APA Rules question.

[rlw]

You're the exception. Many APA players try to hide their safeties to keep their handicap down. And it works. That's why I stopped playing APA. The Equalizer System doesn't work. If you're honest about your ability, you're always giving weight to players of equal skill.

I never understood the APA's obsession with innings anyway. Innings are the easiest thing to manipulate, especially with lower level scorekeepers and higher level players.

Having said that, I was always honest about my handicap.

The Equalizer System would work just fine if everybody would religiously mark defensive shots on their own team as well as on their opponents, If everybody did that you would eliminate 90 to 95 percent of the sandbagging in the APA.

 

[stumpie71]

The Equalizer System would work just fine if everybody would religiously mark defensive shots on their own team as well as on their opponents, If everybody did that you would eliminate 90 to 95 percent of the sandbagging in the APA.

You are absolutely correct. It requires people to be honest and have character and sadly most people do not.

 

[OneIron]

I too was always honest about my handicap. I quit shooting APA for the very reasons that you stated above. I was always giving games on-the-wire to players that shot as good as me, sometimes better than me. It was getting harder and harder to win a match. I'm not obsessed with winning, but it's certainly no fun losing all the time to the ones that won't play you a fair match. APA Masters is the only way I'll go down that road again.

My hat's off to you for your honesty, my friend!!!

Maniac

Thanks! And I agree that APA Masters is a great format. Unfortunately, it's never gotten any traction in my area.

 

[OneIron]

The Equalizer System would work just fine if everybody would religiously mark defensive shots on their own team as well as on their opponents, If everybody did that you would eliminate 90 to 95 percent of the sandbagging in the APA.

You're right but I don't know how you would make this happen. As I said in my previous post, many higher level players simply intentionally miss and leave the OB close to the pocket while hiding the CB. The scorekeeper doesn't know enough to mark a safety or is not paying attention. Back when I played APA, I marked every suspicious shot as a safety.

The Equalizer System has got to be the most abused handicap system on the planet.

 

[mm4pool]

You're right but I don't know how you would make this happen. As I said in my previous post, many higher level players simply intentionally miss and leave the OB close to the pocket while hiding the CB. The scorekeeper doesn't know enough to mark a safety or is not paying attention. Back when I played APA, I marked every suspicious shot as a safety.

The Equalizer System has got to be the most abused handicap system on the planet.

absolutely, this is why i will stay close to our scorekeeper if they are a lower skill player and point out defensive shots as they occurr. if more would do this the benefit of sandbagging would lessen greatly.

Mike

 

[ZekeCv]

The Equalizer System would work just fine if everybody would religiously mark defensive shots on their own team as well as on their opponents, If everybody did that you would eliminate 90 to 95 percent of the sandbagging in the APA.

I know that my team holds it to the player to tell if they play defensive, and we see it as a good thing to be marking defense. But as far as bagging goes..there is always going to be people who find a new and different way to bag, trust me I have seen it all, its pathetic.

I was recently in a tournament (doubles 8-ball alternating shot) and out of 45 couples me and my guy finished 3rd. Also it was a handicap of 10 for 2 people so added handicaps couldn't surpass 10. Anyway we got to the 2nd to last match and we were playing these 2 guys that pretended to not speak any English. One was a 7 the other was 3, and the 3 was making shots that the 7 could not make. He knew more strategy and had much better cue control, then I noticed that if the 7 went for a shot and the 3 lightly whistled that meant he shouldn't take that shot and he wouldn't. This was an event where the couples could not talk or look at each other for info while at the table, and there was only one timeout per rack. To top it off the 3 ended up calling 2 time out's while the 7 was at the table!! Me and bobby both looked at each other in disbelief, and we actually called the ref to watch the rest of it. I know personally if I ever called a time out on bobby (hes a great 7) he would get mad at me for wasting the t-o. My teammate, on the last rack, asked me if I wanted to forfeit, don't get me wrong we are not ones to lay down, and I immediately said "NO! I want these guys" later on the ride back he told me that the only reason he asked was to protest playing against such serious baggers. Just goes to show you how far people will go to bag....smh :shakehead:

 

[Junior1228]

Dumb rule. I came across this a few times. Like someone mentioned, calling a safe is a courteous act when playing pool. It lets your opponent know what you are doing. So if you want to pocket your ball and give up the table, under this rule you can’t be courteous and call a safe. You simply have to resort to being a liar and just call another pocket. The wrong pocket. Then tell your opponent Oops, now its your turn. It is sad that all of the great players just can't come up with a standard set of rules that make sense. I guess just to many asinine pool wannabes involved in making the rules. Tony is definitely not a want a bee and I wonder where or how this rule got introduced to the APA.

Even if you did call a different pocket and then make your ball it is still your turn. The only way to "give up" the table is to miss or foul. That's it.

 

[Scott Lee]

OneIron...I agree with this assessment, and it seems to be the norm in many APA leagues (having a 'team' scorekeeper). I got around it, in my league, by REQUIRING all team members to not only know how to keep score correctly, but to take turns so that all players on a team have to keep score. Nonetheless, I would still occasionally get a scoresheet with a bunch of defensive shots marked in one match, and the opposing teams scoresheet with little or none in the same match. At that point I contacted both team captains for an explaination of what happened. Like anything, the integrity of the league operator makes or breaks any league.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

I never understood the APA's obsession with innings anyway. Innings are the easiest thing to manipulate, especially with lower level scorekeepers and higher level players.

Having said that, I was always honest about my handicap.

 

[Scott Lee]

Barioni Cues...You do realize, don't you, that pocketing any ball on your side, in any pocket, requires you to shoot again, under APA rules? Also the "pool wannabes" you're referring to are two former top pro players...hardly wannabes. They came up with rules.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

You simply have to resort to being a liar and just call another pocket. The wrong pocket. Then tell your opponent Oops, now its your turn.

I guess just to many asinine pool wannabes involved in making the rules. Tony is definitely not a want a bee and I wonder where or how this rule got introduced to the APA.

 

[OneIron]

OneIron...I agree with this assessment, and it seems to be the norm in many APA leagues (having a 'team' scorekeeper). I got around it, in my league, by REQUIRING all team members to not only know how to keep score correctly, but to take turns so that all players on a team have to keep score. Nonetheless, I would still occasionally get a scoresheet with a bunch of defensive shots marked in one match, and the opposing teams scoresheet with little or none in the same match. At that point I contacted both team captains for an explaination of what happened. Like anything, the integrity of the league operator makes or breaks any league.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Scott,

I would probably play APA again under the conditions you described. I've always liked the format but could never outrun the sandbaggers. I refuse to cheat or ask my players to cheat.

I'm hoping the Masters Division catches on here at some point.