Been playing 30yrs. Still play everyday just not out there in the mix as much these days. Traveled the country playing tournaments and gambling. Played in the BCA nationals 13 times. Played a few pro events. Been sponsored by local bars, pool halls and an oil company and still have a cue sponsor today.
No non smoking places I'm aware of. Chester's on 50th and Joeys Bar off of Glade are the best places to play on the north side. Lucky's on 44th or Bill's at 240 and sooner are good too. Chester's has the best bar food, Lucky's has the best tables.
I played pool since my Pop brought one of those plywood tables home from Sears,,,
I think I was about 11 years old then.
There was an old-timey pool hall a few blocks from our house,,,
I used to go there after school and make a buck or two racking the balls for the players.
A Dime a rack was the norm.
Then when I was in military service for 8 years,,,
That's about all we did was play pool.
The Military might send you to a place where there isn't another human for 500 miles,,,
But there will always be a few beat-up ping-pong tables,,,
And a pool table.
We often played on tables that hadn't been re-felted in 20 years,,,
But we all had our own cues that were outrageously fancy.
At that time I was as good an 8-ball pool player as there was,,,
Stationed in California I drove to Tahoe quite a bit,,,
I never placed first in any of the tourneys,,,
But usually won enough to pay my trip.
I quit drinking in bars for a long long time (20+ years),,,
Until I retired and decided to try some pool again.
I found an American Pool League (APR) team that needed a player and joined,,,
It was frustrating that I wasn't the shark I had been in my youth,,,
But at least I still remembered the strategy of the game,,,
So my defensive play was enough to get me by.
I was having fun and loving my Tuesday nights,,,
Then we lost out team captain and another team member took over.
Unfortunately his philosophy and mine didn't mesh at all,,,
He's the kind of guy who will sluff and lose a game,,,
Purposely lose a game to avoid a shut-out,,,
Just to prevent a rise in shooter level.
I was a skill level 4 and he was afraid that I was winning too much,,,
So he started pairing me against level 5's and 6's,,,
I was starting to get my eye back by then,,,
And still winning more than I lost.
One night the stars were aligned correctly and I couldn't miss in practice,,,
He paired me against a very "deadly" level 6 lady player,,,
She was a better shot than I but I used defense,,,
And I beat her three games straight.
I turned to my team and they were all cheering my match win,,,
Except for the team captain who wasn't happy at all,,,
He actually chewed me out for smoking her.
I didn't quit that night but he absolutely ruined the league play for me,,,
I just stopped going to the matches after a few more weeks,,,
Yeah I missed it but if it ain't fun why do it?
I was contacted by another team who needed a strong level four,,,
I knew them and had played against all the team members,,,
They were a fun group and definitely wanted to win,,,
But weren't into playing the "sluff" game at all.
Unfortunately this was just about the time my Doctor saw a problem with my lab numbers,,,
I have put every ounce of energy I had into beating this prostate cancer,,,
When it's over and done maybe I'll get back into the game,,,
But for now I'm busy with other concerns.
Aarond
.
I think I was about 11 years old then.
There was an old-timey pool hall a few blocks from our house,,,
I used to go there after school and make a buck or two racking the balls for the players.
A Dime a rack was the norm.
Then when I was in military service for 8 years,,,
That's about all we did was play pool.
The Military might send you to a place where there isn't another human for 500 miles,,,
But there will always be a few beat-up ping-pong tables,,,
And a pool table.
We often played on tables that hadn't been re-felted in 20 years,,,
But we all had our own cues that were outrageously fancy.
At that time I was as good an 8-ball pool player as there was,,,
Stationed in California I drove to Tahoe quite a bit,,,
I never placed first in any of the tourneys,,,
But usually won enough to pay my trip.
I quit drinking in bars for a long long time (20+ years),,,
Until I retired and decided to try some pool again.
I found an American Pool League (APR) team that needed a player and joined,,,
It was frustrating that I wasn't the shark I had been in my youth,,,
But at least I still remembered the strategy of the game,,,
So my defensive play was enough to get me by.
I was having fun and loving my Tuesday nights,,,
Then we lost out team captain and another team member took over.
Unfortunately his philosophy and mine didn't mesh at all,,,
He's the kind of guy who will sluff and lose a game,,,
Purposely lose a game to avoid a shut-out,,,
Just to prevent a rise in shooter level.
I was a skill level 4 and he was afraid that I was winning too much,,,
So he started pairing me against level 5's and 6's,,,
I was starting to get my eye back by then,,,
And still winning more than I lost.
One night the stars were aligned correctly and I couldn't miss in practice,,,
He paired me against a very "deadly" level 6 lady player,,,
She was a better shot than I but I used defense,,,
And I beat her three games straight.
I turned to my team and they were all cheering my match win,,,
Except for the team captain who wasn't happy at all,,,
He actually chewed me out for smoking her.
I didn't quit that night but he absolutely ruined the league play for me,,,
I just stopped going to the matches after a few more weeks,,,
Yeah I missed it but if it ain't fun why do it?
I was contacted by another team who needed a strong level four,,,
I knew them and had played against all the team members,,,
They were a fun group and definitely wanted to win,,,
But weren't into playing the "sluff" game at all.
Unfortunately this was just about the time my Doctor saw a problem with my lab numbers,,,
I have put every ounce of energy I had into beating this prostate cancer,,,
When it's over and done maybe I'll get back into the game,,,
But for now I'm busy with other concerns.
Aarond
.
Here's my favorite pool story:
When I was in the Air Force we shot A LOT of pool,,,
To break up the boredom we often shot with our off hand,,,
And in some cases with only one eye or shooting behind the back shots.
We all got surprisingly good at that.
When I was a graduate student at OSU I was dating a bartender,,,
At one of the pool bars on the Strip.
She wanted to learn to shoot pool so I was teaching her,,,
But so the quarters didn't get used up so fast,,,
I always shot her left handed.
One afternoon we were playing at Murphy's on the Strip,,,
But she got called to fill in at the bar.
A frat boy put his quarters up and wanted to play for two buck a game,,,
I was shooting left handed and for some reason continued to do so,,,
I beat his a few games in a row and he paid up,,,
Then he wanted to play for 5 bucks a game.
I could tell he was trying to hustle me but he was very clumsy about it,,,
Making hard shots but then missing easy duck shots,,,
I just kept taking his money.
Then he said that the reason he wasn't playng well,,,
Was that there wasn't enough money on the games to make it exciting for him.
Like Is said,,,
He wasn't very good at the hustle.
I already had close to $30 of his money in my pocket so I said,,,
"Well how much money would get you excited?"
He said "How about $20 a game?"
I said "If I could just ignore you pissing and moaning after every loss,,,
I could beat you with either hand.
How about 5 games at $20 each,,,
And I'll shoot you right handed.
He said "done",,,
I pulled my emergency $100 bill from my wallet,,,
And challenged him to show me his money up front as well,,,
He did so we lagged for the break and he won break on the first game.
All of a sudden he was shooting much better and grinning after a 5 ball run,,,
Using my correct hand I ran the table on him,,,
Then beat him four more times.
I picked up my money and started packing my stick up to leave,,,
He started bitching and moaning so the bouncer (a friend of mine) came over.
As I was leaving with his (my) money in my pocket,,,
I heard the bouncer say to the frat boy,,,
"You dumb ****, he is right handed"
Absolutely a true story,,,
One of the most memorable moments in my life.
Aarond
.
When I was in the Air Force we shot A LOT of pool,,,
To break up the boredom we often shot with our off hand,,,
And in some cases with only one eye or shooting behind the back shots.
We all got surprisingly good at that.
When I was a graduate student at OSU I was dating a bartender,,,
At one of the pool bars on the Strip.
She wanted to learn to shoot pool so I was teaching her,,,
But so the quarters didn't get used up so fast,,,
I always shot her left handed.
One afternoon we were playing at Murphy's on the Strip,,,
But she got called to fill in at the bar.
A frat boy put his quarters up and wanted to play for two buck a game,,,
I was shooting left handed and for some reason continued to do so,,,
I beat his a few games in a row and he paid up,,,
Then he wanted to play for 5 bucks a game.
I could tell he was trying to hustle me but he was very clumsy about it,,,
Making hard shots but then missing easy duck shots,,,
I just kept taking his money.
Then he said that the reason he wasn't playng well,,,
Was that there wasn't enough money on the games to make it exciting for him.
Like Is said,,,
He wasn't very good at the hustle.
I already had close to $30 of his money in my pocket so I said,,,
"Well how much money would get you excited?"
He said "How about $20 a game?"
I said "If I could just ignore you pissing and moaning after every loss,,,
I could beat you with either hand.
How about 5 games at $20 each,,,
And I'll shoot you right handed.
He said "done",,,
I pulled my emergency $100 bill from my wallet,,,
And challenged him to show me his money up front as well,,,
He did so we lagged for the break and he won break on the first game.
All of a sudden he was shooting much better and grinning after a 5 ball run,,,
Using my correct hand I ran the table on him,,,
Then beat him four more times.
I picked up my money and started packing my stick up to leave,,,
He started bitching and moaning so the bouncer (a friend of mine) came over.
As I was leaving with his (my) money in my pocket,,,
I heard the bouncer say to the frat boy,,,
"You dumb ****, he is right handed"
Absolutely a true story,,,
One of the most memorable moments in my life.
Aarond
.
That’s a big reason why I havent played this year. I finally quit smoking, and I don’t know that I could go hang out in a smoking bar, enjoying a beer and a game without giving in to temptation. I still occasionally dream about cigarettes, and I haven’t touched one in 7 months.
Stay out of those places. Don't lose that momentum of 7 months. You're invited to come to my house and play. No smoking at all there. I have a few cues you could use while you're there.
That’s how we played, too.
My dad once told me that my grandpa would occasionally go into town to shoot some pool. He’d take a single quarter and play until he lost it, but he always came home late at night with that same quarter.
