VNEA what is that ?

The King

The King

Here's Jimbo....
Silver Member
I moved here in 86 as I've said before , I gave up pool to raise my son after his Mom decided she did not want any kids ... He turned 18 , 9/11/07 and I grabbed my cue out of the closet and started playing again. I grew up learning to play in Hemet California in Riverside County... We never had a sanctioned league but every once in awhile a league would form between clubs but was never sanctioned. Well I now live in a smaller town in Georgia and it has some really good players in it or my skills have declined that much over the years....lol ..j/k ... Anyway they take pool seriously and I love it they have a pool league here and it is run very well and they do a great job with it I consider myself lucky to have found a small towm like this ... And I have become great friends with Jeff Eason who lives here also...

This league is sanctioned by the VNEA and this year I became a card toting member. It is required to play in the league the fee is very cheap under 10.00 bucks easy. I was wanting to know more about what they offer ? I'm not sure I agree with all thier rules some of them seem to go against the way I was taught the game ...Such as all you have to do is call the pocket and it don't matter how the ball gets there , how many kisses it makes or how many rails it goes as long as it ends up in the called pocket... An aspect I do like is that all one has to do to make a legal shot is for one of the balls to hit a rail after the cue ball comes in contact with the OB... Makes for some great safes and leaves some opponents mad as heck but it seems to have sprung a saying " You gotta love league rules" everyone gets a chuckle after a good safe and the saying is used...

I'm thankful for anything or any league that promotes pool but have never heard of the VNEA can anyone give me more info on it ? Opinions of it ??? Maybe I have been living in the closet with my cue the past 20 years... I'm sure I have been....
 
I am not knowledgeable on the leagues of today. I used to play on a league about 25 or 30 years ago, and that is when I enjoyed pool the most. Today, pool politics and the professional pool environment have broken me down a little.

That said, I am sure you have heard of Shane Van Boening. His family -- grandfather, mother, and aunt -- all played on the VNEA, to include Shane I think. All of the Van Boenings are/were considered champions.

Today, Shane Van Boening is sponsored by the BCA League, but he plays on the professional tournament trail.

League play is where it's at! The bottom line is to have fun! :)

JAM
 
The King said:
I moved here in 86 as I've said before , I gave up pool to raise my son after his Mom decided she did not want any kids ... He turned 18 , 9/11/07 and I grabbed my cue out of the closet and started playing again. I grew up learning to play in Hemet California in Riverside County... We never had a sanctioned league but every once in awhile a league would form between clubs but was never sanctioned. Well I now live in a smaller town in Georgia and it has some really good players in it or my skills have declined that much over the years....lol ..j/k ... Anyway they take pool seriously and I love it they have a pool league here and it is run very well and they do a great job with it I consider myself lucky to have found a small towm like this ... And I have become great friends with Jeff Eason who lives here also...

This league is sanctioned by the VNEA and this year I became a card toting member. It is required to play in the league the fee is very cheap under 10.00 bucks easy. I was wanting to know more about what they offer ? I'm not sure I agree with all thier rules some of them seem to go against the way I was taught the game ...Such as all you have to do is call the pocket and it don't matter how the ball gets there , how many kisses it makes or how many rails it goes as long as it ends up in the called pocket... An aspect I do like is that all one has to do to make a legal shot is for one of the balls to hit a rail after the cue ball comes in contact with the OB... Makes for some great safes and leaves some opponents mad as heck but it seems to have sprung a saying " You gotta love league rules" everyone gets a chuckle after a good safe and the saying is used...

I'm thankful for anything or any league that promotes pool but have never heard of the VNEA can anyone give me more info on it ? Opinions of it ??? Maybe I have been living in the closet with my cue the past 20 years... I'm sure I have been....
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Get used to the nomination of ball and pocket.. without all of gibberish in the middle... who really wants to call " 12 ball corner ......off the 7 off the rail........ off that 2 ball on the side of pocket... ok ?"

I learned to play the basic bar set 8 ball rules.. whatever your drop on the break claims your set....BIH in the kitchen...calling every little thing on a shot....yadda yadda

Once I started to play at different ( higher?) levels I was surprised to find out that it was all BS.
 
Vnea

The 'Valley National Eight ball Association' is a National League. They hold the Valley International 8 ball Championships' in Las Vegas at the Rivera every year.

As far as leagues go:
1) The BCA is considered the most competitive and best.
2) The VNEA is rated 2nd, very competitive also.
3) The APA is considered the weak sister of leagues even though the biggest.

These ratings that the Poolplayers themselves give to the leagues is partly due to the fact of the scoring and handicap systems imployed. The BCA is the most definitive, VNEA is next, and APA uses less handicap system which lays groundwork for bigger sandbaggers.

I have played in all 3, and what I listed above is true, competition wise.
 
The King said:
I moved here in 86 as I've said before , I gave up pool to raise my son after his Mom decided she did not want any kids ... He turned 18 , 9/11/07 and I grabbed my cue out of the closet and started playing again. I grew up learning to play in Hemet California in Riverside County... We never had a sanctioned league but every once in awhile a league would form between clubs but was never sanctioned. Well I now live in a smaller town in Georgia and it has some really good players in it or my skills have declined that much over the years....lol ..j/k ... Anyway they take pool seriously and I love it they have a pool league here and it is run very well and they do a great job with it I consider myself lucky to have found a small towm like this ... And I have become great friends with Jeff Eason who lives here also...

This league is sanctioned by the VNEA and this year I became a card toting member. It is required to play in the league the fee is very cheap under 10.00 bucks easy. I was wanting to know more about what they offer ? I'm not sure I agree with all thier rules some of them seem to go against the way I was taught the game ...Such as all you have to do is call the pocket and it don't matter how the ball gets there , how many kisses it makes or how many rails it goes as long as it ends up in the called pocket... An aspect I do like is that all one has to do to make a legal shot is for one of the balls to hit a rail after the cue ball comes in contact with the OB... Makes for some great safes and leaves some opponents mad as heck but it seems to have sprung a saying " You gotta love league rules" everyone gets a chuckle after a good safe and the saying is used...

I'm thankful for anything or any league that promotes pool but have never heard of the VNEA can anyone give me more info on it ? Opinions of it ??? Maybe I have been living in the closet with my cue the past 20 years... I'm sure I have been....
Click to expand...

Just a few comments. VNEA is backed by the Valley Pool Table Co. VNEA stands for Valley National Eight Ball Association. I too just returned to pool after a 25 year haitus and play in a VNEA League. The company that owns the Bar Boxes in the bars in my area sponsors the league and it's very player friendly. There are different leagues 4 nights a week. Fees are low, and the money returned is high. Banquet is pretty good too. The league is well established and not going anywhere with the money.

On the rules. Do you realize that all the Straight Pool tournaments for 100 years, including the US Open, were played as "call pocket and ball only" ? When you played a ball out of the rack you never explain how the ball will get to the pocket...lol. That's amatuerish and banger mentality. No slop is a johnny-come-lately banger rule. In VNEA, you don't caLL the shot if it's obvious, and you never need to call caroms or kisses or the number of banks or rail first etc. That's the way pool is played...PERIOD ! Same deal on a rail after contact. That's any pool game. Still, some of the banger players seem to want to tell you that they are planning a miracle, like off another ball :D . I can't stand it :rolleyes: ...Tom
 
Thanks to all of you ....

Some great posts I would like to hear more .... I have to say I loved the league ... As one poster said low fees great pay out awesome banquet and award ceremoney I was pumped that after a 20 year layoff I finished top 5 in the league and was number 1 most of the year... It certainly has me working harder to improve my game...And get back to where I feel I once was... Some great competition and some great players ...

I'm surprised that VNEA is thought of so highly ... And with such names as JAM pointed out ... I do agree league play is where it is at I had alot of fun and plan to continue on in it ... I learned along time ago it is better to enjoy the game and have fun anything else your setting yourself up for heartbreak...As Jam said the game can bankrupt or steal your soul ...

Anyone have any great stories ... What all does VNEA offer to it's league members ?
 
I used to play in the VNEA and I think its better than APA. because there isnt as much sandbagging with handicaps. You can have a team of all 10s and you just have to spot the other team so many balls. Their Vegas tournies are great too. JMO.

Southpaw
 
The VNEA has a great "kickoff" party on the Sunday after the singles events and before the team events.

I would estimate a few thousand pool players from almost every country in the world. They introduce every country and every state of the US with flag carring representives. Then they have free beer, a band, and fireworks.

Probably no other experience makes you feel more a part of the larger pool community.
 
International

The VNEA International tournament is in Vegas at the end of this month. It is very cool meeting players from all the different countrys.
 
Vnea ...

Several of you keep mentioning handicap and I figure that is something like Bowling and that handicap... I have never used it or played in something like that ... And in the VNEA league we play in here we do not use any type of handicap ... I think they tried it one year as I'm told and did away with it here...Is handicapping pretty common in these leagues?
 
The kickoff ...

The Kickoff party and the Championships is that something they move around every year or are they in the same place every year ? I'm probably not ready for the Championships yet but it would be cool to watch ....The Kickoff party sounds great too... Thanks for posting these tid bits.
 
The VNEA has their own website. http://vnea.com

In the league rules, the 8 ball is neutral on an open table. Also, you are supposed to mark the pocket when shooting the 8 ball. On their website, they have a map page to let you know where you can find a league. VNEA is a lot of fun. You need 12 weeks to be eligible and the sanction fee is $8.
 
The King said:
The Kickoff party and the Championships is that something they move around every year or are they in the same place every year ? I'm probably not ready for the Championships yet but it would be cool to watch ....The Kickoff party sounds great too... Thanks for posting these tid bits.
Click to expand...

As far as I know, they have always been at The Riveria Casino in Vegas and will probably continue to be there.
 
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