Opinions regarding a former top pro playing in and dominating a Poolroom‘s weekly handicapped tournament?

I played in a tournament for years that every week had Kenny McCoy Danny Tater and usually some road player, Tony Mouget played in it a lot Dee Adkins as a kid, I also played the Airway tournament with Gary Spaeth Jason Miller Frank Ruby Steve Cook , Joe Brown Then Ryan Stone Alex Olinger Billy Thorpe . There was no Handicap. I was happy to get the game time against them for 10 dollars. No matter who is in the tournament , there will be complainers, tell them you run the tournament and you decide who plays. You hope they understand , but if they don't , they are not forced to play. 90% of them will shut up , the one that doesn't, wasn't a good customer to begin with.
I won that first tournament one week and I had to play Dee adkins Tony Mouget Kenny MC Coy and 5 or 6 other pretty fine players, I played Danny Tater in the finals and I went through undefeated so he had to beat me twice . He won the first match and was up 4 games to 0 in the final and I played some of the best pool of my life. I think I only missed 1 ball from there. I will never forget that feeling.
People who do not challenge themselves ,never really live.
Think about what 10 dollars really is , will you sell your opportunities for satisfaction , for a 10 dollar bill? Lots of people do. I have watched them , and at the end of their life they say "I never had a chance in life"
 
So the guy that is 70yrs old and is playing folks with a fair handicap is being vilified because he still has skills enough to win. Just kick him out and give everyone a participation trophy. WTF. Instead of whining about his talent. Make yours better. What has happened to strive to improve. We are not created equal in all endeavors. I suck. But I should still win. Watch the videos. Stay in your lane without balls enough to try to improve.
 
It sounds like that's a pretty big handicap for someone as far removed from his peak as he is. As a player I'd be happy to play and lose just for the practice but I've always had that attitude towards stronger players, I understand not everyone feels the same.
 
Imagine some golf pro trying this BS. Bobby Clampett or Scott Simpson or Gary Koch rolling up to the weekly skins game. He would get laughed off the course for trying to steal from a bunch of 10 handicaps.
 
Maybe just set the handicap to a proportionate scale where other players actually have a chance. Your tournament, just make it as tough for a 700 plus handicap to win as a 500 or 600. You can make the handicap whatever you feel is fair for the expected players that show. If he complains just explain you are trying to be fair. Their still should be some reward for being really good, but not so much that virtually only one person wins most of the time. Have to say I like the bounty idea also.
I've shot two leagues for the last 6 years or so, both well run but with two different scoring systems and handicaps. There are some stacked teams on ea league and even though you can occasionally beat them here and there, at the end of the year the stacked teams always end up in the top half of the placing. Although all teams get money back at the end of the year, there is pretty big money coming back to the top third or so of the teams. Is the handicapping fair, couldn't tell you, but I feel the two people running the leagues try to make it fair and they do not take a cut of the money as far as I know for running the leagues.
 
I see people moaning about pro pool players. How much does a pro make? I have no problem supporting pool and can't count the times I played to support with a snowballs chance.
Playing stronger players with all eyes on the match can trigger stage fright, won't get that watching youtube. 🤷‍♂️
So when I make the finals in the C tournament I am Ready for the pressure.
 
I see people moaning about pro pool players. How much does a pro make? I have no problem supporting pool and can't count the times I played to support with a snowballs chance.
Playing stronger players with all eyes on the match can trigger stage fright, won't get that watching youtube. 🤷‍♂️
So when I make the finals in the C tournament I am Ready for the pressure.
Play them whenever you want. Good luck

Nobody cares and we're not here to support them
 
I see people moaning about pro pool players. How much does a pro make? I have no problem supporting pool and can't count the times I played to support with a snowballs chance.
Playing stronger players with all eyes on the match can trigger stage fright, won't get that watching youtube. 🤷‍♂️
So when I make the finals in the C tournament I am Ready for the pressure.
Just send a weekly check, we don't care that you're a sucker - feel free to donate
 
I have always wondered exactly what the lesser player learned while taking a beating from a better player other than how to donate his money to someone with a misspent youth. It seems to me one would learn just as much by watching in person or even on video. I know someone here must have good answer for this as often as we hear that "you have to take your beatings and donate to a better player if you wanna be good". Lets hear what ya got.

Not ever great player had a mis-spent youth, nor are they always some low life, so if the lesser player has a good skill set he can learn alot from a pro player that he can use against players his speed or below his speed. If you have little or very little skills to begain with your not going to win against a pro in a tournamnet or the best players in your area anyway, so take the time to get that pro to show a couple of things that can benefit you at your level and improve your game.
 
I'm not donating to better players to get better I'll watch videos the name is Tucker not Sucker.
You cant ask videos a question, you cant ask a video to set the shot up and explain the small details that make the shot work. If the pro is a have way decent person and I mean half way, your $10 can go a long way. There's 5 or 6 pros that show up at our local tournaments from time to time and 3 of them in particular hang around showing us shots and discussing the whats and hows of the game.

They will ask some to gamble, but they also know their going to have to give up some serious wieght, theres no suckers here, getting the moeny wil be work.
 
I just can't imagine the skill gap is as extreme as some posters are making it seem. I'm probably a 400 ish Fargo, I don't really know. But I think I'd have a decent chance vs pros from 30 years ago who are 70+ getting 10/2. A 400 can run out every once in a while right? Then get lucky one more game. I doubt this guy is running 6 packs on the regular and just keeping people in the chair the whole time. I play in a tournament that has a max handicap of 5/2 and I can't get two games vs some strong players, granted not pro speed players. But 10/2 is a lot in this scenario.
 
I just can't imagine the skill gap is as extreme as some posters are making it seem. I'm probably a 400 ish Fargo, I don't really know. But I think I'd have a decent chance vs pros from 30 years ago who are 70+ getting 10/2. A 400 can run out every once in a while right? Then get lucky one more game. I doubt this guy is running 6 packs on the regular and just keeping people in the chair the whole time. I play in a tournament that has a max handicap of 5/2 and I can't get two games vs some strong players, granted not pro speed players. But 10/2 is a lot in this scenario.
60+ not 70+. Those 10 years make a huge difference!
 
60+ not 70+. Those 10 years make a huge difference!
I agree that's a big difference. Idk where I got 70 from, I was thinking man this guy's really old to be steamrolling everyone still. Can you carve out a special more extreme handicap for him? I just dislike the idea of completely barring someone from play, especially if there's not that many tournaments in your area. Maybe I am a sucker but I just like to play play and as long as I have a 30+% chance of winning I just try to bring my best game and don't feel like I'm getting robbed.
 
There is no fair handicap.
That 400 has more than a one third chance of winning the 10-2 race. And every player over 430 can have a close to even race with that 700. The 700 wouldn't win the tournament most of the time unless the spot between the 700 and the 600 is the real culprit. Some places will say the 600 "is a 7," and the 700 "is a 10." If you do that, you both have long races and the 700 has a 75% chance of winning the match. My guess is they are not doing handicaps based on rating differences and a match chart.
A 400 can't run 3 balls and a 700 runs the last 4 on the table 85% of the time.

400 has zero chance.
 
For years I ran tourneys 7 days a week. You do not have to entice the top players to play. Spread the money out. First place does not need to be big money. Most are playing to learn or have a good time. Pay more places and get more players. With 16 people it would be $50 for 1st, $40 for second,$30 for third, $20 for 4th, and $10 each for 5th and 6th. And the same person could not win two weeks in a row.
 
I just can't imagine the skill gap is as extreme as some posters are making it seem. I'm probably a 400 ish Fargo, I don't really know. But I think I'd have a decent chance vs pros from 30 years ago who are 70+ getting 10/2. A 400 can run out every once in a while right? Then get lucky one more game. I doubt this guy is running 6 packs on the regular and just keeping people in the chair the whole time. I play in a tournament that has a max handicap of 5/2 and I can't get two games vs some strong players, granted not pro speed players. But 10/2 is a lot in this scenario.
Let's just say as a 400, you don't know what you don't know.
 
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