how are ya'll doing in league ?

nine_ball6970

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
naparules.com is a handy, mobile-friendly site with all the rules.

Some of the rules are pretty funny.

NOTE: Telling your teammate which category of balls he or she has is a foul and the incoming shooter receives cue ball in hand.

I feel like, if anything, that would be considered a time out. SMH
 

krupa

The Dream Operator
Silver Member
Some of the rules are pretty funny.

NOTE: Telling your teammate which category of balls he or she has is a foul and the incoming shooter receives cue ball in hand.

I feel like, if anything, that would be considered a time out. SMH

Unfortunately, a lot of the rules are ambiguous. This is a good example. I think they just mean that you can't shout out what group your player has. I believe that if you called "time out" you could tell them. The reason I think that is that it is not listed under "illegal coaching".
 

nine_ball6970

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Unfortunately, a lot of the rules are ambiguous. This is a good example. I think they just mean that you can't shout out what group your player has. I believe that if you called "time out" you could tell them. The reason I think that is that it is not listed under "illegal coaching".

I meant the other team could say that was the timeout for the particular game in which you told your player which group they are.

I will have to look more into the rules. The league operator is on my team so I give him all kinds of suggestions about the league. He takes constructive criticism well so that helps.

I do not see much of a difference between being able to tell your player that they have ball in hand and which group they are shooting.

I also disagree with no timeouts allowed for players above a 70. It is hard to watch someone in the 70-90 range do something blatantly wrong and not be able to help. Nobody knows everything and sometimes it is good to just bounce a couple ideas off someone else.

Reminds me of one year during APA Nationals. My opponent called a time out so one of my teammates came over to talk to me. I was pretty surprised. He just says "Hey, you look like you need someone to talk to. I can't tell you anything you don't already know, so don't forget to breathe." Then he just walks off laughing.
 

NitPicker

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Tonight is our last night for the season. We were in the top 5 after the first half but our team struggled after the new year. I'm not sure we're in the top 10 now. Last week I finally played decent after two consecutive weeks of unusually poor performance due to several personal issues going on the past month or so. I've put in a lot of hours on my GC1 this weekend so I feel pretty good about getting on a much easier Valley tonight.

A summer league will begin shortly after Memorial Day. Still undecided if I'm going to continue playing in bar leagues. I do enjoy the social aspects but I don't feel it's the right environment for me to make the improvements to my game that I'm looking for right now. So I may take a break from it and play in more tournaments and money games instead.

Not sure if this exists elsewhere but one thing I do like about summer league here is that it's not for points or standings, but instead each game is played for $1. So if you lose, you have to pay your opponent a buck. Although it's a tiny prize, that extra $3 each week seems to satisfy me more than playing for a trophy or whatever. Anyone else have something similar to this? This is only place I've seen such a format but as someone who used to play for a dollar or two in any random bar, I really enjoy it.

I would rather play in pool room tournaments even if I'm not cashing in because the competition is tougher. But the real problem for me is I hate driving 45-60 minutes one way to a pool hall on a week night.
 

nine_ball6970

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
These races in NAPA seem to be getting tougher especially when I am not playing my A game.

Last night I played 8 ball first. Race was 7-3. I take a 6-1 lead and rip the 8 ball which puts him on the hill as well. Win the hill-hill game but struggled.

In 9 ball, it was a 7-4 race. I am up 5-2 and then play a bad safe. That puts him on the hill. I make a nice out to make it 6-3. He hooks me on the 3 ball but I have an easy kick. I kick safe back and am happy with the result. He drills the kick and then runs out the rest of the rack for the win.

I think part of the problem is I am just worn out by the time I play my 9 ball match.

There is a local NAPA 8 ball tournament this weekend. Hopefully I play well in that. I find it strange how they do the brackets. Top rated player vs second highest rating and so on down the list. So lowest ranked player plays second lowest. I would prefer a random draw instead of having to slug it out with a master/grandmaster in the first round. Then the races are really lopsided on the B side.
 

krupa

The Dream Operator
Silver Member
First update in 8 days? Get it together!

Out of curiosity.. what do the races/handicaps go up to in napa?

Handicaps never stop! When you win you go up a point or two, when you lose, you go down a point or two. The highest right now is around 150.

Races are determined by the difference between the two players. Two 80s (approx. APA 7's) would be a 5-5 race.

I think the biggest race would be 10-2. I tried different numbers at naparaces.com (e.g., 100 to 10, 150 to 5).


edited to add: I've played a couple singles matches, won a 5-4 8-ball race 5-1; lost a 7-3 8-ball race 6-3.
 

NitPicker

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Out of 14 "A" teams in our bar league, our team took 5th place. Not too shabby, especially considering we had a couple true beginners that was almost like taking a forfeit every game there for a while. But everyone improved since the beginning of the season, and everyone had a lot of fun in the process. Not sure what the playoffs will be like since this is my first season playing in a league. Time will tell.
 

Dockter

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Well with this season coming to an end I thought I would throw my highlights of the season in here. As I've state multiple times, I'm not that great and only started taking pool serious the last couple years so these were decent for me.

I finished 9-12th in a pretty tough field at an MPA event at Grand Falls Casino out of around 90 in C.

I finished 25-32 out of 160 at SD state in C in which one of my teammates from a different league knocked me into the loser bracket (and a crazy field, I've never seen that many tables run in C) and cashed in teams to cash at both events which I was kind of happy with although I shot terrible for the most part. I did have an ero in teams which I was happy about beings I do decent in singles but always struggle when it comes to teams and can't figure out why. I only had 2 ero's in singles.

Although we didn't cash at Grand Falls as a team the highlight of the year was being the last shooter in the last round up 2 balls. I had to get on the 8 to win. The captain tells me I better have nerves of steal because if I lose we are done. We are shooting a better team and I'm shooting 1 of the 2 A players on their team. He breaks dry and I run off 7 to keep him in his seat and move us on to the next round. It felt great.

2nd favorite moment was my first time playing on a table with procut pockets. Found a couple 9 footers in town I didn't know about, well one of them we can't touch because it's Shane's but the other was a beautiful 9 ft Gabriele which the first game took a buddy and I about 10 minutes to finish a game of 8 ball. The next game I break and run. It was great. Now all the people that claim 9 footers are so much better than a bb I know why. It's just a different feeling playing on one.
 
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Dockter

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Out of 14 "A" teams in our bar league, our team took 5th place. Not too shabby, especially considering we had a couple true beginners that was almost like taking a forfeit every game there for a while. But everyone improved since the beginning of the season, and everyone had a lot of fun in the process. Not sure what the playoffs will be like since this is my first season playing in a league. Time will tell.

I know exactly how you feel. I brought in 2 new guys last year that have never shot league and barely shot in bars. We ran over a small league where half the teams couldn't see the table by the last round and that's not fun to me so this year I moved us up to a "B" league ( not true B just how the leagues work around here ) and brought in another guy that just turned 21 that rarely shot. He started at a 4 and although we are towards the bottom of the league it's been awesome watching them all improve over the year or two. It was a wake up call to the 2 I brought in last year because they got used to winning but they have got a lot better knowing they might only get a shot or two at the table.
 

Celophanewrap

Call me Grace
Silver Member
We had a great night last week on league night, picked up max points on both sides of the Double Jeopardy and really improved our standing in both. We were animals, it was a near perfect night......
.... the other team didn't show and told us they were going to have to forfeit, they'd probably be quitting, cocktails and wings all around. If they had shown we probably wouldn't have done as well.
My game has picked up quite a bit as the weather has been better. I was getting blown in January and February, it's kind of a relief to see and feel my stroke coming back. I can finally make more than one ball in a row again
 

Banks

Banned
Handicaps never stop! When you win you go up a point or two, when you lose, you go down a point or two. The highest right now is around 150.

Races are determined by the difference between the two players. Two 80s (approx. APA 7's) would be a 5-5 race.

I think the biggest race would be 10-2. I tried different numbers at naparaces.com (e.g., 100 to 10, 150 to 5).


edited to add: I've played a couple singles matches, won a 5-4 8-ball race 5-1; lost a 7-3 8-ball race 6-3.

Thanks for the info! Sounds like you're doing alright yourself.

Out of 14 "A" teams in our bar league, our team took 5th place. Not too shabby, especially considering we had a couple true beginners that was almost like taking a forfeit every game there for a while. But everyone improved since the beginning of the season, and everyone had a lot of fun in the process. Not sure what the playoffs will be like since this is my first season playing in a league. Time will tell.

Sounds like you're doing well, too.

Well with this season coming to an end I thought I would throw my highlights of the season in here. As I've state multiple times, I'm not that great and only started taking pool serious the last couple years so these were decent for me.

I finished 9-12th in a pretty tough field at an MPA event at Grand Falls Casino out of around 90 in C.

I finished 25-32 out of 160 at SD state in C in which one of my teammates from a different league knocked me into the loser bracket (and a crazy field, I've never seen that many tables run in C) and cashed in teams to cash at both events which I was kind of happy with although I shot terrible for the most part. I did have an ero in teams which I was happy about beings I do decent in singles but always struggle when it comes to teams and can't figure out why. I only had 2 ero's in singles.

Although we didn't cash at Grand Falls as a team the highlight of the year was being the last shooter in the last round up 2 balls. I had to get on the 8 to win. The captain tells me I better have nerves of steal because if I lose we are done. We are shooting a better team and I'm shooting 1 of the 2 A players on their team. He breaks dry and I run off 7 to keep him in his seat and move us on to the next round. It felt great.

Nice work. Every time i play in our regional, I'm reminded that I'm not the only one that thinks they're ready to move up. Kinda missed out again this time around.

Ok, I'll check back in after a couple more weeks. :p
 

justadub

Rattling corners nightly
Silver Member
Having a so-so session, both 8 & 9. Really lacking focus, job stuff hasn't helped.

I lost my 7 last session and replaced him with another 5 on my 8-ball team. Changed the dynamic on how we approach each match. All four of us 5's can play well, with differing strengths and weaknesses. I've tried to take on the best player from the opposing team, if I can arrange it, and have my other guys make the points. I enjoy the challenge, more so than a couple of my other 5s, and I think I handle the pressure better, more capable of grinding it out, trying to at least prevent a shut out, maybe get a point by getting to the hill, or even pulling off the upset.

Last week I got one of the stronger players in our area. He obviously wasn't playing his best, whether it was just an off night or he wasn't taking me seriously, or both. I managed to get the first game, and had other opportunities to win more. A little frustrating to not take advantage of his off night, but some encouraging things too.

Last night I drew another 5, and I won 4-2, with winning the last game with an 8-on-the-break. :p

I had gotten the 8 moving pretty well on my first three breaks, so it wasn't really surprising. Some nights I can't get it to move at all... Kinda fun to win the match that way. For me at least....
 

Banks

Banned
Last week I got one of the stronger players in our area. He obviously wasn't playing his best, whether it was just an off night or he wasn't taking me seriously, or both. I managed to get the first game, and had other opportunities to win more. A little frustrating to not take advantage of his off night, but some encouraging things too.

Last night I drew another 5, and I won 4-2, with winning the last game with an 8-on-the-break. :p

I had gotten the 8 moving pretty well on my first three breaks, so it wasn't really surprising. Some nights I can't get it to move at all... Kinda fun to win the match that way. For me at least....

That's one of the big things - figuring out how to win even if you're not playing that well.

The 8 break thing has happened to me before, it sucks. :p. Of course, a while back i had a knack for finishing with a bnr. Then it happened to me. First thing i said.. "oh, that's how that feels." :embarrassed2:
 

heresy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've been really inconsistent lately. I can co from hot to cold at the flip of a switch. Not sure what's going on with me.

As a side note, I'm seriously considering renaming my team "Cuekkake" for the next session.
 

DAVE_M

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
That's one of the big things - figuring out how to win even if you're not playing that well.

The 8 break thing has happened to me before, it sucks. :p. Of course, a while back i had a knack for finishing with a bnr. Then it happened to me. First thing i said.. "oh, that's how that feels." :embarrassed2:

Best feeling in the world :thumbup:

I have not been able to play much this session. Going into City Cup, we had (3) SL6, (2) SL5, (2) SL4, and (1) SL3. Our SL3 got bumped to a SL4 and one of our SL5's got bumped to an SL6. So the only way we could play was 6,5,4,4,4.

Well, we sort of lucked out last week. Our SL3, that went to a SL4, was back down to a SL3. However, we lost that luck, when one of our SL4's got bumped to a SL5. So now we have to play SL6, SL5, SL5, SL4, SL3. It's like we are on tilt. So, I doubt any of our SL6's will bump up or down, because we won't get play time.

I've played four league matches and one match at the tournament. I'm 3-1 in division play. I beat three SL6's and lost to a SL5 in division play. I beat an SL6 at the tournament. I don't know how that will effect my handicap, but if I don't get more play, I won't have to worry about that :frown:
 

Banks

Banned
Best feeling in the world :thumbup:

I have not been able to play much this session. Going into City Cup, we had (3) SL6, (2) SL5, (2) SL4, and (1) SL3. Our SL3 got bumped to a SL4 and one of our SL5's got bumped to an SL6. So the only way we could play was 6,5,4,4,4.

Well, we sort of lucked out last week. Our SL3, that went to a SL4, was back down to a SL3. However, we lost that luck, when one of our SL4's got bumped to a SL5. So now we have to play SL6, SL5, SL5, SL4, SL3. It's like we are on tilt. So, I doubt any of our SL6's will bump up or down, because we won't get play time.

I've played four league matches and one match at the tournament. I'm 3-1 in division play. I beat three SL6's and lost to a SL5 in division play. I beat an SL6 at the tournament. I don't know how that will effect my handicap, but if I don't get more play, I won't have to worry about that :frown:

Right now, my two teams are 7 5 5 5 4 4 4 3, with some possible dropping for the most part, and 7 6 6 5 5 4 3 3 - the team i was recruited onto for regionals. Got a total of 9 matches in between the two in eleven weeks.
 

philly

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Having a good session at our in house 8 ball league. 8-1 this session. Have been lucky enough to find a way to win my matches.
 

krupa

The Dream Operator
Silver Member
Thanks for the info! Sounds like you're doing alright yourself.

Yeah, I'm doing pretty well overall. I would like to see my ratings get above 80 but it's tough; you have to get on a hot streak and win multiple weeks in a row. Also, because it's lagger's choice, you may not play a game for a while. The last time I played 9-ball was back in October!
 

DAVE_M

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Right now, my two teams are 7 5 5 5 4 4 4 3, with some possible dropping for the most part, and 7 6 6 5 5 4 3 3 - the team i was recruited onto for regionals. Got a total of 9 matches in between the two in eleven weeks.

That's not a bad layout. What's killing us is having four 6's and two 5's. We were told by our LO at the City Cup tournament that we are only allowed to play two "high handicap" players. They consider a 6-9 to be high handicap.
 
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