It's Been A Good Year ......

[DelaWho???]

I have to say it's been a good year for me since I decided to get serious about this game, and I've come a long way.....
I bought a cue about this time last year, and proceeded to get my ass handed to me on almost every occasion that I stepped up to the table. Even the ball bangers like me gave me no respect. Better players would play around with me until they got tired and would just run out. I hated that..... If you can beat me just do it, but don't patronize me.
I started going to the pool hall during the day when it was half price, mostly alone, trying to put together a game. I wasn't going to have these guys taking me for granted on the table.
I finally got enough game to get asked to join a league team. I jumped at the chance to play and thought the competition would do good for my game. I fell flat on my face the first night and spent the rest of the session as an sl3.
I went to the sbe and played in the charity tourney with the pros, and didn't embarass myself. In June I played in a regional qualifier for the APA 8 ball and beat an sl4, an sl7 and an sl5 to win the tourney and get a spot in the regional at Fast Eddies in Alexandria VA first weekend in October. There are going to be 21 in my bracket with 2 tickets to Vegas on the line...I'm getting one of them...

At first my goal was just to be able to win and hold a bar table. I can do that. I still wasn't getting any respect for my game. When I won I got lucky, or they had a bad roll, or the table sucked.....No one gave me credit for the win....Now I'm getting pissed, so I decide I must not be near good enough, and having achieved my first goal I set a new one. I was going to be a short stop.
I started playing in a local Friday night tourney.....8 ball on a barbox. One game no handicap with ball in hand rules, double elimination. First 3 weeks I went 2 and out, then I took 5th then second (sweetest $20 I ever won). I took 5th again last night, and I achieved my goal. The first guy I had to play (apa SL6) actually said..."oh damn I gotta play McCue first" He's a better player than me and I've got him worried. Well it didn't go good for me and I ended up on the 1 loss side. I did however got to play him again on the 1 loss side and I sent him home. I was actually complimented for my play last night. I had a couple different guys comment to me that my game is twice what it was 3 months ago.
My Tuesday night league team finished dead last, drew a wild card and blew the first place team out of the water. We won 3 straight matches with the other team winning only 1 game. Triannuals are today and tomorrow. I am feeling good and believe I'm playing very well (for me). I hope I get to play today, because I have a really good feeling about it.

Just had to crow for a minute.....it's been a great year and I've come a long way.....I'm not the best player around here yet, but none of the best players want to draw me in a tourney.....That makes me feel damn good...

McCue Banger McCue

 

[Billy_Bob]

...At first my goal was just to be able to win and hold a bar table. I can do that. I still wasn't getting any respect for my game. When I won I got lucky, or they had a bad roll, or the table sucked.....No one gave me credit for the win....

When you win at pool, no one tells you ANYTHING! (They don't tell you... "Good playing", or "Your getting to be really good", "You are the champ", etc.)

When you win a lot, you're more likely to get silence from your opponent, or they will say "I have to go home now". If playing in a bar, they all move to another table with a quickness, stop playing altogether, or leave.

When you win 1st in a money tournament, you are likely to get silence from the other players. Sometimes they will be nasty sore losers. Very good players will compliment you on your playing though.

When you win all the time, no one will play against you. Or they will only play a couple of games. If you win these games, they will not play anymore. Or sometimes you will get nastiness, sharking, accusations of cheating, etc.

You may sometimes overhear someone talking to someone else saying you are a really good player, but that is about it.

Actions speak louder than words. Use their actions as compliments to your playing ability...

-When they don't want to play pool with you.

-When you are winning and they stop playing.

-In a bar, when everyone moves to another table and no one will play on your table.

-When they just play a couple of games, you win both, and they make some excuse to stop playing or suddenly need to leave.

-When no one asks you to play with them.

Needless to say, if you are winning a lot of games, you probably *really* like to play pool, but it is a problem if no one wants to play with you. There are a few solutions to this...

-Play your best game and get to the point where you know you can win, but then don't win. Keep missing shots from that point on and let the other person win. You know you really won, yet you let them win, so they will keep playing.

-Practice leaving the cue ball in the position you want by leaving it in a position so your opponent has an easy shot. Miss your shot on purpose and set up your opponent for an easy shot. Then you are practicing position play while at the same time letting your opponent win.

-Shoot in your ball, but intentionally scratch and give your opponent ball-in-hand. If there is a hanger, shoot it in with follow so the cue ball scratches for example. Or practice getting the cue ball to carom off your object ball to scratch.

-Shoot low percentage shots which you have trouble with. Then you are missing shots, yet working on improving your game.

-Shoot one of your balls so it banks and comes back to break out your opponent's clusters or trouble balls. Then they can win easier. And you are practicing bank shots.

-If playing 8-ball, run in most of your balls to get them out of your opponent's way. Then they can win easier.

-If you see a very good player walk in, don't play him. Let everyone else play him for awhile until no one wants to play him anymore. Then play him. Then it will be just you and him playing for hours.

The very best players will play and play for hours win or lose. (Note: If you are playing a very good player, tell them they can play their best game and win every game and you will keep playing them. Say you will keep playing even if you lose every game.)

 

[Russ Chewning]

When you win at pool, no one tells you ANYTHING! (They don't tell you... "Good playing", or "Your getting to be really good", "You are the champ", etc.)

When you win a lot, you're more likely to get silence from your opponent, or they will say "I have to go home now". If playing in a bar, they all move to another table with a quickness, stop playing altogether, or leave.

When you win 1st in a money tournament, you are likely to get silence from the other players. Sometimes they will be nasty sore losers. Very good players will compliment you on your playing though.

When you win all the time, no one will play against you. Or they will only play a couple of games. If you win these games, they will not play anymore. Or sometimes you will get nastiness, sharking, accusations of cheating, etc.

You may sometimes overhear someone talking to someone else saying you are a really good player, but that is about it.

Actions speak louder than words. Use their actions as compliments to your playing ability...

-When they don't want to play pool with you.

-When you are winning and they stop playing.

-In a bar, when everyone moves to another table and no one will play on your table.

-When they just play a couple of games, you win both, and they make some excuse to stop playing or suddenly need to leave.

-When no one asks you to play with them.

Needless to say, if you are winning a lot of games, you probably *really* like to play pool, but it is a problem if no one wants to play with you. There are a few solutions to this...

-Play your best game and get to the point where you know you can win, but then don't win. Keep missing shots from that point on and let the other person win. You know you really won, yet you let them win, so they will keep playing.

-Practice leaving the cue ball in the position you want by leaving it in a position so your opponent has an easy shot. Miss your shot on purpose and set up your opponent for an easy shot. Then you are practicing position play while at the same time letting your opponent win.

-Shoot in your ball, but intentionally scratch and give your opponent ball-in-hand. If there is a hanger, shoot it in with follow so the cue ball scratches for example. Or practice getting the cue ball to carom off your object ball to scratch.

-Shoot low percentage shots which you have trouble with. Then you are missing shots, yet working on improving your game.

-Shoot one of your balls so it banks and comes back to break out your opponent's clusters or trouble balls. Then they can win easier. And you are practicing bank shots.

-If playing 8-ball, run in most of your balls to get them out of your opponent's way. Then they can win easier.

-If you see a very good player walk in, don't play him. Let everyone else play him for awhile until no one wants to play him anymore. Then play him. Then it will be just you and him playing for hours.

The very best players will play and play for hours win or lose. (Note: If you are playing a very good player, tell them they can play their best game and win every game and you will keep playing them. Say you will keep playing even if you lose every game.)

ZOMG! This is the most horrid advice I have ever seen!


1. Dela, if you follow this advice, you will never develop a killer instinct, which you will need against great players. Play your hardest to win every game. If people quit playing you, go to a place where better players play. I improved at my greatest rate when every game mattered to me.

2. There will always be people that will play you for free, no matter how good you are. It just depends on where you play. Mebbe it's a bar, mebbe it's a pool hall. Most likely the pool hall. Find them.

3. If you are paying by the hour for practice time, give your opponents handicaps if you are much better than them. Never play a game you can easily win at. Always give weight to lesser players ( when not gambling ) to increase pressure on your game. Don't worry about screwing up your gambling action, play for the enjoyment of improving, but find a way to put pressure on your game.

Hope this helps,

Russ

 

[rackmsuckr]

I have to say it's been a good year for me since I decided to get serious about this game, and I've come a long way.....
I bought a cue about this time last year, and proceeded to get my ass handed to me on almost every occasion that I stepped up to the table. Even the ball bangers like me gave me no respect. Better players would play around with me until they got tired and would just run out. I hated that..... If you can beat me just do it, but don't patronize me.
I started going to the pool hall during the day when it was half price, mostly alone, trying to put together a game. I wasn't going to have these guys taking me for granted on the table.
I finally got enough game to get asked to join a league team. I jumped at the chance to play and thought the competition would do good for my game. I fell flat on my face the first night and spent the rest of the session as an sl3.
I went to the sbe and played in the charity tourney with the pros, and didn't embarass myself. In June I played in a regional qualifier for the APA 8 ball and beat an sl4, an sl7 and an sl5 to win the tourney and get a spot in the regional at Fast Eddies in Alexandria VA first weekend in October. There are going to be 21 in my bracket with 2 tickets to Vegas on the line...I'm getting one of them...

At first my goal was just to be able to win and hold a bar table. I can do that. I still wasn't getting any respect for my game. When I won I got lucky, or they had a bad roll, or the table sucked.....No one gave me credit for the win....Now I'm getting pissed, so I decide I must not be near good enough, and having achieved my first goal I set a new one. I was going to be a short stop.
I started playing in a local Friday night tourney.....8 ball on a barbox. One game no handicap with ball in hand rules, double elimination. First 3 weeks I went 2 and out, then I took 5th then second (sweetest $20 I ever won). I took 5th again last night, and I achieved my goal. The first guy I had to play (apa SL6) actually said..."oh damn I gotta play McCue first" He's a better player than me and I've got him worried. Well it didn't go good for me and I ended up on the 1 loss side. I did however got to play him again on the 1 loss side and I sent him home. I was actually complimented for my play last night. I had a couple different guys comment to me that my game is twice what it was 3 months ago.
My Tuesday night league team finished dead last, drew a wild card and blew the first place team out of the water. We won 3 straight matches with the other team winning only 1 game. Triannuals are today and tomorrow. I am feeling good and believe I'm playing very well (for me). I hope I get to play today, because I have a really good feeling about it.

Just had to crow for a minute.....it's been a great year and I've come a long way.....I'm not the best player around here yet, but none of the best players want to draw me in a tourney.....That makes me feel damn good...

McCue Banger McCue

Congratulations! It is great to see such rapid progress, keep it up! I guess you are going to have to change your name from "Banger McCue" to "Everything's a Hanger McCue".

 

[DelaWho???]

Thanks for the words of inspiration everyboby. I am sad to say that my team lost at triannuals. We went down 0-3, and I didn't get to play. I don't feel too bad about the loss, as I didn't shoot, but I was real disappointed that I didn't get to play.

The new league session starts in a week or so, and I do have the regional first weekend in October. Will any other AZ'rs be there?

I'm going to get there Friday night and could use a practice partner...

McCue Banger McCue