Self-Proclaimed Open Level Shooters
- Thread starter MBTaylor
- Start date
lots of great players in this thread. I have seen many of them play in person and they are the real deal. No doubt there are more than a few blowhards that post alot on AZB and in reality cant make a ball. Even those folks have something to offer: internet traffic that maybe makes AZB richer through Google Adsense!
kryptonite9 said:
Seeing that you are from PA I thought I would ask you this question. I am not sure what part of PA you are from but here goes. Do you consider Shane Jackson and open level player? I only ask because he competes in the Tiger Tour is ranked like 8th overall and I feel could win it on some occasions. He is probably the strongest player in the Pittsburgh Area (well Jerry Slivka now lives here again but besides him). I have somewhere I want to go with this based on your answer.
Trust me I am no open player so don't think this is about me, I would go 2 an out in the PA state tourney for sure.
And do you mind me asking what part of PA you are from and what Open events you are talking about?
Zallus said:
Looking at his results this year (not just finishes) but players he beat, I would definitely say he is a Open class player. I am just North of Philly. The Open events I am talking about used to classify the OPEN players are JossNortheast, Predator 9 ball, Blaze Tour and Tiger Tour tournaments. If you win or consitently place high in these you are open. I don't out players here so I will not give you a laundry list. Just look at any of these tours websites along with the ratings from predator 9 ball and the tristate tour. Many players compete across these tours so you can get an idea.
The only tournaments I win are local weekly/monthly events that room owners call "OPEN" with not near the caliber players that compete at this level. Trust me I am the type of player that knows where I stand.
I hope you are not going in the direction of me playing him. I did have a chance at the PA state tournament last year, he asked to match up, I declined. I would do the same today. I am also not an authority or pool, just played those tours for a while.
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What is "open" speed anyways and how is it important. There is a huge range of speed for "open" players. Basically its "pro speed" and then theres everyone else. When I match up I never ask people what speed is so n so. I just ask if I can play this person. There are open players who shoot like garbage and there are A players who shoot lights out. Which one would you rather play? Its all about how people match up against other people. Not talking about weight, just talking about how people shoot good under certain conditions and against certain people. Take Shane Jackson since you brought him up. I played him and spotted him and we broke even. That doesnt mean that I have to beat anyone else who he plays even or even people he spots. Being a "open" player just means you got a higher entry into regional tournaments then the A's or B's. Big deal. Lets see some of these "open" players who got 2 or 3 and out in tournaments play some "A" players who have sucess in these tournaments.
kryptonite9 said:
I was not saying that you should try and play him, I was just wondering what type of player you thought he was. I only asked because he is a very good friend of mine, he acctually has an account on here, but he is far from open class I would think and he would say that himself. He told me that he is at least 2 balls worse that Matt Clatterbuck and at least 3+balls worse that Jason Klatt.
My main reasoning for this was to find out what you think is open speed. Shane is a decent "A" player but he admits he is far from being able to compete against the pros. Actually something funny about Shane for as well as he plays he doesn't seem to have a crazy gear, the most racks he has run in a row is 4, I actually have run 4 in a row once, and he is the 7 and out better than me.
I think people look at open differently, I am not sure that Pittsburgh has any open players unless you classify Slivka as open and not pro. See I have a hard time judging the difference of players once they get to Slivka's speed or better. I think they all play jam up and don't miss.
nice post
ALTHOUGH i DIDN'T HAVE QUITE AS AN IMPRESSIVE PERSON TO LEARN FROM, I did find an older guy who liked to read and learn new things. He helped me learn about putting spin on banks, and worked with me a little on smoothing out a few things. Spent countless hours just knocking balls around with me, and never let me pay even a part of the table time. There were no tapes, and like you said, information was hard to come by to elevate your game. When I give this man credit for helping me, he just says, "you would have gotten all the stuff I helped with anyway".
Now, when someone asks me a question at league, or just out playing somewhere, I am happy to help pass along things that were given to me. Sort of a pass-it-forward deal.
There are always new things to learn, and you can gather much info by keeping your mouth shut and just watching.
Blackjack said:
ALTHOUGH i DIDN'T HAVE QUITE AS AN IMPRESSIVE PERSON TO LEARN FROM, I did find an older guy who liked to read and learn new things. He helped me learn about putting spin on banks, and worked with me a little on smoothing out a few things. Spent countless hours just knocking balls around with me, and never let me pay even a part of the table time. There were no tapes, and like you said, information was hard to come by to elevate your game. When I give this man credit for helping me, he just says, "you would have gotten all the stuff I helped with anyway".
Now, when someone asks me a question at league, or just out playing somewhere, I am happy to help pass along things that were given to me. Sort of a pass-it-forward deal.
There are always new things to learn, and you can gather much info by keeping your mouth shut and just watching.
Congrats on having a job and playing pool at a higher level. Some other players that play well and have a job come to mind as well, Dee Atkins, Jason Kirkwood, and George Breedlove. It always amazes me how well some people can play while still having a job.....Jude Rosenstock said:
bells said:
I don't compare to those guys. Jeanette Lee is from my neck of the woods so she'll bring Breedlove around from time to time. The guy is a monster. Kirkwood is God on a bartable and only wrecked havoc on the Joss Tour recently. Sigh, maybe one day.
Kudos to all the "open" players, instructors, knowledgeable people and all others who responded without malice but with sincerity. Thanks for all the great posts from everyone I have learned from on this site. To get a thoughtful response to this thread is a credit to you all. Keep em comin.
The 21st century is a GREAT place to learn to play pool. Can I order a time machine now so I can go back to a time when I had more time??
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The 21st century is a GREAT place to learn to play pool. Can I order a time machine now so I can go back to a time when I had more time??
td
I play open league.
At the senior center.
At the senior center.
bells said:
Oh no, he doesn't fool me. I mentioned he wrecked havoc on the Joss Tour. That's a 9-ball tour played on 9-foot tables. The guy could easily win "most under the radar" in my book. He stopped by Amsterdam looking for action (at least I think it was him). I felt like keeping my money that day and stayed at the bar.