47? Your a young whippersnapper. I'm jealous.
Me? I'm old enough to know better but .........wait, I forgot what I was saying....
Jeff
I got reminded yesterday why i quit playing tournaments
- Thread starter lorider
- Start date
47? Your a young whippersnapper. I'm jealous.
Me? I'm old enough to know better but .........wait, I forgot what I was saying....
Jeff
Well I’ve been playing pool daily since I was like 15 so it feels like forever lol
"Low IQ" sez........
And....that fighting stuff is insane. I worry about the one who will pull out his pistol, start shooting, miss his chosen target and end up hitting me.
No wonder pool is still looked at as a game for trashy people. And that is a genuine shame because it is a wonderful game to play.
It would depend on defining "long drive".
And....that fighting stuff is insane. I worry about the one who will pull out his pistol, start shooting, miss his chosen target and end up hitting me.
No wonder pool is still looked at as a game for trashy people. And that is a genuine shame because it is a wonderful game to play.
Ok. Your old in pool years.
That would make you roughly 85....i think.
Let see...hmmm:
Actual age is 47
Pool year is 4
You played from 15 to 47.....= 32
32 years in pool .....32×4= 128
You are now 128 + 47 = 175 years old.
Damn.....excuse me gramps.
Jeff
These stories sound more like punishment than tournament...14 hours wait....insane.
Haven't played in tournaments since I left NYC almost 15 years ago. Used to play in one or two a week for several years, often with a 64 player field, and never had to wait very long between matches. Starting play with a dozen or so tables moves the tournament along pretty quickly, but, of course, with match play starting around 8:00 PM, if you make it to the finals chances are that you'll still be playing til around 2:00AM...but then it'll be worth it. :smile:
Can't imagine playing in a one or two table bar tournament and having to fade the noise, drunks, and waiting. You guys deserve a medal.
Haven't played in tournaments since I left NYC almost 15 years ago. Used to play in one or two a week for several years, often with a 64 player field, and never had to wait very long between matches. Starting play with a dozen or so tables moves the tournament along pretty quickly, but, of course, with match play starting around 8:00 PM, if you make it to the finals chances are that you'll still be playing til around 2:00AM...but then it'll be worth it. :smile:
Can't imagine playing in a one or two table bar tournament and having to fade the noise, drunks, and waiting. You guys deserve a medal.
Our tournament.was held on. Twekve 7 footers...the room also has twelve 9 footers btw.
12 is plenty of tables unless unless you are running 2 different tournaments at the same time with some people choosing to play in both.. Cant understand why they did not run one tournament one weekend and the other the next eeekend.
I've had similar complaints about tournaments over the years but my overarching problem is a bit different. I don't mind waiting; I just want to know how long. 20 years ago, this was a huge problem. I'd play in a big tournament with a limited number of tables and find myself waiting hours, with an expectation I could be called any minute. This annoyed me because I couldn't order food, leave the room, etc.
This is beginning to change.
Nowadays, it's becoming more and more common for tournaments to be handled via software. This opens up a lot of possibilities. For one, matches can be scheduled more easily now. But also, when running shotgun-style, you can get a sense of which areas of the bracket the TD is focusing on and get a sense of how long it will be until you play. I've even seen one platform that provides a wait list and gives estimates on when your match will be called.
I'm not saying this solves all of the problems the OP discussed BUT it does make it an easier pill to swallow.
This is beginning to change.
Nowadays, it's becoming more and more common for tournaments to be handled via software. This opens up a lot of possibilities. For one, matches can be scheduled more easily now. But also, when running shotgun-style, you can get a sense of which areas of the bracket the TD is focusing on and get a sense of how long it will be until you play. I've even seen one platform that provides a wait list and gives estimates on when your match will be called.
I'm not saying this solves all of the problems the OP discussed BUT it does make it an easier pill to swallow.
The wait between rounds is just the nature of tournaments in general, big and small. Hell, at the Expo last year, I played 3 matches on Thursday, each about 4 hours apart, then 1 match on Friday and 1 Match on Saturday.
Another weekly tournament that I play in on occasion will draw over 30 player some weeks and only have 8 tables available for use. Time after the first round is long, but things start rolling after that.
It's just the nature of them. Some people can handle it, others cant.
Another weekly tournament that I play in on occasion will draw over 30 player some weeks and only have 8 tables available for use. Time after the first round is long, but things start rolling after that.
It's just the nature of them. Some people can handle it, others cant.
While everything you said is true to an extent, some tournament directors are getting better at being predictable and in my opinion, that's half the battle.
Exactly, or at least a close estimate.
Not to try and outdo lorider's OP, but this happened to one of my teams about 12 years ago:
True story. You can't make this sh*t up.
It was APA city tournament, run by the same yahoo LO I've complained about many times in these forums. The tournament starts Saturday at 9:00am so we all get there around 8:30 to warm-up and get situated. My team (8-ball) plays its first match at 11:00 and wins. Next match at 2:00 and wins. We were not told when our next match would be, only told to "hang around" until we're called. 5:00...no call yet. 7:00...no call yet. Asked LO what the holdup was. Was told that they were waiting on losers bracket rounds. 9:00...still no call. Finally, at 11:00pm we are told to go home and come back at 9:00 in the morning.
Half a day sitting at bar tables, eating fast-food that we sent a teammate out for. Tired, grumpy, fed-up with the BS and we still got within the very last game of the tournament (hill-hill) from getting the trip to Vegas that Sunday. And it was early Sunday evening before that day ended.
Last league tourney I've played in and I don't care if I ever play in another. That one left an awful bad taste in my mouth. Secretly, I'm always hoping that whatever team I'm playing on won't even make the playoffs. Sad...isn't it?
Maniac
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Unless the tournament director and the slow player are sleeping together, or if it only annoys you, then it should be an easy fix for all the people to mention to the guy please speed up or lots of us will have to quit coming.
I just played in a tourny last friday night and my first match started late then I sat for 3.5 hours waiting for my next match.
These are race to 3's on bar box. I guess the guy in my bracket is notorious for being slow. His 1st match took 1.75 hours! his second match took 1.5 hrs. My first match took 20 mins. Painful....
That being said, I have learned so much playing in small local events over the years against player of much higher level than me at times. It's like a cheap lesson. I almost always see something I had not thought of or get to take to my next practice. So yes painful, but there is a brighter side sometimesUnfortunately last Friday no lessons were learned from the slow player except don't be that guy!
In my opinion, waiting for a match is like waiting to eat. When you know your food is arriving, your mouth begins to water and you actually begin to produce the enzymes needed to breakdown the food. Pool is the same. When you know you're about to play, you get ready and in ways that are subconscious. Nobody likes to be surprised and the only way that happens is when you're waiting hours without any word.
when you pay an entry fee you are basically gambling. betting you will beat others that put up their money.
so why not go to the pool room and make a game and gamble. and work your way up.
same thing but you pick your opponents and the bet you want. and can quit if you dont like them.
tournaments are self torture for the players that like punishment.
so why not go to the pool room and make a game and gamble. and work your way up.
same thing but you pick your opponents and the bet you want. and can quit if you dont like them.
tournaments are self torture for the players that like punishment.
This right here ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I have my own internal clock and routine too.
You're definitely right. They are, but there will come a point when no matter what they do, you will still be sitting for a considerable amount of time.
Ultimately, you are at the mercy of the speed of other players. Plus a lot of players and few tables... you are going to be in for a wait.
Double Elim and lose round 1... that wait sucks x 10.
I start thinking about going home at that point.
But if you win your first few matches and the TD has run the winners' bracket as quickly as possible, you will have to wait even longer, eventually. Then I'll want to go home but I sort of can't.
I think double elimination is a bad solution to a problem that didn't really exist. It's unfortunate that it caught on in the pool world. Semi-tolerable is double elimination in groups of four with two advancing to the single-elimination phase. I think that satisfies most of the requirement of enough play for everyone.
Let's Cut a Little Slack
I will stick my neck out here for a second. I was one of the tournament directors that Lorider is referring to.
Let me set the scene for a moment for clarification. There were technically THREE 16-person double elimination tournaments being ran simultaneously with continuous play on 12 tables. APA Splashboards, not to be confused with Singles Qualifers. Splashboards are able to qualify 5 out of the 16 to spots in Regionals. Win 3 before you lose 2.
Starting at Noon, the co-director and I kicked off all 3 Splashboards, and we finished all three by 630 PM. Yes, there were about 20% that participated in both 8-ball and 9-ball formats. The reason the formats were done on the same weekend/afternoon was to offer the chance to some people that can't make multiple weekends to get qualified for Regionals. With the window closing to get qualified, there were multiple requests from players to run not just one of each, but a second 9-ball Splashboard.
With all of that being said, I would like to think qualifying 15 people to go to a Regional (LoRider included) far surpasses spending an afternoon on a sport that we all love, giving these players a chance for Vegas. Memphis has historically never qualified many players for Regionals, but the new League Operators are on a mission, and I fully support it.
I took the time out my busy week to help direct these tournaments, and I am very appreciative of the opportunity. I would do it this way again and again too.
I would be happy to answer any questions you have, though! Help me help Memphis run better tournaments...
LoRider, feel free to contact me or the LOs.
I will stick my neck out here for a second. I was one of the tournament directors that Lorider is referring to.
Let me set the scene for a moment for clarification. There were technically THREE 16-person double elimination tournaments being ran simultaneously with continuous play on 12 tables. APA Splashboards, not to be confused with Singles Qualifers. Splashboards are able to qualify 5 out of the 16 to spots in Regionals. Win 3 before you lose 2.
Starting at Noon, the co-director and I kicked off all 3 Splashboards, and we finished all three by 630 PM. Yes, there were about 20% that participated in both 8-ball and 9-ball formats. The reason the formats were done on the same weekend/afternoon was to offer the chance to some people that can't make multiple weekends to get qualified for Regionals. With the window closing to get qualified, there were multiple requests from players to run not just one of each, but a second 9-ball Splashboard.
With all of that being said, I would like to think qualifying 15 people to go to a Regional (LoRider included) far surpasses spending an afternoon on a sport that we all love, giving these players a chance for Vegas. Memphis has historically never qualified many players for Regionals, but the new League Operators are on a mission, and I fully support it.
I took the time out my busy week to help direct these tournaments, and I am very appreciative of the opportunity. I would do it this way again and again too.
I would be happy to answer any questions you have, though! Help me help Memphis run better tournaments...
LoRider, feel free to contact me or the LOs.
Here's my suggestion: run 8-player single-elimination tournaments with the winner getting qualified. If a player loses in his group of 8, he can enter another. And another if there is time. And another.
Start the first 8-player qualifier as soon as you have 8 players present. You might even be able to start before the scheduled start time. There should be no more than a five-minute wait for a player once he starts to play in a group until he gets knocked out unless he is waiting on a slow match from his own group.
If you are interested in trying this, let me know and I will fill in other details.
While I understand your tactic, Singles qualifiers have historically not worked in Memphis.... not enough buy-in from players to show up in that fashion... partly a money thing, and another structure aspect... they’d rather play double elimination for better opportunity, which brings in the Splashboards. On top of qualifying 5 people out of 16, instead of 2 with Singles Qualifiers.... it offers “security” over having one bad match and losing $20.... our area prefers Splashboards and we run at least 10 or so per session to peak players’ interest.
Also, there is a bad stigma from when we ran multiple Singles qualifiers, where even those would take 3 hours themselves... which should never happen, and that’s why people run towards the Splashboards.
Hope this makes sense!
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