I was reluctant to get into this tournament to begin with. It was 10:00pm, and I had to be up *early* the next day to be at work in time for the Federal Examiner’s questions (didn’t make it, but neither did the examiner ;). I caved and gave Matt my $5, assured that it would be a quick tournament.
My first draw was Matt himself, an APA 7 who’s probably able to hold an 8. I was comforted by the thought that I would be beat out of the tournament right out of the gate, freeing my evening up for sleep. This wasn’t to be the case, a combination of Matt shooting well below his skill level, and me shooting a bit above brought me through for a 3-1 victory. It really should have been 3-0, but I choked a tight cut on the 9, giving Matt an easy win for that rack. That put it at 2-1, and I easily ran the next rack out.
Seth, my next opponent, who is also on my APA 8-ball team went down much more easily. He’s an APA 3 (though he’s honestly probably better than that), and just didn’t seem to have his heart in it.
I can’t remember the name of my final opponent. He was a new face to me at the Pool Room, and wasn’t a bad shot. I won the toss, and couldn’t get the run out, so he won the first rack. I tied it back up at 1-1 with the second rack, and went on to get to the hill for a 2-1 lead with the third rack. I wasn’t able to pull out the fourth rack, allowing him to meet me on the hill. Final match in the tournament, and both players are on the hill… for such a small tournament, there was a bit of tension in the room. On the 9, I miss a long-table bank shot by a quarter of a diamond, and leave him with a long shot from one corner to the other. I was pretty sure he’d be out, but he choked it (it wasn’t the easiest of shots, to be fair) and left me a real tight cut. I pull it out, manage to avoid the scratch, and come out in 1st place.
My Handicap: 3
Matches:
- 3-1 (even race)
- 3-0 (even race)
- 3-2 (even race)
My Place: 1st
My Winnings: 25