Fargo Caps = The dumbing down of pool
- Thread starter iusedtoberich
- Start date
boogieman
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
I've found that it's mid players that whine the most about luck. At some point a higher skill level realizes that luck serves no master. It works the same for everyone. They think 10 ball is the game for them, but in reality other than taking away some creative freedom like 2 way shots, it has the same type of luck as 9 ball. "Lucky rolls/leaves." They bunt around 1 ball at a time and play safe, then get serious when there are 3-4 balls left on the table.
Personally, I don't mind 10B in a 1v1 setting, but for a tournament with lower skilled players I will never enter one again. They last for ages and everyone is scared to be offensive unless it's the last 3 balls on the table. IMO it's really silly playing 10B when a person can't run 3-4 balls in a row.
I think call pocket is fine but for tournament play the 10B should be able to be called early for the win. If it's 10B last it's a snooze fest that makes most local tournaments last until 4am. To anyone who enjoys that, have fun, but I won't be there.
I guess you missed the part where I said I've taught plenty of guys.
BTW, I'll start teaching strangers when instructors stop charging $400 a lesson to do the same ;-)
Lou Figueroa
The bolded part I think is garbage. Maybe they just want to be allowed to compete? That's the case for myself and most of my counterparts around here that don't like capped leagues.
Also, what does one's Fargo rating have anything to do with what food or drinks they order? My tab is always way too much... I know 400 Fargos that sneak in their own food. Where do you get this data???
You should spend some time on a golf forum.
Every third thread is about sandbagging handicaps!
Sure it happens but they usually get caught before long. Playing under your speed is pretty easy in golf but most 'baggers don't get away with it for long. There was a guy in the Ok/Tex/La. region yrs ago that got banned from just about every event worth playing. He went to some podunk course and shot a insane round and the course pro narc'd him. He was done after that.
Where do I get this data? From being in the pool scene for like 20 years plus. Each area may be different, but in the many areas I frequent, this is the case. I don't know have many times I have seen a friend complain that they can't play in the 550 and under Fargo tournament while they have a 650 plus fargo. Of course you want to play in it cause your going to steal it. No one is going to be able to compete with that person. As far as who buys what at tournaments, that is also an observation I have made. Like stated before, every area may be different. I talked with a bar owner a couple years ago that banned a player because that person won almost every week with little to no competition. People started not to play, which in turn lost the bar owner money. The player that always won hardly bought anything there.
However I do agree with someone else to quoted my response. I do feel bad for that group of players. They are too good for your average league/weekly tournaments, but they can't compete with the 750 plus players that are at bigger events.
I don't know...I think I know the type. There's a time and a place for fun play. I actually do it all the time, but specifically teaching one-pocket out of the blue to a stranger can be absolutely brutal. Once you see someone regularly and know they are genuinely interested in learning, as opposed to just taking advantage of your willingness to help them, it's different. Even then, you have to make a choice between investing in your game or in the game of a stranger. Someone standing around waiting for you to help them is different than them asking you to consider helping them.
The self-righteous answer isn't always the correct one as there's the ole "throwing pearls before swine" adage to consider.
Then again, I'm talking tough but I'll usually just play some with anyone.
How is it different when a 650 doesn't want to play open events because of the strong 750 than when the 550's want a tournament that caps it at 599? In my area, the local establishments try to put on open tournaments and more often than not, they cancel because of low attendance.
Also, most of the players in my area around that 650 mark also say there should not be capped tournaments, they should all be open and earn you're right to win. Two years ago there was an open (strong pro's) and a 675 and under event. Not one of those sub 675 players complaining about capped tournaments played in the open, they all played in the 675 and under
I'm putting my money where my mouth is. Hosting my first ever tournament.
How is it different???
Rarely, if ever is a local tourney capped as high as you've mentioned. So I think the actual complaint is being confused. Most people aren't REALLY complaining about cutoffs in general, it's just how they're implemented. So for all intents and purposes tourney directors consider the cutoff for pros to be around 650 in most places, with the rare exception. While this may be a necessary evil, it's also ridiculous to consider this as the ideal cutoff for "open" players.
I've seen a few tourneys posted with the "no pros" jargon. This is usually some vague description only truly understood by the director.
I just think there really is this limbo area for good players and there's not a great answer for it as it really just comes down to how overall skill levels are distributed.
As a proposition...if we took ten 590 players and ten 650 players and gave them a year to see how much money they could make while traveling the country and playing pool tourneys, I bet the less skilled group would fare better.
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I know a couple guys that have won around 60-70k this year playing 1200-n-under FR scotch events. Way more $$ to made 600 and under.
Yea right. I call bullshit.
On the square. They play scotch events all over the place. Good calcuttas at all of them. Believe whatever you want.
I choose to not believe. The numbers don't add up. There are only 52 weeks a year. Anyway. Carry on....
I don't know...I think I know the type. There's a time and a place for fun play. I actually do it all the time, but specifically teaching one-pocket out of the blue to a stranger can be absolutely brutal. Once you see someone regularly and know they are genuinely interested in learning, as opposed to just taking advantage of your willingness to help them, it's different. Even then, you have to make a choice between investing in your game or in the game of a stranger. Someone standing around waiting for you to help them is different than them asking you to consider helping them.
The self-righteous answer isn't always the correct one as there's the ole "throwing pearls before swine" adage to consider.
Then again, I'm talking tough but I'll usually just play some with anyone.
I've helped plenty of guys, sometimes short term, others long term.
And the truth is you learn by teaching. The thing is though, some guys will listen and others don't really want to hear it, so you just shut up and watch them commit the same mistakes over and over. Others listen and make progress.
Right about now I've been watching a young player out of the corner of my eye who has a lot of promise. I could be a big help but they are someone else's student, so I just keep ma mouth shut.
Lou Figueroa