World Cup 9 Ball

[Bliss]

Anyone watching these live sessions from London on ELVN, directv? Old-school 9 ball except for the Scotch double format. U.S., Japan, and Finland look great. Games are played on the 4 1/2 x 9 table with limited interruption for commercials.

 

[Bliss]

World Cup won by Austria who defeated the U.S. handily. Very entertaining matches - if you're a pool player. Are there any serious 9-ball shooters on this board?

 

[TRuconnfan]

World Cup won by Austria who defeated the U.S. handily. Very entertaining matches - if you're a pool player. Are there any serious 9-ball shooters on this board?

I am...well semi serious I guess. Im a higher level player in the apa leagues (amateur). Play a couple times a week 8 & 9ball.
I dont generally watch on tv but have seen some events in person and its just crazy how good some of those guys are.

 

[Bliss]

I am...well semi serious I guess. Im a higher level player in the apa leagues (amateur). Play a couple times a week 8 & 9ball.
I dont generally watch on tv but have seen some events in person and its just crazy how good some of those guys are.

Used to watch the pro guys, including Fats (who was nowhere as good as he claimed to be but he was an awesome entertainer), play live and in person in Johnson City, IL in the 60's and wife and I used to attend the WPBA annual matches in Peoria, IL a few years ago. Oh my, the talent is unbelievable! Wish I could play like that but I got old and can't see without glasses. Can't play this game wearing glasses........sigh.

 

[TRuconnfan]

It is amazing how easy those guys make it look. Then again their equipment is so much better them what we use too. I was able to jump in and play a couple games on their table at a JAWS event and it was so much nicer then pool halls or bars. Cue ball moved so smooth it was a lot easier to make shots and move the cue ball effortlessly.

If you enjoy playing you should look into your local APA league. Doesn't matter if you can't play like you used to it can still be fun. Lots of people learn how to shoot with glasses. It's a team event you have to manage with handicap levels so anyone can play. There are skill levels from those who can barely hold a cue to those who will run out with a good table. Play is once a week. There are always teams looking for new players to join.
I play 8b twice a week and 9b once a week...lots of fun.

 

[Bliss]

I played "Missouri 8" in a league for several years with friends. It's a team, handicap format and at that time the best shooters had a rating of 7. I made it to a 6 rating but as I got older I dropped to 5 and "retired" after playing at that level for a couple of years. The league was all guys except for a couple of exceptions so the language was pretty much what you would expect from a bunch of guys drinking beer and shooting pool. We played weekly and traveled to different bars in the area as well as playing at our home base bar. There wasn't any league 9-ball at that time but that's always been my favorite game.

Good shooting to 'ya.

 

[TRuconnfan]

Sounds exactly like the APA...I'm a 6 myself. Mostly men but more woman then you would think here (upstate SC) though it's rare to see a higher skilled woman.
Too bad you didn't have a chance to play 9b and retired now. In 9ball it is based off of balls made = points instead of just making the 9b for a win. Makes it more fair and fun. The skill level goes up to 9...very hard to achieve...there are a couple in the league but most top out at 7 with a few at 8.

Too bad doesn't seem like many pool players on the board but good talking to you.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Sounds exactly like the APA...I'm a 6 myself. Mostly men but more woman then you would think here (upstate SC) though it's rare to see a higher skilled woman.
Too bad you didn't have a chance to play 9b and retired now. In 9ball it is based off of balls made = points instead of just making the 9b for a win. Makes it more fair and fun. The skill level goes up to 9...very hard to achieve...there are a couple in the league but most top out at 7 with a few at 8.

Too bad doesn't seem like many pool players on the board but good talking to you.

I used to play almost every day in law school. My roommate was in a league after law school, and never lost a game at the local bar during the three years of law school. We'd play singles/doubles side by side and hold two tables for a couple hours before quitting. We played Matt Doherty several times, as he was an assistant to Roy Williams then. Not sure what my friend's APA rating was, but he mostly played 8 ball and his average turns was just under two.

I learned a lot playing with him. We went to the billiards hall and played 9 ball and snooker now and that. So hard getting used to the angles on that Snooker table.

Alas, no table now. Back to playing darts, as I did at UConn. Kansas was a pool playing school for sure.