9-ball APA pool

Long-term readers know I love my pool league. Last year we went all the way to Las Vegas with my team. This year I intend to go back with both the 8 and 9-ball teams. Then I plan to rock the national APA tournament.

That's the plan anyway.

So here is the latest video of my 9-ball team from last night as we won, with some bumps in the road. I had a great mash-up song mixed to the video, but it got pulled by Youtube. So that's why there is no sound at the moment.

Hope you enjoy the video

APA challenge - can a rank 4 beat a rank 7 in 9-ball?

From time to time I have discussed the American Poolplayers Association league that I play in. Located in Endicott New York, I play in the 8-ball and 9-ball leagues.

Most notably I have commented on how my 8-ball team qualified and went to the Las Vegas APA National Tournamnet this summer. And I provided a bit of video of not only me but the rest of my team.

But I have not given my 9-ball team (playing out of Guys and Dolls Pool Hall in Endicott) as much attention. Because while I am good, no one player is a team. And while I am captain, and my team is currently leading the fall session, this would not be tryue without a great team.

So I decided to show a bit of video on some of the rest of my team. this one focuses on Gary Hinkley (the man in the video). He is ranked a level 4 - though he may go up a level after this game. he is playing a level 7 player (the woman in the video). This is the last rack of their match.



You can see why Gary is one of the leading players in the league, and a great asset to my team. And yes, Gary did win the match. 18 - 2.

More on the rest of my team soon.

Planning for APA Las Vegas Nationals in 2010

I really haven't posted any of my APA pool league videos in a while. Actually since I got back from Las Vegas and the tournament there. So for those that follow how my teams and I are doing, a quick update. (I'm still ranked a 5 for the time being in both 8 and 9 ball)

So far my 8-ball pool team, Guys & Dolls, is leading the league. It's the same team of guys, minus one and added a woman, that went with me to Las Vegas. Currently we are already qualified for the competition match in 2010 to earn a spot back at Las Vegas. Our plan is to get back there and take first place this next time, now that we know what to expect.

As for 9-ball, my team is in 2nd place. I am captain of this team, so I feel good about that news. This team also has qualified for a try to get the Las Vegas trip. I admit my game is off the mark just a bit lately (I dropped from 4th in the entire league to 25th recently), but the team is a solid group and winning big.

The following runs gives you an idea of where I am right now. My shots are decent, with a couple of harder difficulty shots going well (ie the shot at the 43 second and 1:38). Just not finishing off as much as I should be. No doubt my concentration is off due to the economy and its impact.

Where have I been?

I know some must be wondering why they have not heard anything from me in a couple of days. Sadly, I have not been on vacation.

I have been working on gaining interviews from directors that will have their film shown at the Tribeca Film Festival. I plan on meeting with Cynthia Basinet again to update what is going on with her.

I have decided to work on converting all my product found in the online store, into items available for direct sales. There are plans being made for several new calendars and photos shoots. I am reviewing several potential models for the shoots.

I am continuing to expand the company, and an interviewing a couple of potential new writers, to assist me in covering all the subjects and issues that matter most to you my readers. Plus I am working on several local projects.

All of this while I have picked up my own 9-ball team in the APA league I play in. My original team (we had to split the team) currently stands to win 1st place in 8-ball and 9-ball this season. In a month we go on to play for a chance at the nationals and a trip to Las Vegas.

And of course I am continuing to fix up and decorate my house.

All of this while having an increased work load with my clients, and trying to ensure both they and I are ok through this economic downturn.

It has been quite the month, and the last couple of days have been busy. But never fear. I am still on the job. More will come shortly.

Michelle Curtain: An APA member taken from us too soon

Long time readers of my blogs will recall that I am a member of the American Poolplayers Association (APA). In the Binghamton/Endicott area there are several hundred players in the APA, and between the 8-ball and 9-ball leagues we all pretty much get to know one another. In a way we are a bit of an extended family. So when a tragedy strikes one of us, we all feel it.

On Friday late afternoon I learned of a catastrophic event affecting our extended family. The day before Michelle Curtain and her mother were involved in a 5 car accident. The accident resulted in both of their deaths.



Michelle was only 32. She was a friendly woman, always with a smile at each match in 8-ball and 9-ball. She was a fierce competitor. She had been in the league for 3 years and played with her father, Dave, in the 9-ball league.

My 9-ball team played Michelle and Dave's team on Wednesday. It was a good match, with several close games. Michelle, a level 3 player lost her match but was very close to winning. Her ability was one of the reasons why she was at the top of the MVP competition and one of the top ranked at her skill level.

Michelle was on the Board of Governors and a former Division Representative. She was a 2008 National Singles Regional Runner-Up. She was a dear friend to many and well liked throughout the league. Which says nothing of the many many people that she was friends with and touched in her work and life.

The entire APA in Endicott and the area feel for the loss that Dave Curtain has. There are few words that I can say to express my shock and remorse about this sudden tragic loss.

Perhaps the only thing I can say is what I feel about such a situation. I believe that our loved ones go on from this world, to never have pain or suffering. They are at peace and are released from the burdens that we face day to day. They no longer have pain, they are whole and complete and surrounded by the loved ones of all time that have gone before us. They look down upon us with compassion and love, knowing that this is part of a plan far greater than any we can imagine; and that one day, when it is our time, we will join them in an eternal bliss.

I truly believe that. I believe that is the case for my father and grandmother, my uncles and many friends over the years that all passed far too soon. I believe this for Michelle and Dave's wife.

I hope that these words can help to give some solace. I pray that Dave can have the strength to overcome his grief. I wish that all in our APA family are drawn together more strongly, with love and hope. Our family has been reduced by 1, and it is the strength of us all combined that will allow us all to move forward each in our own time, not forgetting but coming to terms with this shock.

For those that would like to contribute something to help Dave Curtain in this time of grief and need - I will be posting a comment to this post once something is created. For those in the local area, the VFW Post 1449 in Endicott [103 Nanticoke Ave Endicott NY 13760] is taking donations to help Dave in this time of need.

Defensive pool shots - big benefits from not dropping the ball

I want to take a moment to just go over an aspect of pool that many players have difficulty with. I have to admit that I have as much difficulty with this as most any player. The hardest shot in any pool game or tournament is the defense shot.

Now if you only play bar pool you might have heard this shot referred to as a cheap shot, or dirty pool. That is actually a false thought. The defensive shot is both legitimate and fair. Often it is even a bit of a compliment, as the opposing player is deemed either too good or on too much of a run to be allowed to have a clear shot on the pool table.

Here is a small selection of defensive, difficult, and sometimes unintentional defensive shots from a recent American Poolplayers Association 9-ball match that I had. The opponent I faced was a level 5 and I am a 4. That means that he had to clear 38 balls versus 31 for myself.



We start with a shot that was left to me [I'm the handsome Black guy wearing the stylish hooded sweatshirt found at my online store]. (I realize that this is not the best angle to judge the shots from, bear with me) This is early in the match, and my opponent has left me with the cue nearly touching and to the side of the 1-ball. From this angle there is no easy shot. Running the cue up the table and back to the 1 for a kick shot was out as the 8 was in the way. In the reverse the shot would likely not be strong enough to get the 1 in the corner, and/or leave the 1 set for my opponents run.

In trying for the 1-ball in the side I also have the ability to then control the cue and bring it back such that if it drops I will have a shot on the 2-ball to the opposite side pocket. The added bonus of this shot, and the reason I took the shot was the fact that with a miss it also allows for the cue to be completely hidden from the 1-ball.

This effectively is a defensive shot, because of the low percentage chance of executing the shot and the result to the opponent, but it does not need to be claimed as such since there is a clear attempt at making the shot. The result is a ball in hand for me and an early advantage for that rack.

In the next shot we see that I have a bank and hard cut on the 1-ball in a new rack. The ideal shot is to place the 1-ball into the corner pocket. I of course screwed up this shot, which is low percentage to start with. The key here is the english placed on the cue. The expectation is that the shot will not go as expected. Thus the goal is to limit the danger of the opponent from running the table.

Now there is no complete expectation on this shot. The hope is to leave the cue in the upper portion of the table, and have the1-ball end up against a rail as close to perpendicular to the cue as possible. Again the goal is not to make the shot, but to prevent the opponent from doing so, possibly gaining either a ball in hand or superior position.

While there was no way to guarantee the result, the shot was sufficiently difficult enough that while he was able to contact the 1-ball he could not drop it. And due to the angle and force that was used, a beneficial shot was obtained for me.

In the next rack we see that my opponent has forced the cue behind the 6-ball after striking the 2-ball in an attempt to combo and drop the 3-ball. This leaves a very difficult shot at the 2-ball. Again while this was not the expected result it was an outcome that was hoped to occur since the prior shot had low chance of success. The goal was again to leave the cue in a more difficult position than the opponent had and force an opportunity.

The best shot at the 2-ball was a bank shot around the 6-ball, kicking the 2-ball with the hope of either going in clean, or if off to strike and drop the 3-ball in combo. But the english I used was incorrect, as was the angle, and results in the 2-ball going to the near rail and lining up with the 3-ball and corner pocket. The cue followed back and provides a rather easy shot for my opponent to run the 2, 3, 5 and 6-balls for a large advantage on this rack.

My opponent does this and is now shooting on the 7-ball. Because of the position after striking the 6-ball he has gone too far over and cannot strike the 7-ball directly. This position is an excellent time to play a soft bank shot to the 7, forcing it to just touch the rail and rise even or on the far side of the 9-ball. That defense would cause an attempt at a low percentage bank shot, or an extreme cut for me. Instead my opponent is aggressive (which I generally favor) and looks to strike the 7-ball off the bank with force and top spin. The hope is to then strike the 9-ball and spin the 7 into the corner. The cue should end up below the 9-ball, aligned to one of the corners. This does not happen.

The aggressive stance here leads to striking the 9-ball and thus a ball in hand for me. Now my draw on the 7-ball is not as much as I had hoped for. But there is a decent percentage chance of making the cut to the corner. This is also aggressive, but there is no other ball on the table and since any other shot missing leave an easy shot at the 9, I went for it.

Aggressive shots are fun, and look great. But as a far higher ranked teammate often reminds me,

“Making the harder shot may look cool, but most of the time they will cost you the match.”

Aggressive shots on a 9-ball are costly, but far less so than on other balls on the table as they lead to runs by the opponent. Once I dropped this 9, I gained the break for the next rack. That break added another 1 ball to my total besides the 4 I gained for the last rack (1, 7,and 9). That put me at 5 versus my opponents 6 for the entire last rack and I was still shooting. The advantage at this point was decidedly mine.

I ran 3 more balls and screwed up the 4-ball, knowing that this would lead to a run on the rack. Never over think your shots. Never plan to hard on the next shot before you make the shot at hand. And be glad of luck, which is how the 4-ball ended up behind the 9 and opposed to the cue. Ultimately that rack was split, with me still holding a lead from several of the defensive shots, and luck, described above.

I threw in the nice cut of my opponent be cause I liked the shot. He took most of that rack.

But in the rack after I was left with the 1-ball in front of the cue facing the side. The next several shots are an example of taking the shot at hand and understanding but not focusing on the shot to follow.

I’m no pro - obviously, but I believe that the defensive shots, and increasing the difficulty of the opponents shot whenever more effective than taking a very low percentage shot, shows it’s own reward. I won that match 31 to 23. The defensive and opposing difficult shots provided me a 10 to 4 advantage on an opponent that is a good player, higher ranked and expected to win. That advantage plus the fact he had nearly a rack more balls for a win were why I won the match.

Defensive and high difficulty shots are critical to a winning game. Just some thoughts and possible tips.

A 4 ball break in 9-ball pool league match by me

Ok, time to take a break from the political blogging, and all the polispeak spin surrounding the bailout talks that are on-going. It’s time for something a bit light.

Now as I have mentioned before, I am in an APA pool league for 8-ball and 9-ball. For my lifetime of playing in the APA I am at 61% win ratio for 8-ball and 53% win ration for 9-ball. Not too shabby.

Yesterday I was playing in the 9-ball league. I had the luck of pulling out a player 2 skill levels above me for my match. This made the game quite a challenge for me.

We started the match with me breaking, and the first game went 4-6 against me. But I rallied back in the next game for a 7-3 win. Again I got spanked 1-9 in the next game, followed by a 7-2 win for me. The rest of the games went 5-5, 3-6, and 3-3 for a nice win for me.

But the real point of the post is this video is a personal best. In the 2nd match I had the break again, and I love 9-ball because of this. The break is the best part of 9-ball, and I went for it. Especially since I had fallen behind and was losing momentum to a better player. This is how that second 7-3 match went. The break is the best break I've had on a level long pool table in 9-ball.



Now I realize I could have cut the 9, or gone for the bank shot to the long left corner. But I thought I was in position for the 9 to be kicked (reverse bank) to the side or the far right corner of a miss and bank. It’s a shot I practice and am usually able to make some 30-40% of the time. Of course I didn’t make it. But do you think it was a bad shot to take?

8-ball or 9-ball: which is the harder pool game?

Now I was at my 8-ball pool league game yesterday and yet another question was brought up. This time it had nothing to do with the size of the table (which I continue to assert that playing on bar pool tables is an advantage vs. a full table) but the game in and of itself.

Which is harder, 8-ball or 9-ball?

That’s a tough question as both are games that require a lot of skill and strategy. And the size of the pool table does make a big impact. The larger the table, the less balls are likely to bunch together and the more shots that are likely to be made. But let’s assume the table size is not a factor.

With 8-ball you have potentially double the number of balls to navigate around off the break. That means you must be more accurate with the initial shot and control of the cue ball is vital. A bad Cue ball placement can end a run faster than anything else.



Additionally there is the question of shot order. This is something that 9-ball players really have no concept of. Unlike in 9-ball you can hit any of your balls in any order. Thus if you go for the duck in the corner rather than taking the harder cut shot to the side pocket you may lock yourself behind the opponents ball or leave yourself a lower percentage follow-up shot – like say a double bank.

At the same time you must be concerned with the percentage, or confidence you have, in the shot you are making. If you are attempting a low percentage shot, you must factor in where you will leave the cue ball for your opponent. The ideal placement would involve placing your object ball in to control of a pocket while hiding the cue in a place on the table to negate a clean shot or mandate your opponent to take a low percentage shot – hopefully leading to a run for you.

These are just a few of the things to consider in 8-ball.

For 9-ball life is much easier. The table is essentially wide open. A run is much more doable for players of most any skill level. Dropping the 9-ball off the break is dramatically easier than the 8 in 8-ball. You have far less worry about ball in the way, and any combination that leads to the 9 dropping is a winning shot – as opposed to in 8-ball where the 8 dropping early is an instant loss.



Of course it is harder to force an opponent into making low percentage shots. Thus control of the cue is perhaps more important than in 8-ball. But you have some 25-50% more space on the table to work with.

For me the choice is obvious. 8-ball is the harder game. There are more factors to deal with and more outcomes based on each strike of the cue to an object ball.

There is one caveat though. If you play 8-ball consistently, switching to 9-ball will take practice.

If you are accustomed to 8-ball and switch often what happens is that you will play mid-percentage shots for position. In 8-ball this is a smart move and allows you to control pockets, or arrange for future runs in the game. In 9-ball this means you will be slaughtered.

By playing to arrange future shots you are placing the object ball into position for your opponent to take the run you hope for in the future. A ball that is capturing the pocket will become a duck for the opponent. A run is as easy for you as them, and moreso if you are setting it there for them.

Plus the 8-ball player loses the advantage of more balls potentially in the way or to create a need for low percentage shots. And as I mentioned, shot order is out the window.

This is how I feel about playing pool. I am in both an 8-ball and 9-ball pool league. But what do you feel?