Professionals playing in non professional events

Perk said:
Perk goes to the bar. He says to his buddy, I just won this tourney the other day. Final result was 1. Perk, 2. Joe Smith, 3. Joe Smith, 4. Joe Smith...etc....Buddy says: Cool how bout them Lions?

Next week Perk goes to the bar. He says to his buddy, I just won a tourney yesterday. Final result was 1. Perk, 2. Earl "Pearl" Strickland, 3. Shane "SVB" VanBoening, 4. Corey Deuel, 5. BlackBalled.....Buddy says: "Holy crap thats awesome man, great shooting thats an excellent win and the field was tough. When you playing again?

Perk likes scenario #2.
Click to expand...

Fortunately Perk's buddy is a pool player because if Perk goes to the bar and says to the guy that happens to be sitting next to him "I just won a tourney yesterday. Final result was 1. Perk, 2. Earl "Pearl" Strickland, 3. Shane "SVB" VanBoening, 4. Corey Deuel, 5. BlackBalled", guy sitting next to him says: Cool how bout them Lions?

Except for maybe BlackBalled ... everybody knows who that is.
 
Not disagreeing with the premise that playing higher level opponents is the path to get better.

That said, in many cases its not $25/50/100 entry. Its:
$100 gas to drive 4hrs there and 4hrs back (maybe airfare in some cases like lv events so $$$)
$120 for motel 6 for 2 nights
+ food + tour cards + " a few cheap sets" against a wolf hanging with the lambs.

If the tournament is in my city, im usually in regardless of whether its open or not. If im putting up $300-500 to get involved for an out of town/state event in what im told is an amateur event and instead the final 4 or 8 are regional pros or higher that give all the amateurs the 7 easy...well yeah I might be like Teddy KGB from the movie Rounders:

"just like a young man coming in for quicky. I feel so dissatisfied"
 
tryhonesty07 said:
funny how the people on here who are like, "dont you want to get better" or it's hardly any money" are the ones that are pros trying to clam a couple hundred bucks off of others learning. typical.
Click to expand...

I was just saying that people spend a ton of money getting lessons, they do drills, they practice and think they are getting better. Lots of money spent on lessons and table time. Then they go to play in a tournament and expect to do well because they have put in the hardwork....the oops, you go two and out and are frustrated. You have to learn to compete somehow. You can't just play and be the best in the easy tournaments and then go into the big tournaments with expectations of winning all the time. You will always get knocked down a few pegs that way. It isn't just about learning something from playing better players for your game physically, it is also about getting over the hump mentally. If you live in a place where there is a high number of pros or pro level players and they play the weekly events with low entry fees, definitely play. It's the cheapest lesson you will get.

For the record, I can't win many tournaments with or without top pros to be honest. You can't always guarantee that you are going to win even if you are the best. Things happen, short races, luck, etc.

I'd also like to point out that you mention those pros that are trying to "clam" a few hundred here and there. Why should good players be punished for putting in the time and effort to get good?? Why shouldn't they be rewarded for playing well enough to win the tournament? As someone else mentioned, there are top players in every area that wouldn't be considered pros in the grand scheme of things, but that doesn't mean they don't play at that level or have the ability to beat a pro on any given day.

The big problem is that people get mad when they start losing and they quit thinking about what the other person is doing to beat them. They aren't learning that a good safety that they played outdid your stupid decision to do something else. You can always learn something from other people. You just have to be in the right mindset to do so.
 
Thank you Sarah Rousey for that reply, quite a few words of wisdom there.

I finally realized that the only way to learn to win was to commit to taking my lumps in tourney's until I get the hang of playing in tourney's. As I tell people, I never lose in practice, but tourneys are another matter.
 
I was once asked, How do you learn to play under pressure? The answer is to put yourself in pressure situations. How do you learn to play better in tournaments? Play in more tournaments. How do you compete against better players? Play better players. The answer is quite simple. The more you play in those types of situations, the better you will become in those situations. There is nothing like raising your game by playing better players, but the opposite can happen by playing lesser players.
 
I once paid $50 to enter a one pocket mini tournament because I had a 1 in 7 chance of drawing Efren Reyes in the first round. Guess what? I got to play a short race with my favorite pool player and one of the best to ever hold a cue, Efren. How many NBA fans can say they got to play one on one with Michael Jordan? No one! We should jump at the chance to play a professional pool player and feel lucky that they are so accessible to us as amateurs.
 
The tournament matches I have enjoyed the most were the ones against top pros.

$50 to $100+ entry fees are well worth the experience.
 
efirkey said:
How does everyone feel about professional pool players playing in events that are not professional events? I understand why they do it...for the money. But I personally don't want to play in a tournament where I feel I have zero chance of winning.
Click to expand...

I understand your frustration but if you were a pro you would do the same thing. There isn't enough money in pool for them to make money playing only in pro tournaments.

If you play a pro in a tournament ask him for advice on your game after the match. Learn and improve from the experience.
 
Some pros, like one that I know... he can't win pro tournaments so he has to play in amateur tourneys... still couldn't hardly get there.
 
Typical short race tourny 9 ball ? Serious equalizer.

Imagine if you won.....

You could go to your grave telling everyone how you beat an actual "Pro" striaght up in a tourny.... back in the day.

Sound like a story well worth $50.
 
wow, guess that pissed ppl off. lol It's just irritating that theres tourneys that I'm not around to play in, but they'll let pros play in because they are fond of them.

I totally would love to play in a tourney against some of the top pros...but there's a difference between them and the washed up no name "pros" that seem to hang around the tourneys to catch a few hundo off the "amateurs"..it's sad really.
 
efirkey said:
How does everyone feel about professional pool players playing in events that are not professional events? I understand why they do it...for the money. But I personally don't want to play in a tournament where I feel I have zero chance of winning.
Click to expand...
I say bring 'em on.

The opportunity to play a pro for a cheap entry fee is rare.
 
whitewolf said:
Your question is meaningless unless you state how good you are.

In the DC area pros play in tournaments here all the time, and they are not guaranteed to win. I have seen them not finish 1st place more times than not. There are a lot of good amateurs here with the attitude of 'bring in on'.

So, what I am trying to say is that you must put your question in perspective because everything is NOT so black and white as you have tried to indicate.
Click to expand...
I live in Baltimore...where in the DC area are you referring to please? Would love to enter those events.
 
ABall said:
I once paid $50 to enter a one pocket mini tournament because I had a 1 in 7 chance of drawing Efren Reyes in the first round. Guess what? I got to play a short race with my favorite pool player and one of the best to ever hold a cue, Efren. How many NBA fans can say they got to play one on one with Michael Jordan? No one! We should jump at the chance to play a professional pool player and feel lucky that they are so accessible to us as amateurs.
Click to expand...
Well...did you win?
 
efirkey said:
How does everyone feel about professional pool players playing in events that are not professional events? I understand why they do it...for the money. But I personally don't want to play in a tournament where I feel I have zero chance of winning.
Click to expand...
Well,
I am sure by now you have gotten quite a bit of information about making the most of playing against pros or better players in tournaments.

On the flip side, playing in an event where you might be favored to win is no guarantee either.

Last week I played in a 9B event on bar boxes. It was a race to 5 on both sides, and except for a friend of mine, I should have finished in the money. Most of the people in the event (12 entrants) were at the beginner level.

Well, I lost my first match to someone I can give the 8 to. He broke and ran three times, and I missed two key shots and lost.

I had to play him again on the loser's side to advance to the hot seat.
He broke the 9 Score 1-0
He broke and ran out, Score 2-0
He broke the 9, Score 3-0
He broke and ran, Score 4-0
He broke, ran to the 7, left me a bank which I hung up, he ran out, 5-0.

So I lost 5-0, the guy double-dipped me and I can definitely give him the 8!

My point...just like you would be favored in a weaker field to win, the pros can be favored and STILL be beat. Depends on the race lengths, table rolls, break formats, rules, table sizes etc.

Don't cheat yourself out of an opportunity to play someone better if the price is right.

I know people who have been playing in events for 20+ years with no hopes of winning first prize...ever...but they keep coming back and they never complain. I admire those guys.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top