Shy but wants to play

Since it was only practice before matches started, I wasn't going to make it a big deal. Trust me.......if this were in match play, that ball would go back!

I just mentioned it as part of the mindset of the people that play APA. No respectful BCA player would even dream of saying anything like that, even in a practice situation.........at least.......that's been my experience.

And last night, after winning against the sl/2, I went to another table to play with a teammate. He wandered over with his girlfriend and started a game on the next table. I chatted a bit and then said it was good that he was getting some practice in.

He said, and I quote, "I just play for fun, and I shoot much better when it's just for fun." You mean to say that you don't like competition? Why are you on a league, then, if not to compete against others? Then he shot worse than he did earlier.

Whatever!
 
skiergirl55 said:
Why are you on a league, then, if not to compete against others?
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Ah , now you've gotten to the heart of "WHY" many people participate in leagues ! For many , it is viewed merely as a social experience ! They play league to :
1) get out of the house . Different bar every other week , places you haven't seen yet , and might not otherwise have gone to !
2) meet people . 8 new faces (opponents) every week !
3)meet people of the opposite sex ( you don't know how many APA players I know who are COMPLETELY devoid of "game" ~ and I don't mean "pool game" !! without league , they would be absolutely incapable of interacting with the opposite sex) I even know quite a few folks who ended up married to people they met at league . . .
4) business networking . Let's say you sell cars ~ you can meet an awful lot of prospective buyers at your matches ! Out of work ? Be sure to mention it to your opponents - they might be your new employer or co-worker !
5) promote the 'home' bar . Some bars use their teams as a way of making the public aware that their bar exists . A great example of this a few years back in San Diego was Pacer's Pussy Posse. A gentleman's club named Pacer's sent a group of their finest emissaries out to compete in various sporting competitions , and they NEVER failed to attract attention . Didn't WIN much , but they sure attracted attention , and people who might never have frequented the establishment were DEFINITELY aware of Pacer's after that . . . .

Not everyone who plays league is in it for the cutthroat competition , and this is usually reflected in their team rankings . Look at your last place teams , and they'll normally be the "social" teams . :cool:

their drinkin team has a pool problem !!
 
It's late, but I thought I'd chime in.

We lost our first match, we're in the loser bracket. We played Cameron against another 4 first........he barely lost, but he did lose. Next match, my SO Gene against another 5, he won. 1-1, tied up.

Next match, Steve, sl7, went up against an sl6.....but it was almost 2 hours into the night and he's a drinker. He lost. During league play we always play him first....now I know why.:p

Match #4, we played our 3 against another 3. He lost, so they won 3-1 over all. Mostly it was stupid straight in easy shots that got them.

I did not get to play. :(:(:(

We have to be there to play at 9:30 am. Nighto. I hope to have better luck tomorrow.
 
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Well, it's over for us, but it was a good time! :) It's all good.

Match #1 this morning.......won!

Match #2 this afternoon......won (along with a spot of cash).

Match #3 starting at 7:30pm......lost. We're out.

Details in the morning, I'm wiped out.:cool:
 
I'm still wiped out. ;)

Details will have to wait. I shot in the 9 ball league tonight and only won 3 games out of 8. These guys are all awesome shots, and I was lucky to do that.

One thing about 9 ball: don't make a mistake.:cool:
 
Well last week I shot twice in our 9 ball match. We could only scrape up 4 players. The other team let me shoot as a blind. I lost both matches. I lost the first one by 1 ball. I lost the second by 12. It still got us enough points to win the match 52-48. The other team is easy going. We left them shoot a blind last year. So no harm done. It's all about enjoying ourselves. And if we can win it's even sweeter. BTW no one on our team will take a fall. We go down swinging.

Heck 2 weeks ago I got put in against a 1. I'm a 3. She ran up 13 in the first 2 racks. She needed only 1 more ball. I won it going away. I ran 2 straight racks. She had a coupla tough shots. I just played smart and kept pounding. It was a real tough match. I'm proud of that one.

Best of luck in the upcoming session.

Mark Shuman
 
I don't understand, Mark..... a '1'? I play both BCA and APA, and neither one has a '1'. APA's lowest level is a 2, and BCA is a 4. What am I missing?

I'm not playing APA 9 ball. It's BCA. We only count wins....not balls. So of a possible 32, we had 14. It was a close night. Had I been playing 9 ball more often, I may have done better. I'll start getting some practice in.

APA tonight: They put me up against a new player.....not really a pool shooter at all. I won all 3 games, but it was fun. We were all helping her out. :)
 
skiergirl55 said:
I don't understand, Mark..... a '1'? I play both BCA and APA, and neither one has a '1'. APA's lowest level is a 2, and BCA is a 4. What am I missing?

I'm not playing APA 9 ball. It's BCA. We only count wins....not balls. So of a possible 32, we had 14. It was a close night. Had I been playing 9 ball more often, I may have done better. I'll start getting some practice in.

APA tonight: They put me up against a new player.....not really a pool shooter at all. I won all 3 games, but it was fun. We were all helping her out. :)
Click to expand...

APA 9-ball does have a SL1, and goes up to SL9. (I just started, leanring the differences... and there are more. :p )

I enjoy the times when you have a new player playing their first game, and everyone works together to make sure they understand what's going on. It's a good feeling.
 
Yea I'm shooting APA 9 ball. Sorry for the confusion. You have skill levels from 1 to 9. You score 1 point for sinking an object ball. You score 2 points for the 9. Total of 10 points available in a rack. Balls pocketed and a scratch occurs, they are "Dead balls" and do not count. Like dropping 2 on the break and scratching. The 2 balls are dead. The 9 comes up on a scratch and is spotted. You need a certain number of points to win. As a 3 I need 25. A 1 would only need 14.

She ran up 13 points in 2 racks. I ran out the rest. Which is unusual for me. It started a general upturn for me. Since that game I'm playing fairly well. Getting back to almost where I was before my left eye got damaged last year. I had to relearn cut angles all over again. It's been tough, but I'm getting there.

BTW I enjoy you're posts. Real down to earth and usually put a smile on my face so keep it up!

Mark Shuman
 
Now that sounds like an interesting game! I may try that next.

Last night, I played a '3'. He was no '3'. I'd have to rate him a 5, if anything. He ran 6 balls in a row on a medium-hard table. Gimme a break! 2 wins to my 3, and he got me in 5 total innings? That's a '3'? I cry sandbagger.

Our captain got bumped down to a 5 from a 6 after City Cup (why not before? haha), so he played a '3' also........the other team was full up of Under 5's. The '3' he played was doing hairy cut shots, long shots, kick shots...and making them.:angry: I've played a lot of '3's before, and none of them ever know how to Consistently kick a ball into the pocket or do any of the stuff he was doing. This guy didn't even stop to think.

We made a note on the score sheet.

I am STILL no fan of APA.:angry:
 
phread59 said:
I'm a 3. I won it going away. I ran 2 straight racks.

Mark Shuman
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WOW! Good sho
otin' , Mark! Course, you know s/l3s aren't supposed to be able to stack racks like that . . . but I'll be friendly and avoid the "S" word . . . .:cool:
 
phread59 said:
I'm a 3. I won it going away. I ran 2 straight racks.

Mark Shuman
Click to expand...

WOW! Good shootin' , Mark! Course, you know s/l3s aren't supposed to be able to stack racks like that . . . but I'll be friendly and avoid the "S" word . . . .:cool:
 
Yea Ride it was unusual for me. I just got hot. I've had a lot of problems this past year due to a left eye (dominant) injury at work. I was a 4 almost 5 when I damaged my cornea. I've basicly had to relearn pool again. Angles don't look the same anymore. And I have a tough time seeing the proper contact point/angle. But I'm getting there. Things have begun to click again. I played very smart. Played perfect position. If I missed, I left her with nothing. I got BIH at least 3 times in 2 racks and did not waste them. As I said it was more a mental/tactical game win than an actual playing /skill win. When I'm on I play a very decent mental game (maybe cause' I'm a mental case?).

Skier, I sympathize with you. I've been there. But Ill tell you this. I bank much better than I cut. If I have a choice I'll bank one in rather than a thin cut. I'm fairly good at it. I am getting better at kicking too. But I do not kick very many in. I usually can make a legal hit on a kick. It seems I can see bank angles better than cut angles. My eye problems may have some to do with it. And I'm sure my stance has a lot to do with it. I bank more upright than I do when making a cut shot. I've been working on this phenomenon the past 3 weeks. I think the hight of my stance may be the key for the next level.

I hope this finds you well. You and Ride go get'em.

Mark Shuman
 
Sunday night's 9 ball: I had a hissy.:o:angry::o

The opposing team was good.....never miss, run outs, etc....and it was intimidating. I watched them play my teammates and knew that it would be luck that got us any games. I wasn't far off.

But I got pissed off and threw a hissy.

I'd already lost 2 matches, and was prepared to lose again. They'd seen me shoot, so they knew I was no 'ringer'. Like a true novice, I miscued on the break, didn't hit the rack AT ALL (:embarrassed2:), which gave opponent ball in hand.

He puts the cue ball within a foot of the 1 ball, taps the 1 so it barely rolls out, and the cue ball goes behind the rack. I try to hit it, miss the whole thing Again. He gets ball in hand, Does It Again.....hides the cue ball next to the back of the rack and the rack is still in formation. He smirks at me: "You're on your Third Foul.":angry:

Maybe I was wrong, but I saw no reason to play this way considering my skill level and his. I thought, "What an asshole. Why not just break the rack and play your game? He knows I probably won't run out."

I did something I never thought I'd do: I didn't even try to hit the 1 (it was nearly impossible to get to it and he knew it), and I took my Cue and waved it through the rack, breaking it all to hell, giving him the game. I looked at him and said, "Now it's your break. Let's play pool."

Fook him. Call me a bad sport, a Sore Loser....I don't care. I shook his hand in the end, shook the game off, and went on.

After we played that team, we had to play a make up game with another team from week one, and I had to play someone who wins tournaments, has a table at home, and is a damn fine shooter. I made a kick shot at the 2 ball, hit it, it went smack dab solid into the 9 and sent it to the corner pocket. I was just hoping to hit the 2 ball. She wasn't happy with me at all. Hey, lucky shot. (Always pardon my drawings....I'm sure they're not accurate angles).

CueTable Help

 
He puts the cue ball within a foot of the 1 ball, taps the 1 so it barely rolls out, and the cue ball goes behind the rack. I try to hit it, miss the whole thing Again. He gets ball in hand, Does It Again.....hides the cue ball next to the back of the rack and the rack is still in formation. He smirks at me: "You're on your Third Foul."

***********************************

I thought that they were getting ride of the 3 foul rule ???

:confused:
 
BCA 9-Ball rules, had to look this one up.

5.13 THREE CONSECUTIVE FOULS
If a player fouls three consecutive times on three successive shots without making an intervening legal shot, the game is lost. The three fouls must occur in one game. The warning must be given between the second and third fouls. A player's inning begins when it is legal to take a shot and ends at the end of a shot on which he misses, fouls or wins, or when he fouls between shots.

*******************

Dam, that is just mean. If the player is alot better then you, this rule stinks.
 
3 foul.....

Sorry Skier, the scenario you just wrote about is one of the few times I think about 3 fouling my opponent. If they foul on the break and the rack is in near perfect formation, it's simple to thin the 1 and put them behind the stack.

It is part of the game even though it doesn't come up much.

I prefer to run the balls if the table is wide open, but getting ball in hand now and then makes it much simpler. Usually a player will get ball in hand and run out or try to play another safe if balls are tied up.

Unfortunately, you fouled on the opening break. It makes for a easy win for your opponent.

Good lesson to be learned, maybe try kicking at that same shot in your next practice session.
 
A good lesson indeed! Had he not had superior cue ball control, things might have been different. He planted the cue ball hooked near the 8....the first time, the CB went to at least 3 rails....and dies without hitting anything (dead rails?). Also, my lack of skill.

Second time, same scenario.... I was no longer playing. I'm impatient. :grin-square:

CueTable Help

 
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