i need to see if there are any good pool players here that know what to do in tournaments i need help!:smile:
how to play in tournaments
- Thread starter travis trotter
- Start date
that might work but see this will be my first tournament ever
Tournaments are like halloween everyone dresses up in a costume to scare their opponents.
This would be a good starting point.
You dont want to be the only one out of place.
This would be a good starting point.
You dont want to be the only one out of place.
Realize your limitations
Realize your limitations, if you have any chance at all to go safe, go safe after that you get ball in hand, then make the balls you can and plan to go safe again. Its likely this strategy will put you at the table more. You have to be at the table to have a chance to win. If you have clusters you arent sure you can break up and run out....go safe.
Realize your limitations, if you have any chance at all to go safe, go safe after that you get ball in hand, then make the balls you can and plan to go safe again. Its likely this strategy will put you at the table more. You have to be at the table to have a chance to win. If you have clusters you arent sure you can break up and run out....go safe.
Imagine you are playing your dad and keep winning.
then you'll probably lose
but that's just what losers do
So the question you gotta ask yourself is am i gonna keep on being a goofy headed little loser, or am i gonna get my act together... buy some new cues, AND GO OUT THERE AND WIN SOME DAMN TOURNAMENTS?!!
Depends on if you are right or left handed.
First thing's first: Get a Molinari glove, they are all the rave right now, and they combo well with a Cuetec.
walk in about an 45 minutes before the start time.
find the tournament director.
tell him you want to play.
answer his questions.
ask him if it's winner break. ask him if it's rack your own. ask if there are any important rules you should know about.
pay the entrance fee.
ask him if you can warm-up.
listen for your name when he calls out the matches, or find your name on the chart.
go to the assigned table.
introduce yourself to your opponent.
make sure you both understand the race length/handicap.
flip a coin or lag for the first break. wish him luck if you want.
rack the balls and sit down, or rack the balls and break.
sit down and stay quiet and still when the other guy is shooting.
be mindful of players on other tables.
if you win a game, mark you game with a bead on an over-head wire or a coin under the rail.
if you lose a game you can help get the balls from the pockets usually on one side.
if you win the match, shake his hand and report the result to the director.
if you lose the match, let him report the result. follow close behind to see if you have a losers-side match.
repeat. go home or hangout and watch if you lose the second match.
if sh*t really starts going south, you grab your stomach, pretend your sick, and GTF out of there without saying a word to anybody.
HAVE FUN!
find the tournament director.
tell him you want to play.
answer his questions.
ask him if it's winner break. ask him if it's rack your own. ask if there are any important rules you should know about.
pay the entrance fee.
ask him if you can warm-up.
listen for your name when he calls out the matches, or find your name on the chart.
go to the assigned table.
introduce yourself to your opponent.
make sure you both understand the race length/handicap.
flip a coin or lag for the first break. wish him luck if you want.
rack the balls and sit down, or rack the balls and break.
sit down and stay quiet and still when the other guy is shooting.
be mindful of players on other tables.
if you win a game, mark you game with a bead on an over-head wire or a coin under the rail.
if you lose a game you can help get the balls from the pockets usually on one side.
if you win the match, shake his hand and report the result to the director.
if you lose the match, let him report the result. follow close behind to see if you have a losers-side match.
repeat. go home or hangout and watch if you lose the second match.
if sh*t really starts going south, you grab your stomach, pretend your sick, and GTF out of there without saying a word to anybody.
HAVE FUN!
couple more things:
don't tell them you're a pro... best to surprise them
absolutely don't forget to mark your games
and don't be surprised if guys begin trying to slide an extra bead when they start figuring-out that you're a pro... eyes peeled. travis
if it looks like you're going to cash, find a SUBTLE way of learning how the payouts work. SUBTLY confirm with other sources.
if it seems like you're getting a raw deal, and you don't know the place or the people, don't say anything. take your medicine and don't go back.
don't tell them you're a pro... best to surprise them
absolutely don't forget to mark your games
and don't be surprised if guys begin trying to slide an extra bead when they start figuring-out that you're a pro... eyes peeled. travis
if it looks like you're going to cash, find a SUBTLE way of learning how the payouts work. SUBTLY confirm with other sources.
if it seems like you're getting a raw deal, and you don't know the place or the people, don't say anything. take your medicine and don't go back.
Last edited:
PoolChump
Banned
Play Smart
Play smart. Run out when you can. Play safe when you can't. :thumbup:
Play smart. Run out when you can. Play safe when you can't. :thumbup:
jmarcum1984
Registered
Thank you, PhilosopherKing. I do not have the experience that many of the guys on here have, and taking the time to give expectations of a tournament to a guy new to tournament playing is very helpful. I read each one and hope to use your advice the next tournament I get to play.
I read all the time how the pool scene is dying in the USA, and then see all the negative, snarky responses to new guys. Folks new to pool will need a lot of encouragement and help from guys like you in order for the trend to turn around. So, thanks.
I read all the time how the pool scene is dying in the USA, and then see all the negative, snarky responses to new guys. Folks new to pool will need a lot of encouragement and help from guys like you in order for the trend to turn around. So, thanks.
I have not read every post in this thread. I was a bundle of nerves in my first tournament. I got better by playing tournament after tournament. I am a solid "B" player that can elevate to "A" when my head is right. I play in tournaments that are not handicapped and occasionally there are a few open players in them. Now I want to play the best player in the room because I believe, perhaps mistakenly, that if I can play my best game and get a few rolls, I can beat anybody. A positive attitude is necessary for tournament play. The only way to get that attitude is to play tournament after tournament and be in it for the competition not the winnings.
Couple thing:
PhilosopherKing's post was superb.
Travis Trotter is by no means a "new guy."
I tell first timers to try their best to stay on the winners side! Depending on the size of the field, each win on the winner sides could shave off 2-3 rounds on the loser side to get to the same place. Most cases if you lose the 1st match you will need to play 3x the amount of games to get to the finals as the guy who just won his way there.
Nobody mentioned that in between matches, smoke crack.