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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I believe I’m finally going to be taking a brief hiatus from competing. Witnessing the sad state of WPBA affairs has been pretty disheartening for me and quite frankly, the whole no RTC, yes RTC, no qualifiers, yes qualifiers game has really put my personal and professional goals into perspective for me.

Without abandoning the pool world entirely, I’ve decided to take a brief hiatus from competing only. I will still continue my perpetual mission to run a gazillion balls in 14.1 but for the first time in nearly 10 years, I will be attending the BCA nationals this year as a spectator and media representative only. I will not be competing in any of the events and I think I’m looking forward to it.

I think I’m going to spend the remainder of the pool season focusing on my other endeavors, particular the more lucrative ones. All the traveling and competing was fun while I was single but I’m a family woman now. I have bigger and better things in store for my future.  I need to start making plans that involve ways to create a more stable life and income for our future additions.

Photo courtesy of David Thomson of MediumPool.com

So, with all that said, look for me in Vegas this May. I’ll be the one with the smile on my face, giving 100% to my job and not being spread too thin trying to compete while promoting my sponsors and covering all the events.

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No, seriously. Get yourself out of town and play some pool.

Once you start playing seriously, one of the best things you can do for your competitive game is to get out of town. Travel to a tournament in another town, even another state, and compete. It’s easy to become so comfortable in your own zip code that when you do finally have to leave town for an event, the foreign pressure becomes so overwhelming that you can’t perform.

You may even find that you play better because there are no expectations from others. There are no friends or family to distract you or to break your concentration during the event. You also force yourself to play under different conditions. You test your skills and concentration.

Attending out of state pool tournaments is a wonderful opportunity to meet new people with similar interests and experiences. Developing new friendships only helps our great sport grow.

Top Ten Reasons to Leave Town for a Tournament

1. Learning to play on different equipment and in a different environment. It’s easy to get so comfortable in your element that when you’re finally forced to step outside the box, you can’t perform. When you only leave town once a year for Vegas nationals, you may find you put so much pressure on that one event instead of realizing it’s just one of many.
2. Winning when you know you’re not the favorite. There’s nothing more rewarding than coming out ahead in a match when the crowd is all pulling for your opponent. It takes a lot of mental strength to fight through the feeling that everyone is rooting against you.
3. Competing against different players. You already know what to expect from the top players in your own town. You’d be surprised what you can learn when playing against and watching new players.
4. Benchmark your game. What better way to gauge your level of play than by testing your skills against new and unbiased competition? It’s difficult to truly measure your true progress when you are facing the same players in every event.
5. Return home a better player. Each time you prepare for a big event and play your heart out while you’re there, you always return home stronger and more confident than before you left. Learning to compete under a higher level of pressure always brings out the best player.
6. Change the monotony and break the glass ceiling. When you’re constantly playing against the same players over and over again, you begin to have expectations. After a while, you know who you’re going to beat and who you’re going to lose to. The get stuck at a level where you feel expected to be at.
7. Big fish in a little pond? If you’re the best in your town, playing against great players from other towns can give you a better idea of where you stand in the big picture.
8. Little fish in a big pond? And likewise, if you’re constantly losing to the same people, change things up a little and challenge yourself with some fresh competition. You’d be surprised how you’ll come back a better player.
9. Meet new and different people. Have a little fun.
10. Explore a new city. Do some sightseeing and enjoy yourself!

The next time you get the chance to take a weekend road trip to a tournament, even if it’s just a neighboring town, take advantage of the opportunity. The benefits are countless.

Special thanks goes to Dave Gross (aka “12squared”) from Fort Collins, Colorado for his contributions to this month’s article.

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I explained to them that I already have a gym membership with 24 Hour Fitness (which is only $99/yr to renew) and that I was only in town half of the year. They were very understanding and has been allowing me to continue using the facility hassle-free. For that reason alone, I would consider signing up just so I could work out when I’m in town.

You guys really rock! THANK YOU!!!

Anytime Fitness rocks!

Anytime Fitness is open ANYTIME (24/7) for members. You get a key fob that gives you full access to any of their over 1,300 gyms across the country. Their rates are month-to-month (approx $30/mo) with no setup fees or misc charges and if you have certain major insurances, you can even get an extra 20 bucks off each month! Pretty sweet deal!

They don’t have a pool or racket ball courts or anything fancy like they, just all the basic free weights and other equipment that I need. The one in Brooklyn Park is very clean with a super friendly staff.

Visit their website for more info

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Awareness - Zen Pool

I generally like to take the summer off from pool post Vegas. Sometimes, I’ll go for weeks without hitting a ball. Since my recent lackluster interest for competing, I would assume do the same this summer. However, there is always the subject of straight pool.

Ahhhh… my two most favorite words put together in pool, “straight and pool.” No matter how hard I try, I just can’t stay away from the game. But, why would you want to?

Recently, I noticed I was getting out of line with two to three balls left. Therefore, I wouldn’t have the proper angle for my break ball. All it would take was getting bad position once, forcing me to choose a different pattern, then sometimes I might have to shoot off my key ball, and then I’d be toast. It’s not that you can’t get a good break shot without a key ball, but it definitely makes a huge difference when you have a plan.

This was getting ridiculous! I rarely miss the break shot. If only I could get on it better and for consistently, then I could string some racks together. There’s no excuse for all this carelessness!

It was then that 14.1 and 5 came to me.

As long as this game has been around, I’m sure my fun little drill is not an original one. There’s no way I’m the first person to think of this, but here it goes:

14.1 and 5

Before, I would always start with ball-in-hand and the break shot. Now, instead of starting on the break ball, I place the break ball where I would like to shoot it from, roll another ball to the approximate key ball area, and then randomly roll out 4 more balls.

If I have a decent shot from where the cue ball happens to be sitting, then I’ll shoot from there. If not, I’ll start with ball in hand. The point is that I have a 6 ball plan wherein I finish that rack and break open the new rack.

With only 6 balls on the table, I’m not likely to get overwhelmed. I’m focused on my pattern and on how to finish with a good break shot.

So far, I’ve found this to be a pretty effective way to get out of the rack and into the new one. No big numbers yet to report but I’ll keep at it.

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