7s allowed to play in your area?

U

us820

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I bet half the tourneys in my area ban 7s.Lots of 5 and under 6 an under but we can't play.I am in the burbs of a major city with some outstanding players but this blows.I drive 45 minutes to play when other tourneys are 10 minutes away but won't let me play.And the ones that I can play like to jack the entries up for a good pot.They are also stacked because it's the only game in town.

I always dreamed I would make it to a 7.Now I play less tourneys and rarely cash.

I know,"get better".

Wondering how other areas are.
 
K

KMRUNOUT

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
In my area (northeast New England), 7's (if you mean APA 7's) range from strong C players up to nearly open players. The majority of 7's are B players. I'm a "7" and rated A+ on most of the tours. I honestly can't think of any tourneys that bar me based on skill. Some are handicapped, many aren't. Some are even races but restricted to a particular class or below. We used to have a little $10 Friday night 10 ball tourney. No handicap and anyone could play.

I find that in my division of APA, I get mixed reception from the other players. I play at a much higher level than the others. Some people think its not fair, I'm a pro, I don't belong in the APA, and the other typical things you hear from people that never really play pool outside of the one bar they frequent. Other people ask me questions, advice, tell me they like watching me play and they learn a lot. The reason I play better than them is because for 20 years I sought out real tourneys with good players...players way better than me. Some people simply have the attitude that if someone is better than me, then it is not fair for me. I think there is no better approach for stagnating at your current level and never developing your game, your heart, and your character.

I still drive 1.5 hours each way every Wednesday to play the weekly tourney at Snookers, because that is where all the best pool players in the area play. That is where the guys that drill my nuts in play. And I want to play against those guys! The tourney typically has 40 players in the colder months and high 20's in the warm weather. I have to pay $30 to enter and B and below pays $20. However it is even races to 3. I tend to have my best finishes when all the big dogs are there. Maybe I beat one of them, maybe I dodge them in the chart. But it puts the idea in my head that the level is high tonight, and I better bring my best.

KMRUNOUT
 
J

jrctherake

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
us820 said:
I bet half the tourneys in my area ban 7s.Lots of 5 and under 6 an under but we can't play.I am in the burbs of a major city with some outstanding players but this blows.I drive 45 minutes to play when other tourneys are 10 minutes away but won't let me play.And the ones that I can play like to jack the entries up for a good pot.They are also stacked because it's the only game in town.

I always dreamed I would make it to a 7.Now I play less tourneys and rarely cash.

I know,"get better".

Wondering how other areas are.
Click to expand...

A skill level of 7 can be way different depending on where you live. There are players in my area that are called 7's that, IMO are weak 6's or strong 5's.

As for the tournament issue.......well, I see what you describe a lot but not with 7's. Then again, a 7 in one place may be much stronger than a 7 somewhere else.

I'm not a league player. I've never played in league. I do know lots of league players and I do know that it seems they pass out the rank of 7 pretty easy IMO.

Most of the 7's I know do good to run a rack here and there with the ghost and BIH. Hell, IMO, a solid 7 should be putting at least 3 packs together in 9 ball ghost with BIH.

Again, maybe in your area the 7's are putting 2 and 3 packs together in league play. If that is the case then I can see where the director may restrict "some" tournaments....but not all.

In my area....lol.....I give 7's the 7.....and I consider myself a B player at best.

I have a video in the ghost challenge thread that will give you an idea of what I consider to be a B player which to me, is a 7.

BTW, congrats on making it to 7.

Rake
 
hang-the-9

hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
us820 said:
I bet half the tourneys in my area ban 7s.Lots of 5 and under 6 an under but we can't play.I am in the burbs of a major city with some outstanding players but this blows.I drive 45 minutes to play when other tourneys are 10 minutes away but won't let me play.And the ones that I can play like to jack the entries up for a good pot.They are also stacked because it's the only game in town.

I always dreamed I would make it to a 7.Now I play less tourneys and rarely cash.

I know,"get better".

Wondering how other areas are.
Click to expand...

I'm in the same area as KMRUNOUT, we do play in different rooms as our main areas though. Where I play, there are no limits on skill, and in the two weekly tournaments I play, it's even races for any skill level.

You have to look at it from the point of view of the other players, if it's a casual bar event or something like that, players don't want to have to watch someone run out on them when they are used to getting 3-4-5 turns a rack. Bad for their ego, not fun for them. The people that run the tournament don't want to have strong players come in, win all the time and then have 75% of the players stop playing.

This actually happened to one of the tournaments I play in, my son and I started playing in a new room for us as regulars, played in their weekly handicapped event as 6s, with most others being 2s, 3s, 4s. We still won often, one of us was in finals every week I think, sometimes we would both be in finals. After a couple of months the weaker players just sat around complaining about things, then stopped playing. Their solution was not to practice and get better but to quit. That is most weak players. The issue is that places don't want to lose most of their players to cater to a few good players.

The funny part is that those players that quit, many would still be there to play at the same time and be paying the same in table time as tournament entry, which gives you free pool all night LOL Without having players with a strong ego and mental strength to play and lose and try to get better, there will be places that ban good players or lose weak players when good players show up.
 
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KRJ

KRJ

Support UKRAINE
Silver Member
Seems odd, but a lot of places that have "7", advance and/or master level tourneys only, very few folks show up? Usually just a handful, not well attended?

So, if they don't show up for tourneys with strong players, why do they all show up for "open" tourneys ;) Well, we know why :)
 
justadub

justadub

Rattling corners nightly
Silver Member
The tourneys we have locally always include the 7's. They are usually handicapped, in a number of different ways. I like seeing them playing.
 
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alstl

alstl

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Tough decision for the room owner. Without a limit the same few people tend to cash in every tournament and it keeps lower level players away. With a limit the higher level players - who usually are the guy who spend the most time in the pool hall - feel alienated. One solution is handicaps but that is imperfect.
 
K

KMRUNOUT

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
hang-the-9 said:
I'm in the same area as KMRUNOUT, we do play in different rooms as our main areas though. Where I play, there are no limits on skill, and in the two weekly tournaments I play, it's even races for any skill level.

You have to look at it from the point of view of the other players, if it's a casual bar event or something like that, players don't want to have to watch someone run out on them when they are used to getting 3-4-5 turns a rack. Bad for their ego, not fun for them. The people that run the tournament don't want to have strong players come in, win all the time and then have 75% of the players stop playing.

This actually happened to one of the tournaments I play in, my son and I started playing in a new room for us as regulars, played in their weekly handicapped event as 6s, with most others being 2s, 3s, 4s. We still won often, one of us was in finals every week I think, sometimes we would both be in finals. After a couple of months the weaker players just sat around complaining about things, then stopped playing. Their solution was not to practice and get better but to quit. That is most weak players. The issue is that places don't want to lose most of their players to cater to a few good players.

The funny part is that those players that quit, many would still be there to play at the same time and be paying the same in table time as tournament entry, which gives you free pool all night LOL Without having players with a strong ego and mental strength to play and lose and try to get better, there will be places that ban good players or lose weak players when good players show up.
Click to expand...



Curious...what weekly tourneys have even races? Sounds fun.

KMRUNOUT


Sent from my iPhone using AzBilliards Forums
 
Celophanewrap

Celophanewrap

Call me Grace
Silver Member
In this area 7's are generally included, other S/L's like to play the 7's for some reason...

I find that S/L 7 usually includes the broadest spectrum of players. From people that
have only recently become 7's - borderline 6 - 7, to Pros and local short-stops with
nothing better to do. But anyway, the 7's are usually welcome.
 
Johnny Rosato

Johnny Rosato

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
KMRUNOUT said:
In my area (northeast New England), 7's (if you mean APA 7's) range from strong C players up to nearly open players. The majority of 7's are B players. I'm a "7" and rated A+ on most of the tours. I honestly can't think of any tourneys that bar me based on skill. Some are handicapped, many aren't. Some are even races but restricted to a particular class or below. We used to have a little $10 Friday night 10 ball tourney. No handicap and anyone could play.

I find that in my division of APA, I get mixed reception from the other players. I play at a much higher level than the others. Some people think its not fair, I'm a pro, I don't belong in the APA, and the other typical things you hear from people that never really play pool outside of the one bar they frequent. Other people ask me questions, advice, tell me they like watching me play and they learn a lot. The reason I play better than them is because for 20 years I sought out real tourneys with good players...players way better than me. Some people simply have the attitude that if someone is better than me, then it is not fair for me. I think there is no better approach for stagnating at your current level and never developing your game, your heart, and your character.

I still drive 1.5 hours each way every Wednesday to play the weekly tourney at Snookers, because that is where all the best pool players in the area play. That is where the guys that drill my nuts in play. And I want to play against those guys! The tourney typically has 40 players in the colder months and high 20's in the warm weather. I have to pay $30 to enter and B and below pays $20. However it is even races to 3. I tend to have my best finishes when all the big dogs are there. Maybe I beat one of them, maybe I dodge them in the chart. But it puts the idea in my head that the level is high tonight, and I better bring my best.

KMRUNOUT
Click to expand...
Well said, especially the second paragraph!
 
greyghost

greyghost

Coast to Coast
Silver Member
Basically banned in my area they do have doubles events you can play in but I don’t even think there are tourneys that 6’s can enter into singles. There are some I believe that do but you have to be in the league.

Reason being?

Players down my way would rather be given enough weight so they can freewheel instead of getting better or sticking their neck out. Literally pitch a fit over a player in a ten dollar tourney lol it’s quite silly if you ask me.
 
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hang-the-9

hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
KMRUNOUT said:
Curious...what weekly tourneys have even races? Sounds fun.

KMRUNOUT


Sent from my iPhone using AzBilliards Forums
Click to expand...

Ayer on Tuesdays, races to 3 mainly and 2 on losers depending on how many show up.

Green Room in Uxbridge on Wed. That does not get a lot of people, I think 8 is pretty much max with 5-6 normal, including me and Alex. That one had maybe 3-6 other people playing but they quit once me and Alex started going there every week.

You are not looking at Snookers level payouts LOL, Ayer top prize is usually 30-50 with 10 entry, 20% to house of that. We try to pay out 4 spots.

Green Room you can get more but there it's $15 entry and all goes to players, and only top 2 are paid out. You can get $80 or so for first.
 
J

jrctherake

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
alstl said:
Tough decision for the room owner. Without a limit the same few people tend to cash in every tournament and it keeps lower level players away. With a limit the higher level players - who usually are the guy who spend the most time in the pool hall - feel alienated. One solution is handicaps but that is imperfect.
Click to expand...

To me, as a player it is an easy decision......let anyone play anytime in any tournament no matter who they are. If a player is not skilled enough then oh well.......practice, practice....etc...

Now, if I owned the room, well........I would most likely make players at certain skill levels skip a couple tournaments after each time they place in the money since the room owners cannot afford to have a pool player's mentality. One word....overhead...

Like you said, handicap systems are imperfect and are sometimes worse than not having one at all.

I hate the thought of some player beating me out just because I could not out-run some insane spot simply because their skill level is lower than whale chit only because they do not put in the work to get better.

I know a couple of people that have the potential to be solid B players with just a couple hours practice each week but since they are ranked at 4 to 5......lol........they are tough as hell to beat and get in the $$$ more than they should.

One of them all but told me he does not want to improve so he can torture the better players in league. The same player ask me for the 6-out playing for $5 nine ball...lol...he is a joke as a player and as a man.
 
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