how are ya'll doing in league ?

Texas Carom Club said:
one of my main nemisis from bca nights, forced me to jump near full table, i made my ball but it jumped off table to a guys bellys who was watching the hit. youd think his belly would have bounced the cb back on the table for me to win since i deserved it after a great jump, but no. hit the floor, i lose lol
we all had a good laugh though
Click to expand...

That's pretty funny but it still would have been ball in hand for the other guy even if the belly bounced the ball back on the table since it went off the table. Having an outside object hit it back to the table does not count, even if it's a piece of chalk.
 
2nd straight match........ I shot really...really well. And I lost both. Both matches went 2 innings/game......... miss a shot or 2 and lose the match. Frustrating as hell to lose. But god damn I'm shooting really good. Deep breathe.................next week.........
 
Coyote501 said:
2nd straight match........ I shot really...really well. And I lost both. Both matches went 2 innings/game......... miss a shot or 2 and lose the match. Frustrating as hell to lose. But god damn I'm shooting really good. Deep breathe.................next week.........
Click to expand...

If you're shooting well and losing then maybe it's time to evaluate the use of safeties?
 
Chili Palmer said:
If you're shooting well and losing then maybe it's time to evaluate the use of safeties?
Click to expand...

It more sounds like they went against a good player, 2 innings per game the other player just took over after a miss. I have lots of silly losses due to missing a pretty simple shot I would never consider playing a safety at, just a simple miss. On the other hand I won games also where the player did not make many mistakes, just made them at a good time for me :)
 
In-house 9 ball league with Fargo handicaps, we went 4-0, 1-3 and 4-0 last 3 weeks, but unfortunately the 1-3 loss was to the team that was just behind us in second place so we are now behind them by a game instead of being up a game going into the last week of league coming up next week, bleh :(

People are sure liking the Fargo handicaps and ratings though, newer players I explained it to and the players already experienced with TAP and APA and such like it much better, it's open, does not care how many times you "miss" so no sandbagging by missing on purpose but still winning the game.

Next league that will be starting at the place is a singles league, 3 sets a night vs the same opponent, winner of the lag each set picks the game (limited to 8,9,10 ball so no one handed back pocket one pocket or something LOL). Should be a fun night out in that format. Basically it's a league session of round robin play vs everyone else in the league.
 
hang-the-9 said:
It more sounds like they went against a good player, 2 innings per game the other player just took over after a miss. I have lots of silly losses due to missing a pretty simple shot I would never consider playing a safety at, just a simple miss. On the other hand I won games also where the player did not make many mistakes, just made them at a good time for me :)
Click to expand...

Yep, that's why I'm thinking it's time to start focusing on safes. When you're playing people who can get out on you it's time to change your approach ;)
 
Shot poorly in 9 last night in APA SL5-5 match. Lost 15-5 (38-19). Ugh.

Thought about why I was all over the place and figured out I was dropping my elbow again in spite of having worked on that.

Played 8 much better won 2-1 in a SL5-6 match, won 4-4 hill-hill. Was ahead 3-1 but almost let the match get away by some untimely misses on simple shots. Poor speed control and missing shots that present little challenge are why I’m still a 5 and not a 6. Always rolling a few inches past or short of target, getting on wrong side of next ball or worse hanging myself. I need to rely less on speed control and learn how to use CB movement into the shot line rather than across it.

Also, had a few shots where my cloth at home would result in low draw movement but the hall tables REALLY grip the CB. Yikes.
 
This summer, I've started playing in an in-house APA 9-ball league. I was very skeptical of the format, the scoring, etc. of APA, so had never played .before.

I must say, I've been pleasantly surprised. After a little bit of getting used to, I think the scoring and handicap systems are effective in getting new folks into the game.

I've been playing pretty well. 3-0 over my first three weeks. The format definitely changes the safety/get-out calculous a little, but once you get it sorted, it is pretty fun.

I hope everyone else is enjoying their seasons.
 
What happens if I ask the player to have someone watch the hit and he doesn't hear and shoots, even with his team mate standing right by him who agreed ?

Im probably just sol , but curious
 
Not sure if others have similar experiences but having played APA for a few years now and on my way out, I have noticed it really feels like a handful of teams seem to win every session and yet rarely rank up despite winning often. I know these teams are doing everything they can to hold rank (using timeouts to just use them, try to pump up innings, sometimes flat out sandbagging). These are usually the teams that take it way too seriously as well and it got to be way too much for me. League operators just seem concerned about getting paid and keeping the peace but are also there most nights and are buddy-buddy with all of said people...

Ended up joining M8/BCA a while back and I have enjoyed that a lot more. Better players overall so much less arguing over rules or shots since you have to call your pockets so a lot less drama. Seems like a lot less sandbagging as well until you get to the team tourneys but you rank up quite a bit if you slay out there.
 
Locked in what I thought was a 5/5 match in APA 9-ball (turns out our captain heard me wrong when I asked my opponent’s handicap, he turned out to be a 4 in 9-ball but a 5 in 8-ball).

I win the flip, and I didn’t notice it on rack 1 but he was always racking in order, placing the 2 and 3 ball in the second row…..literally the Corey Deuel “soft break” pattern rack. Unfortunately with the equipment and humans at hand the wing ball isn’t nearly as reliable as it is on my home table or a Dr. Dave video (even the league SL9 breaks from the box in 9-ball at full power instead of using the wing ball 9-break). So, I decide to ignore the pattern rack and just break. And to be fair I’m not going to be reliable on that 3-9 combo even if I can get the wing-1-2 pattern to go.

A few racks in I think we are both sitting in the 20’s so I check the score….I’m up 29-24 but he’s actually an SL4. His shot making prowess is ahead of mine, but my cue ball control is quite a bit better. Either way, I get the next rack (barely) 6-4 and have the break up 35-28.

At this point I’m really, really considering the soft break. If the wing ball goes the 1 and 2 should be pretty academic for the win. I decide against it for fear of selling out and break full. Sink 2 balls but hooked on the 1.

I miss the Kick and give him ball in hand on the 1, but he overruns position on the 2 and gives me ball in hand back….for the 38-30 (12-8) win.
 
Sonofthebeef said:
Not sure if others have similar experiences but having played APA for a few years now and on my way out, I have noticed it really feels like a handful of teams seem to win every session and yet rarely rank up despite winning often. I know these teams are doing everything they can to hold rank (using timeouts to just use them, try to pump up innings, sometimes flat out sandbagging). These are usually the teams that take it way too seriously as well and it got to be way too much for me. League operators just seem concerned about getting paid and keeping the peace but are also there most nights and are buddy-buddy with all of said people...

Ended up joining M8/BCA a while back and I have enjoyed that a lot more. Better players overall so much less arguing over rules or shots since you have to call your pockets so a lot less drama. Seems like a lot less sandbagging as well until you get to the team tourneys but you rank up quite a bit if you slay out there.
Click to expand...

The teams that always win in my experience usually look something like this:
  1. A very strong max SL player with a really high win percentage who gets the weaker players out of jams and can even direct them to kick in balls when needed.
  2. A person just under max SL who plays really strong for their SL.
  3. A few standard 4s and 5s who are 50/50 propositions to win their matches.
  4. And then a few 2s and 3s who can't really play position but who can make most balls that they can see and who can be easily and reliably coached on more difficult shots.
This kind of lineup allows them to play the max SL guy, the guy just under him, their strongest 4, and then a couple of easily coached 2s-3s.
 
BlueRaider said:
The teams that always win in my experience usually look something like this:
  1. A very strong max SL player with a really high win percentage who gets the weaker players out of jams and can even direct them to kick in balls when needed.
  2. A person just under max SL who plays really strong for their SL.
  3. A few standard 4s and 5s who are 50/50 propositions to win their matches.
  4. And then a few 2s and 3s who can't really play position but who can make most balls that they can see and who can be easily and reliably coached on more difficult shots.
This kind of lineup allows them to play the max SL guy, the guy just under him, their strongest 4, and then a couple of easily coached 2s-3sIf
Click to expand...
If I could find 2's and 3's who made most of their shots in my league and didnt become a 4 very quickly, maybe that would change things. I feel in my area and especially on my teams, that if we shoot reasonably well we get ranked up quickly. That is a bit of my frustration is other teams have these 2's and 3's like you mentioned who shoot well and can be coached well and turn into a monster winning team and yet they get to stay that rank.

All in all it is fine and I know it is area dependent. I just prefer the way M8 does it with a 40-150 rank range and only a penalty if you go over your 325 rank limit, not a forfeit. I would consider trying APA somewhere else if the league is a bit more established and fairly ran. In my area it is maybe 5 years old.
 
Fellas i am so close to quitting 9 ball. Due to handicaps i had not played 9 ball in 7 weeks until last week. Our 8 had to leave early before he could play and i talked the opposing captain to letting me play 9 ball twice to get some matches in.

So he throws a 3 at me first. I have said it many times ...hate playing low levels. Slop...slop...hook me on a miss. I lost 13-7.

So if that was not bad enough he throws a 4 on me next 9 ball match. Same thing as the 3 and i lost the match by the same 13-7 score.

In 8 ball i faced that 4 i lost to who is a 5 in 8 ball. I won 4-1. Nothing memorable sticks out about the mstch. I just crusied along and got up 3-0 and then lost focus like i am prone to do and they win the 4th rack. That got my attention back and i won the next rack winning the match.

This week the other team threw a 7 in 8 ball so i countered with my 7. Then they threw a 6 in 9 ball so i had to play since my 7 was in the 8 ball match. This guy put on a clinic. Was going to say he shot like efren but he never had to come up with an efren type shot. He played perfect position on every ball and played perfect safes. Steam rolled me by a 46-9 score. It was the worst beat down i have had in a few years and by another 6 no less. Score was 19-1.

In 8 ball they threw a 4 against me. Now this 4 could shoot. Beat my 5 that played her in 8 ball before i did by a score of 3-2. She played 8 ball twice. She also stomped my 4 in 9 ball 16-4

So i knew i had my work cut out for me. It went 30 innings with both of us playing a boatload of safes. I have never seen a 4 play as many safes as this one did. Just like the previous week i jump out 2-0 ..lose focus and lose a rack. Win the next 2 in a row to win 4-1 in a 4-3 race

So i am 0-3 this session in 9 ball and 7-0 in 8 ball. I have been killing it in 8 ball the last 3 sessions but cannot seem to win an 8 ball singles qualifier. They have another ine next weekend and i may try again.
 
lorider said:
Fellas i am so close to quitting 9 ball. Due to handicaps i had not played 9 ball in 7 weeks until last week. Our 8 had to leave early before he could play and i talked the opposing captain to letting me play 9 ball twice to get some matches in.
Click to expand...
-- snip ----
lorider said:
So i am 0-3 this session in 9 ball and 7-0 in 8 ball. I have been killing it in 8 ball the last 3 sessions but cannot seem to win an 8 ball singles qualifier. They have another ine next weekend and i may try again.
Click to expand...

Is this APA rules? Really there should be no difference in game play in APA 9 ball vs 8 ball past playing position in 9 ball better due to only having one ball to shoot at so no "safety balls" to go to if the position is not there. The points are just the points in APA. Now in normal 9 ball games, it's very easy to lose on the last few balls because you are playing the same balls, you run 7, you left the other guy 2. In 8 ball it's a lot more forgiving at the lower levels to win often when missing your last few balls since the other player still has to run his suit out to win. If you are losing in 9 ball, you may need to work on your position and end game planning and maybe nerves when getting towards the 9.
 
hang-the-9 said:
-- snip ----


Is this APA rules? Really there should be no difference in game play in APA 9 ball vs 8 ball past playing position in 9 ball better due to only having one ball to shoot at so no "safety balls" to go to if the position is not there. The points are just the points in APA. Now in normal 9 ball games, it's very easy to lose on the last few balls because you are playing the same balls, you run 7, you left the other guy 2. In 8 ball it's a lot more forgiving at the lower levels to win often when missing your last few balls since the other player still has to run his suit out to win. If you are losing in 9 ball, you may need to work on your position and end game planning and maybe nerves when getting towards the 9.
Click to expand...
In my 16 years of APA experience, I've always felt the handicapping favors the lower skill-level player in 9-ball as opposed to the handicap in 8-ball.

If a SL4 plays a SL6 in 9-ball, the SL4 gets spotted 15 balls (a 31-46 race). If the SL4 gets a ball-in-hand, whether through a lucky hook or a good safety, they usually parlay that into a three-to-five ball run. If/when this happens early in the match, those three -to-five balls added in with the 15 ball spot makes it difficult to catch up. Then, if the lower skill-level player is shooting good on the particular night they are playing us, then it makes it even harder to catch up.

OTOH, in 8-ball, the lower skill level player only gets games on the wire. So a SL4 playing a SL6 only has to win 3 games to 5 for their opponent. In my own playing experiences, I've always found it much easier to make up spotted games than spotted balls. And, for some reason, it seems that bad luck has less of an impact in an 8-ball match.

Once again, these are just my personal experiences.

JMHO,
Maniac
 
Maniac said:
In my 16 years of APA experience, I've always felt the handicapping favors the lower skill-level player in 9-ball as opposed to the handicap in 8-ball.

If a SL4 plays a SL6 in 9-ball, the SL4 gets spotted 15 balls (a 31-46 race). If the SL4 gets a ball-in-hand, whether through a lucky hook or a good safety, they usually parlay that into a three-to-five ball run. If/when this happens early in the match, those three -to-five balls added in with the 15 ball spot makes it difficult to catch up. Then, if the lower skill-level player is shooting good on the particular night they are playing us, then it makes it even harder to catch up.

OTOH, in 8-ball, the lower skill level player only gets games on the wire. So a SL4 playing a SL6 only has to win 3 games to 5 for their opponent. In my own playing experiences, I've always found it much easier to make up spotted games than spotted balls. And, for some reason, it seems that bad luck has less of an impact in an 8-ball match.

Once again, these are just my personal experiences.

JMHO,
Maniac
Click to expand...

I have always said, and will always confirm, the APA 9B scoring system is the best there is. Grab any two guys from anywhere in the country and score the match with the APA scoring system and I guarantee it will be more even then any other system.
 
We lost a nice little local league, I heard, that stopped during the covid.

The money is gone, apparently, too.


Jeff Livingston
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top