Do you have to be 'READY'?

F

fxskater

Ryan The Salmon Arm Lynn
Silver Member
I have been playing some larger $2000 added tournaments lately and not doing so well. I have gone out 2 straight in 3 straight tournaments. But it isn't as bad as it sounds. The first one i played i drew the guy that went for 4th highest in the calcutta and then on the B-side i had to play the guy that went for 7th in the calcutta. I lost against the first guy, they call him 'Omack' Jack, 9-5 and then the second guy 7-2. The next one i played in i drew a Local Pro, Simon Pickering (not touring or international pro) and got up 4 nothing right off the bat. Then i only had 3 more chances at the table before it was 8-4 for him and i ended up losing 9-5. On the b-side i lost to another local Pro (of all the luck) named 'Frenchy'. I think he got me 7-2. My final tournament A-side loss was against an old guy named Johnny 'Five' Tanak. I think he got me 7-3. Does anyone know any of these players? I was talking to a guy the other day and he said that maybe im just not ready to play in these bigger tournaments and that it could possibly be doing more harm for my game than good. What do you all think on this? Do i have to be 'READY' to win the whole thing, should i continue playing and shooting for a top 16 finish? I have a good time at all the tournaments and i honestly believe i have gotten really shitty draws, what do you all think?

PS: I win literally about 80% of my local small weekly bar tournaments. I am actually finding that these are harmful to my game because the competition isnt high enough. I account losing that 20% of the time to race to 2 9-ball, i figure noone can win a 9-ball race to 2 100% of the time. Hell I'm pretty convinced that at any given time i could beat Efren, Earl or Johnny in a race to 2, if the 'rolls' went my way. Not saying consistently, just saying that in a race to 2 luck would play a major factor and i might luck out against one of these Phenoms where in a long set i wouldnt have a hope in hell.
 
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Don't ever stop trying in the big tournaments, especially when you're having so much fun. Playing against better players and learning from your mistakes is what this game is all about. You're right about playing against the weaker players hurting your game, but thats because you allow it to. Practice the way you play! Bad practice is worse than no practice. Go into every tournament with the mindset that you are going to win and play your best game, no matter who your opponent is. Of course you're not going to win every time, nobody does, but if you play as if every opponent is Efren Reyes, you'll see improvement in no time at all.
 
keep playing in the tougher tournaments, but, act differently. here's what i mean. the bigger tournaments, with better players and much more money, warrent a change in your style/playing/thought process. play tight, hang tough, don't lay down. go out fighting! remind yourself, that on this level, it's more about, playing smart, rather than running out. remember, a really well thought out tight safe, can win you one game. at this level, one game is huge! a smartly planned two way shot, can increase your odds of winning one more game, etc. etc. when you play the so-so players in the"easier" tournaments, you have the luxury, to try to break and run out, why not? they ain't gonna, so why not you, right?-right!, but in the higher level tournaments, don't "give it away" stop being a hero, and play smart. think about this, and next week, look out, you just may win it!
 
It called paying your dues

Every time you step up your level of competition, you are initially going to be the whipping boy of everyone already at that level. This should spur you on to practice hard and start kicking some righteous butt when you have got your game up!

Paying your dues is painful, but works wonders on your game.
 
dont give up

Hey FX,

Dont stop playing those tourny's. If you stop now, you will loose all the charactor, feel, and sharpness thats gotten you this far. These "guys" your loosing to are actually very good players, Frenchy & Simon are some of Canada's top players, and you should'nt get discouraged if/when you loose to them(or anyone of that caliber) Keep pluging away and it will happen,first you'll win a few matches, then you'll make the cash, then you'll win. I like what RD said, "if you play as if every opponent is Efren Reyes, you'll see improvement in no time at all". Same goes for Simon and Fenchy. Keep it up! you'll get there.

Jay
 
Raistlin said:
Every time you step up your level of competition, you are initially going to be the whipping boy of everyone already at that level. This should spur you on to practice hard and start kicking some righteous butt when you have got your game up!

Paying your dues is painful, but works wonders on your game.
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Spoken like a wiseman, nice job. :)
 
fxskater said:
I have been playing some larger $2000 added tournaments lately and not doing so well. I have gone out 2 straight in 3 straight tournaments. But it isn't as bad as it sounds. The first one i played i drew the guy that went for 4th highest in the calcutta and then on the B-side i had to play the guy that went for 7th in the calcutta. I lost against the first guy, they call him 'Omack' Jack, 9-5 and then the second guy 7-2. The next one i played in i drew a Local Pro, Simon Pickering (not touring or international pro) and got up 4 nothing right off the bat. Then i only had 3 more chances at the table before it was 8-4 for him and i ended up losing 9-5. On the b-side i lost to another local Pro (of all the luck) named 'Frenchy'. I think he got me 7-2. My final tournament A-side loss was against an old guy named Johnny 'Five' Tanak. I think he got me 7-3. Does anyone know any of these players? I was talking to a guy the other day and he said that maybe im just not ready to play in these bigger tournaments and that it could possibly be doing more harm for my game than good. What do you all think on this? Do i have to be 'READY' to win the whole thing, should i continue playing and shooting for a top 16 finish? I have a good time at all the tournaments and i honestly believe i have gotten really shitty draws, what do you all think?

PS: I win literally about 80% of my local small weekly bar tournaments. I am actually finding that these are harmful to my game because the competition isnt high enough. I account losing that 20% of the time to race to 2 9-ball, i figure noone can win a 9-ball race to 2 100% of the time. Hell I'm pretty convinced that at any given time i could beat Efren, Earl or Johnny in a race to 2, if the 'rolls' went my way. Not saying consistently, just saying that in a race to 2 luck would play a major factor and i might luck out against one of these Phenoms where in a long set i wouldnt have a hope in hell.
Click to expand...

Keep playing in the bigger tournaments, your game will improve. Speaking from my own experience, I took a lot of years off raising a family, working too much etc. I Started playing seriously again a little over a year ago and began playing in the larger tournaments up here in the Northwest( Seattle area). I was always out in two. Now I am starting to win my share of matches and my game is getting better and more consistent with each tourny I play in.

There is no shame in losing to Frenchy or Simon, thats for sure. By the way, did Frenchy balance anything on his nose? I have seen him do some incredible balancing acts.

Lunchmoney
 
lunchmoney said:
Keep playing in the bigger tournaments, your game will improve. Speaking from my own experience, I took a lot of years off raising a family, working too much etc. I Started playing seriously again a little over a year ago and began playing in the larger tournaments up here in the Northwest( Seattle area). I was always out in two. Now I am starting to win my share of matches and my game is getting better and more consistent with each tourny I play in.

There is no shame in losing to Frenchy or Simon, thats for sure. By the way, did Frenchy balance anything on his nose? I have seen him do some incredible balancing acts.

Lunchmoney
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Nope, no balancing acts. I have seen him goofing around trying to do some crazy things though. The speed that he plays at is incredible though, thats a trick all on its own.
 
I suggest you always play someone a step or more above you. That's the best way to learn what you are doing wrong. Even in tournaments, some of your opponents would be open to you asking "what do you think I just did wrong." Not all of them, so be careful who you ask and who you listen to. Luckily I play with a bunch of better players who are willing to help me out. I would think it would be rewarding to know that someone values your opinion enough to ask!!
 
FX, like the others here, I think you need to keep playing those events. Some of the players you've listed are high ranking players in the country, and are well known. Have you noticed a difference in your nerves when you play local tournaments, after the bigger tournaments?

Last fall I started playing bigger pro/am tournaments like what you're talking about. I'm definitely not pro level, or even close to it. So I set myself a goal: Win one match. Did that, and so I set a new goal which was to make the money rounds. Well, after a few tries I did that too. I've also been stomped hard, many times at these things. I believe that it helped my game in a big way.

The downside is that it is costly, especially since travel is often involved in attending those tournaments. I figure that if I earn enough playing local tournaments to cover my entry fees to the bigger events, then that's where I'm spending my winnings. Well, and on a sweet cue too. :)

jer9ball
 
In responce to 9ballDiva:

Thanks for the suggestion. I currently play every Friday with a group of guys that are a few levels above me. Whenever we gamble I get the 8 and we all usually come close to breaking even. One of the players i play with has actually taken Brady Gollan (see here), top 2-3 in the province, 7-2 in the A-side finals of a fairly big tournament only to lose the actual final 9-2. Playing with him has really helped my game alot. Actually its getting to a point that he is threatening to take away my spot, and he jokes that when i get my predator shaft i'll be the one spotting him a ball. I just wish we played more than once a week, as he and whoever he invites over on that night are the only real competition i have in my area.

Thanks for the Reply!!.

In Response to Jer9ball:

Thats actually my first goal, WIN ONE MATCH. I am sure i could have done it by now, but that first big tournament my mental game was totally off, and then the next 2 i honestly got terrible draws. Think of this, if i had of won my first match at the last big one i would have had to play the winner of Simon Pickering and 'Woody' a top local, then if i had of beat them my next match would have been against Mike Vidas, and too top it all off my next match would have been Brady Gollan!!!! Talk about an unlucky draw. And to top it off the player i started against Johnny 'Five' was a top road player years ago. I had my game going in practice broke and ran about 1 in 3 tables for about an hour straight!!! I was dialed in!! Usually i only break and run about 1 in 20!!! But the next big one i enter i am gonna win at least 1 match!! And it does suck to put out a bunch of money to travle to a tournameny and then get knocked out 2 straight!! I drove for 8 hours, paid for a hotel, food etc. and i draw SIMON F@#$NG Pickering!! I'm making about $600 a month winning the crappy little bar tournaments around here and most of that money goes straight back into the game with cues and traveling!! There is one good thing going for me though, I'm sponsored by a local bar now, so the next tournament i enter the entry fee and partial travel expenses (gas, hotel, etc) will be paid.

Thanks for the reply!
 
Don't sweat it.

Sometimes "bad for your game" is really good for your game! Here's what I mean:

A while back I was walloped 7 - 0 by a local pro in the losers bracket of a 100 player tournament. He just didn't miss, and I did. He smoked me and I was shook!

At first I felt humiliated and dejected. I couldn't wait to get out of there. A real trunk slammer! Then I came to my senses and realized I had to play better, play harder, play smarter. So I practiced harder than ever before. I looked for ideas to pressure proof my game. I played weekly matches with good players to test these ideas.

Then I entered another 100 man tournament, and who is my first round draw? The same guy! He won the lag and breaks and runs the first rack. I'm thinking "here we go again". The more we played, the more pumped up I got. We went back and forth and I finally got him 7-6. What a relief!

The best way to adjust to tournament play is to keep playing in them as much as possible, work on your game, and keep trying to come back a little better. In most cases, you will beat the players you should beat, and lose to the players who are more skilled. But you will also learn from these matches and trust me, it's cheap education.


Chris
 
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FX: I disagree with what you said about your draw...you've been getting awesome draws! :) I hate going to those tournaments, and drawing a chump or someone I regularly play. I'd rather play Dany Hewitt, or Martel, or Salvas, and get a real education. Ha ha ha. And congratulations on the sponsorship. That's really good. I wish more places here would do that sort of thing. Seems the best in town can't even get sponsored here anymore (Ottawa).

cheers,
jer9ball
 
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