[lorider]

I have played in various tournaments over the years...handicapped ...non handicapped with the big boys ...league tournamemts etc...most never started on time and quite a long lag between matches sometimes and ran late a lot.

So due to all the above reasons i have not played in one for a few years....until yesterday. I decided to play in a singles regional qualifier for vegas. I figured i would give it a shot before i got too old to be competitive in such a format. 65 years old now.

Surprisingly it only started a half hour late. My opponent was on fire in my first match and i played lousy...rattled so many pockets it was unbelievable. I lost 4-0 in a 4-4 race.

I thought...dang...waste of money and time the way i am playing. Now here is where i got reminded....3 and a half hours until my next match. After waiting 3 hours i asked the tournament director...when the fug is my next match ? He replied....after so and so finishes his 9 ball match. I did not realize when i entered that they were going to run 8 and 9 ball at the same time. Some players elected to play in both. So if you were scheduled to play 8 ball and your opponent was in the middle of a 9 ball match you had to wait and vice versa for the other format. Damn ! !

I knew the guy i was playing next so i went over to check how his match was going. They were in the first rack. Damn !!

So i go over and sit down at the table where my next match is going to be and decided to take all my cues out wipe them down with alchohol wipes that i always carry and shape and scuff the tips. 4 cues and 6 shafts so it kept me busy for a little while.

So he finaly arrives and on a whim i decide to change cues since i played so poorly earlier. Put the revo up and grabbed the meucci carbon pro.

I won 4-1 in a 4-4 race playing a whole lot better than in first match. Played 3 more matches almost back to back to win the qualifier. Not sure which was harder on me. ...
3 and a half hour wait or 4 matches back to back.

Now that i qualified i am not sure if i want to go through all this again at regionals lol.

[atlas333]

I also played the qualifer. Ours was friday night it was supposed to be 8 ball but they too wanted to play both. It was single elimination and I like you played poor,y in the first match and then I went home! I dont know which of us had the worse time. At least you won!

[strmanglr scott]

I couldn't do that, 3 and half hours! No way.

I can't stand waiting between games. Just waiting for a 5 man league rotation drives me nuts.

I've got in little local tourneys for ten bucks and walked out before I had lost.

We play a different kind of tournament at my local bar. It's 3 losses and you're out. Everyone plays each round. It still runs long but the wait isn't quite so bad. They put too many people in it. Starts at 7ish, if you have a run at winning, you're usually pretty close to closing the bar down. Smh, ridiculous.

[Bavafongoul]

I have a bum right shoulder and it has had so many surgeries it is not worth discussing.
There are days when I can only play for 20-30 mins or often not at all due to aches & pain.
But there are days when it actually allows me to play for several hours and it holds up OK.
On those occasions, I could compete in our local tournaments or cash match play for hours.

The only caveat is my shoulder doesn’t let me pick up where I left off a few hrs ago as earlier
described. When I play, I need to keep playing with minimal rest periods or waiting to play or
else my shoulder gets stiff, starts to ache and it worsens the more I start and stop using it like
when playing pool. So with long delays like what has become indigenous to playing in pool
tournaments, I can win my first match and might not even be able to continue if I have to sit
and wait hours to play again. That’s why I prefer single elimination tournaments that move faster
than having to deal with a losers side bracket. Lose and go home or else play the next match that
happens a whole lot faster. Double elimination does appeal but only if I had a healthy right shoulder.

[JessEm]

I played in my first tournament back in May, a qualifier, and won. Played my first Regional last month, and next April will be playing in Vegas for the first time!

You came this far. As that dictatorship-supporting shoe company say's, "Just do it!"

[poolhustler]

I quite playing tourney's a long time ago..... on a whim I went to the Hard Times 1P Saturday before last. I waited 3 1/2 hours for my first match, 1 1/2 for my second match. Never again.... I much prefer home games where you actually get to play pool instead of sitting around.

[RichSchultz]

last year, in Regionals, I waited 4 hours after my 1st match. I eventually, 14 HOURS LATER, made it to the final. But all the waiting took its toll, and I lost 0-4. Soooo close to Vegas, but ran out of gas. I qualified again this year, and hope I manage my energy better.

[ChrisinNC]

Originally Posted by lorider

I have played in various tournaments over the years...handicapped ...non handicapped with the big boys ...league tournamemts etc...most never started on time and quite a long lag between matches sometimes and ran late a lot.

So due to all the above reasons i have not played in one for a few years....until yesterday. I decided to play in a singles regional qualifier for vegas. I figured i would give it a shot before i got too old to be competitive in such a format. 65 years old now.

Surprisingly it only started a half hour late. My opponent was on fire in my first match and i played lousy...rattled so many pockets it was unbelievable. I lost 4-0 in a 4-4 race.

I thought...dang...waste of money and time the way i am playing. Now here is where i got reminded....3 and a half hours until my next match. After waiting 3 hours i asked the tournament director...when the fug is my next match ? He replied....after so and so finishes his 9 ball match. I did not realize when i entered that they were going to run 8 and 9 ball at the same time. Some players elected to play in both. So if you were scheduled to play 8 ball and your opponent was in the middle of a 9 ball match you had to wait and vice versa for the other format. Damn ! !

I knew the guy i was playing next so i went over to check how his match was going. They were in the first rack. Damn !!

So i go over and sit down at the table where my next match is going to be and decided to take all my cues out wipe them down with alchohol wipes that i always carry and shape and scuff the tips. 4 cues and 6 shafts so it kept me busy for a little while.

So he finaly arrives and on a whim i decide to change cues since i played so poorly earlier. Put the revo up and grabbed the meucci carbon pro.

I won 4-1 in a 4-4 race playing a whole lot better than in first match. Played 3 more matches almost back to back to win the qualifier. Not sure which was harder on me. ...
3 and a half hour wait or 4 matches back to back.

Now that i qualified i am not sure if i want to go through all this again at regionals lol.

Players should have been given the choice to play in either the 8-ball or 9-ball event, with the understanding that if they chose to play in both and their match was called to a table to start when they were playing in another match, they'd have to choose between which one to forfeit out of.

4 cues and 6 shafts - really? I thought I was the only one that had too many cues to choose from when I get ready to play - LOL!

[CESSNA10]

Originally Posted by poolhustler

I quite playing tourney's a long time ago..... on a whim I went to the Hard Times 1P Saturday before last. I waited 3 1/2 hours for my first match, 1 1/2 for my second match. Never again.... I much prefer home games where you actually get to play pool instead of sitting around.

I agree, find a playing partner or 2 and play at home in comfort and be your
own tournament director.

[d8nk]

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 sometimes Unfortunately last Friday no lessons were learned from the slow player except don't be that guy!

[CocoboloCowboy]

I quit plating in a Tuesday night 9 Ball Tournment for many reason years ago for many reasons.

Too many crazy over served drunks.

Too many bar fights.

Too many times the Tournment was canceled because the bar owner book a league.

Long drive, little money in the purse, Tournment went into the wee hour of the am, because the bar owner want to serve more drinks.

Who needs this nonsense for 60 - 80 Bucks First Place and 6 - 7 hour of time in a bar, and travel both ways. Even if you a winner, you a looser, if you do the math.

[toddgator]

You're correct on all points regarding why one wouldn't want to play in tournaments.

However, at this point I'd suggest doing the regional qualifier. You've already paid the $$ for the qualifying board and the regional tourney does not charge you entry. Not playing in it means you spent the $$ on the qualifier for nothing other than the privilege of sitting around most of that day. Theoretically the regional tourneys move faster because you don't have conflicting boards with the same people playing in both. That alone cuts out most of the bulls__t you get when playing qualifiers.

[336Robin]

The best playing I've ever done was with a good opponent over 3 to 4 hours. The most satisfying pool I've ever played. Tournaments not near as much.

Originally Posted by lorider

I have played in various tournaments over the years...handicapped ...non handicapped with the big boys ...league tournamemts etc...most never started on time and quite a long lag between matches sometimes and ran late a lot.

So due to all the above reasons i have not played in one for a few years....until yesterday. I decided to play in a singles regional qualifier for vegas. I figured i would give it a shot before i got too old to be competitive in such a format. 65 years old now.

Surprisingly it only started a half hour late. My opponent was on fire in my first match and i played lousy...rattled so many pockets it was unbelievable. I lost 4-0 in a 4-4 race.

I thought...dang...waste of money and time the way i am playing. Now here is where i got reminded....3 and a half hours until my next match. After waiting 3 hours i asked the tournament director...when the fug is my next match ? He replied....after so and so finishes his 9 ball match. I did not realize when i entered that they were going to run 8 and 9 ball at the same time. Some players elected to play in both. So if you were scheduled to play 8 ball and your opponent was in the middle of a 9 ball match you had to wait and vice versa for the other format. Damn ! !

I knew the guy i was playing next so i went over to check how his match was going. They were in the first rack. Damn !!

So i go over and sit down at the table where my next match is going to be and decided to take all my cues out wipe them down with alchohol wipes that i always carry and shape and scuff the tips. 4 cues and 6 shafts so it kept me busy for a little while.

So he finaly arrives and on a whim i decide to change cues since i played so poorly earlier. Put the revo up and grabbed the meucci carbon pro.

I won 4-1 in a 4-4 race playing a whole lot better than in first match. Played 3 more matches almost back to back to win the qualifier. Not sure which was harder on me. ...
3 and a half hour wait or 4 matches back to back.

Now that i qualified i am not sure if i want to go through all this again at regionals lol.

[poolhustler]

I'm curious how this is age related. I used to play tons of tourneys. But now at an older age I would rather play at home or friends places. More pool, less time.

[lorider]

Originally Posted by poolhustler

I'm curious how this is age related. I used to play tons of tourneys. But now at an older age I would rather play at home or friends places. More pool, less time.

What does it have to do with age ? How many 65 year olds do you know that can play their best 4 matches in a row over a 5 hour period against players the same level with i would guess the avarage age of those 4 opponents to be around 30 years old ?

Thats after sitting on hard ass bar stools for 3 and a half hours after their first match.