The Pool/Billiards Topic

[David in FL 2,553]

35 minutes ago, topoftheline89 said:

Before. Could find ay over the pocket picks.

 

This is my 9 foot olhausen. Was a tournament table out east in the early 2000s I would guess. A guy in portsmouth Ohio had three of them and I bought the last one for a cool $900(around 1600 installed). Had it Diamonized winter of 2018-19 and it has been a great table ever since. 

 

Nicely done.  That’ll play a lot better that a standard Olhausen!   

[David in FL 2,553]

One of my leagues started up last night.  It was good to see everyone again.  One team dropped out, uncomfortable with the current situation, but for the most part it was pretty much business as usual.

USAPL 9-ball.  Fargo Rate based handicapping.  

For those unfamiliar, whoever sinks the 9-ball wins the game and gets 14 points, loser gets one point for each ball they pocketed.  Match is handicapped  with the better player having to earn more points to win the match.  In my case last night, I needed something like 65 pts to his 51 pts.

Shaking off a little competitive rust, but played well and easily won 70/12.  

[David in FL 2,553]

2 of our local kids are going to throw down this Sunday at my room.

Both good guys and solid local players, but nowhere near professional.  600ish FargoRate for those who understand.  Think somewhere around scratch in golf terms...

Oughta be fun.  There may be a live stream, if so I’ll post a link for those looking for something to do on Sunday afternoon.

$15k in the middle.  Pool terminology meaning they’re each betting $7500 (putting $15k in the middle) with the winner taking all.
 

[Bonvivant 265]

Ohio pool is back on the menu (with precautions) as of a couple of days ago. Haven't been to a hall or bar yet, but excited nonetheless.

On 5/23/2020 at 7:37 PM, David in FL said:

Nicely done.  That’ll play a lot better that a standard Olhausen!   

It always treats us well. Today, after a best of 3 in chess, we played a race to 100 points in straight pool and a race to 3 in one hole. This table always gets your game right, and if you are having an off night, it lets you know quick.

[RFKFREAK 233]

The last time I went out before they shut things down here was on a Tinder date where I met a girl at a pool hall.  I used to play all the time when I was younger but hadn't played in a couple of years.  I'm putting together my cue (a Schön which I've had for like 15 years easy) and put it aside as I go to the bar to grab a drink with my lady friend and come back and it's gone.  I'm freaking out and asking people nearby if the saw anything and no one has and as I'm looking around the hall, I see a kid who has my cue so I tell him it's my cue and he's like, "sorry, I saw it over there and thought it was regular pool stick."  

Almost ruined by night. 

[Double Mocha Man 702]

2 minutes ago, RFKFREAK said:

The last time I went out before they shut things down here was on a Tinder date where I met a girl at a pool hall.  I used to play all the time when I was younger but hadn't played in a couple of years.  I'm putting together my cue (a Schön which I've had for like 15 years easy) and put it aside as I go to the bar to grab a drink with my lady friend and come back and it's gone.  I'm freaking out and asking people nearby if the saw anything and no one has and as I'm looking around the hall, I see a kid who has my cue so I tell him it's my cue and he's like, "sorry, I saw it over there and thought it was regular pool stick."  

Almost ruined by night. 

If it's not tied down or locked down it ain't yours.  Today's rules...

I have friends who leave their phones on the table or the bar when they go to the bathroom or out for a smoke.  My phone rarely leaves my pocket.  Today's rules... for those who want to keep owning their phones...

[RFKFREAK 233]

2 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

If it's not tied down or locked down it ain't yours.  Today's rules...

I have friends who leave their phones on the table or the bar when they go to the bathroom or out for a smoke.  My phone rarely leaves my pocket.  Today's rules... for those who want to keep owning their phones...

Yeah, it was definitely on me if it had indeed been stolen as I put together my cue and did a little small talk with the young lady before we went for a drink and I wasn't going to bring my cue with me.  I probably should have done the small talk, gotten the drink, and then put together my cue.

Live and learn.. 

[Bonvivant 265]

1 hour ago, RFKFREAK said:

The last time I went out before they shut things down here was on a Tinder date where I met a girl at a pool hall.  I used to play all the time when I was younger but hadn't played in a couple of years.  I'm putting together my cue (a Schön which I've had for like 15 years easy) and put it aside as I go to the bar to grab a drink with my lady friend and come back and it's gone.  I'm freaking out and asking people nearby if the saw anything and no one has and as I'm looking around the hall, I see a kid who has my cue so I tell him it's my cue and he's like, "sorry, I saw it over there and thought it was regular pool stick."  

Almost ruined by night. 

I had a freak-out moment pre-lockdown at a local tournament held in a bar with 4 tables. It's a pretty tight squeeze, especially back then when there was far more bar patrons. I know almost everyone that plays pool there, and usually I have 3-5 pretty tight friends, and we watch out for each others stuff, even though there normally isn't any need.

So I go out to smoke (yeah, bad habit, I know), and the guy running the tournament comes out to the patio to tell me I have a match. Go back in, no cue. Run around like a chicken with its head cut off, out the front door to see if anyone is running off, back out the back door, you name it. After about 30 seconds of this (felt like 5 minutes), I spot my cue leaning up against a stool near one of the only guys that I don't know playing the tournament. He looks kind of seedy, so I go up to him with an attitude, asking if he was trying to steal my cue.....wrong move. My buddy had accidentally picked it up, thinking it was his break cue, and then after realizing it wasn't, put it back on the nearest stool to his match.

I felt awful about the way that I treated that guy, just cause of how he looked (white guy, wife-beater and tats). Profusely apologized and all that jazz. I was just so fired up after my baby went missing for 30 seconds.

Edited July 30, 2020 by Bonvivant

[David in FL 2,553]

11 hours ago, RFKFREAK said:

The last time I went out before they shut things down here was on a Tinder date where I met a girl at a pool hall.  I used to play all the time when I was younger but hadn't played in a couple of years.  I'm putting together my cue (a Schön which I've had for like 15 years easy) and put it aside as I go to the bar to grab a drink with my lady friend and come back and it's gone.  I'm freaking out and asking people nearby if the saw anything and no one has and as I'm looking around the hall, I see a kid who has my cue so I tell him it's my cue and he's like, "sorry, I saw it over there and thought it was regular pool stick."  

Almost ruined by night. 

if you found a girl willing to go shoot pool on a first date, you might want to hang on to her.  Good chance she’s a keeper!  

 

10 hours ago, Bonvivant said:

I had a freak-out moment pre-lockdown at a local tournament held in a bar with 4 tables. It's a pretty tight squeeze, especially back then when there was far more bar patrons. I know almost everyone that plays pool there, and usually I have 3-5 pretty tight friends, and we watch out for each others stuff, even though there normally isn't any need.

So I go out to smoke (yeah, bad habit, I know), and the guy running the tournament comes out to the patio to tell me I have a match. Go back in, no cue. Run around like a chicken with its head cut off, out the front door to see if anyone is running off, back out the back door, you name it. After about 30 seconds of this (felt like 5 minutes), I spot my cue leaning up against a stool near one of the only guys that I don't know playing the tournament. He looks kind of seedy, so I go up to him with an attitude, asking if he was trying to steal my cue.....wrong move. My buddy had accidentally picked it up, thinking it was his break cue, and then after realizing it wasn't, put it back on the nearest stool to his match.

I felt awful about the way that I treated that guy, just cause of how he looked (white guy, wife-beater and tats). Profusely apologized and all that jazz. I was just so fired up after my baby went missing for 30 seconds.

Yep, no worse feeling in the world!

Most of the regulars in my room would recognize my sticks and we keep an eye on each other’s for a quick trip to the restroom, but on a busy night, it’s still bit of a risk.  Sadly...

I seldom take a good cue to any place other than my home room or a serious tournament.  Truth be told, I don’t play all that better with the $3,000 Nitti than I do with my 35 year old, $200 Meucci Sneaky Pete.  Like golf, it’s more the Indian than the arrow...

Edited July 30, 2020 by David in FL

[RFKFREAK 233]

2 hours ago, David in FL said:

if you found a girl willing to go shoot pool on a first date, you might want to hang on to her.  Good chance she’s a keeper!  

Haha, she was cool but like in other ways, COVID-19 did a number on my dating life. 😕😂.

Anyway, here's a couple pics of my baby.

[David in FL 2,553]

Fun, 2 day tournament this past weekend.  A team event similar to a Ryder Cup.  In pool it’s the Mosconi Cup.  16 5-man teams playing 9-ball.  Both singles and alternate shot partner matches.  Full double elimination.

We got smoked in our very first match and relegated to the losers bracket.  It was looking like an early exit Saturday and I was contemplating a tee time for Sunday.  But we caught our stride and won our next 5 matches, finishing the day in a bit of a stupor at 3am.  I won the last match for our team, needing to win three straight games for us to advance. The pool room was closed, but nearly 100 people were in there watching my one match.  Dead silence.  Completely unnerving!

We started up again Sunday at noon.  Won 2 more matches, including a nice bit of revenge to knock out the team that had beat us in that first match, and improbably found ourselves in the finals.  True double elimination, so we needed back to back wins against the team that hadn’t lost a match all weekend.

They never knew what hit them...   

Yeah, clearly I missed the memo about black shirts for the day...

Edited November 9, 2020 by David in FL

[Bonvivant 265]

2 minutes ago, David in FL said:

Fun, 2 day tournament this past weekend.  A team event similar to a Ryder Cup.  In pool it’s the Mosconi Cup.  16 5-man teams playing 9-ball.  Both singles and alternate shot partner matches.  Full double elimination.

We got smoked in our very first match and relegated to the losers bracket.  It was looking like an early exit Saturday and I was contemplating a tee time for Sunday.  But we caught our stride and won our next 5 matches, finishing the day in a bit of a stupor at 3am.  I won the last match for our team, needing to win three straight games for us to advance. The pool room was closed, but nearly 100 people were in there watching my one match.  Dead silence.  Completely unnerving!

We started up again Sunday at noon.  Won 2 more matches, including a nice bit of revenge to knock out the team that had beat us in that first match, and improbably found ourselves in the finals.  True double elimination, so we needed back to back wins against the team that hadn’t lost a match all weekend.

They never knew what hit them...   

Yeah, clearly I missed the memo about black shirts for the day...

Well done. There was an Ohio vs. Michigan match this weekend. Don't know if it's over or what the result is, but got to watch some on Friday. 

[David in FL 2,553]

6 minutes ago, Bonvivant said:

Well done. There was an Ohio vs. Michigan match this weekend. Don't know if it's over or what the result is, but got to watch some on Friday. 

Yep.  Not sure about the result but the little I saw was horribly slow and the stream was terrible.  A shame because it had the potential to be a lot of fun...

[David in FL 2,553]

The Mosconi Cup, the pool equivalent to the Ryder Cup, is this week.  USA vs Europe.

If you’re interested in watching some of the best in the world, it’s awfully entertaining and instructive to watch these guys think their way around the table.

You can find it on DAZN and Sky Sports...

[iacas 9,830]

 

[Bonvivant 265]

On 12/1/2020 at 10:00 PM, David in FL said:

The Mosconi Cup, the pool equivalent to the Ryder Cup, is this week.  USA vs Europe.

If you’re interested in watching some of the best in the world, it’s awfully entertaining and instructive to watch these guys think their way around the table.

You can find it on DAZN and Sky Sports...

I haven't seen the score today, and afraid to look. Is it over yet? Hard to watch Billy T. (from Dayton) struggle so much, but his hair style is top notch, lol.

[David in FL 2,553]

18 hours ago, Bonvivant said:

I haven't seen the score today, and afraid to look. Is it over yet? Hard to watch Billy T. (from Dayton) struggle so much, but his hair style is top notch, lol.

Horrible.  They looked like a bunch of APA 5’s.  
 

 

On 12/2/2020 at 10:50 PM, iacas said:

 

Love him or hate him, Ronnie O is amazing.  

For anyone who thinks that pool on a 9 foot table is even remotely difficult, I highly recommend that you try snooker. An absolutely horrible, unbelievably difficult game.  For which I say f**k the Brits!

Yet, I drive an hour each way to play it a couple of times a month...  

Edited December 4, 2020 by David in FL

[David in FL 2,553]

This was 2 weeks ago in my room.  4 days of having some of the best pros in the country playing in 2 different divisions.

Jeffery DeLuna ended up winning both divisions.  He had actually been in town for a week before the tournament, hanging around and playing locals for fun and profit as a fund raiser for his home in the Philippines that had just been hit by a typhoon.

Great guy and a pleasure to hang out with.  We were pleased that he did well...

 

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December 2020

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Edited December 4, 2020 by David in FL