How good were you?

You will likely be shaking like crazy just racking the balls. It took me about my 4th tournament that I finally was fully relaxed & confident.

This might seem odd to some but don't rush when driving to the tournament. If you leave in a rush, driving fast on the road, then that's likely how you will feel when you get to the tourney. Leave early and take your time and keep your anxiety and heart rate down.

Also, don't be surprised if you kinda get the non-friendly treatment at the table from your opponent. It's not that they are bad people (well some are jerks) it's just they like to stay focused.

If there is a Calcutta, don't even buy yourself. It's just more to think and wonder about. If you are a new player and begin playing more tournaments and nobody continues to buy you, wait to buy the field (players who weren't bought) at the end which will include you anyways. That's if you want to even mess with the Calcutta.


Sent from my iPhone using AzBilliards Forums

I don't remember my first tournament, but I must have been a C player for quite a few of them, then a low to mid B when I started winning a few local ones or trying out some of the regional ones where I would never cash.

My best finish even now 30 years after I started playing in anything decent was a 5-6 tie at an 8 ball regional event. This is outside of local tournaments with 8-24 people or so, those I have quite a few wins in now.

Actually I did have a few nice finishes at a strong local tournament in the 90s in a room that is closed now in the Boston area, it was known for good players, it's where you would find the A players that you never see in other rooms. I won that once, and then next week came in second. Was probably my best accomplishment at that time.

As long as you don't go into a tournament with an inflated idea about how good you are, you will do fine, to your ability. I see many players come into tournaments once, get beaten by good C or B players and never return.

I was a total beginner player when I played my first tournament.

Have fun.

They will probably let you win.

Or NOT

My first tournament was a D-class only event. I went two and out, losing 5-1, 5-0. Gotta start somewhere.

It was a strong motivator to get better, that's for sure.

I played in a lot of tournament's as a kid, almost always finished in the money...I think I won the first 12 I entered, always little bar tournament's. The very first was a tournament we had about every six months between the Elks's lodge and the Eagle's lodge....I won that running away for three years until I went into the military.

Anyway after 10-12 tournament's in the Fort Stewart Georgia area, my wife gave birth to my son, we promptly got divorced and I forgot about pool altogether for 17 years and focused on raising my son.

Fast forward to 2015, got back into the game and thought I would start back up by winning a couple of cheap 9 ball tournaments...on Tuesday night's in Denton Tx...well first time I went Jeremy Jones won the tournament, never heard of the guy but he had lock up safety game...second time I went Sky Woodward and a couple of his buddies were killing it, in this 10 dollar 9 ball tournament...

It was a full year before I finally got a second place finish in that event, to this day I am more proud of that second place finish than any of the tournaments I have ever actually won.

CGM said:

Im so glad yall didnt come on here and tell me that I shouldnt enter a tourney until I can run a 6 pack, because Im a long way from that. Ill let yall know how I did on Wednesday.

Click to expand...

You have to crawl before you walk, walk before you run.

Many of us did a lot of crawling. LOL!

Go play. We are rooting for you! No pressure. :thumbup:


.

………………………..

My first tournament was a one pocket tournament at golden cue. Mind you I was and still am a bad player but at the time was a 4 in APA. Needless to say I lost badly but I had tons of fun and learned a lot. My first opponent in the tournament was Santos Sambajon and I didn't know it was him til I looked him up after my match after thinking he was too good. Man did my jaw drop after I learned lol

I played my first tourney when I was 13 in the local arcade and was really nervous and obviously lost all my matches. Played on a regular basis and taught I was pretty good as I was doing ok in bca/vnea league..that is until I met filipino pro ramon mistica when I was 33; then realized I don't know dick all about the sport. Ramon was kind enough to take me as a student, and for the past 12 years, I can see that my game has sky rocketed and I jave a little more understanding of the game compared to before. I'm not a champ but ramon gave me the tools to understand the game better and improve myself on a constant basis.

Q: How Good Were You?

My apologies to Toby Keith for As Good As I Once Was and the folks competing at Steinway this past weekend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldQrapQ4d0Y

He said I've seen you in here before,
I said I've been here at Steinway a time or two,
He said hello my name Chris Melling
Meet my opponent, Mika too
And we're both feeling the vibe tonight,
You're the only one pocket player in this place,
If you're up for a game,
I'll put a big World Pool Series 8-ball smile on your face.
I said guys,
I ain't as good as I once was,
I got a few years on me now,
But there was a time,
Back in my prime,
When I could really lay it down,
If you need some 4 cushion coaching tonight,
Then I might have just enough,
I ain't as good once was,
But I'm as good once, as I ever was.
I still hang out with my best friend Darren,
I've known him since we were kids at school.
Last night he had a few shots,
Got in a tight spot
Hustling a game of pool,
With a couple of Megabucks league boys,
And one…
I said Darren!
I ain't as good as I once was,
My how the years have flown,
But there was a time,
Back in my prime,
When I could really hold my own,
But if you want a match tonight,
Guess those Sunday 10-ball tournament boys don't look all that tough,
I ain't as good once was,
But I'm as good once, as I ever was.
I used to be hell on wheels,
Back when I was a younger man
Now my stroke says "Oh, You can't do this boy",
But my pride says "Oh yes you can"
I ain't as good as I once was,
That's just the cold, hard truth, (huh)
I still throw a few back,
Talk a little AZ smack,
When I'm feeling bullet proof,
So don't double, dog dare me now,
Cause I'd have to call your bluff,
I ain't as good as I once once was,
But I'm as good once, as I ever was.
May not be good as I once was,
But I'm as good once, as I ever was

I need to quit those bath salts.

When I was young

When I was young I could really play
I'll tell you kid, I could cut the paint off them balls
No fancy cue either, I played off the wall
I shot so straight I would run out from anywhere
Jacked up, or off the end rail, I didn't care
When I walked in those hustlers had nothin to say, cause
Back when I was young I could really play
I would play for days without any rest
Everyone knew I was the best of the best
I would fire em in bank em like rockets
Hell I was barred more than once for wearing out the pockets
I had money, cars, and more gals than five guys could lay
Back when I was young I could really play
I went for years never missing a ball
My picture hung on every pool room wall
When I walked in you could here a mouse cough
I'd give all them hustlers the seven, and shoot their nuts off
Then I'd look up with a big ole grin, and yell rack em up house man
I busted them suckers again
Nobody beat me back in the day, cause
Back when I was young I could really play
Now I'm old and half blind, can't tell a solid from a stripe
So I just sit and watch and puff my old pipe
But if I close my eyes I can see the action and smell the smoke in
them old halls
I'm young once again never missing a ball
So keep on playing kid cause you've got a gift from above
Nine to fivers do what they hate, you're doing what you love
You'll have a million stories for your grand kids one day,and you'll tell em
Back when I was young I could really play

anyway, that's how I remember it
jack

2 Thumbs up on this thread

:thumbup::thumbup:

When we were kids we banged balls around a fair bit. I could win prizes at the local county fair on those cockeyed crooked tables. Hit it hard and dont give it a chance to roll off. I could shoot straighter than those tables were crooked.

But, that didnt teach me a damn thing about the game. (8 Ball)

40 years later, In 2008, a local bar owner asked me if I wanted to play the Montana state VNEA 8 Ball tournament, a player dropped out and I had a free ticket. I was sponsored, so sure why not.. right?

The rules were explained. Tournament play is different than bar table play on friday night.
Safeties, Key balls etc.. Strategy? 8 ball? what strategy. Safety play was something I had not heard of. Hmmm, well ok then. So I practised the night before and the next morning away I go.

At the tournament I found out how green I really was, I asked questions like: What are those coins on the table for? I was really green.

During my first match, I remembered this thing called a safety. Basically, I fired all my balls in until I didnt have a shot, called Safe, and rolled out like you would in 9 ball. No rail, didnt hit my designated group (stripe or solid) put the cue ball in a crappy spot, and argued until I was blue in the face that it was a legal shot. The boys in the bar said so. Right? lol

So, reality struck, my pool career had begun with a 2 and out as a bonafide B player.

However, I didnt sulk, whine, or complain. I went home, bought a 9' table, an expensive cue for $140, and tried to wear the slate on that poor table out. Played a lot of the local friday night barbox tournaments, and started to learn how to properly play a game of 8 ball. Someone said to go hit a million balls, so I tried.

3 years later, I came back and placed 2nd in the same tournament.

There are lots more wins and even more losses and a lot of folks now say, you play pretty good ! I always respond with, "It just depends on who the competition is."

The memories, The stories we have. I Love it.

How Good Was I ???????????????????/

How Good Were You?

The simple, honest answer for most readers and certainly myself is below.


"The Older I Get..................The Better I Was."

As a kid growing up in Brooklyn back in the 50's, when I recall my youth, I can remember playing stick ball and hitting Spaldings two sewers.......Not!

Yup, for most of us, the older we get, the better we were.



Matt B.

In some ways better, in other ways worst.

CGM said:

How good were you when you entered your first tournament and how good/bad did it go? Playing in my first nine ball tourney tomorrow night.

Click to expand...

So...How did it go?

First tournament I entered was a 64 player field full of world beaters. I won one match somehow, and then got beat like a red headed step child. Was a good lesson for a 18 year old that thought they knew everything. Had been gambling for a couple years at that point.

CGM said:

Im so glad yall didnt come on here and tell me that I shouldnt enter a tourney until I can run a 6 pack, because Im a long way from that. Ill let yall know how I did on Wednesday.

Click to expand...

Yeah. That would be ridiculous. I didn't run a sixpack until my second tournament...

There was a time I was slightly less bad then what I currently am...

...those were the days.