Well, since I spent the last two hours online searching for a bar table tourney, now it's too late to get in one anyway...
I walked into a pool hall in Atlanta, GA about 10 years ago (yikes!) and asked for a table. They assigned me a table and I said "how about that one?". Pointing to one with simonis cloth and shimmed pockets.
The counter person said "That one is reserved for our better tournament players and league players, so you'll need to play on one of the other ones."
I said "Let me rephrase that then: Who do I have to beat to play on that table?"
Pretty soon the house pro showed up. We played four sets to 7 of 9-ball and came out even. We decided the only winner was the house and so decided to just have a drink and chat for a while. I explained that I was new in town and was finding my way around. He recommended that I play in a B&C tournament that was coming up the following weekend. But, he cautioned, don't tell them I told you about it or they won't let you play.
I show up on Saturday and the TD says..."no, I don't know you so I can't let you play. Come back tomorrow for the 'B' tournament and I'll let you play in that."
I come back on Sunday and the TD says..."hmmm...since you came back, you are probably still too good, for all I know you could be some triple-A shortstop outta nowhere I ever heard of. I'm going to pass."
So I leveled with him and said "Look man, I'm new in town, I just want to play, I don't know anybody. I want to get rated what to I need to do."
He said, play somebody and we'll see how you match up."
There was a guy playing by himself on the sole big table in the joint. I asked him if he'd like to play. He agreed and we played 9-ball $10 per game.
1st game I break and run. Then don't make anything and he runs out. We start chatting and he tells me he's a 10. In that place, 10 was considered pro. I thought, well, I'm not a pro, so my game drops a bit. His game drops a bit to keep me playing. Pretty soon neither of us can make 3 balls in a row. We quit with me losing $60 and he left.
So I went back to the TD and said, "ok, I played somebody. I played that guy on the big table and he was much better than I was, he beat me out of $60."
The TD's reply still rings in my ears...
"Son, that don't tell me SH**, that was Earl Strickland."
After all that, they still wouldn't let me play on that F****** table.
Cheers,
Regas
p.s. I have since come to believe that it might not, in fact have been Earl the Pearl, but he did look a lot like him and he did tell me his name was Earl.
I walked into a pool hall in Atlanta, GA about 10 years ago (yikes!) and asked for a table. They assigned me a table and I said "how about that one?". Pointing to one with simonis cloth and shimmed pockets.
The counter person said "That one is reserved for our better tournament players and league players, so you'll need to play on one of the other ones."
I said "Let me rephrase that then: Who do I have to beat to play on that table?"
Pretty soon the house pro showed up. We played four sets to 7 of 9-ball and came out even. We decided the only winner was the house and so decided to just have a drink and chat for a while. I explained that I was new in town and was finding my way around. He recommended that I play in a B&C tournament that was coming up the following weekend. But, he cautioned, don't tell them I told you about it or they won't let you play.
I show up on Saturday and the TD says..."no, I don't know you so I can't let you play. Come back tomorrow for the 'B' tournament and I'll let you play in that."
I come back on Sunday and the TD says..."hmmm...since you came back, you are probably still too good, for all I know you could be some triple-A shortstop outta nowhere I ever heard of. I'm going to pass."
So I leveled with him and said "Look man, I'm new in town, I just want to play, I don't know anybody. I want to get rated what to I need to do."
He said, play somebody and we'll see how you match up."
There was a guy playing by himself on the sole big table in the joint. I asked him if he'd like to play. He agreed and we played 9-ball $10 per game.
1st game I break and run. Then don't make anything and he runs out. We start chatting and he tells me he's a 10. In that place, 10 was considered pro. I thought, well, I'm not a pro, so my game drops a bit. His game drops a bit to keep me playing. Pretty soon neither of us can make 3 balls in a row. We quit with me losing $60 and he left.
So I went back to the TD and said, "ok, I played somebody. I played that guy on the big table and he was much better than I was, he beat me out of $60."
The TD's reply still rings in my ears...
"Son, that don't tell me SH**, that was Earl Strickland."
After all that, they still wouldn't let me play on that F****** table.
Cheers,
Regas
p.s. I have since come to believe that it might not, in fact have been Earl the Pearl, but he did look a lot like him and he did tell me his name was Earl.
