What does your Bar/Room Owner do to make you

[Jude Rosenstock]

NY City has a great Public Transit System, but have a Car there is expensive. I know my cousin use to pay like $700.00/month to park his car where he lived.

Monday night in the Valley there are like 12-15 tournaments to choose from.

12 to 15 tournaments on a Monday??? Dude, that's insane!

Yes, NYC has a great public transportation system BUT the weekly tournaments are typically in Queens or Brooklyn. I happen to live in Brooklyn so if I go to one here, I'm fine but if I go to Queens, it becomes a HUGE trek. The system is simply Manhattan oriented so going from one outer-borough to another is a pain in the butt.

Seriously, I am 100% certain I'm living in the wrong time or place. I'm not sure which. It seems like pool is so much more popular where you are.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

Seriously, I am 100% certain I'm living in the wrong time or place. I'm not sure which. It seems like pool is so much more popular where you are.

No you are not in the wrong place, NYC is the place to be if you can afford to be there. Great Resturants, Great Entertainment, Greast Museums, etc.

San Francisco, CA would be my choice of a place to spend some time each year also.

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

No you are not in the wrong place, NYC is the place to be if you can afford to be there. Great Resturants, Great Entertainment, Greast Museums, etc.

San Francisco, CA would be my choice of a place to spend some time each year also.

Yes but living in NYC is no different than living any place else. You get into routines. You have your favorite bars (no more than 3), your favorite poolroom (one, MAYBE two), your favorite restaurants (obv., at least one Chinese place, one pizza place, one chain and one fancy place for anniversaries).

Pool in NYC has morphed into two primary rooms (Amsterdam Billiards & Masters). There are other rooms that have leagues, action, fine equipment & good players but I'd say the overwhelming majority of good players will find themselves at either Amsterdam or Masters during the week. Back in the late 80s and early 90s, it was so much better. In a 1 mile radius of where I grew up (Greenwich Village) there were 300 tables. Now, I wonder if there are 300 tables in all of Manhattan. What's more, pool wasn't even THAT GREAT at that time. The 70s were more popular and the 30s were even better!

I mean, I like the direction pool has taken in many ways. Organized competition is so much fun and there are a lot of people out there working very hard for amateur competitions but there is no doubt pool is less popular than it once was.

 

[pletho]

Not Allowing Pro players or a player who is a short stop level of player to play in a 5-10 dollar weekly tournament, would keep me coming to their tournament all the time....

 

[Derek]

Green fees are the way to go if the bar needs to collect from the use of the tables. Paying quarters in a tournament blows chunks. One of the main reasons I avoid bar box tourneys like the plague. The entry fee is equal for everyone, so should the table expense.

I have to agree with the start on time comments. Anything longer than 15 minutes past start time is too long and anyone that hasn't shown up by the start of their match should be disqualified.

 

[Jimmy M.]

Not Allowing Pro players or a player who is a short stop level of player to play in a 5-10 dollar weekly tournament, would keep me coming to their tournament all the time....

Is this sarcasm, or are you serious?

 

[Jimmy M.]

12 to 15 tournaments on a Monday??? Dude, that's insane!

It sounds pretty good on paper (or even printed online)!

The problem is, there are 12 to 15 tournaments and the better players in town can't play in ONE of them.

As Paul Harvey would say, "and now you know the rest of the story".

 

[Derek]

From a bar/room owner's viewpoint -- I'm guessing here -- I would think tournaments may not be a profitable undertaking. I know I'm one of those players who hardly spends anything on drinks or food (shame on me). If you get enough players that way, then it doesn't seem like the bar is gaining much from the tourney. But it makes sense to do a tourney if it's at a time where the tables would be empty anyhow (weeknight).

We've had tournaments in the past that were run by players and those people would get some amount of free drinks for the night. So at least the bar didn't have to commit an employee to running it.

 

[BVal]

It sounds pretty good on paper (or even printed online)!

The problem is, there are 12 to 15 tournaments and the better players in town can't play in ONE of them.

As Paul Harvey would say, "and now you know the rest of the story".

There is a Monday night open tourney at Metro. Anyone is welcome there from what I understand. But you are right in what you are saying. It is a shame that out of the 12-15 tourneys you are only able to play in one of them. Maybe just move away for a while and come back with your hair dyed and a different name.

BVal

Edit: There is also an open tourney at Kolby's on Tuesday nights. Open to anyone. The format is very interesting as well.

 

[BRKNRUN]

It sounds pretty good on paper (or even printed online)!

The problem is, there are 12 to 15 tournaments and the better players in town can't play in ONE of them.

As Paul Harvey would say, "and now you know the rest of the story".

Actually there is ONE Monday night tournament you can play in.... The problem is....I think that is pretty much the only one all week.

 

[poolfire]

i tell ya

Not Allowing Pro players or a player who is a short stop level of player to play in a 5-10 dollar weekly tournament, would keep me coming to their tournament all the time....

it worth the 5 or 10 bucks to play with pro caliber players. you probably are a guy that drinks bottled water at $2.25 when you could just drink tap water. you learn from playin better players, and if you pick up on one "trick" that they use, would be well work the 5 or 10 bucks. plus it is even better when you are playin a short race with one and you slide right by them.

 

[Jimmy M.]

Edit: There is also an open tourney at Kolby's on Tuesday nights. Open to anyone. The format is very interesting as well.

What is the format that you're talking about?

 

[Russ Chewning]

Not Allowing Pro players or a player who is a short stop level of player to play in a 5-10 dollar weekly tournament, would keep me coming to their tournament all the time....

If you are serious, I find it humurous that you dare to use a Scotty Townsend quote in your signature. If he had that kind of attitude, I daresay he never would have become the player that he is.

Get a heart transplant, sir...

A room owner paying a pro or shortstop level player's entry fee every week to guarantee his attendance would keep me coming to their tournament all the time. If I can't find the tournaments these top players play in, I can't realistically expect to start beating them regularly, now CAN I?

Russ

 

[BVal]

What is the format that you're talking about?

It is handicapped but it is a straight race to 5. Each player goes to 5 but gives a ball spot to the lower rated player. For example: I am a 7 and if I play a 10 he gives me the 7 ball. If i play an 8 he gives me the 9 ball. If I play a 7 we play even. If I play a 6 I give him the 9 ball. I am not 100% sure but I am 99% sure that those are the spots.

BVal

 

[hang-the-9]

We have one room in the Valley that collects an extra $1.00/player/tournament.

The buck goes into a bonus fund, and each tournament a number is drawn out of a bucket (1-31).

Say the tournament is held on the 13th day of the month, and 13 is drawn from the bucket, the bonus money is added to the prize pot.

There has been as much as 400.00 bucks added from the bonus fund.

This is a very nice idea, I'm going to recomment this to the place I play at tonight. It would entice players to play in each tournament as you never know which day will be bonus money. Rep to you

 

[pletho]

I am not looking to beat top pro players or short stops, just so you all know, my comment earlier in the thread is purely from a business point of view, in my honest opinion looking for the easiest score is the best move financially to build a bankroll, I am not playing in a 5 - 10 dollar tourney for practice or to learn primarily from a pro or better player, I am there to win the cash and if it is too much effort then I usually do not waste my time, when I could match up and make the same amount in an hour, does this make sense? I am sure it does unless you are wanting to compete with the best, which I will do when it is a fair game, the better players love those who have no chance to win because you are their bread and butter, better known as dead money, fish in a sea of sharks. I play in our local tournaments occasionally, and I am not a slouch in pool, but would rather play in a tournament that is not stacked against me, like a true handicapped tournament, these kind of tournaments if they are run right get the largest turn outs from the average joes, because they are closer to fair than most tournaments are run....and you actually have a better chance at getting into the cash becasue the better player has to be on his game to win and you have got to be on your game to win.....

Oh by the way I play pool for the money more than for the glory or the practice...

 

[pletho]

it worth the 5 or 10 bucks to play with pro caliber players. you probably are a guy that drinks bottled water at $2.25 when you could just drink tap water. you learn from playin better players, and if you pick up on one "trick" that they use, would be well work the 5 or 10 bucks. plus it is even better when you are playin a short race with one and you slide right by them.

Who cares about playing with pro caliber players? Not me, and actually I would rather drink what is cheapest, the tap water, I am not the guy who goes to play in a tournament and spends more money while I am there than I have a possibility to make in the tournament.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

Keep the ideas coming.

 

[Shortside K]

I'm with you 100%...

You know, I find this thread really odd. I mean, what does an owner do to try to make you want to play in their tournaments??? That's kind of like saying, what did your parents do to try and make you want to open your Christmas presents? What could Tia Carrera do that would make me want to have dinner with her? I mean, maybe I'm assuming too much here but I already think hosting an event is a great thing. I've seen rooms buy entrants dinner & drinks which IMO is WAY OVER THE TOP.

I couldn't agree with you more. It seems that many people want everything handed to them. All I ask is for decent and clean equipment, good service and a tournament director that knows how to keep a good flow to the tournament.

 

[our_auctionguy]

King of the Hill Tournament

At Whitey's Sandwich Shop in Charleston WV, they play a once a month King of the Hill tourney with entry of $50 (if memory serves me right, but might only be $30 ... I forget.) and a minimum $10 Calcutta bid on yourself. Always on a Saturday and at least 25 players but often 30 show.

More money is usually in the Calcutta auction than the prize pool. They only have 2 tables and play the heats with 5 to 6 players in each heat where after each player draws their own place number and the heats are players 1-5, 6-10, 11-15 ,etc. The object is single game elimination of each opponent though the heat and to not get eliminated from your heat with 5 losses. 5 losses is out. The winner of each heat progresses to the final table and competes for the money.

It is like a religion and everyone hopes to draw a number like 5 or 10 and not a low number like 1 or 6. If #1 wins his first game, he still has to win through players 2,3,4, and 5 to not take his first loss; whereas #5 only has to win his one match to stay out of the beginning 1 loss column. It draws players of all levels and from all over the state.

I think it is the kind of tournament action that keeps them coming back. The lure of fast action, cash, and the notoriety of getting your name on the King of the Hill list.