Sl7

[8corneronbreak]

Just wondering who on here has acheived that milestone and about how long it took to get there. If all goes as planned, I'll be joining the APA next year. I'd like to consider myself a strong 5 (low 6 on a very rare occasion), but only time will tell I guess.

 

[poolcuemaster]

It took me about five years to get locked in as a seven in APA eight and nine but don't be in a hurry when you join a team to go up as that usually hurts the team overall in making the 23 rule. I am saying to stay a killer four as long as you can, I stayed a four untill a guy working at the poolroom I played at lied that I lost to his new player and bragged about it. I went back that night after league opperator called me and threatened to take his lying ass outside and whoop it, since i threatened him I went before review board and was raised to a six. But being a seven in eight ball is awesome cause you can't go up and can play all the defense needed to win.---Leonard

 

[henho]

I was a 6 my first season and a 7 my second. I don't consider it an achievement, the APA sucks. Its people getting drunk and playing socially. For my 10 bucks a week I'd much rather play tournaments.

 

[JCIN]

This is my biggest knock against the APA.

You get better, and you are penalized.

I know why they do it. But it still sucks.

 

[Tommy-D]

> It all depends on not only you,but the people around you in a situation like this. If your team captain is cool with you trying to develop your game,then all is well. If he's the type to condone or encourage sandbagging,you might want to reconsider it. If you should play as a 6,it might be helpful to build confidence beating people as a killer 4,as suggested earlier. On the other hand,if you are not playing the sandbagger angle,as I wasn't,it might be a good idea to move to another team.

I was caught in a situation like this once myself. I signed up to play when it was still sponsored by Busch,and was introduced to my team captain. In the middle of a pretty simple out that would have won me the match,and after running out from the break in the game before plus once earlier,my captain pulls me off to the side. He tells me that as captain he wants me to NOT run out here,because it would have resulted in me being rated at a 6,and he NEEDED me as a 4. He added that having me as a 4 would "make Vegas a lock this time". I could not believe what I was hearing. "So,you wait until I'm 4 balls away from running 2 racks in a row to tell me I HAVE to miss? What kind of s**t is that? Anyone watching that isn't blind or drunk could tell you I missed on purpose,because no power on Earth could stop me from running out right there. Isn't it dishonest to miss on purpose anyway under these rules?" He said "not if you want to go to Vegas". I said "well I want to finish this match with 2 racks in a row and be KNOWN as a 6 worse than I want to go to Vegas as a dishonest 4,so I must not want to go as bad as you. Besides,chances are unless you CAN run 2 racks in a row,you're not going to make it to Vegas anyway,and if you do you'll get embarrassed. I'm not going to let you tell me to miss these balls,and you can take this league s**t and stick it up your ass as soon as I'm done running out". I finished my out,packed up my stuff and left. I haven't spoke to that guy since then. Tommy D.

 

[UWPoolGod1]

My first week I was a 4 playing a 6. I won 3-0 and went up to a 6. The 2nd week I was a 6 and won and was then a 7. Was a 7 for the rest of the time I played APA...bout 3 years. The rating system in 8ball should be as in 9ball to a 9...but you can't have a 9 play a 2 and have a 7-2 race cause it would take a while. Not really cause a 9 should be running out a lot.

 

[gman_tx]

To answer the first post I have been playing in APA for my second session now and joined in the middle of the last session. I started as a four like most people and lost my first game which will usually drop you down to a three. About six weeks later I went from a three to a five where I still am. I certainly feel that I am getting better every week and think that I will be a six before this session is over. It really seams that to move up you need to keep playing people that are higher ranked that you. As a four or five beating threes will not get you moving up(even if you go rackless every week you usually don't move up playing lower ranking players.)

With that same thing in mind that another way some people keep their rank down without having to miss shots and go into more innings than they should. You have a five or six that keeps playing three and fours to keep from moving up. Unless you break and run on these players consistently it is almost inpossible to move up by playing lower ranks. I would call this more strategy than sandbagging depending on how you look at it as you as still playing your game to the best of your ability. I can say that I have been guilty of this on occassion like this coming week. I am 6 for 7 this session and have played only fives and sixes I think that if I win this week I will go up to a six. I have a money tournament hosted by our league (it will work off of the APA ranks and race chart but will not be counted as official games) so I am going to play a three or four this week to keep my rank where it is for this tournament and then play higher ranks the following to move up. Would you consider this sandbagging or just smart strategy?

 

[rackmsuckr]

I played one year and started out as a 7. That was about 10 years ago. Unfortunately, as other's skill levels increased, our team was overloaded. No one really wants a 7 on their team. It is hard to keep the same team together.

We went to Nationals and I had to play 5's that ran out from everywhere. I remember thinking then that APA wasn't for me! The problem is is that players like Efren and even my husband would be rated 7's too.

OTOH, a gal I know here that can barely spell pool, won something like $10,000 and a pool cue, so it is great for beginners.

 

[MrLucky]

I have been a 7 and .....

there are two things I would say, first of all your rating is going to be relative to the players and size of the league you play out of! If you are in say Osh Kosh And there are 70 people in your division then your 7 rank may be really a strong 5 average 6 in say the Atlanta Division that probably has a 1,000 or more players since the rating is based on your wins and innings to get there against the players you compete against! So its all relative

I am now a strong 6 here in Atlanta, and I honestly have no desire to be rated a 7 again at this time because as a 7 you will if strong will most of the time be matched up against 2's and 3's if the captain of their team is smart since due to the nature of APA and the rules these folks have a better chance of winning and even if they lose the teams hasn't "burned " a high ranked player against you! Giving the team a better chance of winning the matches

Having said all of that I love APA pool and find it a fun way to play without the hassles of regular bar play! few if no arguments (at least in the in house league I play out of Mr Cues!) and it gives me the chance to play and socialize with like minded good players and have fun in a controlled stress free environment! Now I have been in the League since almost its conception and I have seen the Good ! The Bad and the Ugly! and I can say your experience is going to depend solely upon the League Operator in your area ! Good LO equals fun environment and playing conditions ! Poor LO means issues ! its simple as that! Peace and Good fun playing to you

 

[Scott Lee]

there are two things I would say, first of all your rating is going to be relative to the players and size of the league you play out of! If you are in say Osh Kosh And there are 70 people in your division then your 7 rank may be really a strong 5 average 6 in say the Atlanta Division that probably has a 1,000 or more players since the rating is based on your wins and innings to get there against the players you compete against! So its all relative

I am now a strong 6 here in Atlanta, and I honestly have no desire to be rated a 7 again at this time because as a 7 you will if strong will most of the time be matched up against 2's and 3's if the captain of their team is smart since due to the nature of APA and the rules these folks have a better chance of winning and even if they lose the teams hasn't "burned " a high ranked player against you! Giving the team a better chance of winning the matches

Having said all of that I love APA pool and find it a fun way to play without the hassles of regular bar play! few if no arguments (at least in the in house league I play out of Mr Cues!) and it gives me the chance to play and socialize with like minded good players and have fun in a controlled stress free environment! Now I have been in the League since almost its conception and I have seen the Good ! The Bad and the Ugly! and I can say your experience is going to depend solely upon the League Operator in your area ! Good LO equals fun environment and playing conditions ! Poor LO means issues ! its simple as that! Peace and Good fun playing to you

Great post here! FYI, the Atlanta APA has almost 4000 members, rather than 1000. I started in the APA as a 7 (I was the league operator), and rated my players accordingly. I had the very first female APA 7 in the country (this was 15 yrs ago, and this woman also won the 1993 VNEA national women's 8-ball and 9-ball titles, and got 2nd in Scotch Doubles). Since I only had about 80 teams (around 650 players), I knew everyone, and all S/L's were appropriately awarded. There was ZERO sandbagging in my league...and zero poor sportsmanship. Either thing would get you tossed out of my league permanently. I agree that many things are based on the L.O., and like everything, there are good ones and not-so-good ones. I would NEVER EVER opt to play on a team where the captain 'demanded' that I play down my ability. IMO that is not what 'getting to Vegas' is about, regardless of what many may think. Yes, there certainly is strategy about how players are matched up, and it does play a role in how teams win. However, I have always promoted (and played myself) playing your best game...always.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

 

[MrLucky]

Thanks Scott !

Great post here! FYI, the Atlanta APA has almost 4000 members, rather than 1000. I started in the APA as a 7 (I was the league operator), and rated my players accordingly. I had the very first female APA 7 in the country (this was 15 yrs ago, and this woman also won the 1993 VNEA national women's 8-ball and 9-ball titles, and got 2nd in Scotch Doubles). Since I only had about 80 teams (around 650 players), I knew everyone, and all S/L's were appropriately awarded. There was ZERO sandbagging in my league...and zero poor sportsmanship. Either thing would get you tossed out of my league permanently. I agree that many things are based on the L.O., and like everything, there are good ones and not-so-good ones. I would NEVER EVER opt to play on a team where the captain 'demanded' that I play down my ability. IMO that is not what 'getting to Vegas' is about, regardless of what many may think. Yes, there certainly is strategy about how players are matched up, and it does play a role in how teams win. However, I have always promoted (and played myself) playing your best game...always.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

I can add to your thoughts as well, My team this session is way out in front in my division and we all play to have fun! there is no desire on my part as a captain to have any of my players hide their skill level! I tell them to play their game and most of all have fun! This in my opinion is what pool is about! Due to our attitude I constantly have folks from other teams asking to join us when we have an opening because they are dissatisfied with other Captains attitudes about wins and losses or pressure to keep their handicaps low IMO! these kind of Captains are missing the point ! they do not realize that if someone is not relaxed and having fun they will never play at or close to their capability !

By the way when are you coming to Atlanta again ?

 

[TX Poolnut]

Just wondering who on here has acheived that milestone...

I'll never reach that milestone, because I'll never play in the ASA (American Sandbaggers Association).

Save your money for lessons and tournaments where you can actually win something.

 

[arsenius]

I played APA 8 ball for about 1.5 months and was a 6. Frankly, I'm not that impressed by the 7s I've seen in the APA. It's too easy to be a 7 and then what? The 7s I've seen are a long ways from shortstops, but if they were shortstops they would still be a 7. That's stupid.

I wish America had a nationwide organization that encouraged advancement in pool, rather than punishing it.

 

[MrLucky]

The one thing...

I played APA 8 ball for about 1.5 months and was a 6. Frankly, I'm not that impressed by the 7s I've seen in the APA. It's too easy to be a 7 and then what? The 7s I've seen are a long ways from shortstops, but if they were shortstops they would still be a 7. That's stupid.

I wish America had a nationwide organization that encouraged advancement in pool, rather than punishing it.

I think most are forgetting about the APA is this... It was not intended to be a arm of professional pool!!!! it is responsible for helping to grow this sport we all love! The APA because of its rules ! ease of becoming competitive for any level player has done more to attract new and younger players to this game than any thing or group out here!!! Just look at its membership numbers! We all bemoan the lack of growth of pro pool on this site every day with some new post, but if there were not organizations like the APA pool would still be in the back rooms and underbelly of society !

I began in the league in the early 80's the first "nationals" I attended their were probably a little over 70 players now theres $100,000 + payouts and hundreds of attendees that go all travel and lodging expense free ! who else supports this sport for amateurs at this level ? Sometimes you need to look at the big picture! and right now the APA is it! For those that believe they are semi pros here or above the level and rules of the APA then it isn't intended for you but it is a very valuable part of pool !

 

[Icon of Sin]

Yeah, I would lioke to echo what someone said above. Id rather just play in tournaments each week, then shoot in the apa.

Seems as if there are more disadvantages to it then advantages, especially when it comes to the senior level players.

First and foremost, APA is the only league that doesnt allow Jump cues, nor can you Push Out. Why, for either, who knows. Someone will probably come on saying a few reasons, but those reasons are easil;y argued and never hold any weight.

NEW NEW NEW. The next edition of the APA rule book that is not official yet, but on my local APA website to browse through, limits jump shots to LEATHER TIPS ONLY. So if you have a leather tip cue and a phenolic tip cue you use for breaker, you can only break with the phenolic tipped cue. Jumping must be done with a leather tip cue.

Why do you ask? Who the hell knows? APA is one of the few organizations where the people involved have no say in the matter. Only those in charge.

And APA 8-ball. Well, I will never shoot that. Slop 8-ball? Thats hardly even a game.

 

[MrLucky]

Because ...;-)

Yeah, I would lioke to echo what someone said above. Id rather just play in tournaments each week, then shoot in the apa.

Seems as if there are more disadvantages to it then advantages, especially when it comes to the senior level players.

First and foremost, APA is the only league that doesnt allow Jump cues, nor can you Push Out. Why, for either, who knows. Someone will probably come on saying a few reasons, but those reasons are easil;y argued and never hold any weight.

NEW NEW NEW. The next edition of the APA rule book that is not official yet, but on my local APA website to browse through, limits jump shots to LEATHER TIPS ONLY. So if you have a leather tip cue and a phenolic tip cue you use for breaker, you can only break with the phenolic tipped cue. Jumping must be done with a leather tip cue.

Why do you ask? Who the hell knows? APA is one of the few organizations where the people involved have no say in the matter. Only those in charge.

And APA 8-ball. Well, I will never shoot that. Slop 8-ball? Thats hardly even a game.

Let me reiterate, "IT IS GEARED FOR AND TOWARD AMATUERS AND TO MAKE THEM FEEL COMPETITIVE IF THEY DID NOT BELIEVE THEY COULD COMPETE THE APA WOULD NOT GROW!

 

[DoomCue]

The APA does offer a league format for those of you who don't like a handicapped format, or want the challenge of taking on the best in your area. I've said this a million times, but if you have something against the APA because of the handicap system, you should be playing APA Masters (or similar non-handicapped format - yes, they do exist). Masters is a combination of 8-ball and 9-ball, based on the US Amateur format. In my area, most of the good local players are members of the Masters league (Raleigh has the biggest Masters league in the country, I think), so we get to be challenged almost every week. No handicaps, every game is important (each game won counts as a point), jump cues are allowed, and our local by-laws require call-shot 8 ball (Nationals does not do call-shot, though).

If you're interested in Masters, but don't have it in your area, you really should contact your LO. Let him know that there's a market for Masters. I'm sure if your LO is worth his salt, he'll do whatever it takes to generate revenue, plus you get the benefit of playing a league format you might enjoy more.

-djb

 

[Koop]

The APA does offer a league format for those of you who don't like a handicapped format, or want the challenge of taking on the best in your area. I've said this a million times, but if you have something against the APA because of the handicap system, you should be playing APA Masters (or similar non-handicapped format - yes, they do exist). Masters is a combination of 8-ball and 9-ball, based on the US Amateur format. In my area, most of the good local players are members of the Masters league (Raleigh has the biggest Masters league in the country, I think), so we get to be challenged almost every week. No handicaps, every game is important (each game won counts as a point), jump cues are allowed, and our local by-laws require call-shot 8 ball (Nationals does not do call-shot, though).

If you're interested in Masters, but don't have it in your area, you really should contact your LO. Let him know that there's a market for Masters. I'm sure if your LO is worth his salt, he'll do whatever it takes to generate revenue, plus you get the benefit of playing a league format you might enjoy more.

-djb

Hi David,

Is this a team format or singles? Sounds very interesting.

Thanks,
Koop

 

[Big Perm]

Been a 7.....ran into the same problem as many others - competetive team, everyone improved over a couple of years, and then we simply couldn't get within the point cap and we all quit....

Started playing APA again a few months ago - playing as a 6 now, not quite as good as I was, but getting there

Don't worry about your rank. Play your game, play to win, and the rank will take care of itself. Practice, hard work, and consistent play will get you where you want to be.

 

[Icon of Sin]

The APA does offer a league format for those of you who don't like a handicapped format, or want the challenge of taking on the best in your area. I've said this a million times, but if you have something against the APA because of the handicap system, you should be playing APA Masters (or similar non-handicapped format - yes, they do exist). Masters is a combination of 8-ball and 9-ball, based on the US Amateur format. In my area, most of the good local players are members of the Masters league (Raleigh has the biggest Masters league in the country, I think), so we get to be challenged almost every week. No handicaps, every game is important (each game won counts as a point), jump cues are allowed, and our local by-laws require call-shot 8 ball (Nationals does not do call-shot, though).

If you're interested in Masters, but don't have it in your area, you really should contact your LO. Let him know that there's a market for Masters. I'm sure if your LO is worth his salt, he'll do whatever it takes to generate revenue, plus you get the benefit of playing a league format you might enjoy more.

-djb

Have done so, a few times actually. No luck. They are not setting up a masters in my area.