Max Eberle on people who play on barboxes "Pool players need to grow some balls"

SeniorTom said:
A lot of the better players play one pocket on the 9-ft tables, that seems to be there go-to gambling game. I like one pocket because it exercises a unique part of one's repertoire, finesse, banking, and safety strategy.
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I was practicing at the Golden Fleece up in Washington state on the 4" pocketed Diamond they had at their original location when Dan Louie came in and had a lesson so I was going to have to give up the table. Normally they limited play on that table to one pocket but the owner, I forget his name now, let me practice tenball as long as I didn't break. When Dan came in he said he had a lesson coming up and I asked him if he wanted to shoot some while he was waiting for his lesson to come in.

So I broke and we went back and forth until he left me an open bank. I banked it in and ran 8 and out and he thanked me. He said "Thank you for that, I need to be punished when I leave a shot like that" lol. I just thought it was funny that he would thank me for running out on him. Dan Louie is good people.
 
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Fore Rail said:

Just drunks and league players, call Piazza's & see if you can sign up!!​
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Should be very easy to snap off for all you big table players.​
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I’ve mentioned it before, but a while back we had a Lucasi West Coast stop in my neck of the woods. It was the only one on barboxes. I have heard some didn’t like that. Anyway, somehow the top 3 FargoRate players finished 1-2-3. It doesn’t always happen that way, but Oscar, Vilmos, and Max finished like that. Max wasn’t above playing it. Yeah, maybe they got good from 9’ play etc… but it wasn’t kiddie pool, Fisher Price tables bla, bla,bla. And as mentioned above, plenty of 9’ only players can get all they want from Bergman, Matlock, etc…. I agree that to develop players for top competition 9’ table play is required. It is also a mistake IMO to think 7’ play has no skill. Prefer what you want, but straight pool on 10’ tables was dead before the Hustler hit theaters.
 
i don’t know any flatearthers that have
physically measured vast planetary distances

but i know several that will say that
the person who just walked past you on the sidewalk
is not the person that just walked past you on the sidewalk
 
Once again I'll repeat what I initially posted , that I know of only one pool hall with a handful of 9' tables with the same for 7' tables 1 snooker table and a 3 cushion table .
So it's up to you folks on the coasts to save pool yes the shoe is on the other foot now so run with it and make us all proud !
 
I’m guessing this Max Eberle reel is clipped from a longer video, but I haven’t been able to track it down. If anyone’s got a link to the full version, I’d like to see it.

Do the players he’s talking about really stick to 7-foot tables because they’re scared of 9-footers? I haven’t logged nearly as many hours as he has, but my guess is it’s less about testicular intrepidity and more about practical stuff, like:
  • They’d happily play on 9-footers, but there just aren’t any nearby.
  • They’re league players, and their league uses 7-footers, so that’s what they practice on.
  • For some folks, pool is tied to the bar vibe, and they'd be bored stiff at Ames, mister.
  • They just want to have fun and aren’t that interested in debating table sizes.
I get what he’s saying: “If you want to level up, challenge yourself on the big table.” Fair point. It probably would’ve landed better if it came off a little less judgmental.

I prefer 9-footers and used to avoid 7-footers. I recently rejoined a league that plays on 7-foot tables, because playing in competition matters more than sticking to a specific table size. It’s not like 7-footers don't offer my game any learning opportunities. A table’s a table, and you still have to execute.

I don't know about Max's flat-earth beliefs, but I enjoy his POV videos.
 
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i always played on 9 or mostly ten foot tables.

and for good reason. soon i am going to start on 7 foot tables as since the earth is round, the balls start going downhill and speed up on bigger tables.

i tried to get the pool room owner to raise the back side of his tables but the idiot laughed at me like i don't know what i am talking about.
 
dquarasr said:
Of course a 75x will crush a 55x. If I understand FR, a 200 point discrepancy means the higher skilled player will win 4:1 ratio. 7-5 is a joke. Would I play in that tournament? Yes, if the entry is $20 and I can play a few matches and racks for $20. If the entry is $150, hell no; I have almost no chance of cashing and why would I donate?

Pool has an extremely large spread of skill, commitment, and audience.

1. The casual player. Goes to the bar on a date and bangs some balls. Won't even beat an APA 4. Can't spell "Fargo". Doesn't even know what Fargo is.
2. The semi-serious player. APA 3, 4, 5. May or may not know what a Fargo Rate is. Might be 350-400 FR. Can run out once in a while in 2, maybe 3 innings. Might BnR once a year, if he/she is lucky and is "on".
3. The more serious player. APA 6-7. Could be a FR 450-500. The big fish in the small local hall pond. Make a mistake against such a player and sit and watch him/her run out. Is always a threat to BnR but doesn't do so regularly.
4. Mid-range APA7. FR 500-550. Can and does regularly BnR.
5. Super7. FR550-650. Don't miss against this guy/gal. You won't have another shot very often. May or may not play APA. Probably plays BCA.
6. Semi-Pro or ShortStop. Doesn't play APA. Might play BCA. FR650-750. Don't bother playing this guy/gal. You don't have a chance if you're an APA 5, 6, or "regular" 7.
7. FR750-850. Pro. You pay as a railbird to watch him/her play. No, you don't play this guy/gal for $ unless you are at least 700 yourself.

To compare it to other sports, would you try to corner an NFL receiver who can run 4.3 40's? Would you try to block a 280-lb linebacker running up the middle on a blitz with corners also blitzing? Would you try to open-field tackle a running back who can run 4.4 40s? Of course you wouldn't You'd get crushed.

Would you try to hit an MLB pitcher who can curve a ball two feet at 85 MPH? Or throw a fastball 98-102 MPH at your head? Of course not.

Would you play a pro golfer even and take your 80s game into a money match where the pro can shoot 60s? Of course not.

So let's not compare pro 9-ft tournaments to a local handicapped tournament on a 7-ft Diamond. It's not the same comparison. And no, don't lament that "ya gotta be able to play on a 9-footer and if you can't you should quit pool."

Is there a graduated path to grow professionals in the USA? Absolutely not. So let's not delude ourselves or denigrate the APA 4 who shows up week after week, has a good time, keeps the game alive by buying expensive cues, keeps the local hall open, and runs out from the 4 to the 9 once every 13-week session.

Too many levels for us to agree on the status of pool today. It's reality that pool is simply not a priority for the masses, and there's no pool little league to home-grow new pros.
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I only know one APA 7 who breaks and runs regularly. He works at a pool hall so has lots of time to get actual practice in.

I watched an APA 7, Fargo 560 or so play against our team last night, he made some absolutely wicked shots but had not a single B&R in 6 racks.
 
Lowell said:
I only know one APA 7 who breaks and runs regularly. He works at a pool hall so has lots of time to get actual practice in.

I watched an APA 7, Fargo 560 or so play against our team last night, he made some absolutely wicked shots but had not a single B&R in 6 racks.
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I thought that in 9 ball it was an APA 9, and in 8 ball an APA 7?

Jaden
^^^^---Never played APA.
 
While I do agree that 9 foot pool is more rewarding and challenging in general, and it is what I want to play on 100% of the time if possible...it is NOT possible any longer. There are only two 9 foot tables in my city, and those are mostly bogarted by a new onepocket league that makes it impossible to become available for rent for practice. And my personal 9 foot diamond is in storage post-divorce, so that's that. 7 foot pool or nothing. Those well heeled 9 foot ideologues who want to invest their money in an American pool champion breeding program are certainly free to do that, and I will support their efforts. They will probably want returns on said investment howerver...and that is why 7 foot tables are the norm...real estate prices don't justify that much space devoted to 9 footers. I wish that weren't so, but, as Oscar Gamble is credited as saying "They don't think it be like it is, but it do".
 
heater451 said:
Those are the maximum levels. The ranges are SL 1-9 for APA 9Ball, and 2-7 for APA 8Ball.

For comparison to other ranking types, Dr. Dave has a Billiards University chart on this page.
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Yeah thanks, I was referring to the maximum levels.

There was a poster here back in the day whose handle was APA7. He epitomized the trope.
 
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