At What Point Did You Begin Entering Tournaments?

D

DrCue'sProtege

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
just curious when everyone thought they were ready to start playing in tournaments? i dont mean the local tavern 4th of July 9-ball tournament, but rather some decent sized pro tournament. something along the lines of a Pechauer stop, Joss, or perhaps bigger ones like the Glass City Open in Toledo, the Derby Classic in Louisville, or the Music City Open in Nashville.

was it?
A) Only after dominating in my area
B) After playing pretty well in local small tournaments
C) After practicing so much at home you wanted to get your feet wet
D) Getting to the point where you knew you wouldnt embarrass yourself and going for it
E) Knowing you would never be any good at all, wouldnt ever be able to run 3 balls, and just deciding to play in one for the experience.
F) Other?

just curious.
this is primarily directed at the AZ Forum Posters that have actually played in some decent sized tournaments.

regards,
DCP

p.s. serious replies only, k?
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
just curious when everyone thought they were ready to start playing in tournaments? i dont mean the local tavern 4th of July 9-ball tournament, but rather some decent sized pro tournament. something along the lines of a Pechauer stop, Joss, or perhaps bigger ones like the Glass City Open in Toledo, the Derby Classic in Louisville, or the Music City Open in Nashville.

was it?
A) Only after dominating in my area
B) After playing pretty well in local small tournaments
C) After practicing so much at home you wanted to get your feet wet
D) Getting to the point where you knew you wouldnt embarrass yourself and going for it
E) Knowing you would never be any good at all, wouldnt ever be able to run 3 balls, and just deciding to play in one for the experience.
F) Other?

just curious.
this is primarily directed at the AZ Forum Posters that have actually played in some decent sized tournaments.

regards,
DCP

p.s. serious replies only, k?
Click to expand...


In my opinion, you should start playing in them the moment you are absolutely certain you intend to take pool seriously and they're convenient for you. I mean, even now as an A, I'm no favorite to win a regional open event but I gain from each and every experience. The same can be said about a C or D player.

The beauty of playing in open events is that there's no excuse. If you win, you beat him. If you lose, you got beat. You can't look at handicaps or classes or anything. It's as honest an assessment as you're going to get and every player I know that has made a point to participate in open events has only seen their game improve.

You should have at least 4 open events on your calendar per year. Space them out so it gives you something to prepare for and look forward to. If you can do more, great but the point is to have some regularity.
 
I agree with Jude. I try to mix up my tournaments each year. I play a bunch that I feel I can compete well in but then I play about 4 a year that I know that if I win a couple of matches I'm playing pretty good. It's a great yardstick for your game and I've always learned a ton. Some times after getting beat by a much better player I'll corner him AFTER the match and ask specific questions like "How should I have played that" or "How should I have hit that shot" I've never had a player who wasn't willing to share his thoughts. Nobody has ever said "You dumb schmuck even if I told you you wouldn't be able to figure it out." LOL some probably thought that though.

PatH
 
My advice would be ...

If you can place in the top 8 in a 16 player event, then
try a 32 player event. If you can place in top 8 in it, then
try a 64 player event. And so on...

Or if you think you play pretty good, and just want to try
a big 64 player event, go ahead, make it a big outing for yourself,
and you will get a little taste of what you might want to shoot for.

bigger than 64 player events are up to you, but they are usually
expensive with all the costs, and your confidence would have to
be in pretty good order before playing in them I would say.

This advice is for all NON-Handicapped tournaments, Handicapped
tournaments should be for anyone that wants to compete in
tournament play.
 
Playing in an open event is one of the best experiences you can have. Whether you win a match or two, or go out early, you'll learn a lot. I think you'll know when you're ready. My very first match in an event like this was played on a table next to Corey Deuel's match. He won 7-0, I lost 7-6.
 
I am pretty bad when it comes to pool....especially on the 9'ers and especially 9 ball. I think I do pretty well with 8 ball though. My first major tourney (not counting VF) was the JPNEWT last November (??) and I decided to play because I wanted to play good people. I was actually hoping I was gonna draw Kelly Fisher, but I didn't. :( I was prepared to go 2 and out, but I actually one a match on the losers side...it wasn't even close! :eek: I have gone 2 and out in every other tourney that have entered since then. I would love to play in every tourney that is around me, but unfortunately this summer hasn't been very forthcoming with time or money. I don't play in them because I think I am gonna finish first (I am thrilled with anything better than last, LOL), but rather to play good/ diffrent people.
 
I first made the decison when I hoped I could compete and not embarass myself. The first match I played in a big tournament, I can remember playing in the prime time session. Johnny Archer and Mark Tadd where playing on both sides of me, and I can remember looking in the stands and saw Kim Davenport watching my match. I was so nervous! I was playing a local shortstop who I always considered to be a much better player than me, I ended up playing very well, I ended up losing that match 11-10, but my confidence was really high after that I ended up winning two matches on the losers side and came away from that tournament with much more confidence it was amazing what that did for my game. That tournament over 10 years ago, and I still look back on that experience as one of my best playing the game, for sure worth the $200 entry fee.
 
If you are a serious player, keep working hard at developing and refining your skills. As part of your education, attend as many top-level events as you can. You'll know from what you see at those events when you're ready to step into the competitive arena in a strong-field event.

If you're not really ready yet.....well, I've never subscirbed to the theory that a weak player gains by playing very strong players. While you're still developing competitively, stick with the lower level tournaments, but attend pro events as often as you can and study the play while you sweat the matches. Study the patterns the top players play and the decisions that top players make.

You'll know when you're ready, and with this game plan, you'll be well-prepared when that moment arrives.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
In my opinion, you should start playing in them the moment you are absolutely certain you intend to take pool seriously and they're convenient for you. I mean, even now as an A, I'm no favorite to win a regional open event but I gain from each and every experience. The same can be said about a C or D player.

The beauty of playing in open events is that there's no excuse. If you win, you beat him. If you lose, you got beat. You can't look at handicaps or classes or anything. It's as honest an assessment as you're going to get and every player I know that has made a point to participate in open events has only seen their game improve.

You should have at least 4 open events on your calendar per year. Space them out so it gives you something to prepare for and look forward to. If you can do more, great but the point is to have some regularity.
Click to expand...

Hay jude that is true .but i started playing tourments cause it looked easy. (not like playing for the cash )And i found out the hard it was not, but i did play in a lot when i was in NYC..And NJ..Down in the south u have to go look 4 a tournment and dam all of them r open ..God know who'll walk thru the door..
 
If it is not too much of a financial burden, I feel you should enter tournaments as soon as YOU feel that you play pretty well. This will either reinforce your confidence in your abilities, or it will show you that you need some work on your game. For some people, winning does wonders for their game. For others, it brings them back down to earth and gets their motor going to work on their weaknesses. Just some thoughts.
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
B) After playing pretty well in local small tournaments
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First let me say, that the breeding ground for players in my area was South Philly Billiards, and after that closed, Tacony Palmyra Billiard club.

At S.P., during the months before and after the U.S. open, the field could possibly consist of Efren, Busti, Luat, Jimmy Fusco, Petey Fusco, Mike Lebron, Don Polo, Rafael Martinez, Billy Incardona, Eddie Sheehan, "Flakes" Hennigan, Deo (for those that knew him), Hopkins, Maidhoff, Jose Garcia, Trenton Marty, Eddie Deska, Plus all the other top talent from the area, and there were times were almost all of them were there at one time.

Thursday nights during those times, were the who's who of pool. It was hard enough to get to the cash on a normal night, but if you managed to reach the cash line during THOSE times, you had done something special. But instead of having to lose your bankroll to them to get the experience, it only cost 10 bucks.

The same type of situation happened at Tacony after S.P closed down.

I would say that most of the upper level players in the area today, were the ones who got their asses handed to them in those tournaments on a weekly basis. They were the best prep schools around.

It was only after playing in those tournaments, that the NATIONAL 9-BALL TOUR (which was also the McDermott, and then the Texas Express tour), became the next step, and after that, everyting else was possible. It was almost a no brainer. If you knocked a pro out of the weekly, you had to ask yourself "maybe you could do it in the bigger event.", let alone if you knocked out a few.
 
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I would say anywhere from b to d would be appropriate. Of course, consideration must be given to travel costs ($+time).
 
I would have to choose - F. Other?

I've been going to a few larger tournaments for a couple of years now. Of course I'm always disappointed with how I do and think I should have done better, but I'm aware that I'm not good enough to win the tournaments I'm talking about.

So why do I go? The atmosphere. I go to have a good time, meet people, drink beer, and play a little pool. At a tournament I can do all this without betting a lot of money on the game. Besides, YOU NEED US LOSERS OR YOU DON'T HAVE A TOURNAMENT! (I expect to see some thank you's to us losers in some replies here. LOL)

The last tournament I went to, 'Pa 9 ball Championship' in Indiana Pa. was the first time I felt I shot so poorly that I embarrassed myself. That was rather tough to take. Somehow I'm going to have to put that behind me before going to the next one because it is sticking in my mind.
 
I sweated Florida Pro events for a couple years before I felt ready to play in one, probably for 2 years or so. I played ina local weekly open tournament that I called "Sunday School". It started at 1PM Sundays and the cast of characters was unreal. Much like the tournament that was Thursdays night up in NJ...<some of you remember that room West End Billiards??> Sunday School brought many a champion outta the woodwork back then and it was a testing ground for me...more of a learning experience I will never forget.

For $20 I had the chance to play World Champions, Legends and now monster players like Jimmy Reid, Steve Mizerak, Richie Ambrose, Toby Sweet, Bobby Williams, Gary Pinkowski and others. Saw Dennis Hatch, Brian Groce and George Breedlove there when they really were 15, HAHHA! CJ Wiley, Raphael Martinez, Wade Crane...the list was endless. I think heads up is better for the player that wants to learn, compete and appreciate the game than handicapped tournaments. Nuff ramblin' outta me for now....
 
To me this question is a "no-brainer". Of course you should enter and compete in one of the larger tournaments regardless of level. If you love the game, you should experiance what it is like to play in a "elite" field. Tournaments like the Derby City Classic and Reno Open are two examples of tournaments where the entry fee is fairly cheap. And here is the best part....the entry fee gets you in to the whole thing for the duration of the tournament.

In Reno, you pay $100 to play in a double elimination tournament race to 9. You are practically guaranteed to play a good player, and maybe a seasoned pro. You stay in a cheap hotel, and watch great matches all week long. What you take away from this is very valuable in you're quest to learn the game. A friend of mine went with me one year and absolutely raved about the experiance, even though he went two and out, winning only 4 games. In fact, one of his opponens broke and ran a 5 pack on him. He had a birdseye view of some great play. Despite losing, he came back extremely motivated and thrilled with he event.

So, hell yes, it's a no-brainer, even if it is only to pay your way into seeing a tournament. The only exception is the $500 entry into the US Open...probably a little steep unless you're A+.

Regards,

Doug
 
"F" - Definately!

I started GOING TO (not necessarily playing in) tournaments as soon as I found out that there was a lot of action there.
Starting at Johnston City.
Now that is a lot of tournaments and a lot of action.

TY & GL
 
My first tournament was on the Texas Express National 9ball Tour. A guy named AL from California drilled me 7-0 or something like that. I remember asking him where he was from and he said, "Don't talk to me until the match is over!" LOL
 
Hal said:
My first tournament was on the Texas Express National 9ball Tour. A guy named AL from California drilled me 7-0 or something like that. I remember asking him where he was from and he said, "Don't talk to me until the match is over!" LOL
Click to expand...

Well, that's pretty common. I'd do the same thing if my opponent began small-talk. Even though that may be the only question you intended to ask, many players will use that as an opening to start a conversation. Typically, talking is not appropriate in competition and there are many players that will get distracted the moment this rule is breached. What's more, in competition, it's important to be firm with anything you say, even if it appears as rude. There are no Mr. Congeniality prizes. It's important to be civil but that doesn't automatically mean you need to be nice.
 
if you have to ask, then it's time to play

DrCue'sProtege said:
just curious when everyone thought they were ready to start playing in tournaments? i dont mean the local tavern 4th of July 9-ball tournament, but rather some decent sized pro tournament. something along the lines of a Pechauer stop, Joss, or perhaps bigger ones like the Glass City Open in Toledo, the Derby Classic in Louisville, or the Music City Open in Nashville.

was it?
A) Only after dominating in my area
B) After playing pretty well in local small tournaments
C) After practicing so much at home you wanted to get your feet wet
D) Getting to the point where you knew you wouldnt embarrass yourself and going for it
E) Knowing you would never be any good at all, wouldnt ever be able to run 3 balls, and just deciding to play in one for the experience.
F) Other?

just curious.
this is primarily directed at the AZ Forum Posters that have actually played in some decent sized tournaments.

regards,
DCP

p.s. serious replies only, k?
Click to expand...
 
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