Masters Leagues: Do they cut out the majority of issues handicapped leagues present?

[KoolKat9Lives]

I've never played in a league. All the BS I hear about poor sportsmanship, cheating, waiting around, playing sometimes at crappy venues, etc etc make me avoid it like the plague.

As a strong B, low A player, would people recommend me giving Masters a try? Or as a person with little patience for shenanigans, should I avoid it also?

 

[incognito]

I've never played in a league. All the BS I hear about poor sportsmanship, cheating, waiting around, playing sometimes at crappy venues, etc etc make me avoid it like the plague.

You get some of that in league play, but I've experienced all of those same things just playing at bars too. More often than not, I find league play to be a more structured and fun experience than just random match-ups.

As a strong B, low A player, would people recommend me giving Masters a try? Or as a person with little patience for shenanigans, should I avoid it also?

I would highly recommend playing in a Masters division. You'd be playing against good, knowledgeable players so the things you mentioned above would probably come into play a lot less.

 

[randyg]

I play in a Masters League. No handicap-no issues, just absolutely love it....SPF=randyg

 

[zy112]

I would agree, IMO Masters is completely different. Your not going to get dumped on and play a low handicapp. You should be playing solid competition with people that also want to play minus the BS.

 

[ChatTownBanger]

I play in an APA Masters league. I like it because I get to play along side some of my friends and get to play against at least some people that can present a challenge. Don't really have the patience to play in handicap leagues against low level players anymore. If you can find a non-handicap BCA league, you can achieve the same.

 

[CreeDo]

There are exceptions but I think you'll find a person's willingness to cry and cheat and do bs stunts is directly linked to their skill level.

Once you approach A-level, it starts being about just playing top notch pool and who even cares about the rest. So I think you'll enjoy the masters league.

Disclaimer, I haven't tried it. Could be that one's full of BS too. But I know people who play in these leagues and they have no complaints.

 

[ugotactionTX]

We have both around here... there are basically NO PROBLEMS in the Open(master) league. Show up, play your race, add the score, go home. No *****ing about handicapps or why so and so's an X while I'm a Y, and NO dumping (can't afford to) Just pool played at a high level with what I consider to be "pure" rules. I love it. Of course a nice by product is the level of play by everyone in the division has steadily improved over the years.

 

[SpinDoctor]

Our local area is dominated by one VNEA league primarily and they have a multi-tiered system that looks kind of like this:

Fun league-->Vegas League-->Super Vegas-->Premier-->Open(masters)

If a player has won the fun league they are no longer allowed to play there and must move up. If a team wins a Vegas trip they are required to move up the next level with the final stop being the Open division. Once you're moved up a level you're there until you submit an appeal and have it judged by a panel that may approve you going back based on your performance at the current level.

That being said, the open division is definitely a players environment and there are far fewer issues with standard league B.S.

(P.S. - The B.S. still happens at the highest levels, it's just more rare. My teams was playing in the VNEA team finals a few years ago and had the opposing team call a ref after my teammate shot the 8 in saying that he put the patch too far from the pocket. They were wrong and it bit them in the butt later on.)

 

[ajohnson13]

I have played in both handicapped and open leagues, and I much prefer open leagues. The competition is much more challenging, and a better over all experience can be achieved. I enjoy the team environment and the camaraderie it provides.

IMO any league structure presents the possibility of issues, arguments, cheating, etc., as there will always be someone who doesn't agree with the rules or the structure, or just flat out want's to complain and stir sh*t up, but non-handicapped leagues tend to cater to the higher skilled players, and therefore leave a lot of that BS behind.

If you are interested in league play and are at the skill level you claim, I would recommend a non-handicapped or open league over a handicapped one any day.

 

[dr9ball]

Master's league is the way to go. Better competition and while there are still the occasional disagreements, in general everyone there takes it seriously most of the time and they just want to play.

I would encourgage you to check out a Master's League if it's available to you.

 

[Majic]

Masters was the only league I played when I was still living in the GSO area. I played Masters for the same reasons you avoid league play, but there is a very good BCA league in High Point. Masters was a blast, and if the teams stick with it some good rivalries are formed. you should talk to Bobby or Wayne. They have been in the GSO Masters the since it was formed 5 or 6 yeras ago.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

I've never played in a league. All the BS I hear about poor sportsmanship, cheating, waiting around, playing sometimes at crappy venues, etc etc make me avoid it like the plague.

As a strong B, low A player, would people recommend me giving Masters a try? Or as a person with little patience for shenanigans, should I avoid it also?

My question is why would you want to play in a league? I tried LEAGUE One Night, the disorganization, drunks in the bar, bad equipment, and Karaoke said enough! I wanted to play pool, not be subjected to STRESS!

 

[Rich R.]

My question is why would you want to play in a league? I tried LEAGUE One Night, the disorganization, drunks in the bar, bad equipment, and Karaoke said enough! I wanted to play pool, not be subjected to STRESS!

Not everyone chooses to play leagues in dumps.
I play in an APA league, in a pool room, on all 9' tables that are a mix of Gold Crowns and Diamond Pros. There is no loud music, no Karaoke and there is no alcohol so there are no drunks. We play pool in my league.
You should try going to a better class establishment.

 

[brandoncook26]

My question is why would you want to play in a league? I tried LEAGUE One Night, the disorganization, drunks in the bar, bad equipment, and Karaoke said enough! I wanted to play pool, not be subjected to STRESS!

Why do you even chime in on these threads? Are you on some kind of crusade to end leagues? You try something one night and bag on it the rest of your life. We get it, you don't like leagues. I really don't know what to say to you. I guess some people I will just never understand.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

Not everyone chooses to play leagues in dumps.
I play in an APA league, in a pool room, on all 9' tables that are a mix of Gold Crowns and Diamond Pros. There is no loud music, no Karaoke and there is no alcohol so there are no drunks. We play pool in my league.
You should try going to a better class establishment.

The only place we got like that in Phoenix is Kolby's, and it is 60 miles away. Kolby's the last time I was out there served BEER! Most of the Bars do not take care of the equipment good, and they are first & foremost in the booze business!

 

[JDB]

I've never played in a league. All the BS I hear about poor sportsmanship, cheating, waiting around, playing sometimes at crappy venues, etc etc make me avoid it like the plague.

As a strong B, low A player, would people recommend me giving Masters a try? Or as a person with little patience for shenanigans, should I avoid it also?

For me, Masters is the best format out there because it is a race to 7 format and combines 8 ball and 9 ball. Although I would be just as happy if it was 9 ball only.

If BCA had a race to X game format instead of play everyone on the other team 1 game each (8 ball) or 2 games each (9 ball) I would prefer BCA for the competition. But until they provide a similar format as Masters, I will stick with that.

 

[tigerseye]

I've never played in a league. All the BS I hear about poor sportsmanship, cheating, waiting around, playing sometimes at crappy venues, etc etc make me avoid it like the plague.

As a strong B, low A player, would people recommend me giving Masters a try? Or as a person with little patience for shenanigans, should I avoid it also?

Great place to play to actually play for the love of the game... :thumbup:

 

[Rich R.]

The only place we got like that in Phoenix is Kolby's, and it is 60 miles away. Kolby's the last time I was out there served BEER! Most of the Bars do not take care of the equipment good, and they are first & foremost in the booze business!

From what you are saying, there is a real business opportunity in Phoenix and you should think about taking advantage of it instead of *****ing about it.

 

[poolhustla61508]

I've never played in a league. All the BS I hear about poor sportsmanship, cheating, waiting around, playing sometimes at crappy venues, etc etc make me avoid it like the plague.

As a strong B, low A player, would people recommend me giving Masters a try? Or as a person with little patience for shenanigans, should I avoid it also?

You should definitely play masters. You should start working on your bar table game if you do though as all of the higher level masters league tournaments are on BBs.

Personally I think this is the worst session to start playing apa masters though unless you want to take a year getting used to it before you can try and win a trip to vegas.Masters finals for this years vegas tournament is June 19th at Shooters.

 

[chevybob20]

I like the Masters for several reasons. First, you only have to deal with two other teammates without having to worry about handicaps. Most players in this league are serious about pool which equates to less drunken antics. No more nights filled with watching bangers chase balls around the table for hours on end. Lastly, I get out no later than 9:30PM. My poolhall allows us to play on two tables at once.