Shooting the breeze through a 1-2 ring game
Posted 06-04-2009 at 02:57 PM by mamono
A lot of my focus over the years has been to shoot well, improve my skill, support my team, and enjoy the company with friends. I have been fortunate enough over the years that when playing for cheap sets or something small, I usually come out ahead. They are rare and often times far between because I just like to chill and focus on my game rather than getting action. Never really got hooked on seeking out action like all my friends, I usually have been content with finding a nice corner table and spending some quality time practicing.
The other night, I was asked by my friend to go shoot for a bit at a pool hall that we have been considering to frequent more often. When we got there, they were in the middle of a tournament, but luckily had a few tables open. We took a Brunswick Centennial table close to the counter and started to shot around to warm up. Nothing real serious, mostly just banging balls around. When a Brunswick Gold Crown 5 opened up, my friend wanted to switch to it. Little did I know at the time that the GC's are usually the money tables and after getting to the table, we were approached for a cheap ring game 1-2.
Normally, I wouldn't join, but my friend was pretty insistent that I participate. The guy we were shooting with seemed to be nice and social. The game started out ok, mostly my friend winning the first two racks. I wasn't warmed up, nor was our new 3rd player. After I was about half way through my beer on the 3th rack, I got in stroke and had a few good feel for the speed of the felt. I held the lead for a while and all my sets seemed to be perfect, I noticed that my stroke and game had slowed down considerably compared to normal. Our 3rd player didn't seem to get any good rolls. It didn't help that my friend broke and ran. "Break and run is double! That is the law!" Funny when several rail birds and the table next to us said that out loud. Our 3rd player had some decent runs, but could seem to drop the money ball. Always leaving several 7, 8, or 9's hanging in the pocket in some manner. He eventually gave up after some teasing from his rail bird friends. Final payout was covered and table time paid off.
My friend and I decided to keep shooting around, but choose to move to a far corner table that was out of the way. The cheap ring game ended up netting us enough to pay for the entire night. That was pretty nice. Several hours of table time, beers, and a few appetizers. It was a good night.
We ended the evening watching Santos give up the 7-out to an A-ranked player for $500 a set.
The other night, I was asked by my friend to go shoot for a bit at a pool hall that we have been considering to frequent more often. When we got there, they were in the middle of a tournament, but luckily had a few tables open. We took a Brunswick Centennial table close to the counter and started to shot around to warm up. Nothing real serious, mostly just banging balls around. When a Brunswick Gold Crown 5 opened up, my friend wanted to switch to it. Little did I know at the time that the GC's are usually the money tables and after getting to the table, we were approached for a cheap ring game 1-2.
Normally, I wouldn't join, but my friend was pretty insistent that I participate. The guy we were shooting with seemed to be nice and social. The game started out ok, mostly my friend winning the first two racks. I wasn't warmed up, nor was our new 3rd player. After I was about half way through my beer on the 3th rack, I got in stroke and had a few good feel for the speed of the felt. I held the lead for a while and all my sets seemed to be perfect, I noticed that my stroke and game had slowed down considerably compared to normal. Our 3rd player didn't seem to get any good rolls. It didn't help that my friend broke and ran. "Break and run is double! That is the law!" Funny when several rail birds and the table next to us said that out loud. Our 3rd player had some decent runs, but could seem to drop the money ball. Always leaving several 7, 8, or 9's hanging in the pocket in some manner. He eventually gave up after some teasing from his rail bird friends. Final payout was covered and table time paid off.
My friend and I decided to keep shooting around, but choose to move to a far corner table that was out of the way. The cheap ring game ended up netting us enough to pay for the entire night. That was pretty nice. Several hours of table time, beers, and a few appetizers. It was a good night.
We ended the evening watching Santos give up the 7-out to an A-ranked player for $500 a set.
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