I'm in Clearwater FL this week on vacation. First off, it's a beautiful place to visit, highly recommended. Anyhow, while here I wanted to meet a fellow AZer and hit some balls around. Anytime I'm out town I like to visit local poolhalls and play a little pool, usually by myself unless someone comes over and asks if I'm looking to play for money. This time I reached out to Cookieman, Dave Stem, since he lives in this area. I figured Dave was a good player, and I had no doubts he would be good company in person.
Long story short.....he brought game and I didn't. We played 9ball, one hole, and 8ball, and had some good conversation. It was all friendly, no gambling. In the 9ball we broke even, each winning 9 games. Then we switched to one pocket, which is my favorite game. It's the first time in a long while that I've played one pocket with no money on the line, and I'm glad for it. Dave is very good player and doesn't make many mistakes. I couldn't do anything right, or anything smart. He beat me about 7 or 8 in a row before I finally won 2 games.
I was struggling for sure, and the harder I tried the worse I played. There are plenty of excuses I could use....lack of sleep, food, etc.... or the absence of money on the line... But truth is, Dave played well and I did not.
After winning 2 one pocket games in a row, I figured switching to 8ball might kick me into gear. I figured wrong. Can't remember the last time I got beat 5-0. I had opportunities to run racks that would normally be gimmies, and I flubbed them up in one way another each time. Regardless, I had a good time and learned exactly what I thought I'd learn.... Dave is a great guy and he can play pool. I wish I had played better, but shit happens. Good shoot'n Cookieman. :thumbup:
Long story short.....he brought game and I didn't. We played 9ball, one hole, and 8ball, and had some good conversation. It was all friendly, no gambling. In the 9ball we broke even, each winning 9 games. Then we switched to one pocket, which is my favorite game. It's the first time in a long while that I've played one pocket with no money on the line, and I'm glad for it. Dave is very good player and doesn't make many mistakes. I couldn't do anything right, or anything smart. He beat me about 7 or 8 in a row before I finally won 2 games.
I was struggling for sure, and the harder I tried the worse I played. There are plenty of excuses I could use....lack of sleep, food, etc.... or the absence of money on the line... But truth is, Dave played well and I did not.
After winning 2 one pocket games in a row, I figured switching to 8ball might kick me into gear. I figured wrong. Can't remember the last time I got beat 5-0. I had opportunities to run racks that would normally be gimmies, and I flubbed them up in one way another each time. Regardless, I had a good time and learned exactly what I thought I'd learn.... Dave is a great guy and he can play pool. I wish I had played better, but shit happens. Good shoot'n Cookieman. :thumbup:
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