It’s no secret that Straight Pool is my all-time fave.

I’ve already written about the benefits of the game, practicing 14.1 and 5, and my straight pool league experiences. My obsession with 14.1 does not leave me much time nor desire for any other disciplines when practicing. However, the other day, there were no tables open so I jumped on with my friend Monte. After a quick 100-point game, he suggested we play some Cribbage Pool. Prior to recently playing a couple games with my husband a few months ago, I hadn’t played it in years.

He won the first few racks and as I started to get into the swing of it, I was reminded of how much fun the game can be. That’s why I’ve selected it as my “favorite game” for this month’s edition of PoolSynergy.

Cribbage Pool

Cribbage Pool, photo from Wikipedia.org

This game is played with a full rack of 15 balls wherein the 15 is racked in the center.

The basics are pretty simple. You make a cribbage by pocketing balls in pairs totaling 15. Therefore, the 15 ball is its own cribbage.

I like this game a lot because it encompasses a couple of my favorite things: pool and math. As Monte reminded me, it also forces you to look at the entire table. That’s so true!

Playing too many fast paced games like 9-ball, 10-ball, and even 8-ball, you often see the patterns immediately. You don’t necessarily look around the table too much unless there’s trouble that needs to be addressed. In cribbage pool, you want to check out the entire rack and review all your options.

Against Monte last week, I was surprised with my strong finish since I really hadn’t been playing. After he broke dry, I ran a complete table on him. Then, in the following and final rack, I broke dry and he missed the opening shot. With all 15 balls on the table again, I ran down to these final balls:

I was hoping to shoot the 15 and nudge open the tied up 13 and 6 balls. Unfortunately, I missed them altogether and nearly scratched. That’s one of those touches you lose when you aren’t practicing. I loaded up with right and managed to cut the 9 ball in. Somehow, I went completely around the tied up balls and left myself nothing. I went for a crazy bank combo but my run would end with only three balls left. Grrr! That would’ve been a feat. Two back to back cribbage run outs. I guess I’ll have to keep playing more cribbage pool.

[Note: When we played, Monte had informed me that I could pocket the 15 ball at anytime during the game so I wasn't cheating.]

This article is the 18th of a series of posts
written in coordination with other pool bloggers
entitled "PoolSynergy".

This month's theme is "Your Favorite Game"
To read other articles on this topic, go to:
http://www.johnny101.com/post/2011/04/15/Pool-Synergy-Your-Favorite-Game.aspx

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In the infant stages of my pool game, I was constantly reminded of the importance of practice and repetition. I was building muscle memory and honing my skills. If I went for more than one day without practicing, I could feel my game suffer. It seemed like I was taking an immediate step back and in some cases would even need to relearn things.

Of course, I never minded playing and practicing so much in the beginning because I was obsessed. I put in the hours because I was falling in love with the game. The breaks were seldom, by design.

These days, as I’ve improved and my skills and knowledge advanced, I find myself practicing for longer sessions but with less frequency. Let’s face it, there comes a point where your priorities shift and “life” keeps you from putting in the hours that you were once accustomed to.

Over the past year, whenever I’ve taken a break, I’ve returned to the table renewed. I’ve found myself pocketing balls just as well or better than I was prior to the time off.

Does this mean it’s not necessary to practice on a regular basis anymore? What’s the point of practicing if I’m playing just as well without it? The two main factors that infrequent practice affects are confidence and consistency.

Playing well after a long break can be deceiving for a couple reasons:

1. When you’re playing well without practicing, you fool yourself into thinking you don’t need to practice. You may be able to get away with it once or twice but over time, that lack of practice will accumulate and take its toll on your overall ability to execute. With waivered confidence, tentative shots and decisions will lead to repeated mistakes and vice versa.
2. Playing well without practicing gives you a false sense of security. You might start hitting the balls well and feeling like you’re ready for competition. It’s only then when your abilities are put to the test that you realize you’re pocketing balls on autopilot. Once you get to the money ball or key ball, that’s when the inconsistency surfaces. Routine run outs become more work than they should be.

Confidence is so critical in the game of pool. If ever you tell yourself you’re out of stroke, then you’ll be out of stroke. You may be hitting the ball well but you will still be a bit rusty. The next time you return from a break, try to still play with confidence but do not be deceived. Be aware of your limitations and play within them. Until you get back in stroke, take fewer risks and be more patient.

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I thought I’d have a little fun with this month’s topic so don’t take it too seriously.

A 3-Part Recipe for a Successful Tournament

Baking the most yummy, rich, delicious tournament will require much patience and persistence. You will also need three equal parts of Preparation, Concentration, and Fun. All the necessary ingredients can be found within your own available resources and within yourself.

A 3-Part Recipe for a Successful Tournament

Preparation – Before you can start baking, you will need to preheat the oven and take some steps in preparation.

• Take a pool lesson.
• Practice and/or spar with a respectful opponent.
• Watch videos or live streaming.
• Read some books.
• Make all your necessary travel arrangements if you’re heading to a tournament.

Concentration – Now that you’ve prepped everything, carefully measure out precise amounts of each of the essential ingredient for tournament play. It’s very important that each part is added mindfully and with deliberation. Leaving out any step could result in a less than desirable outcome.

• ½ cup – Decide what you’re going to do.
• ½ cup – Commit to your decision.
• ½ cup – Address the shot with confidence.
• ½ cup – Warm-up strokes. Only add as much as needed of this part. Do not overdo it.
• 1 cup – Deliver a smooth final backstroke and follow through completely.
• 1 cup – Stay down completely through the entirety of the shot. Do not lift your head or body until the shot is completed.

Combine all the above components for proper shot-making for your tournament and bake for as long as necessary. Do not rush this process. Always take as much time as you need and never start baking before you’re ready.

Fun – Though the proper ingredients are an important part of baking a successful tournament, thus is enjoying the process. Remember to have fun along the way.

• Smile if you make a mistake
• Really experience each shot
• Enjoy your time at the table
• Try to stay positive
• Always do your best

Once the baking is completed, now you can cool down and decorate your masterpiece. Just as the key ingredients and preparation steps are important, so is the ability to enjoy it all and appreciate it.

This article is the 13th of a series of posts written in coordination with other pool bloggers entitled "PoolSynergy".

This month's theme is "Three Tips"
To see others, go to:
http://www.poolstudent.com/2010/11/15/three-tips

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Since last I wrote…

PoolSynergy

a collection of the best writing in pool

This month’s PoolSynergy was a huge success with a record-breaking 20 contributors. Be sure to tune in on Oct 15 as PCN Dude asks us about “The Future of Pool.” I will be posting a video interview from a special guest in the industry.

US Amateur Championships – Tampa Bound!

Mike & Nicole Helmer, owners of Match-ups in Fort Collins, CO

Sept 18-19, I was in Fort Collins, CO for my annual prelim round for the US Amateur Championships. One thing I’ve been doing differently since Tucson, is instead of practicing whatever I want (which usually ends up being 14.1), I’ve been forcing myself to play only the discipline and format I’m preparing for the entire week before. So, I spent every day that week playing nothing but race-to-5 sets of 8-ball and 9-ball. Truthfully, though I had put in a good 30 hours that week, I still didn’t feel entirely ready.

When I arrived at Match-Ups, I learned that the eight 9-foot Gold Crowns were all newly recovered and that we’d be using the measle cue balls, both circumstances which I love but have very little experience playing with. The tables at Rack’em are Diamonds with pretty slow rails and cloth. I knew it would be an adjustment for me.

Fort Collins is about an hour and a half from my house so I packed an overnight bag and was fully prepared for a sleepover should I have a late match on Saturday and an early one on Sunday. My good friend Eddie was kind enough to drive with me and for the company. Thankfully, I managed to stay on the winners’ side and finished up at a reasonable hour on Saturday. I even had time to have dinner with good friend, Dr. Dave before heading back down. In fact, I didn’t have to play until 1 o’clock on Sunday so I had time for a quick bike ride in the morning. Everything was working out nicely.

When I arrived on Sunday for the driver seat match, I learned that I would be playing my friend and student, Aimee. This was a very tough match for me and turned out to be a huge learning experience. Aimee played outstanding! I think she only missed one shot and I couldn’t seem to get out. I was rattling balls and even making pretty bad decisions. I lost pretty bad, 5-1.

I realized after the match that I was totally caught up with how proud I was of her and how far she had come. She’d always had nearly perfect mechanics but she played so beautifully against me, I was so torn between how proud I felt that she was playing so well versus remembering that I was there to win too. In the end, I really learned a huge lesson: Don’t forget that you’re both fighting for the same thing. I want it just as bad as she does.

Though I didn’t really play much better in my next match, I knew I just needed to make it through one more match for a chance at a race-to-9 with Aimee. I really struggled but just forced myself to pocket the balls and make sure I pocketed the balls.

Before my finals match started with Aimee, I brushed the table and washed the balls (personally). I didn’t want to have ANY excuses! I jumped to a 4-0 lead before I made a mistake. The toughest part about back-posting is having to relive the experience again, especially since I’m usually unconscious when I’m playing that well. J

This is what Dave G from Fort Collins wrote about my match: http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=202293

The final score was 9-4. When you start letting your opponent back into the match and they pick up some momentum, it’s really easy for them to win several back to back games. This started to happen in the middle of my match when I missed a two-rail bank on the 8-ball to go up 5-0. I had to make a conscious effort to be VERY careful and not make any careful mistakes to let her back into the match.

This weekend’s strategy: I chose to break first. When I get to Tampa I may choose 8-ball first. I knew here that most of the girls would choose to start with 8-ball.

After everything was over on Sunday night, I couldn’t wait to grab a table to play some 14.1. Three of the eight tables had very forgiving pockets and I don’t really get the opportunity to play on fast gold crowns with forgiving pockets. I washed a new set of balls and went at it. High run: only 36. I was pretty pooped and it also took me a while to get into 14.1 mode. I quit after a couple hours. I figured I’d played enough pool all weekend. J

The best of Match-ups:

• They have my favorite foamy soap in the bathroom
• They even keep air freshener in there
• Eight 9-footers, nine 7-footers
• They recovered all the 9-footers for the tourney
• Mike & Nicole Helmer are the hosts with the absolute most! Being pool players themselves, they definitely know how to meet our needs and exceed our expectations! And, don’t forget about the Match-ups mascot, Joker!
• The buffalo sausage
• The steak sandwich
• The amazing organic grilled chicken salad (made from veggies that Nicole’s customers brought in for her)
• The homemade breakfast burritos Nicole made and brought in
• The wonderful staff and warm, cozy atmosphere

Truthfully, I was a little nervous about the tournament being held some place new this year, but I’m so happy it was at Match-ups. I hope it will be there again next year and I hope we get at least double the field!

Highlight of the evening (aside from winning, of course): A special thanks to Rebecca who asked for my autograph while I practicing after the tournament. She’s a frequent reader of my Cue Times column and she totally made my night!

I’ll be in Tampa, Florida for the US Amateur Championships November 4-7. Let me know if you’ll be there!

US Open

US Open 9-Ball Championships

On Friday, just before the weekend’s tournament, I learned that I am officially going to the US Open 9-Ball Championships. I am SOOOO excited about this! More details on this to come in a later post.

I will say that receiving this piece of news definitely took a huge weight off my shoulders and quite possible helped free my mind to do other things…. Like winning! J

AWBT Stop – It wasn’t a fluke!

AWBT Stop #5 at Bullshooters in Phoenix, AZ

Well, I’m happy to report that I won another AWBT event. I had to prove to myself that Tucson wasn’t a complete fluke.

I attribute this weekend’s success to:

• Spending much needed Q.T. with one of my favorite couples in pool, Mike & Susan
• Multiple visits to Yogurtland for frozen yogurt
• Getting my karaoke fix on Friday night at Club Meatballz
• Red velvet cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory with Sunny on Saturday night
• All the hard work I put in the weeks prior to the tournament

My road to victory was a bumpy one. I actually lost my first match on Saturday to Susan Mello. As a result, I played all three Susan’s in alphabetical order on Saturday. I narrowly escaped my Wilbur and Williams matches 7-6. It’s always SO tough having to play Susan Williams; not only because she’s my hostess or because she plays jam up, but because I love her so much and I really have to shut my inner-demons up to come through. I was very happy that in both hill-hill matches, I came to come with a steady run to win the match. I just focused on pocketing the balls and not skipping any steps in my routine.

On Sunday, I played a couple matches before meeting up with Sunny G (who also stays at Mike & Susan’s with me). Prior to that match, Susan Mello had lost the hot seat match to Sara Miller so she went ahead and took third so she could leave for work. When I was playing Sunny, I was very aware of this fact and how big the payout swing would be. It’s weird. I normally never think about that stuff but I really did NOT want to work so hard to finish fourth. This was probably my best match. I won 7-1 and ran 3 out of my 4 breaks.

Fortunately, I was able to keep the flow in my race-to-9 finals match against Sara. My break was working and I was feeling super confident. Sara was not playing her best and I had to be very conscious not to start feeling bad for her about it. That’s easy for me to do.

Here’s the complete write up on AzBilliards (courtesy of Roger Long): http://www.azbilliards.com/2000storya.php?storynum=7994

This win would put me in second from third but since I’ll be at the US Open during the October stop, I will most likely get bumped out of second by Sara or Ashea. I’m just hoping to qualify for the Regional Tour Championships.

The best of Bullshooters:

• It’s family owned business by an amazing family that really cares about its customers
• Gold crowns that are in pretty great shape
• The gyros
• The grilled chicken salad
• The homemade beef jerky
• The outstanding service!
• They bring you little pitchers of water
• The cheeseburger sliders

On the Spot with Samm Diep

Suzanne Smith contacted me way back in July with an “On the Spot” question for her new blog. After months of deliberation and procrastination, I finally sent her an answer. You can read it HERE.

Her questions:

As your involvement in the sport has expanded, how have your expectations as a player evolved?

I’m hoping she’ll join our PoolSynergy. Thanks for including me, Suzanne!

Misc…

I am SERIOUSLY about to make a huge breakthrough in 14.1. Last night’s practice was just the tip of the iceberg.

My next event will be the OB Cues tour stop in Austin, October 9-10. I’m SUPER excited to see my Texan friends again. In fact, I just picked up some goodies from PoolDawg to give out. And you’ll know I’ll have to bring Frank, too!

And the final piece of good news is that I broke down and bought a new digital camera with my winnings from this weekend (not ALL of them, of course). I dear friend of mine used to always tell me to buy one nice or even one little thing with my winnings from each tournament so that when I used it or saw it, it would remind me of that win.   Well, it wasn’t a complete splurge. I felt I deserved it.

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