Let me start off by saying I'm an improving player. I started playing pool in October of 2013. I had a fairly natural inclination for ball pocketing, but that is about it. I got
very addicted to pool, pretty much immediately. Many cues, thousands of hours of table time, a lot of cheap action, some medium action, and several tournaments later, I
find myself playing in the The Big Tyme (Buddy Hall) Classic this past weekend. I briefly glanced at my bracket and saw that Alex was in my bracket a few spots down.
Alex has been one of my pool idols from the beginning but more on that later.
The draws are set and away we go. My first match is at 11:00 on Saturday. I play a guy, who is probably a few years younger than me, who runs out in his first few
opportunities. I started off a lot worse than I would have liked but got comfortable after he was up 4-2. Fast forward and I go up 9-5 and win the set 10-7. Mind you this is
alternate break, 9 ball on the spot with the Outsville Rack. My next match was a lot tougher and quite stressful. Let me preface this by saying I was a little nervy at the
beginning of my first match. I was EXTREMELY nervy in my next one. I played a guy who hails from the UK, who is pure and simply supposed to beat me. We both made
errors and got a few rolls but just went back forth all set. It could have gone 10-6 for either of us but for missed 8 balls or funny shape on the 9. I was down 9-8 and was
thinking about how awesome it would be to win and have a chance to play Alex. I was given an opening and ran a pretty rough out to get on the hill. The last rack has a
tough layout as the 7 was frozen on the long rail, with the edge hanging over the side pocket. I was given the table and ran to the 5, at which point is tried to break out the
7 by going 3 rails with top inside. I wasn’t paying much attention is my adrenaline was pumping, but I hit the ball with as much top and inside English as I possibly could. I
break the 7 out and run out, finishing with a thin cut on the 9. EVERY time I felt nervous or shaky in the last rack, I took a deep breath, a sip of water and just told myself
“I can do this.” My opponent shook my hand but said that I ran into the point of the opposite side pocket and that’s how I got the breakout. I wasn’t sure that was the case
and told him that I didn’t know, but shrugged my shoulders a moved on.
Now I’m looking at the bracket. My next opponent played about the same speed as my previous, so better than me, but I didn’t know him, that’s just what I was told. I look
and see that Alex is going to play Josh Roberts. Alex doesn’t have to win but he is favored to win. I went home, took a shower, put on clean socks and shoes that weren’t
soaked in sweat and headed back to Big Tyme. My next match was like the previous but with a lot of mistakes on both mine and my opponent’s part. I got more than my
fair share of rolls, missed shots that I shouldn’t have but also made some good combos, caroms and a few outs. We went back and forth and I was down 8-7. I just told
myself, “**** this, I’m playing Alex” over and over again. I managed to win 10-8. I shook my opponent’s hand, turned in the score sheet and realized I’m on the winner’s
side of the final 32. I look on the bracket and see my name next to Alex Pagulayan’s. At this point, as pool dream has become a reality. Especially because I didn’t just
draw this guy in the first or second round. I had to win 3 matches to get to him. At this point I don’t care about the outcome, but I do want to runout on him when I can.
Sunday at 9:30, I walk in the pool room and practice with a good friend who is a very good player. He had beaten Warren Kiamco earlier in the tournament, handily. He
said, “Okay go and beat him.” What was interesting is that I was not longer nervous, at all, just excited and determined. Before we got started, I walked over to Alex and
introduced myself, then I told him, “Hey man, I have to tell you something, I was down 8-7 in my last match and I had a feeling you were going to beat Josh, so I kept
telling myself that I had to play you, because you are basically my pool idol.” He had a huge smile on his face and said “ My man!” I was pretty happy with how the first 8
or so racks went. I had a multiple inning safety battle with the best all around player in the world, so that was cool. I had a very nice break and run with a long combo to
start, made so very difficult shots and hearing “good shot” from Alex was really cool. Being an alternate break format, breaking dry isn’t a good thing, and neither does
making haphazard safety choices. Alex won 10-4. I missed a grand total of two balls against him and both were very tough shots. I was totally okay with this. My next
match was scheduled for a few hours later but I didn’t see until a few hours later that my opponent would be Dennis Orcollo.
Dennis and I had met a few times before and he remembered me, because he taught me how to swear in Tagalog LOL. Earlier in the tournament I had asked him for
break advice and he just said, “Cut break.” “With outside and a little draw?” “Yep.” Dennis can be a lot more stoic and reserved in the midst of a tournament compared to
Alex, but when its just time to BS he can be pretty goofy too. Again, I made some good shots, had a safety battle or two, broke and ran and had a rack and run on him.
Being a loser side match he won 8-4. Between the two of them, I missed two thin cuts, one very off angle combo, a funny bank on the 9. Just like against Alex, playing
one of the best players in the world, I wasn’t nervous. Just determined and excited. If I had played the way I did against them, against my previous opponents, I would
have won more definitively.
To conclude this long winded journey, the experience made me realize that I am capable of competing at higher level than was previous and that I have a improved A
LOT over the last 5 or so years. This was affirmed by Charlie Bryant, (Hillbilly) who had watched my entire set against Dennis. He told me that I looked good over the
ball, pre shot routine looked good, ball pocketing etc. and that I was right at the edge of that next level of playing. This was cool coming from someone who gave me
good pointers early on.
The other point I want to make is that if you want to get better, play with people who are better than you. Manny Chau and Tommy Tokoph are both very good players
who have taught me a lot and taken me under their wing. Both have been good friends and mentors and both have encouraged me a helped me with various aspects of
my game. The whole, eagles soar with eagles thing seems to hold pretty true, although I’m still just a duck.
Finally, find a spouse who supports your goals, career and hobbies. The single most supportive person through all of this was my Fiancé. She just kept encouraging me
and told me to go and run out on anybody I played. It was heart warming, because I hadn’t gotten that support in the past. My Fiancé definitely helped keep me going.
I’m going to keep practicing and improving. I don’t have any delusions that I will be a pro, but I do know I can get to a point down the road, where I can be capable of
beating one.
very addicted to pool, pretty much immediately. Many cues, thousands of hours of table time, a lot of cheap action, some medium action, and several tournaments later, I
find myself playing in the The Big Tyme (Buddy Hall) Classic this past weekend. I briefly glanced at my bracket and saw that Alex was in my bracket a few spots down.
Alex has been one of my pool idols from the beginning but more on that later.
The draws are set and away we go. My first match is at 11:00 on Saturday. I play a guy, who is probably a few years younger than me, who runs out in his first few
opportunities. I started off a lot worse than I would have liked but got comfortable after he was up 4-2. Fast forward and I go up 9-5 and win the set 10-7. Mind you this is
alternate break, 9 ball on the spot with the Outsville Rack. My next match was a lot tougher and quite stressful. Let me preface this by saying I was a little nervy at the
beginning of my first match. I was EXTREMELY nervy in my next one. I played a guy who hails from the UK, who is pure and simply supposed to beat me. We both made
errors and got a few rolls but just went back forth all set. It could have gone 10-6 for either of us but for missed 8 balls or funny shape on the 9. I was down 9-8 and was
thinking about how awesome it would be to win and have a chance to play Alex. I was given an opening and ran a pretty rough out to get on the hill. The last rack has a
tough layout as the 7 was frozen on the long rail, with the edge hanging over the side pocket. I was given the table and ran to the 5, at which point is tried to break out the
7 by going 3 rails with top inside. I wasn’t paying much attention is my adrenaline was pumping, but I hit the ball with as much top and inside English as I possibly could. I
break the 7 out and run out, finishing with a thin cut on the 9. EVERY time I felt nervous or shaky in the last rack, I took a deep breath, a sip of water and just told myself
“I can do this.” My opponent shook my hand but said that I ran into the point of the opposite side pocket and that’s how I got the breakout. I wasn’t sure that was the case
and told him that I didn’t know, but shrugged my shoulders a moved on.
Now I’m looking at the bracket. My next opponent played about the same speed as my previous, so better than me, but I didn’t know him, that’s just what I was told. I look
and see that Alex is going to play Josh Roberts. Alex doesn’t have to win but he is favored to win. I went home, took a shower, put on clean socks and shoes that weren’t
soaked in sweat and headed back to Big Tyme. My next match was like the previous but with a lot of mistakes on both mine and my opponent’s part. I got more than my
fair share of rolls, missed shots that I shouldn’t have but also made some good combos, caroms and a few outs. We went back and forth and I was down 8-7. I just told
myself, “**** this, I’m playing Alex” over and over again. I managed to win 10-8. I shook my opponent’s hand, turned in the score sheet and realized I’m on the winner’s
side of the final 32. I look on the bracket and see my name next to Alex Pagulayan’s. At this point, as pool dream has become a reality. Especially because I didn’t just
draw this guy in the first or second round. I had to win 3 matches to get to him. At this point I don’t care about the outcome, but I do want to runout on him when I can.
Sunday at 9:30, I walk in the pool room and practice with a good friend who is a very good player. He had beaten Warren Kiamco earlier in the tournament, handily. He
said, “Okay go and beat him.” What was interesting is that I was not longer nervous, at all, just excited and determined. Before we got started, I walked over to Alex and
introduced myself, then I told him, “Hey man, I have to tell you something, I was down 8-7 in my last match and I had a feeling you were going to beat Josh, so I kept
telling myself that I had to play you, because you are basically my pool idol.” He had a huge smile on his face and said “ My man!” I was pretty happy with how the first 8
or so racks went. I had a multiple inning safety battle with the best all around player in the world, so that was cool. I had a very nice break and run with a long combo to
start, made so very difficult shots and hearing “good shot” from Alex was really cool. Being an alternate break format, breaking dry isn’t a good thing, and neither does
making haphazard safety choices. Alex won 10-4. I missed a grand total of two balls against him and both were very tough shots. I was totally okay with this. My next
match was scheduled for a few hours later but I didn’t see until a few hours later that my opponent would be Dennis Orcollo.
Dennis and I had met a few times before and he remembered me, because he taught me how to swear in Tagalog LOL. Earlier in the tournament I had asked him for
break advice and he just said, “Cut break.” “With outside and a little draw?” “Yep.” Dennis can be a lot more stoic and reserved in the midst of a tournament compared to
Alex, but when its just time to BS he can be pretty goofy too. Again, I made some good shots, had a safety battle or two, broke and ran and had a rack and run on him.
Being a loser side match he won 8-4. Between the two of them, I missed two thin cuts, one very off angle combo, a funny bank on the 9. Just like against Alex, playing
one of the best players in the world, I wasn’t nervous. Just determined and excited. If I had played the way I did against them, against my previous opponents, I would
have won more definitively.
To conclude this long winded journey, the experience made me realize that I am capable of competing at higher level than was previous and that I have a improved A
LOT over the last 5 or so years. This was affirmed by Charlie Bryant, (Hillbilly) who had watched my entire set against Dennis. He told me that I looked good over the
ball, pre shot routine looked good, ball pocketing etc. and that I was right at the edge of that next level of playing. This was cool coming from someone who gave me
good pointers early on.
The other point I want to make is that if you want to get better, play with people who are better than you. Manny Chau and Tommy Tokoph are both very good players
who have taught me a lot and taken me under their wing. Both have been good friends and mentors and both have encouraged me a helped me with various aspects of
my game. The whole, eagles soar with eagles thing seems to hold pretty true, although I’m still just a duck.
Finally, find a spouse who supports your goals, career and hobbies. The single most supportive person through all of this was my Fiancé. She just kept encouraging me
and told me to go and run out on anybody I played. It was heart warming, because I hadn’t gotten that support in the past. My Fiancé definitely helped keep me going.
I’m going to keep practicing and improving. I don’t have any delusions that I will be a pro, but I do know I can get to a point down the road, where I can be capable of
beating one.
Attachments
Last edited:
