how are ya'll doing in league ?

Spimp13

O8 Specialist
Silver Member
Mini Brag from yesterday - Won a spot in regionals as a newly bumped 8 handicap even though 8 ball is hands down my better game.

Beat - I planned to take the summer off and found out after I paid the brackets were drawn that you have to be on a roster if you win a spot. I still had to give it a decent effort and shipped a spot...

So much for the summer off...fortunately I can stay on a roster and just get in 4 shoots "hopefully", no more lol.
 

justadub

Rattling corners nightly
Silver Member
Mini Brag from yesterday - Won a spot in regionals as a newly bumped 8 handicap even though 8 ball is hands down my better game.

Beat - I planned to take the summer off and found out after I paid the brackets were drawn that you have to be on a roster if you win a spot. I still had to give it a decent effort and shipped a spot...

So much for the summer off...fortunately I can stay on a roster and just get in 4 shoots "hopefully", no more lol.

You'll play....you can't get away from it :p
 

Rain-Man

Team Deplorable
Silver Member
Rain man....is playing the top points guy the only way you can win it? Could you have your best player beat him 6-0 to stop him from getting the points and then have a good match against their best shooter and still come out on top? My vote would be to go for the win.

Well.... (drum roll please)......

I laid an egg :sorry: My best player was not there, but neither was their best player (both played in a tournament somewhere). I did everything I could to draw him out, but it was pretty obvious he had every intention of dodging me (understandable). Got to the 4th match, and it was my call, so I put myself up, knowing he had control over whether or not he was going to shoot me or not.. It would have been a 6-3 race if he'd have shot himself against me, or an 8-2 for his other player left..
I played horrible, but go to the hill at 7-0. Should be a done deal, right? Even got a ball in hand ON THE FRICKIN 8-BALL! It was kinda locked up on one of the 6 balls he still had on the table, but instead of playing it safe and just unlocking it (which would have put it right in front of of the corner pocket, AND left his ball in a bad spot), what do I do, I say to myself "I got this, I can make this shot". Dumb.. Whitey ever so slightly touches his ball, then the eight go in. Loss. . The worst part about it, was he didn't even see the foul. It was ever so slight of a touch, that only the shooter would have known it touched it. He comes to shake my hand and say, "well, I tried my best.. Good match.", I said not yet, and grabbed the rack. He just looked at me completely confused. I told him I fouled on the shot. His team didn't have a clue either, I had to explain it (I think 5 times :angry:, making it that much worse). Went on to lose the next game too (he earned that one though)...
Oh well, life goes on.... :wink:
 

Spimp13

O8 Specialist
Silver Member
You'll play....you can't get away from it :p

Some people do crack...I play pool and poker for my crack lol.

We are 4 points ahead with one week to go in 8 ball. Time to put the hammer down and close it out this Thursday. I am in first in 6s/7s top gun...not sure the 2nd place guy (whos a buddy of mine) can play since about 2 weeks ago he had gall bladder surgery), but we will see.

Shtty stat of the weekend. I played 4 matches in 9 ball in the superboard which was double elimination. I won my first two, lost the 3rd to a 6, and then beat a 5 to qualify. Out of those 4 matches I had 2 nine ball breaks but 0, yes 0 break and runs. Lololol 9 ball haha...stick to 8 ball Mateo...I played soso for sure...moments of good runouts, but nothing consistent. I will figure it out prior to regionals hopefully.
 

bazkook

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have been doing horrible in APA league play but that is due to less opportunities to practice because of my job, girlfriend and lack of a pool hall where I live. My consistency has diminished greatly. I was a 7 in 8-ball and an 8 in 9-ball but I dropped one point in each during the past 2 weeks. Since dropping in handicaps, I have not lost the last 3 matches I have played, so there may be a comeback in the works. I only play on an 8 person 9-ball team and 3 person 8 and 9-ball doubles team. My doubles team has been kicking butt lately and we are in the top 5 in 8 ball and in the top 3 in 9 ball. My regular 9-ball team has been doing horrible though but we did get a wild card for a chance to qualify for the City Championships. Maybe things will change. :)
 

Banks

Banned
Was looking at a double-header on Sunday, beginning at 10am, for 9b. The other team's highest player was a 7. The 6 on our team decided he'd feel more comfortable with me playing, so I ended up getting thrown blind first. They responded with a 5. I ended up winning that one 17-3, so it was looking pretty good. That is, until we followed it up by losing 3-17 and 2-18! Next, we squeaked by with a 12-8. Our captain, a 4, had to hold their undefeated 4 to 18 or less for the win, I think. She made 2 on the break, the he ran em out. He broke, ran a few for 5 points, then dogged the out that was looking like a bnr. Well, captain made a ball and he ran out. It was over pretty quick, but not painless.

At least that team's already bought into the Tri-Cup tournament. On Tuesday, my other team will get to play for a spot, too. It would be nice having 2 teams in it, especially just playing on the same weekend, instead of having 8 one weekend and 9 the next. Also, it looks like the tournament, for the first time I can recall, is finally not being held on Memorial Day weekend.

Played a couple of matches at the bar with friends last night. First one I played somebody that's gone up to a 4/5, I think. Had a side bet that I'd keep him under 31. Didn't happen, lost the match. Then I play him a 5-2 8b race and he damn near bnr on me the hill-hill game. I had $5 on it and $5 on the side.. now down $15! (I know, high roller.)

Then I played the 5/5 that had been betting on the side. Played him 8b and he refused an extra game spot. at 3-0, we put an extra $5 on a skunk. Well, I hung the damn ball, but won it hill-hill, so we were even on that. I went back to playing my other friend and smacked him with a 75-8 for $5. Always good ending on a high note. :thumbup:

Between those matches and a couple of single games, I think I broke even.
 

BasementDweller

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I haven't contributed much to this thread but I've been following along.

I don't mean to brag or anything (or do I :grin:) but I just came back from the Michigan State VNEA tourney with some hardware. Well, I guess it was more like some hardwood. Ah shoot, that's not quite accurate either -- it's more like particle board with a veneer on top. Anyways, our team pulled off the win in the Master's Division. So that was pretty cool. We beat a couple pretty good teams along the way. I may write more about it later or maybe not.
 

DAVE_M

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I haven't contributed much to this thread but I've been following along.

I don't mean to brag or anything (or do I :grin:) but I just came back from the Michigan State VNEA tourney with some hardware. Well, I guess it was more like some hardwood. Ah shoot, that's not quite accurate either -- it's more like particle board with a veneer on top. Anyways, our team pulled off the win in the Master's Division. So that was pretty cool. We beat a couple pretty good teams along the way. I may write more about it later or maybe not.

Congrats!

Our APA 9-ball team is in 1st place, for our division win, by 20 points.
Wednesday is the last day of regular session play, so we need to widen the gap!
 

Spimp13

O8 Specialist
Silver Member
Congrats!

Our APA 9-ball team is in 1st place, for our division win, by 20 points.
Wednesday is the last day of regular session play, so we need to widen the gap!

20 points is a solid margin with 1 week to go, but the other team can make up that ground so I would go balls to the wall the last week...same as us being in the lead by 4 points in 8 ball with 1 week left. That can be made up very quickly with a couple of 3-0 matches by the other team. The thing that sort of sucks is the team in 2nd has the same home bar as us, but they will be on the road so we won't know how they are doing. We will just need to play to beat the living piss out of the other team (while smiling and being friendly obviously lol). Good luck to both of us!
 

Banks

Banned
I haven't contributed much to this thread but I've been following along.

I don't mean to brag or anything (or do I :grin:) but I just came back from the Michigan State VNEA tourney with some hardware. Well, I guess it was more like some hardwood. Ah shoot, that's not quite accurate either -- it's more like particle board with a veneer on top. Anyways, our team pulled off the win in the Master's Division. So that was pretty cool. We beat a couple pretty good teams along the way. I may write more about it later or maybe not.

Very nice win. I'm sure that MI has a healthy crop of masters, too.
 

DAVE_M

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
20 points is a solid margin with 1 week to go, but the other team can make up that ground so I would go balls to the wall the last week...same as us being in the lead by 4 points in 8 ball with 1 week left. That can be made up very quickly with a couple of 3-0 matches by the other team. The thing that sort of sucks is the team in 2nd has the same home bar as us, but they will be on the road so we won't know how they are doing. We will just need to play to beat the living piss out of the other team (while smiling and being friendly obviously lol). Good luck to both of us!

Word! I'm going to try and tape some of the match.

I've been hitting them around 27mph on the barbox lately.
The cue ball gets a little hop... about two feet straight up off the slate :thumbup:

I came inches from tapping the light, on Sunday. Even made a few 5 point breaks in practice!
 

Spimp13

O8 Specialist
Silver Member
Word! I'm going to try and tape some of the match.

I've been hitting them around 27mph on the barbox lately.
The cue ball gets a little hop... about two feet straight up off the slate :thumbup:

I came inches from tapping the light, on Sunday. Even made a few 5 point breaks in practice!

Haha...last week I had a 4 point break in practice but didn't get to play 9 ball so I didn't have get a crack at the 6 point. Maybe they will give me permission to play this last week since I don't think our team has any chance of making playoffs. I also need the 9 ball practice since I won a spot in regionals but as an 8 its sort of yikes lol. I don't play ball at all so probably slim chance I can ship the spot to Vegas if I am grouped with a 6-9 category group.
 

leto1776

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Team playoffs for spring session start for me tonight in APA 8-ball. We can definitely beat this team, and I went reckless there last time. If I end up playing the same guy, I just gotta use the same strategy: he came out fast, then petered out each game.


In other news,min spite of losing my last match and having a bye the final week of regular season play, I held onto 4th place in the lower tier and qualified for the top gun tournament. The bad news: it's at a pool hall, and I'm working on finding access to a 9-footer for practice.

For those who have been to their respective local top gun tournaments, what should I expect? What is the format? How do I have to place to move on? What is the next stop to nationals?
 

JBB2388

Banger Extraordinaire
Silver Member
We will just need to play to beat the living piss out of the other team (while smiling and being friendly obviously lol)

Isn't that a given? We do that every match. This past week we beat our opponent 12-1 in 8B and we were pissed. It shoulda been 14-1 :eek:
 

JuicyGirl

Scroll Lock- Juicy Style
Silver Member
I am nervous and tense over our regionals. We made it in both 8 ball and 9 ball. I have to play. Last time I totally choked. I'm super tense. I can not **** it up. And...... I can not drink, I am a lost cause then.



Bleh

JG


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Celophanewrap

Call me Grace
Silver Member
I am nervous and tense over our regionals. We made it in both 8 ball and 9 ball. I have to play. Last time I totally choked. I'm super tense. I can not **** it up. And...... I can not drink, I am a lost cause then.



Bleh

JG


Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Tapatalk

Maybe it didn't go so well last time, but it's a year later. Don't grip the cue too tight and do your best to have fun, that might include an adult beverage or two. You go tear it up.
 

mcsock

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am nervous and tense over our regionals. We made it in both 8 ball and 9 ball. I have to play. Last time I totally choked. I'm super tense. I can not **** it up. And...... I can not drink, I am a lost cause then.





Bleh

JG


Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Tapatalk

Just deep breaths and shoot as well as you can. No one can fault you for that. The team would not be in the regionls without what you have done in the past.
I quit this game for 35+ years. I was not too bad back in the day, but from night to night I am clueless which shooter will show up. The chump I am now or I might have a brain fart and outshoot someone 2 or 3 skill levels above me.
So all you can even if you dont win keep it as close as you can, just no give-up. You might be surprized just how well you play <brain fart>.
 
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DAVE_M

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am nervous and tense over our regionals. We made it in both 8 ball and 9 ball. I have to play. Last time I totally choked. I'm super tense. I can not **** it up. And...... I can not drink, I am a lost cause then.



Bleh

JG


Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Tapatalk

If you didn't pay a $500 entry fee or have money on the rail, then don't sweat it!
It's a mental block! Don't let your fear of losing control your actions :thumbup:

My first local tournament I ever played in, I was so nervous that I would lose and I did.
My first open tournament I ever played in, I was optimistic that I could learn something win or lose. I made it through 3 rounds :thumbup:
 

BasementDweller

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Congrats!

Our APA 9-ball team is in 1st place, for our division win, by 20 points.
Wednesday is the last day of regular session play, so we need to widen the gap!

Thanks Dave. I think you should let the gap narrow a bit so that you can feel the heat. It's more fun that way. :thumbup:

Very nice win. I'm sure that MI has a healthy crop of masters, too.

Michigan certainly has a lot of great bar table players and it was certainly a sweet victory.

I am nervous and tense over our regionals. We made it in both 8 ball and 9 ball. I have to play. Last time I totally choked. I'm super tense. I can not **** it up. And...... I can not drink, I am a lost cause then.

Bleh

JG

It does get easier to manage your nerves if you just face them head on. So many players go down the road of drinking, smoking (and not just cigs ;)) or doing other things to combat the nerves. Eventually it just becomes a part of the game for them. I've always been the most impressed by the guys (and gals) that play completely sober. For someone that is relatively unseasoned when it comes to tournament and specifically team pool -- it has been a MAJOR challenge overcoming my nerves without some form of assistance. But I'm getting there. In this most recent tournament, I can only recall missing one makeable ball. I'm fairly certain there had to be a couple more that I just can't remember but it certainly wasn't more than 2 or 3. Of course, I screwed up several outs, which I'm going to do but knowing that I can get down over the ball while I'm very uncomfortable and still pocket it is pretty liberating. Now it just becomes all about controlling whitey.

At a previous tournament earlier this year, one of my teammates mentioned he wished I had a shock collar on that he could zap when he noticed I wasn't seeing the whole table. We had a good laugh about that, mainly because it was true. That's one big thing that happens when people get nervous -- they stop seeing the whole table; they get tunnel vision. I think I'm close to being past that now. But I certainly don't want to be totally free from feeling that nervous energy. That excited feeling you get when that adrenaline is flowing but yet you still manage to play your game -- whatever speed you may play at -- that's what it's all about. Embrace it. That’s really when you know you are alive. Don’t be fooled by the players that appear to be mindless robots while they runout that final rack of some major tournament. They are certainly feeling that nervous energy bubbling up inside them – but they love it! It’s a high like nothing else in life really.
 
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Dunnn51

Clear the table!
Silver Member
Wall-o Stannnnk !

Here's one I thought you would all like. I practice play on some well -used Diamond 9 ft's at a room I go to occasionally. I play stuff that you need to do onna 9 footer there, and sometimes meet up with a friend there for a few fun/cheap sets of 9 or 10 ball.

All the while there is this Old guy there that is verrrry vocal and opinionated. He's not over-bearing ,but it could get to annoy ppl as he illicits his opinion on others missed shots without being asked. Inwardly, he seems a nice guy, just a bit of a busy-body.
Last time there I was practicing frozen rail shots on the long rail for hard angle (55 deg +) He comes over for some unsolicited advise to me about the shot I had just missed. I was polite, but then realized he had an ax to grind against me as he had been watching every other shot I made.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago. I'm supposed to meet a friend there for a few long sets.We play about even,but Igotta admit he's got it on me in the crunch, (he never stopped playing).
I'm down 4-6 in a race to 9 and my opp has the break. Old guy comes over and makes a suggestion to me (unsolicited), as I feign attention to the humor of my opp.Since his 1st "interruption" I found out Old guy is in APA League and issa S/L 5. I told him I wassa S/L 5 too,:grin-devilish::grin-square: and that we should play a set sometime. all the while my opp is giggling to himself, trying to stay quiet. We finished our set, (he won 9-7,.. he ran from everywhere, once he gets his confidence he tough), and I suggest to Old guy that we play a set. He declines, BUT offers me a race to 7in 8-ball next time here. I accept.
I see him a few days ago, and we play 8-ball race to 7. We lag ,... it's close but i win by a nick (1/4") . Game 1 B &R
Game 2 I break dry he gets to the tbl pots 1 misses the second, leaves me open.
Game 3 8-Ball Break off of the 5 ball that kicks it into the right corner.
Game 4 I get a ball on the break,but see a cluster for both stripes & solids. chose solids and
BURIED him !! I get out in 3 innings.
Game 5 I get a tinge of sympathy, and get to the 8 and purposely dog-it to give him one. He clears his balls and chokes on the 8 !! :shocked: I pot it.
Game 6 I broke, ran my stripes and left him behind 2 of his solids that he needed to throw into the corner up table. (It wasn't going ,but he tried it anyway) He missed the top solid by almost a diamond and left the CB just below center table. Eight was near top right (opposite of his throw) corner. As I lined-up the corner 8, he stood right in-line with the pocket. then on my back-stroke he charged the pocket like a bull would a matador. Blackie went down ! 6-0 !!
He walked past me, pulled a ball outta the side pocket...... tossed it toward the corner he missed his throw shot , and cut some loud stannnnnk ! He mumbled something like "YOU are the better shot", and put his cue away and left the poolroom !!
:confused: :confused:

I just wonder what it going to be like when I meet Old guy next time ?? :sorry:
 
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