Anyone here enjoy billiards?

[XxMerlinxX]

I only ask as I have my first APA 8-ball match tonight and will be taking a WOAM plus another random stick with me to keep me company. I've been playing off and on since high school, but this will be my first actual league match of any kind, so I'm excited. I've also started to delve into the other lesser known games of 14.1 continuous (aka straight pool), as well as one pocket, but those are really involved games that demand more skill and forethought than I am capable of at the moment.

 

[grateful1]

I used to play a lot. 8 and 9 ball, then a lot of straight pool(much more fun!)....then finally got into 3-cushion billiards and fell in love.

What a great game. There used to be 2 or 3 places in the area, but only one now and the table is going to crap...it's too bad.

Good Luck!

 

[Nickc]

Love pool overall!!! Played 5 times a week for like 2 hrs a night in 11th grade. I was too young to join a league, so I would just play the league members before their matches and school them..... Got heavy into 8 and 9 ball and fell in love with straight pool. I need to get back into playing, but I have so many other things going on.

Good luck in your league play. Have a great time!!!

 

[DraXxus1549]

I love pool, I suck at it but its fun none the less. I have a table in the loft back home. It kinda sucks cause there is no heat or air conditioning. So there is only a few months when its possible to play up there.

 

[Jonesy]

I used to love pool. When I was in my early 20's, I was part of an APA team out of Charlotte. Haven't played much since then. Hell, my 2 Meucci's in the attic may be colector items by now!

 

[XxMerlinxX]

If they say Meucci Original on them, then possibly, but most Meucci's go for around $200-$400 depending on which model and what condition it's in. I've noticed a lot of guys in the south play with Meucci's, or "Moochi's" if you will, yet they're not quite as popular elsewhere. I'm currently playing with a Southwest knockoff, but I've got a custom fullsplice on order with a guy from Chicago named Jon Spitz.

 

[LouieD]

In Texas, we played a lot of Snooker. Very challenging game played on a 6'x12' table with smaller balls. A tournament pool table is 4.5'x9'; so, you can see the difficulty.

 

[Anthony]

Cool. I used to play in high school and college.

I learned a ton by playing in open 9-ball tourneys. Playing against people way better than you is a great way to pick up your skills.

 

[Not A Nice Person]

Used to play a LOT of 8 and 9 ball in college, early to mid- 90s. Best friend and I would get together every week for a full afternoon of "shut up and play" callshot 8-ball, and I got together almost weekly with another friend and his old lady, who'd both been to bar league Nationals (where she was a finalist) and who liked 9-ball. A lot!

9-ball is where I really learned to set up the next 2, 3 shots with English. That gal could SHOOT. :love:

Don't play much these days---bifocals made it a lot harder for me, and they just outlawed smoking in local pool halls. What's a game of billiards without a cigar? :angry:

~Boar

 

[fourthrail]

I used to play all the time when my parent had a table. So naturally when I got my own place, I got my own table. Still enjoy the game, but now that I have a table, I hardly have time to play.

 

[themoneycollector]

Used to play a lot. Just 8-ball. I still play on occasion, but I lost my touch a bit and can never find a partner to play against and get steady practice.

 

[4cbln3]

I still love watching some of it on ESPN, especially the lady players! When I was still single, a couple of us would finish work and play throughout the night 'till morning. I think I loved the quarter bets per ball, made for a much interesting game.

Fast forward to today, I tried shooting a game with my littlest one at a birthday party, guess I can't do much without my glasses ! I would like to teach her the game, so maybe this summer we can go to the billiards place more often.

 

[Anthony]

9-ball is where I really learned to set up the next 2, 3 shots with English.

Yeah, same here. If you play a lot of 9ball, it will definitely improve your game as you really start to think ahead and learn to put the cue ball where you want it to set up next couple of shots.

 

[mu mike]

My in-laws own a billiards company and I rarely, if ever, beat him in 9-ball.

 

[XxMerlinxX]

Just to update, my 8 ball match yesterday went horribly. Since I'm new, I start off with a rank of 4, and I ended up playing a woman who was ranked a 3. That being the case, I had to win 3 racks while she only had to win 2 racks. I won the first rack and she won the second rack, so she was already half of the way there. On the third rack, I got down to the 8 ball while she still had 6 of hers left on the table. Unfortunately I scratched on the 8, so she ended up winning that rack and the match overall. :angry:

My 9 ball session tonight, however, was awesome. Again, I started off as a 4, but was paired off against a 5 by their team captain, who seemed pretty smug. We played pretty even for the first couple of matches and then, after I had the break, I ran the entire table with me banking the last 3 balls in. After that, I only needed two more from the next rack and made them easily. It was like a scene from out of The Color of Money, everybody nearby stopped to watch what was going on as I mopped the floor with this guy.

Now I'm just scared that I'll get ranked higher than I can really play, resulting in me being the mop on the next go around.

 

[4cbln3]

Just make sure to wear your "Vince" t-shirt that day and you'll already have won the mental game!