wrong. there was still plenty of action as late as '07ish. The biggest killer was casinos/poker then came FR. James Walden, Gabe and others were still getting into deep scores in the early 00's. In the Midwest the casinos were just brutal to pool.
(Un)Popular Opinion on Fargo Rate
- Thread starter kollegedave
- Start date
US Open 1P reports to Fargo. I thought any tournament using Digitalpool gets reported to FR.
There is a button on digitalpool when the TD sets up the bracket to control whether or not the results are reported to fargorate.
There is also another button to use handicapping or not (which I think is what Brian was referring to). The handicapping in digitalpool can be by fargorate or an in-house option, etc.
I've kicked around the idea of opening a room (never going beyond a short daydream....). My #1 personal requirement would be to allow all ages, as I want the game to grow.
It's not only alcohol laws that are issues. My home town in Philly burbs opened a room in 1990 (no alcohol sold, or byob). At that time, minors were not allowed because it was a "pool hall". The owner had to petition the city govt to change the law. He was successful. This was the room Corey Deuel learned to play pool in.
Pool in the USA seems to have always had some sort of roadblock to getting kids involved.
My own improvement as a player had a little hiccup before I turned 21..
I PCS'ed to Fort Lewis, WA, and played a ton in the day room, but at 20, I was playing seriously, and spent a ton of time at City Lights Billiards in Tacoma. I had no car yet, but would take the bus from the base, play until midnight, and then catch the bus back (or miss the bus and walk the streets for another few hours until the first buses ran in the morning...)
City Lights ended up getting it's liquor license after I had been playing there for months, and I knew I wasn't supposed to be in there any more, but I kept my mouth shut, and never tried to order an alcoholic drink. I was getting better, and even started getting deep in the money at the toughest weekly 9 ball tournament in the state. I made the mistake of bragging to a few players at the base rec center about that.. And one of the fookers ratted me out to the owner while I was on leave back in TN, getting a car finally.
Came back from TN with my new car, drove it to City Lights... Only for the owner to come up to me and ask me for ID. I was caught, and asked him who let him know.. He would not say, but I knew.
I had to take a break from City Lights for about 6 months, away from shooting against the tough players there.
Young players in America have zero chance unless their parents are well off enough to be able to afford the size of house that will fit a 9 footer, or unless they own a pool hall.
Coos Cues
Coos Cues
i get where you're coming from, and personally i don't look too much at fargorate or care about it.
you're right about the softer pockets back then, but tommy kennedy was also incredibly inspired. i have only watched the final but it seems he hit peak form + had a lot of fan support because he was the underdog. my point was there is a reason his win is still talked about, and the reason is that everybody knew each others speed without fargo.
InsertCleverNameHere
Well-known member
I mean the favorites in any given event have always been known. We didn't need Fargo to tell us who the favorites are.
The thing that Fargo does is tell us about all the folks from other places we've never heard of. Other than that what exactly is it good for? Whether you think it's a net positive or negative, that's going to vary from person to person. But essentially it offers no value beyond telling you who's who when you otherwise couldn't possibly know.
The thing that Fargo does is tell us about all the folks from other places we've never heard of. Other than that what exactly is it good for? Whether you think it's a net positive or negative, that's going to vary from person to person. But essentially it offers no value beyond telling you who's who when you otherwise couldn't possibly know.
hmmmm, no.
Though we have not played recently we have played many times in the past and I would place him in the 650 range, probably higher by now.
Lou Figueroa
Apparently you don't play/watch many local/regional tournaments. Because of FR there are more people playing than in the last 25+ yrs.
Badpenguin
Well-known member
I don't see anything inaccurate or unfair in what he has to say about America. The proof is in the pudding.
Mr. Pilot,
Its not totally clear to me if you were saying the DCC reports or doesn't report to FargoRate, but they did for the 2024 DCC.
Mercifully, I was able to avoid a FargRate for a few years. Since I had my son four years ago, I hardly ever leave the house to play pool except for the Derby City Classic. In 2024, I did okay in the event and some of my ONE POCKET matches were reported to FR. Now I have a rating that is pretty close to where I would rank myself...especially considering the small sample size.
However, frustratingly, for some reason, my best win at that event was not reported. Maybe it's a blessing. Who knows. However, my current FR is based off of 4 one pocket matches played at the DCC even though I played 5 matches that year.
kollegedave
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When I enrolled in the White Spot Wednesday night 9 ball academy, that point was obvious. There were occasions when new players showed up with great skills. Obviously putting in the practice. However they were lacking in intestinal fortitude which can be developed in competition. The expression, "folding up like a cheap lawn chair " kinda says it all.
InsertCleverNameHere
Well-known member
Not disputing that at all. Just a commentary on its exact utility.
This post is absolutely ridiculous. The big takeaway is that you've been delusional for your whole life and now fargo's statistics are debunking all of your absurd delusions.
Of course 90%+ of all players in an open tourney are dead money. Of course a ball pocket expert is huge favorite over an average one-pocket player. Of course no one is becoming great by practicing alone in their basement. These aren't exactly groundbreaking revelations to anyone who has spent any time around the pool room.
I've been dead money in open tournaments my whole life. I would have to be completely brain dead to think otherwise. I play for the challenge and I set personal goals for myself (win three matches, place in top 16, play well under pressure, etc). I don't give a damn about the $50 entry fee. That's the price to play, and I enjoy playing. Just like on the golf course, I don't expect to recoup my $50 greens fee throughout the round. I just pay the greens fee and play the course. Did I throw away my $50? No, I had a great time so my money was well spent.
Of course 90%+ of all players in an open tourney are dead money. Of course a ball pocket expert is huge favorite over an average one-pocket player. Of course no one is becoming great by practicing alone in their basement. These aren't exactly groundbreaking revelations to anyone who has spent any time around the pool room.
I've been dead money in open tournaments my whole life. I would have to be completely brain dead to think otherwise. I play for the challenge and I set personal goals for myself (win three matches, place in top 16, play well under pressure, etc). I don't give a damn about the $50 entry fee. That's the price to play, and I enjoy playing. Just like on the golf course, I don't expect to recoup my $50 greens fee throughout the round. I just pay the greens fee and play the course. Did I throw away my $50? No, I had a great time so my money was well spent.
It's "utility" is the Democratization of the game. Every other sport allows for matching up players of similar levels, so people can get stiff competition without getting absolutely skulldrug. EVERY other sport/game... Amateur chess players are not expected to be forced to play Grandmasters
Good players gotta travel more to find tournaments they can play, and they gotta play against people who can actually beat them? Boo hoo. Every sport/game has this challenge, where players are "expected" to compete within their skill level, and not beat up on the minnows. The only reason better players are whining is because their chosen sport is not popular enough to support a large number of higher level players. That's not the amateur's fault, so begrudging them 575 and below Fargorate tournaments so they can learn to compete against competent, but not killer competition, is not very logical.
If Fargorate drives interest in the game, and gets people competing, that is all the utility it requires.
100%... Fargo didn't change anything other allowing the outsider to have ready access to credible insider info. Now you walk into a foreign room for an event and instead of asking a buddy "can that guy play?", you say "do you know how to spell that guy's name?"
I grew up with local sports standouts in my neighborhood, all a couple years older than I.
I took a lot of beatings at everything and eventually got to playing with people my own age, enjoying being on the top end of the pile for a while.
I agree that being able to handle any outcome is crucial to long term success.
1989 fool.
1989
Sneaking around hustling died with the advent of the very forums we are posting on, and everyone having a camera in their pocket sending pictures of roadmen to all their friends.
Everyone was knocking action left and right.
An aside, Fargo will always suck.
feet in the fire
even in a losing effort, I've noticed my game's often a little tighter against better competition
I try to focus the same in every match, but I wonder if something more is inspired to come out vs better
probably taking fewer risks managing the game better if anything..maybe other stuff too, tho