Played My First Really Good Player

CGM said:

So I have been playing for about 4 years now and I am fairly pleased with my progression. I usually beat up on guys my skill level and I felt like I was getting decent. Well I played my first "short stop" level player last night and I can't believe how big the gap is between someone like that and myself. It was definitely humbling. The best thing to come out of it is it is going to make me buckle down and practice better. Kudos to you guys that play at that level. Its like a whole different level of existence.

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I remember when this happened in my progression. What an eye opener it was.

I thought the guy never missed or got out of shape. Today he's 50 fargo points better than I am and not nearly the player he was 20 years ago.

I guess I didn't buckle down

CGM said:

Yeah the guy ran out every time I missed and always left me in horrible shape when I came to the table. Outstanding pool. The crazy thing to me is that he doesn't hold a candle to the upper level pros. It's hard to imagine that they would beat him how he beat me!

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Back when road-action was good these guys made a lot of money. They didn't have the name/rep of big name players and yet they were capable of beating probably 70% of the people they ran into. I've known a few that played maybe the 7ball under Buddy back when he was THE man. They booked a LOT of winners during the 80's-early 90's.

CGM said:

Yeah the guy ran out every time I missed and always left me in horrible shape when I came to the table. Outstanding pool. The crazy thing to me is that he doesn't hold a candle to the upper level pros. It's hard to imagine that they would beat him how he beat me!

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Someone on here has or had a signature line "to the bangers I am a pro, to the pros I am a banger".

That has been a very good line to think about when playing and comparing skill to others.

Felt that way many times! The first time I saw Dabarber play I was like 14 years old I was totally impressed, the tried playing him several years later and was totally humiliated!


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garczar said:

I've known a few that played maybe the 7ball under Buddy back when he was THE man. They booked a LOT of winners during the 80's-early 90's.

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Nearly the entire world played the seven ball below Buddy back then. Even a player like Louie Roberts probably needed the seven. You've obviously been hanging with the truly elite. Agreed that anyone who played within the seven of Buddy would have made a whole lot of money if they were under the radar.

hang-the-9 said:

Someone on here has or had a signature line "to the bangers I am a pro, to the pros I am a banger".

That has been a very good line to think about when playing and comparing skill to others.

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That was Roy Steffensen....who is now very busy in Norwegian politics

hang-the-9 said:

Someone on here has or had a signature line "to the bangers I am a pro, to the pros I am a banger".

That has been a very good line to think about when playing and comparing skill to others.

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Not sure if I was me that your referring to but I used that line a few times. It is a wide gap in the skill for even a decent player to the mid level pro. When there is around 75 to 100 Fargo points between players it don’t take long for it to get ugly.

For example I’ve played the same pro player twice in the last year in tournaments. His fargorate is mid 760’s. Although I consider myself a decent player. Nothing special by any stretch of imagination. The combined total of both sets is 18-8. He is 10 games up in only 2 sets.

9BallKY said:

For example I’ve played the same pro player twice in the last year in tournaments. His fargorate is mid 760’s. Although I consider myself a decent player. Nothing special by any stretch of imagination. The combined total of both sets is 18-8. He is 10 games up in only 2 sets.

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That would make him one of the top 15 players in the United States. I'd say an average score of 9-4 is pretty good against that caliber of player.

Yeah I bet a lot of us had the same kind of experience at some point in time. I had got back into playing pool for about a year when I played in a Texas Express nineball event around 1989 or so in Va.

I drew Dave Bollman the first round. Needless to say it was an eye opening experience.

CGM said:

So I have been playing for about 4 years now and I am fairly pleased with my progression. I usually beat up on guys my skill level and I felt like I was getting decent. Well I played my first "short stop" level player last night and I can't believe how big the gap is between someone like that and myself. It was definitely humbling. The best thing to come out of it is it is going to make me buckle down and practice better. Kudos to you guys that play at that level. Its like a whole different level of existence.

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Duplicate post

PoolBum said:

That would make him one of the top 15 players in the United States. I'd say an average score of 9-4 is pretty good against that caliber of player.

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I agree. The 18-8 total score is pretty impressive against a mid-760s player.

Join the crowd. When I first met the great Jack Colavita, I watched him run a 245. A few nights later, I tried my luck against him. After a few very low stakes matches, we decided a fair game was that he had to make 125 before I made 40.

Even beyond what you learn from watching the better player, matching up against a world beater really helps you to place great value on every trip to the table. Giving every trip to the table its due attention is something most of us learn the hard way.

I can't believe how big the gap is between someone like that and myself.

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The gap is huge...but at the same time small....

It only takes one miss to lose the table. Just one. Never more. Never less.

Don't miss.

The guy I trained understands this. We play "social games". I'll look at the table and say "don't miss" and he knows if he does it's over. He knows what I mean...don't play safe either. Just don't miss. Usually I am just playing sociable with him, but when I say that, he knows it's on and I am teaching and he is about to get a lesson...on one shot.

Strategy, safeties, etc...it always comes down to shot making. Even a "bad roll" will not matter if you make the next shot.

The gap? It's really only one shot. The one you missed. Learn to make that shot. Every time.

.

sjm said:

I agree. The 18-8 total score is pretty impressive against a mid-760s player.

Join the crowd. When I first met the great Jack Colavita, I watched him run a 245. A few nights later, I tried my luck against him. After a few very low stakes matches, we decided a fair game was that he had to make 125 before I made 40.

Even beyond what you learn from watching the better player, matching up against a world beater really helps you to place great value on every trip to the table. Giving every trip to the table its due attention is something most of us learn the hard way.

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Yes it makes every trip to the table very important. You know if you make a mistake what can happen. Let’s you know what it like to play under pressure.

The scores were actually 7-2 and 11-6. In the 11-6 match the score was 5-4 and he ran out off my dry break and ran 3 in row. It went from 5-4 to 9-4 real quick. That’s tough to fade for a player of my capability.

sjm said:

I agree. The 18-8 total score is pretty impressive against a mid-760s player.

Join the crowd. When I first met the great Jack Colavita, I watched him run a 245. A few nights later, I tried my luck against him. After a few very low stakes matches, we decided a fair game was that he had to make 125 before I made 40.

Even beyond what you learn from watching the better player, matching up against a world beater really helps you to place great value on every trip to the table. Giving every trip to the table its due attention is something most of us learn the hard way.

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I've always thought that people who played pool more for the money got that rule more quickly than those who play because they love the game.

I have never been all about the money and it took me a long, long time to get that lesson.

Now I seem to have forgotten it again.

Chopdoc said:

The gap is huge...but at the same time small....

It only takes one miss to lose the table. Just one. Never more. Never less.

Don't miss.

The guy I trained understands this. We play "social games". I'll look at the table and say "don't miss" and he knows if he does it's over. He knows what I mean...don't play safe either. Just don't miss. Usually I am just playing sociable with him, but when I say that, he knows it's on and I am teaching and he is about to get a lesson...on one shot.

Strategy, safeties, etc...it always comes down to shot making. Even a "bad roll" will not matter if you make the next shot.

The gap? It's really only one shot. The one you missed. Learn to make that shot. Every time.

.

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I played golf one time with a guy who played about the same as I did. Low single digit handicap. I think I was a 4.6 and he was a 2.7 or something.

He had played with a lot of pro players including major championship players. He had the best description of playing with a pro I've ever heard.

"It's crazy. They hit the ball a little farther and straighter off the tee. Their approach shots are a little better and they make a few more putts than you do. But it adds up to 12 strokes a round."

I think it's the same way with top shortstops/minor pros and the elite. When I watch Shane play a good or even great regional player he doesn't do anything they can't do. He just makes that kick safe more often. Makes a ball and gets shape on the 1 from the break a few more times. Gets out of line a little less. Plays slightly better patterns. Misses less. And when he comes upon a difficult shot that is a 'must make' he makes it a little more often.

And it adds up to 4-6 games a set.

When you can play shape and make all the shots, the difference is in how well you do the little things. And making fewer mistakes. He spends more time practicing his break than most players spend practicing. And it shows.

I play pretty good.
I can do everything on a table that the very best can do.
The difference between me and the very best?
Consistency.
And about 50 years but thats another story.