1.) You shouldn't eat while playing pool.
2.) So....you didn't have to sandbag last night, eh? :thumbup:
3.) Don't load that new JB up to capacity or you're gonna get tired totin' it around. :thud:
Maniac
how are ya'll doing in league ?
- Thread starter lorider
- Start date
1.) You shouldn't eat while playing pool.
2.) So....you didn't have to sandbag last night, eh? :thumbup:
3.) Don't load that new JB up to capacity or you're gonna get tired totin' it around. :thud:
Maniac
3 matches down so far in my first season of APA and it's definitely an adjustment from BCA/VNEA from a rules and team perspective because of the handicap system.
I'm faring out reasonably well having won all 3 matches as a 7(5-0 vs a 4, 5-0 vs a 5 and 5-3 vs another 7) but I've encountered something that sort of drives me nuts.
Against the weaker players, I find that their racks are generally awful and when I ask to have the balls racked tightly, they take some sort of offence to it. I'm considering bringing a magic rack and having them use it for our matches but I find that most players in this league have no idea what it is.
How do you all handle having your opponent rack(very poorly) and then take it personally when you ask for a rerack(without looking like a jerk)?
I'm faring out reasonably well having won all 3 matches as a 7(5-0 vs a 4, 5-0 vs a 5 and 5-3 vs another 7) but I've encountered something that sort of drives me nuts.
Against the weaker players, I find that their racks are generally awful and when I ask to have the balls racked tightly, they take some sort of offence to it. I'm considering bringing a magic rack and having them use it for our matches but I find that most players in this league have no idea what it is.
How do you all handle having your opponent rack(very poorly) and then take it personally when you ask for a rerack(without looking like a jerk)?
In APA a win is simply a win, whether you beat them 5-0 or 5-4. Unless the racks are horribly loose or too far away from the spot, I'd just break whatever they give you...they won't be able to fade the bad rack either and your experience/skill will win out eventually. The Magic Rack will have to be agreed upon from both sides.
That said, if you are playing a SL6 or SL7 I would definitely ask for a re-rack and have no qualms about it. If THEY take offense to it, then you've gotten into their head and it's a win-win situation for you.
Maniac
I understand where you're coming from but I feel that the handicap system already attempts to even the match out. By accepting a bad rack, I feel like I'm negating a big advantage for me(my break is quite good) and that in a lot of cases my opponent wouldn't get to the table if I got a good rack. I absolutely wouldn't take that rack from another SL7 as they are going to get a good rack from me.
1.) You shouldn't eat while playing pool.
2.) So....you didn't have to sandbag last night, eh? :thumbup:
3.) Don't load that new JB up to capacity or you're gonna get tired totin' it around. :thud:
Maniac
1. Took me a minute to figure this one out. Then I saw the typo. Dont know if it was me or auto correct.
2. No need to sandbag Las night the way my break was workin .
3. Good advice for this 64 year old. :thumbup: I kept lookin at the bunch of cases every week at the pool hall for the last month or so. I had the money....just did not ant to part with it lol. My old case is a 6 year old sterling 3 x 5 wave case with the j b interior that has served me good. The seams were starting to separate at the pockets...from cramming too much stuff in them and the edges were getting a lil frayed. Cant complain at all ...cost me a 100.00 for it at the southern classic that was held way back when in tunica.
I agree completely maniac. I never check 8 ball racks and only check 9 ball racks at tri cups or ltc's. probly why my 9 ball break sucks quite often but not checking avoids a lot of drama during regular session.
I would say most around here are pretty much like me in that respect. Mostly its 7's and up that check racks and most accept my racks with no problem. I did run into a 5 a while back that carried on like mike dechaine over my racking. Kept claiming there were gaps that I could not see myself. I feel I am was to get along with but I had my limit when he requested a third re rack once and I told him to break the fvcking balls cause he was not getting another re rack. He looked at me dumbfounded but went ahead and broke. Didn't have amy more problems out of him the rest of the match lol.
Had an oddly good game for me on bad equipment, beat someone 70-17 in USAPL 8 ball on 7 footer with heavy cueball and a few funny cut pockets.
Two games should have been a break and run but I over-thought my spin adjustment and missed a few inside spin cuts. Still won every game but the guy was on the hill for 3 games needing 10 balls to win. I think it was a 24-64 race so he just needed a game and 10 balls and I needed 4 or 5 racks. I kept him from winning any games, but he did get to his last two balls a few games so had a chance to beat me with no game wins or a single game win.
Still like the USAPL scoring system but does make it tough if you are the one giving up a lot of points since a single win nets them 14 points, and someone going to 20, 30 points can win on a single mistake by you. With APA only using 2 points for the game winner you can lose every game but still win if you run out the other times in 9 ball at least.
Two games should have been a break and run but I over-thought my spin adjustment and missed a few inside spin cuts. Still won every game but the guy was on the hill for 3 games needing 10 balls to win. I think it was a 24-64 race so he just needed a game and 10 balls and I needed 4 or 5 racks. I kept him from winning any games, but he did get to his last two balls a few games so had a chance to beat me with no game wins or a single game win.
Still like the USAPL scoring system but does make it tough if you are the one giving up a lot of points since a single win nets them 14 points, and someone going to 20, 30 points can win on a single mistake by you. With APA only using 2 points for the game winner you can lose every game but still win if you run out the other times in 9 ball at least.
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I assume your "quite good" break is head on... You should practice the second ball break to have another weapon in your arsenal for when you are playing on ultra slow, crappy tables.
Fair warning: Second ball break doesn't open the balls up as much, so you have to be generally more precise in your patterns to get all the way out when playing with a second ball break. It is my opinion that a second ball break is not a bad thing for developing your barbox 8 ball game.
Man did I have a drama filled night at usapl tonight. I am.keeping score if 9 ball and as you know you mark every ball each opponent makes. Our guy breaks first and after a few balls were made by each player an early 9 was made. Its the opposing players turn to break and totaling up the points I noticed he was getting all the stripes out to make a rack of 9 ball. I asked what are you doing ? He said saving money. I said how about getting the right balls out cause its a pain to figure out which stripe stands for which solid. He disregarded me and went ahead and broke. Well the 11 ball falls and I gotta figure out its for the 6 ball. He flails away at the 4 which is the 1 and the the 7 is slopped in and I figure out its really the 3 ball. Well you get the picture....a real pain.
After the match is over I call him over and ask him not to do it again. He says ok. Well 2 racks later after another early 9 and its his break he proceeds to get a bunch of stripes out again to complete a rack. I look up and tell him.....i asked you not to do it again because its a real pain to figure out what ba is what. He says.....this ball is this...this ball is this and so on. I am one of the easiest guys to get along with you will ever meet but I was getting pissed now. I yelled.....get some damn quarters out of your pocket and get put the fvckin balls you are supposed to be playing with on the g. Damm table. He proceeds to put the quarters in but is grumbling ....no one on either team said anything bur a couple of my team mates were chuckling lol.. The rest of the match goes without incident.
Later I am selected to play 8 ball and he is still muttering about having to spend money when it was simple to keep score of what ball followed what ball. Now mind you I am in the middle of my 8 ball game and I stop and go off on him. I tell him yea its simple to follow balls in order but nor so simple to keep up with what ball is what when you are slopping in balls left and right out of order. I then said furthermore....its cheap ass guys like you that make it hard for room owners to stay in bizz and if you cant afford 75 cent every other rack you oughta stay your ass at home. To top it off he plays on the room owners team who was sitting there at their table and never said a word. Needless to say my mind was not on my game and I lost 3-1.
Later I calmed down by the time I played 9 ball and I played the same guy and won 5-1. I mentioned in my last post that my tip flew off my breaker last night in league. I had to use an old cue I bought several years ago and never made a ball on the break bit on the bright side I never scratched either. Can't wait to get shaft back in a couple days.
1.) You shouldn't eat while playing pool.
2.) So....you didn't have to sandbag last night, eh? :thumbup:
3.) Don't load that new JB up to capacity or you're gonna get tired totin' it around. :thud:
Maniac
I got mustard on the table one time. The bar owner didn't appreciate that none too much
Hi Russ,
I am completely fine breaking from multiple positions as well as 2nd ball if the table doesn't give up balls with a strong head ball break. I don't love the 2nd ball break because when it goes poorly it typically ends up with a giant cluster of balls on the side rail. I generally default to 2nd ball if my opponent racks badly and the head ball rolls off because it give me a chance to hit the 2nd ball almost full at full speed.
As usual I started off the new session with a loss, usually I only lose 1 or 2 matches per session. The team was really strong though. We won 3-2 and 3-2 against the team that just won a trip to Nationals a few weeks ago.
Should be a fun session, a long one 22 weeks. My practice is really paying off though, I am seeing everything so much better, planning so much better and shooting so much better. Can't wait til next week, should be a gas.
Should be a fun session, a long one 22 weeks. My practice is really paying off though, I am seeing everything so much better, planning so much better and shooting so much better. Can't wait til next week, should be a gas.
Glad to read you are having fun. Even when i dont play great its still enjoyable for the most part.
I always enjoy league...to a point. With me, it's not the winning or losing that pleases me. It's all about how well I play (win or lose). For all the practice time I put in, I like to see some results come league night. If I shoot well and lose, then I'm happy. If I shoot bad and win, I am neutral. If I shoot bad and lose, I will probably not sleep well that night. Of course, if I shoot well and win, then all is well with my world.
I've played well most of the time over the last 2+ sessions. I have an 18-5 record over that period playing almost all SL6's and 5's (I'm a 6...8-ball). At one time last session I had the fear of actually going up to a 7, which I do not feel I am. Weird thing for me is that although some games may be 1 inning or so, I haven't had a break-and-run in those past 23 matches. So maybe the fact that most of my games go around 3-5 innings, that may be what keeps me from going up.
Mkindsv, what APA area do you play in? I'm currently in the Arlington APA but if my LO doesn't stop the practice of making SL2's out of perfectly capable men that should be 3's or 4's just so he can recruit them onto a team in need of players, I may look into a new league to play in. I'm tired of my 60-something year-old grandmothers that are 3's and 4's getting run ramshod over by SL2 men that have no business being 2's. Hell, one of them can draw a cue ball length-of-table, wanted to know on a shot if it was okay to masse' a shot, makes bank shots, figures out his own safeties, goes two and three rails for shape fairly regularly, and in one game made three consecutive length of table shots to get position on the 8-ball. Y'all tell me....what SL2 have you seen that could do these things? When my players play against them, I literally feel badly for them knowing what's about to transpire. We haven't beat either one of them yet (usually not close matches). I am thinking about putting myself up against one of them (there are two of them on the same team) next time we play them just to see what goes down.
Y'all keep pluggin' away and the best of luck to you all.
Maniac
Maniac
Maniac ....i pretty much pay attention to what you post...along with a few others in this thread and i do not doubt for a minute what you say about those 2's are true.
My suggestion is to write on the score sheet and tell your league operator exactly how they shoot and why you know they are better than their handicap indicates. Get with other captains you know pretty well and have them do the same thing. There is such as thing as a handicap review sheet and your lo should cur ish you one if you so request.
I dont mean just complain to him .....i mean describe the type of shots you see them make.....how their cue ball control and position play is.etc..etc.
Over the last few years i have cut back on notifying my lo about every thing i see and just report the very blantant offenders.
I guess i am lucky because i had a very good relationship with our previous lo who just sold our franchise. I could text him anytime about anything and he always got back to me. The last time i reported some one was 2 sessions ago about a 4/3. This guy is now a 6/7 this session. It can work if you and enough other people report such people.
If i felt that my complaints fell on deaf ears after a period of time i might would resort to filming these guys with my phone and send it to some one who would definitely do some thing about it. But that would be a last resort.
I actually play in the TAP league in Denton TX on Monday nights at JR Pockets. There are a couple of other venues but 18 of 22 weeks we will play out of JR Pockets.
And we are looking for 1 more player haha
I am rated a 5/5 and bounce back and forth from a 6/6 on occasion. Funny I was thinking of running down to Arlington or another venue in Ft Worth tomorrow to spend the whole day trying out a few other rooms.
The sandbagging you are speaking of is not only an APA problem. What is nice about TAP is everyone starts as a 4 and their handicap sorts itself out after a few weeks. I think that in TAP it is a little harder to get away with sandbagging becasue of this. If you make nationals and you shoot more than 1 level above your handicap for any period of time, you are disqualified from any event you are in...which is good I think.
I may do a Sunday night APA league at some point, the guy that installed my table said he was looking for someone but I haven't got back to him yet, so I am not really familiar with that league, but hopefully will be in the future.
What can you do against these sandbagging players??? Put up your best players against them and stomp a mudhole in their backsides. If they win, their handicap goes up, if not, maybe they wont put them up when they play your team.
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Playing Friday makeup today. My other 6 was playing a 7 in 9 ball. My 6 made 4 balls on the first break and failed to run out a wide open table..damn. He breaks a couple more times and makes 2-3 every time. The 7 made 3 balls on the break every time he broke. Man my break. sucks .
I will post the out come of this match but first I want to say I played this same 7 in 8 ball and I was off bad .....lost 5-1. I had a few chances to make this match close but just did nor take advantage when I could.
Now the out come of the above match. my 6 won 15-5 in 20 innings. kinda hard to believe it went that many innings with the way they both were downing 2-3 balls on the break every time. My 6 was struttin around like a banty rooster after that win and I guess he had a right to.
Well a lil while later their 7 asks is he can replay 9 ball as they were shorthanded. I said sure since I did not want to play their 1 or either of their 3's.
So when it came time to play him 9 ball my 6 comes up to me and asks....you reckon you can beat him as bad as I did. me.....dunno but we gonna find out . Btw.....i am a 6 also....here that maniac?
He wins the lag...breaks and makes 3 balls then starts running the table and unbelievably scratches on the 8. I break ....make a ball and squat whitey.....oh wait a minute. The 8 ball comes off the right side rail and knocks the cue ball in the left side pocket. awww crap....here we go again. Well I wind up sinking the 9 this rack and break again. Squat whitey...made a ball....this time the 5 knocks th cue ball n the right side pocket. Awww crap.
He gets bih twice off my breaks but I am out shooting him and he never gets on the 9 the rest of the match and my break finally is looking good.
I win the match 46-26 for a 16-4 score in 14 innings. I start looking for my team mate and start talking crap to him.
Not only did I beat him worse than you did . I gave him bih twice off crappy breaks and beat him worse than you and did it in 6 less innings than you. Vanity kept me from strutting around him while I was talking crap to him...lol.
I will post the out come of this match but first I want to say I played this same 7 in 8 ball and I was off bad .....lost 5-1. I had a few chances to make this match close but just did nor take advantage when I could.
Now the out come of the above match. my 6 won 15-5 in 20 innings. kinda hard to believe it went that many innings with the way they both were downing 2-3 balls on the break every time. My 6 was struttin around like a banty rooster after that win and I guess he had a right to.
Well a lil while later their 7 asks is he can replay 9 ball as they were shorthanded. I said sure since I did not want to play their 1 or either of their 3's.
So when it came time to play him 9 ball my 6 comes up to me and asks....you reckon you can beat him as bad as I did. me.....dunno but we gonna find out . Btw.....i am a 6 also....here that maniac?
He wins the lag...breaks and makes 3 balls then starts running the table and unbelievably scratches on the 8. I break ....make a ball and squat whitey.....oh wait a minute. The 8 ball comes off the right side rail and knocks the cue ball in the left side pocket. awww crap....here we go again. Well I wind up sinking the 9 this rack and break again. Squat whitey...made a ball....this time the 5 knocks th cue ball n the right side pocket. Awww crap.
He gets bih twice off my breaks but I am out shooting him and he never gets on the 9 the rest of the match and my break finally is looking good.
I win the match 46-26 for a 16-4 score in 14 innings. I start looking for my team mate and start talking crap to him.
Not only did I beat him worse than you did . I gave him bih twice off crappy breaks and beat him worse than you and did it in 6 less innings than you. Vanity kept me from strutting around him while I was talking crap to him...lol.
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Week 2 of this session in the books. Won in 8 ball 4-0. Won in 9 ball 5-2. The team won again, 3-2 in each. Though for sure I was going to go double rackless but a couple of truly fortunate kicks and my opponent in 9 ball took it to 4-2.
Safety game is coming along, 3 games won I can attribute to lock up safeties. We get the perennial best performing team in the league next week, that should be fun!
Safety game is coming along, 3 games won I can attribute to lock up safeties. We get the perennial best performing team in the league next week, that should be fun!
Great shooting. :thumbup: Good luck next week.
It's my teams first session at a new Venue here in town. For personal reasons I really want us to win the inaugural APA session at this new place. My team 9 ball team is currently in first and we played the 2nd place team last week. We're halfway through the session and looking at this as a opportunity to expand our lead. We lost the first few matches badly. But the 4th game we won and I ended up playing the last match.
I won.. But the first few racks were ugly. It came down to a safety battle in the last game. Me trying to win and my opponent trying to stay in it. It took 3 good safeties before I had a chance to make a run. Won 16-4 to give us a decent win overall that evening.
We didn't get the big win we wanted over 2nd place. But we did come out of the night with a 8 point win and that felt good considering. After the first 3 matches we were really down.
I didn't get to play my TAP match this past week. We have a make up this week. Hopefully I can get another big win in TAP. I'm still doing well in it. I can't believe how much my 8 ball game has improved.
I won.. But the first few racks were ugly. It came down to a safety battle in the last game. Me trying to win and my opponent trying to stay in it. It took 3 good safeties before I had a chance to make a run. Won 16-4 to give us a decent win overall that evening.
We didn't get the big win we wanted over 2nd place. But we did come out of the night with a 8 point win and that felt good considering. After the first 3 matches we were really down.
I didn't get to play my TAP match this past week. We have a make up this week. Hopefully I can get another big win in TAP. I'm still doing well in it. I can't believe how much my 8 ball game has improved.