Untitled Document

The GAINESVILLE BILLIARD NEWS
Issue No. 1 - February 2005

NATIONAL POOL LEAGUE ASSOCIATIONS

The American Poolplayers Association (APA) is currently the largest of the still existing national pool league associations, currently claiming 250,000 members. This is not surprising due to their corporate sponsorship by Budweiser. The AOA (previously the "Busch Leagues" and then the "Bud Lite" leagues) clearly caters to the beginner player. Their unique (and copyrighted) rules of "slop" and rather elaborate method of scoring discourage many more advanced players. Having played for four seasons in AOA leagues, I can attest to the fact that those "count safety shot" rules encourage (or at least allow for) "sand-bagging" to keep one's average down, and to make matters worse, the league directors can arbitrarily raise a players average at their discretion, even in the middle of tournament play. On their website they say that the APA was formed in 1981, because there was no organized national association. The Billiard Congress of America (BCA) had been in operation since 1948, although they were primarily running only national singles events until 1980. But the Valley National 8-Ball Association (VNEA) began their league system in 1979, and held their first national amateur team event in '81.

But even before the current "big 3", the National Pocket Billiard Association was formed in Milwaukee in 1959, and began their league system in 1964. A league that I formed in 1966 eventually joined the NPBA and we competed in a number of their national events in the '70s and '80s. I don't believe the NPBA still exists, at least it can't be found on the Internet.

The VNEA currently has close to 100,000 members and the BCA around 63,000. Both use basically the same set of rules, which have been carefully honed over the years to meet the requests of players and tournament directors nationwide. Perhaps the most important difference between these two and the APA is their qualification for national events. The APA holds a series of qualifiers and elimination events to earn a spot at the national championships. This system is very exciting and competitive, but can be costly for some teams to travel, etc. The bonus is that if you do make it through the qualifiers, your trip to Las Vegas and entry fees are paid. But believe me, it is very difficult for a strong team to make it through the elimination rounds because of the handicap system. (Editors note: since this article was written, we learned that this system has improved by creating two levels of play for teams and individuals in the qualifiers and at the nationals.)

For me, one of the advantages of the BCA and VNEA is that if you play a minimum number of weeks in a league, you automatically qualify for the nationals. The downside is that you must pay your own way, but you can load up your team without having to worry about handicaps - in qualifiers or at the nationals. The BCA nationals offer numerous divisions and events: Open team, Womens' Open team, Master Mens' team, Master Womens' team, Open Men and Womens' singles, Masters Men and Womens' singles, Seniors divisions, Super Seniors, Artistic Pool, Skills Challenge, and more. And if you don't play in a sanctioned BCA or VNEA league, you can't play in the team events, but you can compete in singles by paying an annual $50 players fee. But sadly, no one from Gainesville can play in a BCA or VNEA team event because we have no BCA or VNEA sanctioned leagues in town. This does not speak well for the Gainesville pool scene, as most other cities of Gainesville' size in Florida, do have either a BCA or VNEA sanctioned league or both. It's a shame because having played on teams that have finished 5th or better in national events five times, I know that there are enough strong players in Gainesville to to field at least two teams that could do well in Las Vegas. And for me, playing among thousands of players at these national events is a real thrill, that all who love the game should experience at least once.

PHILOSOPHY OF 8-BALL

Eight-ball is the oldest of modern pocket billiard games, and surveys indicate that it's currently the most popular. It is considered an "equalizer" between variously talented players, but is also the game of choice for many of the "strategists" among top players.

Eight-ball is a very different game from 9-ball, the next most popular game. While 9-ball demands a finely tuned stroke and the ability to control the cue ball over long distances, 8-ball requires more thinking, planning, and the precision cue ball control needed to deal with fifteen potential obstacles. While 9-ball requires defense against one ball, 8-ball may require defense against as many as seven balls at once. (14-1 requires defense against as many as fifteen balls, but they are usually in clusters, and 14-1 is still primarily a game of offensive play.)

Strategically, 8-ball probably has more in common with chess than it does with 9-ball. At the professional level, perhaps half of the games of 9-ball are won without a defensive maneuver. This is not the case with 8-ball. The top 8-ball players are masters of defensive strategy: their defensive abilities are critical for success. This is not to infer that they are better players - but it is no secret that the two games require different skills. The great shot maker tends to win at 9-ball; the great thinker at 8-ball. Of course possessing ALL the various skills will make you a winner at ANY pool game.

In 9-ball the object is to run racks, and the player with the better break has an important advantage. In 8-ball, the break is not a clear advantage - it is much more difficult to predict and master. In 9-ball it is usually fairly easy to play a safety after the break, and of course the opportunity for a "push" makes it even easier. Except for a few leagues, there is no "push" or "two-foul" rule in 8-ball, so the opening shot is generally more critical. It is very important to establish the choice of spots or stripes. This at least guarantees that if the second shot is missed, the opponent does not have choice, and their chances of running out are cut in half.

At the beginner's level of play, you will still hear players complain that safety play (defensive shots) is "dirty pool". This is a very naïve view of how to play any billiards game. Defense is a vital part of any sport where your strategy has a direct effect on your opponent's opportunity to win. In football for example, punting on 4th down and long yardage or having the quarterback down the ball to run out the clock is not "dirty" football, it's smart football. Bowling, golf and track are among the few sports where defense is not an important part of winning. Only a fool tries to score on every play in football and the same is true in pocket billiards. The "legal shot" stipulations governing safety play in 8-ball control effectively the use of defensive maneuvers and prevent what might legitimately be called "dirty pool", such as simply pushing or "rolling out" whenever the shooter doesn't like his or her predicament.

In 9-ball, all the object balls are the "enemy" and must be eliminated to get to the 9-ball on a table run. They are your "friend" only when you use them for a safety. Eight-ball is very different. Because seven balls on the table are "yours" and seven "belong to" your opponent, they are not enemies in the same sense. While your seven balls are on the table they are usually your friends: they can be used to improve your run through proper shot selection and by using them to thwart your opponent with safety play. Unless it is your shot and you are in a position for an easy run out, it is almost ALWAYS to your advantage to have more balls on the table than your opponent. The player who is not shooting and has only one or two balls on the table is at a distinct disadvantage, as the shooter usually can play defense relatively easily. One exception might be in a scoring system where handicaps dictate that one player needs only to pocket a certain number of balls (without actually winning the game) to win the match. Related to these principles are two time-tested axioms of 8-ball: Never save your toughest balls for last, and never go for a run unless you're pretty sure of success. There are occasional exceptions to these axioms, but they are keys to 8-ball strategy.

Another key, and one that is ignored by most players is: plan ahead for a safety shot. Instead of waiting until you are in a difficult situation to start thinking safety, learn to predict and avoid tough situations. Rather than going for a difficult break shot and a chance for a run-out, play position for a safety. Let your opponent take the foolish chances.

When a table is "run-able" - when all your balls are open and accessible - shot selection is still of utmost importance. If your shot selection is good (there are ALWAYS options), your run should become easier with each shot. To accomplish this, plan your run BACKWARD from the 8-ball. Try to save two or three balls that will afford easy position for the 8. But even during an "easy" run, always keep defense in mind - any shot can be missed. If you get out of line during the run, consider changing your plan or playing a safety.

Imagination is the key to any "thinking" game, any pool game, and especially 8-ball. A good way to quickly improve your strategy and shot selection is to think of at least three options before EVERY shot. Your options should include multiple choices of which ball to shoot, multiple ways to pocket that ball, multiple ways to play position and multiple ways to play defense should you miss. The ideal position to be in is one where you can play offense and defense on the same shot. Obviously then, avoid putting yourself in a position where you MUST make a difficult shot to win the game.

When playing a safety, look for a "lock" safe, instead of opting for the first safety that comes to mind. Put yourself in your opponent's shoes and imagine where would be the worst place for them to shoot from. Imagine what they will do with that shot. If you leave your opponent in a position to play a better safety back at you, your effort is wasted. Whenever possible, your safety should be an attempt to get ball in hand. At the top levels of 8-ball competition, champions are generally those who get ball in hand most often throughout the competition. If you obtain ball in hand and still have a difficult run, play another safety while moving your "trouble" balls into better position.

Never move balls without a reason. Accidentally moving balls is among the most common strategy mistakes for the novice 8-ball player. It is imperative to maintain some control over ALL the balls on the table. On the other side of the coin, there are times when you will want to move some balls: besides moving your trouble balls into better position, you may have opportunities to move your opponent's balls into tough positions.

The Golden Rule of 8-ball: Never go for a difficult shot unless you have no other options. You may not choose to play a safety, but CONSIDER a safety on every shot, with the possible exception of when you have an "un-missable" shot at the 8. If you can't leave your opponent "hooked", at least leave them with a bank or a long shot - something that is both difficult to make and difficult to play a safety on. If you can't avoid leaving them a fairly easy shot, at least try to leave them where their attempt to play position is as difficult as possible. Remember that physical skills are finite, and restricted by the amount of practice a player has time for. But mental skills are potentially unlimited: challenge yourself to constantly seek better shot selection by using your imagination.

Finally, offensive pool is fun to play and fun to watch, but STRATEGIC POOL IS WINNING POOL. I've run eight racks of 8-ball a number of times, and once one a mini-tournament by running all 7 racks, but those are rare occurrences indeed. I've won many events, mostly with effective strategy play. A good player will never complain about your safety play, as long as you play by the rules and practice good sportsmanship.

- Donny Lutz, BCA Certified Instructor, 1995

"THE GRUMPY OLD PRO"

Q: What is the most common mistake among novice players?

A: Easy. They don't chalk their cues! They're idiots. Chalk is free. You may not need to chalk up on every shot, but do it anyway. Then you'll never forget to chalk up when you need to! If you can't remember that, give up.

Q: What is the best brand of cue?

A: Stupid question! Look around you. There are hundreds of makes of cues. The top 20 pros on the circuit use 18 different brands of cues. I myself have been partial to Meuccis and Hueblers, but I won $5000 in 1968 with house cues off the wall! Borrow cues from friends and try them until you find the brand that feels good to you. Or if you don't have any friends, buty the lowest price model from a popular cue maker and try it for a while - you can always sell the damn thing!

GBN Archived Issues