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 8-ball featuring Greg Cordero

As I have mentioned before, I am a member of the Guys & Dolls APA 8-ball and 9-ball pool teams. Since I joined the teams we have won every season (except 1), and qualified to go to Las Vegas for the national competition. But that is because of the team effort.

While I have plenty of videos showing how I play pool, and explaining defensive shots, I am continuing to detail the other players on each on my teams. It is the combination of all our skills that have allowed us to dominate the Central New York region.

Today I will be focusing on Greg Cordero. Long-time readers will recall Greg from the interview I did with him back in 2008, discussing the mortgage and home buying markets. Greg is a real estate broker.

{Yes I know the audio is missing. Youtube pulled the music I had set. I will fix that soon.}



I still love that triple bank shot he does in the video. Greg is a 5 ranked pool player in 8 and 9-ball.

There are plenty of other pool videos, and others, at my youtube channel. Check them out if you have the chance.

Also, please remember to check out the online store World of Vass and my latest online store Alchemy at World of Vass. You might find something you like, and I appreciate the support.

Defensive shots in APA 8-ball

In 8-ball making shots always feels good. But when you are playing in the APA league there are times when making a crazy 4 bank or more shot is not the best answer. In fact, regardless of skill level, there are times when a properly place defensive shot will be the key to winning any game.

The following video is of an actual game. Michael Vass, in the red, is a skill level 5 APA pool player. The opponent is a skill level 6. Both can make difficult shots with a decent level of assurance that it will work. But rather than making the extremely hard shot, and thus opening the table for the opponent to win, defensive shots were used.



This is just one case where defensive shots can be critical. I have seen many matches decided by a well place defensive shot. Especially in Las Vegas during the National competition. Never underestimate the usefulness of this technique.

Fond memories of summer

Back before I left for the APA Las Vegas National Tournament I had the chance to go to a car wash. This was an event to help raise money for the other Central New York team that was also going to Las Vegas.

The car wash was a bit different. The ladies of the team were the ones doing the work. And they had the best sales gimmick. Suffice to say that they pulled in many cars.

I didn't get video of it, but one of the funniest things had to be an older couple (in their 70's) that came into the car wash. The wife was right in the passenger seat and fully enthralled. You just had to see that.

Or the 4 guys that came back 5 times, in each of their cars and then borrowed a neighbors car.

I think the video will explain why.

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.

Phoenix Airport - Homeward bound, eventually

The time in Las Vegas has been great. I was able to speak with a few teams from across the country, saw the Chris Angel show, had a great meal in the Cat House in Luxor (review coming soon), saw various sites and got a bit of a tan.

Then my team and I headed home.

Some 2 1/2 months ago we were told by our APA league operator that our flight home was the best he could do. Chris W. had scheduled my team to go home via Las Vegas to Phoenix, to Detroit, to Wilkes Barre from which we could drive almost 2 hours to get home. When we were at the Las Vegas Airport we were told by a ticket agent

"Whoever got you these tickets really doesn't like you."

That was said because we were on the last flight out of Las Vegas to Phoenix. It meant that we would be in the airport some 7 1/2 hours before continuing our flight. This is how grand an experience Phoenix is at 12:30am



Now at the time of the video I have been up some 16 hours and was wearing a hat earlier - so forgive my look. Were there a place to sleep in Phoenix I wouldn't be writing this. Or if there was a bar, a newstand, a television, a comfortable chair. Anything. But there isn't, especially since everything closes at 8pm reportedly.

How bad does it seem that Chris W. feels about my team?

Well our sister team from Central New York (Endicott) left Las Vegas 3 hours after us, and will arrive home some 8 to 10 hours before us. This is a team who flew to Las Vegas with us on 2 of the 3 flights we took to Vegas. Somehow, as we were told at the time, there was no way to get from Las Vegas to anywhere near home without taking 17 hours with 8 people on the same flights. Though our tickets were booked 2 1/2 months in advance. And there was obviously another way to get the other team home sooner. And we are taking an entirely differnt route than we took to get here.

Even worse is the fact that the ticket agents in Las Vegas let us know that there was a flight roughly 3 hours earlier that had the seats we needed and would have gotten us home the same night.

To be fair, our flight was set this way (we were told) in case we made it to the finals of the competition. Of course we did not know that if we did, it would have meant that we would have had to win the competition in less than 2 1/2 hours, get paid, get team photos, get into a cab/limo, race thru Saturday evening Las Vegas traffic, get our tickets, rush through security and make the plane with a spare 5 minutes before departure. And that's the best case scenario. Suffice to say that doesn't work any better than the other facts I have learned.

So with that wonderful news I sit in Phoenix, while my team is sleeping on the floors and chairs in an airport that is closed, without access to anything until 4am at the earliest. It's 90 degrees outside and humid. There are major restrictions on where you can smoke, the place is empty of everyone but TSA guards (especially one woman with an attitude and an aversion to questions about the airport) cleaning crews, and 5 people besides my team (2 of which are on last minute flight changes).

Is this return home spoiling the experience of the APA National 8-ball competition? Oh yeah. Do I personally think that better could have been done? On several levels I have come to the conclusion that it seems so.

These are of course my thoughts. They are not those of my team. And the fact that I have another 15 hours of traveling is not improving my thoughts about this matter.

More coverage of the good parts of the Las Vegas trip and competition some time after this journey ends. (Hey, do you know if it took this long for Lewis and Clark to find Mississippi?)

Las Vegas review: Circus Circus

So, let me talk a bit about the accomodations in Las Vegas. For people unfamiliar, the APA (American Poolplayers Association) has hundreds of regional leagues. At the end of each sesaon the top team(s) qualify to go to Las Vegas for the National copmetion. The APA pays for the airfare and lodging.

I won't speak about the airfare (other than the fact that my team will spend 17 hours to get home, while another Endicott team will be home in about half that time). The hotel used by the APA is Circus Circus. Every team I am aware of in the competition gets to stay at the Manor group of rooms. Players can upgrade to other rooms at their own cost.

All of my team except myself stayed in the Manor, buildings A & C, and our sister team from Endicott was in building E. The rooms are large compared to most hotels. I would say they are about the size of 2 single rooms. This is likely due to the fact that Circus Circus has roughly 40% more families with young children than any other hotel in Vegas.

Though the rooms are larger, that does not mean better. The look of the rooms is slightly better than say a Motel 6. The carpets look faded and worn, as do the walls. The beds are ok, but you just get a sense of things being drab here. Plus several people I met here found the rooms at the Manor to have a slight odor. It won't kill you, but it's not the top end of Vegas. Then again the prices of these rooms are hardly over the top. Great for a family on a budget.

The rooms in the Skyview Tower are far better. Still spacious, though not as much as the Manor rooms. The carpets, bedding, and decor look far newer and less worn. The bathrooms are larger and look much cleaner.

Either rooms will easily fit 4 adults.

Throughout the Circus Circus hotel there is decorations that are circus themed. Some of the paintings are nice, but most are very post-modern or abstract. I personally did not like them, especially in the buffett area. But I imagine they are very kid friendly and thus families would enjoy them.

In fact, compared to the Riviera, Luxor, or Mandalay Bay Circus Circus is the best option to a family with young (under 18) kids. For more adult experiences, and less interaction with children other Casino/Resorts are the choice.

The gaming area is relatively smaller, with lower ceilings than found in newer Casinos. It also has a far smaller gaming area. So if you enjoy table games you may prefer to play at a differnt Casino. They do have a huge slots area. But the table games tend to have lower minimum bets, even over the weekend, than in other Casinos.

Also, directly in front of Circus Circus is Slots O' Fun. This is a very small selection of mostly slot machines. Again this focuses on the lower priced games. It also has $3 minimum Blackjack tables and a $3 minimum Craps table.

I would not recommend the Craps table at Slots O' Fun as it is always very crowed, filled with people unfamiliar with the game and thus plays slow, and has inexperienced or comparatively poor dealers. If you do play the Craps table, it helps if you know the bets and the payouts, as occasional mistakes do happen, especially as the crowd gets less experienced.

In front of Slots O' Fun is an automated ticket booth and a stop for the city bus. This will allow you to buy a 24-hour ticket to take you along the main strip and most every major casino. The tickets cost $7 for 24-hours and $3 one way. I recommend the $7 ticket, but beware. The bus often is crowded in any direction and you may have to wait for more than one bus to come by to get on, so plan for the time. Plus traffic can make a trip take longer than you would expect. But it is worth it, especially in a week like this one past where the temperature topped 105 every day.

Circus Circus also has a pool area, like most casino/resorts. There are 2 pools and 2 hot tub areas. They all are of decent size. The pool goes from 3" to 6" gradually, with 2 lifeguards available at all times it is open (9 - 8). The hot tub is about 3 1/2" with a shelf seat. As with the rest of the hotel at Circus circus, expect lots of children running around.

Overall I found the stay at Circus Circus to be decent. It's accomodations are fair compared to it's price. If you can afford the Tower rooms I advise them. If you can deal with lots of kids around, or if you have kids, this is one of the better places to take them.

Preview of 8-ball tournament play in Las Vegas

I'm still in Las Vegas for a while more, but I decided to put together a quick little video of the Endicott team (playing for the Guys & Dolls pool hall) arriving at Circus Circus, and playing at the APA National 8-ball Pool Tournament held in the Riviera.

This is a quick video, I will have several more once I have a chance to edit all the videos and pictures I have taken.

This video features several members of the team, including:

Gregg Cordero
Bob 'Panama' Grabow
Gary Hinckley
Gage Majka
Zachary Majka
John Miller
Robert 'Coty' Miller
Michael Vass

Video highlights - Team arriving in a stretch limo, Zach Majka finishing off a game, Panama in a match. (video taken by Claudia Miller in visitor stands)

Video of APA Las Vegas National Pool Tournament

Here is the promised video of Round 2 of the Guys and Dolls 8-ball team at the Las Vegas 2009 APA National Pool Tournament. The quality is not perfect but it is the best that we could make without disrupting the other teams.



Vegas has been fun so far. The tournament is still going forward. More videos, soon.

Live from Las Vegas 2009 APA National Pool Tournament

Hey everyone. Well I arrived in Las Vegas Monday afternoon. A bit of jetlag and tired from the 3 planes we had to take to get here(the plane and room was paid for by the APA). The entire Guys and Dolls team from Edicott NY arrived safe and sound.

We got lucky and did not have to play until 8am today (tuesday). So I went out and played some craps in Circus Circus. So far I have been down, even, and back down a little. Which isn't too bad considering how fast craps can go. Hope to get comped and rated by the time we leave.

Enjoyed a nice buffett at Circus Circus, though the rooms in the manor are pretty poor - though large. I have a room (seperate of what was paid for) in the Sky Tower, which is far nicer.

The weather is great. About 105, dry, and sunny.

As for how things are going in the APA National Pool Tournament of 2009, things are even better. I played in the first match and won my games against a 6. It was a strong showing, 4 - 2, and helped my team win our first 3 games and thus the match. Gary Hinkley and Zach Majka also won their matches in the same manner.

Our next match will be at 6pm. We plan on continuing our winning streak.

I plan to have video of one of the games in my match up once Youtube loads the video. Quality is a bit low, but you can watch the whole game.

I also got to meet Jeanette Lee. I will have a picture of her shortly. She is great. There was a mentally disabled young man that came to have her sign a picture for her. He mentioned that she was his favorite. And Lee decided to do something special. She got one of her personal gloves, (which were not available for sale or signing) and signed it for the young man. Then took a photo with him. It was really swwet and everyone there cheered afterwards. She is really sweet, was talking to her fans and being very generous to us all.

Obviously I'm having a great time. I expect to speak with a few players, and have interviews for you soon. Most of it all will be after I get back.

Look for the video later. Need to eat and then go to my next match.

A message from Michael Vass - President of M V Consulting, Inc.

I just wanted to take a moment to update all my readers on the things happening here at M V Consulting, Inc.

Like everyone, we have felt the impact of the economic crisis. As such we have had to delay some of the promotions, photo shoots, and clothing line launches we had planned for this year. I emphasize delay and not that we are canceling anything. We are moving forward, just at a slightly slower pace.

As such the 2 photo shoots planned to have been done by this point are pushed back to later this year. Though I can state that Todd Messinger (who took the latest photo shoot at Guys & Dolls pool hall in Endicott, NY) and Michael Rolston are slated to be the photographers of these upcoming shoots. We are still selecting several models for these photo shoots, so for those aspiring models or those already working, we are looking over head shots. You can contact us at info@vassconsult.com for more details.

Another item that was pushed back is a free promotion (give-away contest) we are working on. While I will not give out details yet, I can say that this will help those looking to start or expand a career. With the international exposure that M V Consulting can provide, we hope that someone will be able to say that their future fame and fortune was started via our company.

Something that we are not pushing back is our efforts to support the men and women of our military and the charities we donate to. Several efforts are upcoming, in conjunction with local VFW and American Legion posts, to help provide support and attention to the needs of those that have pledged to maintain the quality of life each of us enjoys everyday.

Additionally, I have confirmed with Mr. Gregg Cordero that the Memorial for Madden Cordero will be having its second annual fundraising for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. This will be in the 3rd quarter of this year, and M V Consulting will again be a contributor to this cause. We hope that those of you that wish to, will also join us in raising funds for the families that the Ronald McDonald Charities helps every day. More details on this will be forthcoming.

One thing that has been delayed far more than expected has been the re-launch of the VASS political blog. The sheer volume of material, and the technical time involved has turned out to be far more than what was initially expected. That combined with the economic slowdown, and the increased needs of our clients, has delayed the full re-launch.

Currently the VASS blog is up, and current posts relating to politics and other issues are being made. The revamped site is being updated on a regular basis with every post and comment that formerly was found at the blogger driven site. Until the re-launch is completed, the old site will remain available, and old posts will continue to be found there.

In a related matter, we are currently working on creating a detailed coverage of the entire 2008 election process. This will provide information on several of the candidates from the moment they announced their desire to run for President, up to the results of the election itself. In total this will cover about 2 years of the election cycle. We believe that this will be both a useful tool for new voters in the 2012 election cycle, as well as an interesting point of view for those that are more familiar with the political process.

Separate of these events, we want to thank all of our readers for your continued interest in M V Consulting, and our blogs. It is solely because of our readers that we continue to grow, now reaching over 125 countries and tens of thousands of readers each month. This is no small achievement, and we acknowledge that it is only possible via your support.

We also thank our readers for checking out the clothing lines of M V Consulting, as well as the ads of our advertisers. Neither is the primary focus of our site, nor will we allow it to become so, but it does help us to maintain and grow the Company. With your continued support and interest to the advertisers and our clothing lines we are ever more capable of providing more free give-aways, promotions, and donations to organizations like Not On Our Watch and the Ronald McDonald Charities.

For those that wish to advertise on the sites of M V Consulting, Inc. we refer you to our advertising rates, and ask you to present any inquiries to our info@vassconsult.com email. While we will never flood our sites with advertising, we are always willing to work with potential advertisers as long as space permits. And we are confident that our advertising rates are among the best in the industry for the reach and depth of the world that we touch.

Lastly, I want to note that in August – September M V Consulting will be doing a series of posts focusing on Las Vegas and the APA National Pool Tournament. We are working on providing video of the event, interviews with players, and insight about the tournament.

This is part of our continuing effort to provide entertainment interviews and coverage that is unique and interesting. So far this year we have been able to have several interviews with independent film directors – some were Sundance winners, others were featured at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. We are working on interviews with several writers, additional film directors, actors and actresses, a couple of politicians, and a few surprises.

In summation, we at M V Consulting are striving to live up to the confidence and commitment you give us every day that you return to our sites. It is something we never forget. It is the reason we work hard to maintain high quality in all that we present to you. It is the reason we never stop.

I personally thank you, and on behalf of all those at M V Consulting, Inc.

Sincerely,

Michael Vass
President – M V Consulting, Inc.
info@vassconsult.com

Going to Las Vegas for the APA National 8-ball competition

Written by Black Entertainment USA

So some of my readers may be wondering where I was over the weekend. The source of my silence was linked to my American Poolplayer's Association pool league. As I have mentioned in the past, I play in the Central New York APA. My team in 8-ball and 9-ball represent the Guys & Dolls pool hall in Endicott NY.

Since my team has been formed, we have won the 2007, 2008, and 2009 season playoffs, which gave us the opportunity to play in the regional matches against all the season winners from the leagues in Binghamton, Ithaca, and the other surrounding areas for Central New York. The winner of this Championship Playoff gets a trip to Las Vegas to play in the National APA Pool Tournament. That takes place in August, and has some several hundred teams from across the nation competing for cash and pride.

Sadly, while my teams have always made the regional competition and gone to the final match, we had not won. Which is a tough feeling, as we have become odds on favorites to win every time we arrive. There is nothing like having to battle through multiple teams and hours of matches, to arrive at the key game and then not get to move forward.

That completely changed this year, as the Pandemic team out of Guys & Dolls for 8-ball won the Championship and will be going to Las Vegas this year, along with Dysfunctional Fighters who also qualified. I must admit that there was a good chance for the team to spend 10 days in Las Vegas and play both the 9-ball and 8-ball Nationals. But the week prior we had again played thru the pack right up to the final and missed the critical win.

Still I have no complaints. It was a long weekend, with massive competition. There were several very good teams, each with multiple great players, that we had to defeat. I commend every one of them. This was no cake walk, and any one of the teams could have gone to Vegas and represented our area with pride.

How well did our team do? Well we had one player moved up a rank before the final match. 3 out of 8 of team were at 67% in the competition, with another 3 that went 100%. So that gave the entire team an 83.5% win percentage over the competition.

So for a little heads up to our competition in Las Vegas, I give you the members of my team. [Yes we all look tired, it was a long weekend.]

Team Captian - Gregg Cordero




"Panama" Grabow




Gary Hinkley




Gauge Majka




Zachary Majka




John Miller




Robert Miller




Michael Vass


Oh, I am working on the video as we speak. It’s a lot to edit, and may wind up being several videos. But give me a little time for that.

Again I salute all the other teams we played. They gave it their all and we had a great time playing them all. I am sure that in next year’s competition we will see them all again.

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.

Pool League or bar pool?

As I mentioned in another post (at my political blog) Monday is my APA 8-ball pool league. There is nothing more rewarding than playing a match that is hard fought and challenging.

Normally I have video of these matches, but today I was behind the 8 ball (bad pun I know). The election had me a bit off balance. But what I can say is that I am now 12 out of 12 matches, and leading my league in individual performance. Of course I have also been raised by a level too (now a skill level 5 and just beat a skill level 7 tonight).

Now I have been asked what is the attraction of playing in a pool league, and why the American Poolplayers Association? Good question.

I have been playing pool for about 26 years now, on and off. So I enjoy being challenged in my matches. Often playing on a regular bar table is less than enjoyable since these tables are generally not kept up. Add to that the problem with drunk players and by-standers and the joy quickly evaporates. And if you are good, or on a winning streak you can get branded a pool shark – which never has positive results.

So a pool league cuts out many of the problems. And it provides players that can have a fun time, and still be very serious about their game. Thus you get to be around like-minded people, have competition, and no one ends up with broken thumbs.

As for which pool league, well that depends on where you are. In my area there are only 2 options. APA or Southern Tier. In Southern Tier there are teams and only 4 players play a match. The games are split between partner play and singles matches. There are a total of 17 games with each player guaranteed to play 3 times with at least 2 partner matches. One player gets the extra game, first team to 10 wins.

Sounds fine except there is a catch. The games are preset. By that I mean the matches go like follows:

Team 1 players 1 & 2 vs Team 2 players 1 & 2
Team 1 players 3 & 4 vs Team 2 players 3 & 4
Team 1 player 2 vs Team 2 player 2
And so on

Thus no one player gets to play consecutive games, nor more than 1 game versus any individual player. And you might get a match where horrible teammate #3 is your partner against the best 2 players of the opposing team. It can be a mess and takes forever. There is no momentum, and after the season ends you might get a bit of money back as a prize. That’s it.

In the APA you get a bit more. You have teams with no more than 8 players. Each player has a skill level between 2 – 9 (higher is better). New players get assigned a 4 for men and 3 for women. You can play any opponent and play a seires of games.

Ie.
Team 1 player 5, level 4 vs Team 2 player 2, level 2
This would be a match with a race to first to 4 games for player 5 or 2 games for player 2.

This goes on for 5 matches (in 8-ball), each worth 2 points. If you get to within 1 game of winning you get 1 point, winning is worth 2 (you can’t get more than 2). The team with the most points wins.

Now this is great because you get to play several games at once. You get to play against the same opponent. And you get a fair chance to win even against great players. In fact you might very well want to put a 2 up against a 7 because the 2 would need to win 2 games before the 7 won 5.

Now at the end of the season, the top teams have a playoff. The winner of that goes on to play a regional match, like the say the Central New York State finals. If you win that, you win a full paid for trip to Las Vegas to compete for the National Competition. And that means lots of money, depending on how high you finish there as a team.

Now which would you prefer, bar pool with the drunk guy that thinks you are a shark, Southern Tier where you play maybe 4 games over 5 hours, or APA where you can get in maybe 3 – 5 games depending on skill levels in maybe 3 – 4 hours for the entire team, and you might get the chance to go to Vegas.

So now you can see my enthusiasm and consistency for my pool league. My teams only problem is that we are all good enough that we are all getting moved up slowly and thus harder to win games.

Oh well. Video from 9-ball after my match on Wednesday.

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.

The joy of black felt pool tables in a tournament

So Saturday I was at an American Poolplayers Association tournament. The showdown was for single 8-ball matches, with the winner of each level division going on to the national trials in Las Vegas. Obviously I was looking to win.

The tournament was in a town called Yorkville, in New York. It was held at Hippo’s pool hall. The start time was stated as 9am for registration. 82 players from the central New York area had qualified and 25 of them were in my division, the level 4. (Levels of players go from 2 – 9 with 9 being highest).

That all sounds simple enough, but some 9+ hours after the start I finished my day. That wasn’t because I won, that was just for me to finish my games and lose. Suffice to say it was a long and less than pleasant experience. The worst of which were the tables we had to play on.

My big gripe about the competition, besides the fact that it took me 5 hours before I played my first match, was that several games were to be played on black felt tables. All the tables were even and 3.5’x7’. The pool hall does have 20 tables that are 4.5’x9’, but according to rules, since there were 8 smaller tables all the matches had to be played on them instead.

Now I don’t know if you have ever played on a black felt pool table. They were created, as I am told, back in the 70’s so you could use a blacklight and play in the dark. Which might be great with glow in the dark balls and a few friends over. But in a pool hall, with regular lights and balls, in a competition, it sucks.

Black felt, with black felt on the bumper rails, means that there is no depth in the table. It is almost impossible to get a solid bead on the corners of the pockets. And shooting the 8-ball is pure hell. A black ball on a black table going into a pocket on even the best lit table would be a challenge, and the lighting was just ok.

But I have to ask, is there anyone who actually owns a pool table with black felt? I’ve played on blue and green, even red once. But black was a miserable first. I have to say that combined with the lethargy of sitting around, and practicing on and off, for 5 hours and then having to play on that table really killed my spirits. I’ve never had to play such an awful tournament, and I’ve been playing in pool tournaments for some 20 years now.

I have no doubt that the national tournament in Las Vegas is better. I have no doubt that even on these smaller tables the felts will be green, maybe blue at worst. But would you bother to go through this kind of pain just to get to Vegas? Would you want to play on a black felt table?

If anyone prefers this, without a blacklight, I really would love to hear your thoughts why. But if anyone is waiting to see me play in Vegas, it won’t be in the singles finals this year. But the team competition is still open. We shall see.