Well yesterday I got a call from my friend Southern Jay and we decided to go play some pool. I tell him let's hit this small tournament at Groggy's which is in Mesa AZ, we have been there before and it is a tough tournament in a tough part of town. One time my girl stopped by to pick me up and she looked at me and said "Why would you play here in this dump?".
Jay said he would never go back there because the format of alternating breaks and snapped 9 balls. Jay would break and run out on his break and his opponent would break and drop the 9, the races are 5,4,3 depending on your in state AZ rating, we both go to 4. I beat a guy by snapping in 9 balls myself every time I had broke before and felt kind of bad as it was a cheap win but what can you do, some of us players agree they wont count on the snap.
We roll in and it does not look like there will be many players but then the count gets to 20 players so we have a decent little bar table 9 ball tourney. My first draw is Dave who is a big older guy and the highest rated player in the tourney, he has a crazy haircut like a mohawk. I break and scratch, he runs out, he breaks dry and I push out, he makes a great shot and runs out, the next thing I know he is up 3-1 in the race to 4, I put some stuff together with a 9 ball snap and nice run, to win hill-hill I broke and made 4 balls, the 9 ball hangs but I play a nice carom off the 3 ball for the win.
My next opponent is Andy who is from the Philippines and you can tell he plays very well. He is only going to 3 games, he runs out the first rack with ease, I miss a routine shot in the next rack and he is up 2-0. I get it back to 2-2, he misses a shot and leaves me dead hooked with only 3 balls on the table. I kick at the ball and leave him a tough shot and he gets out and I lose the match 3-2. Now I have to go through the losers side.
I play a bunch of players in the losers side and one of them was my buddy Jay whom I beat 4-1, then a nice lady who I see around named Claudia and win that 4-1 also. I play Dave again and he is saying I am trying to rack him which pisses me off because I am getting them as tight as I can with the equipment we are using, crappy wood racks and beat up bar tables are not easy to rack on. I win that match 4-1 also with two 9 ball combos. I play Layton next who is a nice guy who does not get out and play match, we both do not play great and he dogged some balls, I win again 4-1.
Now I am in the finals with Andy, I think we are even players on the small track but I have to spot him a game and he goes to 3. I play well and he missed a routine out and I capitalized to take the set after some nice safety play and shots. Guess what the score was?, 4-1 again! Well me and Andy are both tired and decide to split as we both were in the side pot. Jay did well in action when I knocked him out of the tourney beating a guy who beat him in the tourney for a quick race to 5 for $50. All in all it was a good night out and I was happy with my play.
I have been doing very well in the bar table tournaments, mainly 8 ball, cashing in 4 out of 5 of them. I will most likely play tomorrow in Preacher Ronn's Monthly One Pocket at Kolby's, I really love one pocket and it is a good tournament. Last month I did beat Preacher Ronn 2-0 so that was a victory within itself as he plays hard, he actually took 4th this year in the One Pocket State Championship that took place last weekend. Well wish me luck, I need it!
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