Sugar Little Girl?

While on my vacation, I stopped by this pool room one night and saw some guys playing one pocket.

I sat down, ordered me a small pizza (man was it DEE-LISH!), and watched these two guys go at it.

One was obviously MUCH better than the other but they didn't even contemplate adjusting for some reason.

On the third game, one of the players scratched but had no balls yet to place on the spot.  The other player grabbed from the small counter close by a sugar pack, and placed it on the rail near his opponents' pocket.

WOW!

Look at that idea!

I admit I have been deliberately "tricked" by certain players putting pennies on the brown part of the rail so I wouldn't remember I owed a ball.  So, using a sugar pack, you can't forget at all!  It's white, a little fat, and much larger than a penny.

I loved this idea.

Gambling in Reno

As I played my 4th place match in the ladies 10 ball division in Reno on Tuesday, it was the early afternoon, and I noticed that two of the top female players were gambling just a few tables away from my match. I had a very weird reaction when I saw them, and wanted to share.

As I watched these two great players gamble, I felt so much contentment and happiness to NOT be gambling! I was so dang happy to be in the tournament.  So pleased to know that my true happiness is in the tournament realm.

I am just not interested in gambling. I saw several others female players gamble a few times throughout the rest of the week, and while I might watch a few games out of interest, or ask who won out of curiosity, I'm just not interested in that side of pool when I'm at tournaments.

Granted, I gamble some when my boyfriend is around and I am not playing in a tournament, but I'm seriously just so very happy playing in tournaments. :)

I envy those girls a little bit because I know gambling helps their game, but not envious of all the crap that comes with gambling.

Plus, I'd rather try to win a title!  

It's just who I am at tournaments.   And I like it. :)

My Third One Pocket Video - Frozen Balls

I realized yesterday I hadn't yet posted Chapter Two of my One Pocket videos on my blog for you all.  Sorry about that! 

But first, a shout out to our video editor at PoolStudents.net (Steve) for helping us so much!

In this third video (which is Chapter Two for the One Pocket series over at PoolStudents.net), I talk about how to make frozen balls. 

I learned this from Phil Capelle (well, not personally, but from one of this books) and this helps me in ALL my games, but esp one pocket because balls are more congested in that game.

If you weren't aware of this, I hope it helps you as much as it has helped over the years!  Enjoy.  :)

btw.....

In case you are new to my blog, some background:  I am one of the contributors over at PoolStudents.net.  I am honored to have my very own little section!  And I focus on one pocket over in my little corner.

But the clever catch is, it's only via video!  The whole site smartly focuses on video - the dream of the originator of the site.

My Second One Pocket Video - The Break

I don't know how many know this, so let me share.  I am one of the contributors over at PoolStudents.net.  I am honored to have my very own little section!  And I focus on one pocket over in my little corner.

My little section is me talking about my journey with one pocket - but the clever catch is, it's only via video!  The whole site smartly focuses on video - the dream of the originator of the site.
 
So, my first one pocket video was my introduction to the segment and why I LOVE one pocket.

In the first "chapter" (my second one pocket video), I focused on the one pocket break.  I gathered tid bits on video from players at the pool room and then practiced the break for them. 

This second video was only possible because Steve Elzinga of live2ustreams.com edited all the footage of the numerous videos I took, and then created the final product.  Thank you, Steve!

The video was up on the website only a week or two when I got this awesome email from a guy named Carl:

Melinda

Just watched your video on the one pocket break.

If your following videos are as good as this one I think

that many players might improve their game level.

Good Job.

Wow, what a HUGE compliment!  I thanked Carl profusely for his kind words and smiled ALL weekend because he took the time to tell me this.

Now of course I'm under some major pressure for the next chapter.  ;)  Just kidding!  I will continue to simply have fun and hope people learn as much as I do from this beautiful game.

BTW, I hadn't considered blogging about the video until Carl emailed me his thoughts.  So, thank YOU, Carl.

Gabe Owen One Pocket DVDs

Gabe Owen, U.S. Open Champion and U.S. One Pocket Champion, has produced two new instructional One-Pocket DVDs called, One Pocket My Way! 

Gabe recently announced the news and I am very fortunate to be a part of this process.  Gabe is not only a personal friend of mine, I'm also his webmaster (yep, another website I maintain).  :)  The photos you see on the covers are from the Texas State Open of this year (Sept 2010) where Gabe placed 2nd (thank goodness I caught some good snapshots of him!).

The cover design is from his cousin who has helped such clients as Nike.  It is super sharp and snazzy!  I love the design.

Gabe and I recently updated his website to include the DVDs so you can find out more about the DVDs and if you are interested, then purchase them easily and securely through PayPal directly from his website.  (Sound familiar?  Yep, I just recently updated Phil Capelle's website similarly, also.) 

Gabe has two DVDs available - Beginner / Intermediate and Advanced.  I can't wait to check them out!  You neither?  Then check out the shipping info and even a teaser clip from the DVDs on his website:  http://www.gabeowen.net/onepocketdvds.html

Go ahead, tell him Trigger sent ya.  :)

[I don't get any special compensation or even brownies, but it would be cool for someone to use my nickname in a sentence.  ;) ]

Interesting One Pocket Rule

I watched the HollyWood Jack Memorial One Pocket Tournament online (thanks to Lenny who streamed it for us avid one pocket fans via ontherailtv.com!) a couple of weekends ago. They had an interesting rule to speed up the play of this one pocket tournament that they incorporated into this event:

From Tournament Director Jay Helfert:

"Here is how it works. There can only be three balls inside the kitchen (head string). When a fourth ball (or more) goes inside the head string, you spot one (or more) balls on the foot spot. You take the balls(s) closest to the end rail first."

Jay added on the onepocket.org forums:

"Interestingly the better players adapted quite easily to these rules (like Sylver), and still controlled their matches. It does affect some of the strategy, knowing that a ball will be spotted if you shoot one more ball into the kitchen. So you must be cognizant of that fact when there are already three balls in there. Even with these rules the best One Pocket players dominated."

It was a pretty cool rule to watch in action - I obviously hadn't seen that before. Not everyone would remember when 4 or more balls were in the kitchen and then had to be spotted, and sometimes they would need to be reminded, but by the second day of the tourney, everyone was remembering the rule more.

I was curious what the Champion of this event thought of the rule and so I called Sylver Ochoa after the tourney to get his take on it.

He said that although it was intended to speed up the game, if some of the players had used the rule repeatedly in certain situations, it might have instead slowed the game down a little.

He acclimated to the rule pretty quickly and he noticed just like the online fans did, that on the first day not many players were spotting balls in the first or two rounds. Jay announced reminders throughout the event which helped, because it was a new rule not many were cognizant of while they were playing. It took a while to get used to and remember. Even the top players would forget sometimes to spot balls when too many were in the kitchen.

When Sylver was playing in the semi-final match again Ismael "Morro" Paez, in one particular game of the set, there were only 4 balls left. Sylver said he would normally leave the balls down table but since each time one was spotted, he at one point rolled one of the balls close to the kitchen, but not in it. The normal reaction in this one pocket spot is for the incoming player to move that ball further up the table and leave the cue on the rail. Morro took the bait, nudged the ball, but forgot it would be spotted and Sylver had a cross bank and made it.

Other times, Sylver said he would go for a long rail bank and deliberately nudge balls into the kitchen at the same time. He knew that the ball would be spotted and he wouldn't sell out because he deliberately nudged them into the kitchen to be spotted with an already spotted ball.

He also mentioned that against players who didn't shoot at their hole much, he would move several balls into the kitchen to be spotted, and that helped out as well.

It was an interesting perspective from someone who had to use the rule for the first time, so I'm glad I asked him about this for my blog.

Link: Article and Results

Til Next Time!

Natural High

OMG. I so love one pocket! I mean, straight pool is a close second, but nothing fills my heart with awe like when I play one pocket. I get such a natural high off playing clever shots, smart safes, great runs, etc. Playing it in front of people gives me even more of a high.

After I graciously excited the second chance tournament on Sunday of the OB Cues Ladies Tour the weekend of June 12th, I sat around and watched some matches. Amanda was still playing in the second chance tourney, Royce Bunnell of OB Cues was playing one pocket, and Jack and Viet My were playing straight pool.

Eventually I was coerced by my friend Andy to play Royce some one pocket. I didn't really want to at first, as I needed to get home and the drive was about 50 minutes, but I am SO glad I stayed! OMG! About 7 games later, I was SO elated and had so much fun! Oh, how I love me some one pocket. :) Of course, Royce and I are good friends and so he makes it fun when either of us would dog an easy shot or bank, lol.

But, I just love the game so much. Is it showing with my words at all just how much I love the intrinsicalities of the game? So many options, choices, decisions. So many amazing shots can lead to a great safe or a wonderful bank. There are SO many things one must consider at once, on every single shot. Just typing this blog entry is causing my heart rate to go up because I'm so excited just thinking about it. :)

Seven games doesn't seem like much, but it was several hours of pure enjoyment, fun, awe, and happiness. Executing multi-faceted shots is pure joy; playing safe in the stack is wickedly fun; cinching a bank shot is exhilarating when you need only one ball left; .... I could go on and on. :)

And, now I've played one pocket twice already this month. Of course, I already want to play again!!

June One Pocket Goal Fulfilled!

My awesome goals this year are keeping me pumped up! One of my year 2010 goals (as frequent readers will know), is to play one pocket once a month. While this seems pretty easy to accomplish, it's tough to find the time among everything else. Besides work, sleep, house chores, tournaments, running errands, having fun, etc., I also want to find time to practice ten ball, watch pool DVDs, play in my leagues, and also play one pocket. Let's think about this:

I work 9am-6pm Monday through Friday; 15 minute driving time each way. That leaves a few hours Mon - Thu to possibly play pool in the evenings. However, some evenings I rest, some evenings are chores, some evenings are writing blog entries, some evenings are dinners with friends (MUCH needed time for me), some are running errands, some are filled with Moms' doctor's appointments, etc. IF I am in town for the weekend, I for sure make time to practice pool, but that practice session is dedicated to ten ball - I do sometimes get lucky and also get to play one pocket.

That's why on June 4th I was SO pleasantly surprised to get some one pocket in already for June! :)

I played only about 45 minutes of one pocket on that Sunday, but it was great. I played good the first and third games, but the second game, my opponent said something to me about my leave and my confidence flew right out the window, when I realized I wasn't playing quite as well as I thought I was. :( But, I still played decent in my book, and my one pocket skills have much improved since when I played Warren about 2-3 years ago.

Already?

Looks like I've already fulfilled my monthly goal of playing one pocket - and it's only May 4th! :)

I went to the pool room last night for conditioning because I didn't get to practice over the weekend, and wanted to so badly work on staying down and a smooth stroke.

I put on my ipod and starting to play 10ball but after only about 3 songs, my friend, Steve, came up and wanted to play one pocket. I can't pass up the opportunity to play one pocket! Plus, I figured once the weekly tourney started in 45 minutes, I'd go back to conditioning while he competed.

Well, he forgo-ed the tourney! We ended up playing one pocket for a good 3 1/2 hours.

Steve gave me 11-5 and I told him he couldn't beat me at that spot, but he played really good, took his time, and focused on the shots. Dang it! lol. He won the first 4 games, then I won a few, but his coin was on 4 games a few times. He warned me he was going to get to 5 games, but I whittled it down to only 2 games by 11pm. :)

I was tense at first - trying to hard to impress him. Then the effects of moving balls near my hole started to affect my shot making ability. I noticed my shoulders were tense but I finally started to relax and take my time. When peeps stared to watch, I began to play better. For some reason, guys are still shocked when they see a chick playing one pocket, lol. I played better toward the end when I succumbed to "it's ok I'm not winning" to then focusing on the smooth stroke.

11-5 is a big spot and it sure was tough to swallow I didn't really win at it, especially because I feel I've learned so much about the game in the past two years. But, I have A LOT to learn. And, playing only once a month is really not doing me any justice if I want to become the best female one pocket player in Texas.

Have I mentioned I love one pocket? I do!! So glad I was able to play that beautiful game for so long last night. :)

April One Pocket

Well, I'm slacking. :( One of my goals for 2010 to play one pocket at least once a month is about to be a big fat FAIL. Eeek. However, I decided to mix TWO goals into one and I think I might have saved the day! Yay. :)

One of my other goals is to watch a DVD once a month, and even though I already accomplished it this month (April) when I watched the phenomenal John Schmidt DVD How I Run 100's (read my review here), I decided earlier this week since I had yet to play one pocket this month, I will at least watch a DVD of a one pocket match.

So, last night I grabbed my personal copy of the Pool Hall Master Movie and proceeded to watch for the first time the One Pocket match that is added as a second DVD when you buy the movie.

Two talented and professional one pocket players race to 8 for a few thousand and the match is commentated BY them. It was awesome to get inside their head and hear WHY they shot what. Many times, the reason for shooting a certain shot is 3-fold! That's why I love one pocket so much - challenging and creative!

The players also talked some about pressure - which was interesting to hear that they are very aware of their opponents scratches, ball count, who broke, etc. They recognize when to add more pressure in the game and/or match. I always wondered if pro players were aware of situations like this and they do indeed sometimes turn up the heat during certain times or played a certain way because of ball counts and emotions of the other player.

Even though I technically didn't PLAY one pocket, at least it got absorbed into my brain last night with this awesome match. :)

BTW, I strongly feel that player reviews are the BEST matches to watch on dvd!

One Pocket Challenge - Sneak Preview!

Well, plans change - that's how things go and that's okay!

I am editing this blog to let you know Sylver Ochoa (on the left) and Gabe Owen (on the right) will be playing a race to 6 or 7 ahead one pocket match, even, on Thursday, March 25th at 1pm Central Time in Houston, Texas.

You can watch it live for free at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/lonestarbilliardstour

See? Webmasters STILL get the inside info. ;)

Tulsa One Pocket Tourney - Final Thoughts

Gabe Owen's $12,000-added One Pocket Tournament in Tulsa, OK at Magoo's Billiards the weekend of SuperBowl was a lot of fun! Oh, and it was a great way to start off my early Birthday celebration. :)

Road Partner and Roomie for the trip - Ash and I

There were only two downsides to the event, so let's get those out of the way right now: My road partner, Ash, and I had to leave Saturday night for the 4.5 hour drive home so I could catch a flight Sunday. :( It was a bummer we couldn't watch the final day in person. It was also a bummer we got lost and added 45 minutes to our drive, lol. One of my friends texted me and said, "how do you get lost? Just go straight south to hit Texas." LMAO! Larry is so funny!

The other bummer was I rented a super cool lens for my Canon 40D SLR camera to take good pics at the event... but my camera didn't work with it! I then had to use my own little lens, but nada; my camera still didn't work!! :( I contacted my friend Shayla and she looked up work-arounds for me, but none of them fixed the problem. So, I didn't get any hi-res pics of the one pocket players like I wanted to. Dangit! And, I still don't know what's wrong with my camera and spent all that money to rent such a good lens, too. :(

Back to the good stuff - the tourney! 42 of the top one-pocket players in the world were there: Scott Frost, Rafael Martinez, Jeremy Jones, Cliff Joyner, James Walden, Earl Strickland, Gabe Owen, Sylver Ochoa, Joey Gray, Jose Parica, etc. Magoo's is a fabulous pool room, too - great staff, atmosphere, and food. Jim and Laura McDermott really cater to the players! Evelyn was the TD and she is the best! Everything was on time and ran smoothly and she handled any complaints well. Gabe did a GREAT job promoting his first event - he will make it an annual event, maybe have more!

Sylver Ochoa placed 2nd in the One Pocket Derby division just a week before to Scott Frost, so peeps figured they both might also do well in this event. But it was Mr. Ochoa who would come out on top at this event, claiming the 1st place prize undefeated!

My dear, lovely friend Samm Diep just interviewed Sylver for her new Pro Vision column on ABilliards.com. Samm did an excellent job in her article - and you find out why so many people like Sylver's demeanor in the pool room - calm, cool, and collected.

I keep getting diverted, okay, back to the tourney!

I watched many great matches! Well, duh, obviously, I mean, that's why I went to the tourney, right? lol. I was very impressed with Earl Stricklands' creativity of shots - he played really smart and super creative. He out-moved his opponents in many awesome, tight traps and put them in the stack more than most other playes that I watched over the weekend. Joey Gray was very patient and played good all weekend. Sylver's banks into the stack and his long rail banks were impressive.

The eventual winner, Sylver Ochoa, with Ash and I commentating on Thursday night.

Here are the final payouts:

T-Town Classic One Pocket
February 5 - 7, 2010
Magoos Billiards
Tulsa, Ok

Place Player Prize Money
1st place Sylver Ochoa $5,020.00
2nd place Rafael Martinez $3,800.00
3rd place Scott Frost $2,800.00
4th place Jeremy Jones $1,700.00
5th place Joey Gray, James Walden $1,000.00
7th place Gabe Owen, Chip Compton $700.00
9th place Jeff Carter, Earl Strickland, Joe MacNamara, David Strawn $500.00

Here are the trophies - hard to see because of the clear glass, but they were beautiful! Too bad Rafael Martinez didn't know it was NOT one piece and the glass fell off when he picked it up after the finals - it dropped to the ground, and broke in a million pieces I heard. Ooops.

You can follow the brackets here and see Sylver and Rafael's road to the finals. Joey Gray placed 5th and had a GREAT tournament, too! I fully admit it's pretty tough sweatin' matches all day, lol. Ashley and I had a rough time, hehe.

Ray BigTruck was 'in da house' and streamed the event for the fans at poolactiontv.com! He graciously allowed me to commentate and I really enjoyed discussing the options and shot selctions of this beautiful game of one pocket.

Ash, Ray and I

I was able to commentate with the champ himself Saturday night, but it was a super slow match and Sylver only lasted two games, lol. The knowledge I gained in those two games were amazing - I wish he could have stayed on the mic longer so I could learn even more. Before that, Sylver and Gabe commentated a match and I bet that was amazing for the fans to hear these two top players discuss options and shots! WOW!

Gabe and Sylver commentating on the live stream table.

Besides all the awesome one pocket knowledge I gained, I also met a lot of friends from the AZB Forums. I also met Andy Gilbert (and his wife) - famous cuemaker who played in the tourney. I also met Grumpy, of Shurtz cues, another famous cuemaker.

Ash and I had a really wonderful time and I am enjoying our trips together! We talked the whole way home about the great tournament - can't wait til next year! And hopefully next year we wont get lost, lol. ;)

Tulsa One Pocket Tourney Update

Haven't given too many updates because haven't been near my computer, but wanted to give a quick funny story.

First, 42 players, $12,000 added! Brackets are here. Magoo's is a GREAT treat for the players, fans, and die-hards.

Each player in the tournament wrote down their hometown city and a few accomplishments so when they are announced, the announcer can add a little bit of info for the fans. Well, one of my friends from the Austin-area in Texas is in-between residences. So, he wrote down his hometown city as "Toyota Prius, Texas" and they announced it! It was awesome, lol!

Keep following the brackets and the stream at poolactiontv.com. I commentated yesterday and today and it was fun. I leave Saturday night, a day early, which is going to be tough to leave, but it's been fun so far watching all these great one pocket matches.

Too bad my big digital camera broke, though, or else I'd be sharing lots of pics. :(

One Pocket Update

I mentioned in my previous post about watching the semi-finals and finals of the One Pocket Derby online. So, when I went to practice Sunday after I finished playing ten ball, I obviously was itching to play some one pocket. No one was at the pool room that I wanted to play one pocket with, so instead I practiced my three rail banks. I did this for about 30 minutes. My friend Shonn from Houston showed me the two rail and three rails banks, but I hadn't really practiced them yet so this day I did.

It noticed I was short on all the three railers and finally figured out I remembered the English wrong that Shonn told me. LOL. I only hit a few two rail shots, mostly practiced the three rail banks for this 30 minute session.

My friend Fred came in and I asked him if he wanted to play and we played 4 games of one pocket. I played him even. I usually ALWAYS get a spot from everyone, but today I felt confident and tried him even.

Fred is about, I dunno, 85 years old or so, but knows the game well and still executes well. It's quite impressive!

I only won 1 outta 4 games, but I played really well! I hid the cue ball well from open shots on my side and also played pretty smart. Ironically, I only had one three-rail shot come up the entire time (LMAO) and more two rail shots came up but I didn't try them. I thought that was hysterical - the bank I practiced most didn't come up, and the other bank did. LOL.

I did scratch a lot in the first game and so that cost me the win, but I played smart otherwise and that felt great. In the last game, he had 7 balls and I had minus 2. I was proud, though, that I kept alive for a very long in that game and eventually only lost only 8-5.

I can't wait to watch the big One Pocket Tourney in Tulsa this weekend in person!!

New High Run

I am slacking on my straight pool league matches this season, so I decided to finally set up a match for Friday night (Jan 29). I am going to be out of town a lot in February (Tulsa, Vegas, Houston, Reno) so I needed to get a match in. I have another one planned for Monday night, also.

I met my opponent, John, at 630pm after work at the pool room and felt pretty good even though I went to bed late the previous night and also worked all day. I didn't know how I would do, because although I did okay in the OB Cues Ladies Tour stop last weekend (which I hope to write up sometime soon), I hadn't had a chance to practice during the week and so I didn't know exactly how I would fair.

However, after a few innings, I found myself up 30-6. I was feeling pretty good about my play and realized why I was prolly playing well. On Thursday night (the night I stayed up to late, lol), I watched the semi-final and finals of the Derby City One Pocket tourney. Sylver Ochoa played Bustamante in the semi-final and then he played Scott Frost in the finals. I watched it live via the Internet via Accu-Stats. I watched 5 hours of one pocket, each set went hill hill! Although Scott Frost ended up winning the tournament, almost everyone agrees Sylver out played him and out maneuvered him in the finals.

Photo Courtesy of CSI Sports.

Sylver plays very deliberate and takes his time. I am trying to take my time when I shoot, so it's really helpful for me to watch him play (same for when I watch Allison Fisher or Karen Corr). Sylver is also the one who stresses that a smooth stroke is key to pocketing balls.

So, I had the 'deliberate play' I guess in the back of my mind when I played my Straight Pool match and it really helped. I felt confident!

Of course, as this point in the match (being up), I start to think about that - that I am playing well and why. I get a few chances and miss some balls and next thing you know, John has a few good runs and ties it up 33-33! After such a good start I had, too. :(

I heard him tell a mutual friend he was 'back in the match' because I made mistakes and "let him back in." I knew this could easily affect me to the point it would hurt my play. While I am thinking this, a couple of guys come in and sit next to our table and watch us as they order some grub. They arrived for the Friday night tourney. John happened to pick the table that is right in front of that Friday night tourney so many people would come in during our race to 100 (and the tourney even started while we were still playing).

Okay, back to 33-33.... at this point, I hear his comments, then see the two guys sitting there watching. I literally say to myself, "this isn't going to be good." I knew the comments could get to me (it can be a sharking move) and I knew the guys watching could get to me (they know straight pool well and I could easily wonder what they were thinking, lol).

But for some reason, (I am guessing the reason here....) that instead of "feeling" emotions, I accepted John's comments and accepted that the other guys were sitting there. I started a little run and kept running. I then realized without looking at the score that I had beat my previous high run of 19. I didn't know what I was on, but I knew I was over 19. My friend Viet My stopped by the table to say hi and I hugged him while I debated my choices and whispered in his ear, "I am on my new high run right now."

I ran that rack and was on my third break shot. I left an okay shot, took my time, and focused on making it. I made the cut and broke some balls out, but wasn't left with a shot. I tried to slow roll the 5ball past the 10ball down the corner and cheat the pocket, but I knew the 10 was in the way, but it was my only chance at a shot. I missed it but was anxious what the new high run was - it was 28! I know that sounds so low, but it's higher than 19! LOL.

I could NOT believe it! My buddy Robert Cleland came in to play in the tourney and I was so excited to tell him I beat my new high run! He is the one who convinced me to play in the straight pool league so it was bitter sweet he was there.

Although I could have played better after the new high run to win sooner, I admit I missed some balls - I finally won later rather than sooner with a score of 80-100. When I was ahead by 30 (score about 35-66), John wasn't playing as well and didn't seem to really focus. I know you feel like it's tough to overcome such a deficit, but he didn't seem like he was trying anymore. But, I also didn't capitalize enough and it dragged out.

I recognize that in the middle and toward of the race to 100, I lose focus; I need to work on that.

Robert bought me a Smirnoff Ice in celebration for my new high run and I sat there and watched the tourney while I caught up with my friends Julie and Ashley.

Did I mention I go a new high run? :)

Tulsa One Pocket Tourney - Here we Come!

Well, keeping with one of my over arching personal goals, I decided to take super advantage and attend the $12,000-added One Pocket Tournament in Tulsa, OK at Magoo's Billiards the first weekend in February of this year. While you might think this is a no-brainer - Duh! Watch the tourney, it's only about 5 hours from ya, silly! However, the kicker is - I am going to Vegas that same weekend to celebrate my Birthday (in style). So, I debated if I should really go to Tulsa - I mean after all, with the live stream from BigTruck, I could watch it online for two full days until I go to Vegas. But after Ashley told me one night a couple of weeks ago that she would love to go to the tournament also, I gave it some major thought and then exclaimed to her via email, "Let's do it!"

Me and Ashley

So, I asked off for work (half of Thursday to be there in time for the Players Auction that night and then all day Friday); made the hotel reservation; and now I am all excited! I told my internet partner, Mike Howerton at AZBilliards.com that I will be taking pics of the event for the website. I also spoke to Gabe Owen - the main promoter of the tournament- and told him I would be there to take pics. Since I am his webmaster, I will also be able to add pics of him to gabeowen.net. It will be a very multi-tasking, awesome, trip. But more importantly, I can't wait to watch phenomenal one pocket from the top players in the country compete for the awesome prize fund!

Flyer and Entry Form

I hope to also get to commentate on the BigTruck stream. Come say hi to me, Ray, and Ash starting Thursday night! (Feb 4th). I'll be in Vegas on Sunday - the final day of the tourney - so may not be able to get to check out the progress of the players on the stream - but knowing me, I bet I will log in before and after the SuperBowl to see what is happ'nin.

Here are the Specs:

Entry:
$200 entry ($210 paypal)

Format:
Limited to 128 Players
Race to 4 Both Sides
Finals - One Race to 5

$12,000 guaranteed added

Feb 4-7, 2010
Magoo's Billiards
Tulsa, OK

Streamed live by BigTruck at poolactiontv.com

Check out the flyer and additional info by going to Gabe's website.

Houston, We Have Action

I normally don't hang around the pool room late at night anymore and watch all the action. There can be several reasons for this:

• I usually head to my hotel and rest to get a good night's sleep.
• The match-ups aren't that exciting (lol)
  
• The gambling matches are at another poolroom than the tourney poolroom, so I don't go.
• Or the tournament I am attending is a ladies-only event and no gambling matches are taking place.

Because the hotel at the Houston Open was literally walking distance from the pool room and because my tourney (the women's tourney) didn't start until Sunday, I was able to watch many great action matches at this event.

I must say that watching all these action matches made the weekend that much more enjoyable! It was awesome. :)

I will only chit-chat about a few key matches - there were three 9foot tables in one room but it was still tough to keep track of all the different action matches, plus, I would focus on one match at a time each night to stay in the game.

Because this is gambling, I will refrain from using real names of the players and use my own made-up, crazy nicknames, kind of like what my counterpart (OMGWTF) does.

500 Benji's, 1 Pocket
On Friday night, Tall Skinny Guy played Hyper Guy. They played $500 a game, even 1-pocket. Yes, I said $500 A GAME. I was in hog heaven to see this match up! Both of these guys play super awesome and are very knowledgeable at 1 pocket and I was in for a treat! Hyper Guy won the first game and I thought he was going to run with the match, but Skinny Guy was playing well also this night and got it back to even the very next game. Eventually it goes back and forth and back and forth... and neither player is up over two games after about 5 hours. They might have played about 12 games or so the entire 5 hours. In the end, Tall Skinny Guy is up one game (and $500) and Hyper Guy quits after he gets upset after a shot he goofed up.

4 a head, 2K, 1 Pocket
On Saturday night, several matches were going on, but the one that caught my eye was the rematch of the Tall Skinny Guy and Hyper Guy. I sat with a few friends who also know 1 pocket well and we would talk about the shots as Hyper Guy creeped ahead in the newly matched up game: 4-ahead for $2,000. In the end, Hyper Guy would win the set. A lot of great shots were made again between these two players and it was such a joy to watch.

1 Benji, 1 Ball, 1 Pocket
Another interesting match-up occurred after that game finished. Gloved One woofed at Cool Cat and Cool Cat bit and went to get his cue. The Gloved One wanted to play 1 ball / 1 pocket. I didn't know what the game was but after a few games were played, I was smitten with the strategy of it! They played $100 a game. This meant, in reality, $100 A BALL! That's pretty much what 1 ball / 1 pocket is - making one ball in your pocket and then you start over. I really enjoyed watching the strategies and learned a lot while I watched for 3-4 hours. The Gloved One was known for his great banking ability so Cool Cat would have his work cut out for him, but Cool Cat plays phenomenal 1 pocket so it wasn't a bad match-up at all.

They started play near 2am and the Gloved One was up right away and was ahead maybe 4 games at the most the first couple of hours. Eventually, the pool room thinned out and by 5am, only 6 peeps were left, and that included the two players, lol. Cool Cat started to cut the score down and next thing you know, it's even. I have stayed this long because I have part of the action. The pool room at this point starts to get super, super cold and I swear I was literally shaking (who brings a sweater to Southeast Texas at the beginning of Oct?!). I figured Gloved One would quit when it got even, but he did not and then he won the next game to go up again. It went back and forth with each player getting up one or two but then Cool Cat stayed ahead a few games. I finally couldn't keep my eyes open any longer and was freezing to death and so I dragged my tired a$$ to the hotel. The rain puddles made for an interesting walk in the dark, LOL. I would find out later that by 7am, Cool Cat won about $600 (I got half) and the match finally ended.

1 Benji, 1 Pocket
On Sunday night after I finished my tourney, I sat with a few friends to catch up and then noticed Cool Cat playing Crown Truck. They were playing, I believe, $50 a game... and Cool Cat gets all the breaks but is giving up 10-4 to Crown Truck. When I walk up to grab my front row seat, I found out Crown Truck is down about $250. Crown Truck wants to adjust because it's tough for him to win. Cool Cat says no and they play another game but then Crown Truck loses again and quits. After some talking, Cool Cat hesitantly offers 10-3. Now at this point, all I can think of is "Holy $hit! 10-3!" Sounds almost impossible, right? I mean, almost anyone that knows a little something about 1-pocket can get three balls, right?

Well, Cool Cat and Crown Truck actually go back and forth for a while with the new spot. It was the most amazing display of 1 pocket I had seen in a long time! Even at times Cool Cat OWED balls and still won. If you can imagine, Cool Cat was able to shoot at his hole (because he needed many balls) and not leave shots for (what I would guess) 95% of the time to his opponent. Crown Truck didn't get many chances at his hole and therefore wasn't able to make balls. He did play good safes and not leave an out every time for Cool Cat which obviously showed he did know 1 pocket well. After a while of Cool Cat staying ahead, eventually Crown Truck won a few games and by the time closing time came, Cool Cat only won $50 to $100.

Misc Tid Bit Rules:

• At one point Sunday night, Hyper Guy's brother asks High & Mighty about scotch double rules. Hyper's Bro doesn't like the answer, tho - 'who breaks in the scotch doubles' should have been decided before the game starts (isn't that obvious?).
  
• Found out that if you make your ball and your opponent's ball in 1 pocket at the same time it goes to the shooter.
  

Each of the four matches were not only enjoyable to watch and learn, but the guys were hysterical. They would make comments to the crowd or their friends or hell, to themselves! I laughed a lot along with the players. Even though money was on the line, it was still a fun time as everyone was getting along and making jokes. It was awesome.

It was so exhilarating to watch all the 1 pocket games. As I have said before, I want to some day be the best female one pocket player in Texas, so this weekend of watching steller 1 pocket action/play will forever be memorable.

Until Next Time...

Practiced!

With the 3-day holiday weekend this past weekend (Independence Day), I took advantage of finding time to practice!

As I mentioned in my previous blog write-up, I had wanted to play some one pocket. After two hours of practicing ten ball by myself while listening to my ipod, I was able to play one pocket with Carlos on Friday afternoon. Carlos is about 77 years old (looks like he is in his 50s, though) and evidently was one hellova player in the 60s and 70s.

Then on Sunday, after an hour of ten ball by myself, I was able to play one pocket with my good friend Steve.

Friday I didn't fair so well at one pocket but on Sunday I played much tighter and was able to see the cueball placement much better.

I played ten ball okay in Friday but struggled on Sunday for some reason. BUT, practicing and playing felt so good!!

1P

I want to play one-pocket more again. I miss getting lessons. :( I miss playing the creative game.

I do try to watch the good players play one-pocket at least once a month. I try to get to the pool room on Saturday afternoons for about an hour (if I am in town or if I am not busy) and watch the one-pocket magic shots fill my mind with knowledge.

Love Me Some One-Pocket

I've been playing more and more one pocket - not just playing, but getting coached! I have a one-pocket coach and we have met a handful of times now in December and over the holidays. He says he can see improvement (so can I). :)

I just love this game! I have the patience and eye for it, but I find I get real tired after about 4 hours. I'd tell you who my one-pocket coach is, but he's a road player, so I can't say his name. He is very knowledgeable, and in addition, many of the other guys at the pool room give me tips when I play the game, so it's awesome.

I am still practicing ten-ball and working on my pre-shot routine, though. That is key to keeping up my 9ball game (hopefully, lol)

I would like to become the best female one-pocket player in the state. I don't know how that is determined, lol, but that is something I would love to be someday. Here are more things I wrote down on a "Bucket List of Pool" thread on AZBilliards.com

This photo is from the onepocket.org website.