 

Chopdoc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Is playing in a league really worth it?

Depends on what you want, what you are looking for.

I played one season about 20 years ago in an amateur league.

The team made it to Vegas, but I had to report back to clinical rotations so I didn't make it to Vegas.

It only reinforced what I already thought. It was not for me.

I didn't like the petty bickering and politics. I guess for some people that's just social interaction. I was already done playing serious pool around 9 years before that anyway. I had rapidly gained the highest rating on that team and really was not on my game. I just wanted to play and enjoy playing.

When I played serious it was for money. If I won, you paid me. If you won, I paid you. Simple. No ratings. And I never gave or took weight. Just straight up. I am not a gambler, never have been.

I didn't even read your post. Just responding to the question.

If it gives you what you want or need then do it. If it does not, then don't do it. Simple.

.
 

Jimbojim

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If you want to play pool for the social gathering then by all means go play in a league.

If want you to improve on a faster track. Get some lessons to get your fundamentals right so you build your game on a strong fondation then play in tournaments and practice against better players.
 

JimmyJaymes

New member
Thank you for all your generous and honest reply’s. I guess I will just have to figure out what I want to do. I would say I would be more interested in joining a league to meet some nice women but they are not the majority of the ratio at the local pool room. Which I get. It’s called a gentleman’s game for a reason. I have seen some girls that can shoot really well and hang with the big boys too. I just don’t want a bad experience or deal with the Busch league stuff. Which seems like a few isolated incidents and seems to happen no matter where you play. So I should be ok to have a good time if I do join a league. I will still keep up with the fundamentals and learning the game the right way in the mean time so if or when I do join, I will never be called a banger and have people respect me and my game for how I play. I really appreciate everyone’s input and advice on this. I was and am gun shy after reading about the “Vegas Story”. I am stoked I joined this forum and will continue to use it for any other insight and info about playing and equipment. I love Playing and learning about the game.Thanks- the New Guy
 
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