Rack ‘em up!
The legs had been hacked off in order to fit her through the door, the felt had become stained from the disorderly conduct, and her bumpers were worn out decades ago. Then came a period of mostly just silence. It seemed her fate was sealed, rarely did a ball roll across the little table, and being ignored was part of a regular routine.
But just when it seemed that this was all there was to be, a rescue squad arrived and carted her off to an open field, and a tarp soon covered the tired table. The dispirited little single slate 3 ½ x 7 pool table has been remaining completely still while awaiting new equipment and prosthetics for the sawedoff pool table legs. The ball return is not in existence anymore, the balls just fall out and into a conveniently placed bucket. It will take engineering and a little luck to give the table a ball return again.
A concrete pad is being built and parts ordered and the outdoor table is now a little closer to reality. We expect to see 20 to 40 hours of use per week once the table is up and running. There will also be one of those pit things for those people that get a kick out of throwing things back and forth.
This will be the third of these venues, but this table will be the only outdoor table. Of course, it may be a bit cooler this winter, possibly a bit damp too. But in reality, it will be another table to play tournament pool with friends. And that is, as they often say, “a good thing.”
The Imperial Table Company sells a table called the Laredo. It is designed to be set-up in the outdoors without any need of a cover. Playing in the rain is not a big problem if you are in Hawaii, and their ad shows it on a beach. If true, they have a way to wick water from a flat surface without affecting the level of the table.
The Sunday tournament at Rackin randy’s ended with Seattle Slim taking the top spot as usual. He never gets tired of winning. When the 9-ball started up, Purple Rain, after watching Slim’s break shot declared it a “Rosendo.”
What is a Rosendo? It is first having the skill to carom one ball to another, and the strength to blast it hard. When Rosendo does it, something usually drops. Rosendo won more Welcome Inn Thursday night 9-ball tournaments than anyone else, sometimes, simply by blasting the shot and having the 9-ball careen around the table and into a pocket for the win.
The kids have invited friends over for a pool game, or two, and you want them to get along and be happy. The problem is you only have
one table and four kids wanting to play. If they are playing 8-ball they can easily play the game with doubles or partners. They can play “Scotch” doubles where if your teammate makes their shot it becomes your turn, and if you make your shot it is their turn.
The upside is that it requires you to shoot shape for your partner, which is completely different than shooting shape for yourself. Regular doubles used to be and still is played where if youmake a ball you continue shooting until you miss. The advantage with Scotch doubles is that more people are involved in each game. Playing with four people in 9-ball, you will have one person that will need to sit out, then the other three play until the 9-ball drops.
Whoever played before the person making the 9-ball then sits out as they have “sold out.” The person sitting becomes the racker, and whoever racks plays in second place. The winner of the last game breaks the rack with the racker of the balls going second. Simple, but it keeps things happier when everyone is involved, and 9-ball is a fast game. If you are sitting out, it is not going to be very long before you are racking balls and playing.
CUE TIP: ADAPT TO THE GAME YOU ARE PLAYING
» When you play 8-ball, you might play the 8-ball softly towards the pocket, figuring if you miss, it will stay close to the pocket. When you are playing 9-ball, you should play the shot harder. Because if you are on the 9-ball, then so is your opponent. You should play it hard enough to move it away from the pocket if you miss it. You don’t want to play softly, miss, and leave it right at the pocket unless you want to lose. Contact me at mcbohanon@gmail.com.