I appreciated your e-mail, and tried to respond, but my response bounced several times. I decided that it would be less rude to post my response here than to seemingly ignore it.

> Dear Mr. Siltz,

Mr. Siltz was my father. I'm just Dave.

> I've just spent an enjoyable, and humbling, half hour perusing
> your pages dedicated to billiards. I've added your site to
> my list of favorite links and look forward to reading the rest
> of them soon.

Well thank you very much for the site feedback.

> We are at opposite ends of the pool spectrum. I'm 52 and just
> starting to play. Oh, I've swung a stick at a ball from time
> to time over the years, but I doubt I've averaged more than an
> hour a week over the last decade, even though I have my own
> table. Recently I've discovered that I derive more satisfaction
> from shooting than I do almost anything else and have decided
> to make a commitment to this noble sport. At least I'd planned
> to until watching some of your shot making. I can't believe
> I'll ever be able to do anything close to what you've
> demonstrated.

Until a couple of years ago I couldn't bank a ball to save my life.
Amazingly, all it took was practice, practice and more practice. I'f
back then I'd seen a movie of somebody banking nine in a row I'd have
bet anything that I'd never be able to do that.

> I've recently read a debate in a billiard forum about which
> is the best chalk. What surprised me was that no one mentioned
> how humidity effects a chalk's performance. Someone finding
> Master's Blue to feel muddy in Florida's humidity might discover
> it's quite dry and, well, chalky in my extremely dry location
> in Southern California's high desert. It seemed to me that much
> of the disagreement might be the result of the chalks being
> effected by environmental conditions. When you have the time,
> I would appreciate hearing your thoughts about this. Is there
> a best chalk for humid conditions? A better one in dry?

When I was in New Orleans I switched to Triangle chalk, reasoning that
the harder chalk would not absorb moisture as readily. I don't know
if it really did any good though it does seem to make sense.

> Thank you for putting together a first rate site. I'll forward
> it to my friends and, with your permission, add a link to it on
> the modest pool page I plan to add to my own site.

Thanks again.

A little respect. It's what we all need, and us pool players are no different. We don't need to be the very best, though it would be nice. We don't need to be ranked the highest, as self-gratifying as that may be. We don't need to make a living from playing, though that is almost every serious player's dream.

What we need is respect. Self respect and respect from others. Self respect is the easy part. You work hard, practice diligently, put those hundreds or even thousands of hours in, and you see the improvement in your play. You accomplish something that thousands of social players never even try - you get good.

Next comes the hard part - getting others to acknowledge or even notice what you've done. Getting their respect. Respect for taking responsibility for your own game and taking it to the next level. Sometimes this respect is hard to come by. The people you started playing with, the ones that are still stuck in (and quite content in) the ball-banger mentality are often loathe to acknowledge that you've accomplished more with your game than they have. By acknowledging your success they're obliquely calling attention to their own failings.

At the other end of the spectrum are the accomplished players. They have to accept you as one of them, thus diluting their own ranks as pool's elite.

I'm happy to say that I've managed, at different times in my life, to gain the respect of beginners and accomplished players alike. Gaining the respect of even the professionals is not completely out of the question for me, should I ever manage to take my game to the next level.

Where I sit right now is what I'd call the "Damn Good Social Player" level of play. In the bars I've frequented I've usually been the best player there. At the pool hall the better players will play against me if nobody better is around. I have the respect of my peers, and that's what I think we're all playing for deep down.

If I ever manage to make the leap, to pull myself to the next plateau and beyond (damn mixed metaphors), I'll have an easier time than before because I've been through it all before. People will be more able to accept me at those levels because I've already passed through the earlier ones. In other words, my time in the minor leagues will help to prepare the way to the majors, should I decide that that's the route I want to take. Basketball players who've already made a name for themselves in college are more readily accepted than those who get drafted right out of high school. Pool is the same way, just not as formal.

I know a guy in Seattle named YouKnowWhoYouAre*, who has reached the same level of play that I occupy. For whatever reason he has seemed to have a harder time getting the respect he deserves. I've been as guilty as anyone of belittling YouKnowWhoYouAre, always in a joking manner but perhaps not completely without malice. I've known YouKnowWhoYouAre for nearly a decade, and in that time he's gone from a rank beginner to a top league player. In that same amount of time I've either been stagnant or maybe even dropped a little in ability. My banks game has improved tremendously, but 8-ball, which used to be my bread and butter, has become a real struggle for me. I can no longer walk into a bar and assume I'm the big fish in that particular little pond. In many cases I'm not. In some little ponds the big fish is YouKnowWhoYouAre, and that's a little hard for me to swallow.

But swallow it I must. My obsession with making an immediate jump to the next level, to repeat what I briefly did nearly three years ago, has stalled my game. YouKnowWhoYouAre, meanwhile, has continued his steady improvement and has managed to surpass me at times. He is the tortoise to me, the hopeful hare.

I don't have to like it, I just have to accept it. And recognize it. Give YouKnowWhoYouAre the respect he's earned. So, well done, YouKnowWhoYouAre. You've become a Damn Good Social Player. What you do next is up to you, and I'm convinced that you can go as far as you want.

Enjoy the respect you've earned. Just don't get too complacent. Because before you know it some young upstart with a nice stroke but no brains will come to you seeking respect. You'll have to decide when they've earned it.

And don't be so busy watching your back that your peers all move on without you.

Oh yeah, don't forget about me either. I'll be back looking to kick your ass just like the old days, so at least try to make it a challenge for me.

It may seem like your pond now, YouKnowWhoYouAre, but I saw it first. You're lucky I'm willing to let you swim there while I'm away.

* name changed to protect the guilty

When I found out that I'd be coming to Seattle I nearly panicked. All of my friends there know me as an 8-ball player, but my 8-ball game sucks donkey dicks. As soon as I found out about the trip I stopped my regular banking practice and started an 8-ball practice regimen like I haven't done in years.

Well that practice paid off. Sort of. What ended up happening is that I played okay, but not great. Good enough to win, but not good enough to make my opponents cry or break their cues. Can't win 'em all, isn't that the saying?

On Saturday, The Sports Pub (my old Kent WA hangout) was quite crowded and I ended up playing some scotch-doubles with Gene against a couple of 5-6 level players. Gene and I won nearly every game in so-so fashion. It was expected by everyone but me, since I'm the only one who's known how bad my non-banking skills have become. I usually made the shots I should have made, and I usually left the cueball where Gene had a decent followup shot. This was a relief for me as I was geniunely concerned that I'd miss every time I shot.

The next afternoon Gene and I went to a pool hall to play against each other without the distractions and rhythm-breaking that partners play provides.

Our original plan was to play one-pocket, and we did play five or six games of that, with each of us winning two or three. At one point I missed a couple of easy shots and felt my alignment going away. I asked Gene if we could play one game of banks so I could get my stroke back. One game turned into several, and banks is all we played for the next four hours.

We were playing on a Gold Crown IV, the first time I've had that pleasure. And what a pleasure it was. Now I love my Diamond table, but it's pretty well known by those who've tried it that Diamonds bank weird. Banks go short no matter how shallow the angle. You can get used to it, but it just seems weird.

This Gold Crown banked the way a table should. Shortening up at steep angles but letting the ball go long at shallow angles or at low speeds.

I went into a state that's about as close as you can get to dead stroke playing bank pool. I made a zillion 3s, a few 4s, and even a 5 or two. Gene kept saying he was enjoying the games, and I certainly was, so we kept playing.

I didn't get the serious straight-shot making practice I'd been planning on, but I did get to spend several hours playing with someone who enjoys playing as much as I do. To top it off I was fortunate enough to play quite well while I was at it.

I'm practicing 8-ball tonight, trying again to get somewhat ready for playing my friends in Seattle. I'm playing with my Predator since I shipped my Schon to Seattle yesterday (It got there thank the pool gods) and I cannot miss a ball.

I've always had a problem with constantly changing shooting styles, and tonight was I think a new one even for me.

Little bitty stroke, a couple of inches on most shots, four or five inches when I needed to get some cueball movement.

Every shot went in, and the cueball stopped exactly where I wanted. It was 8-ball the way it's supposed to be played, 8-ball the way I USED to play it.

Now I'm so excited that I cannot sleep and I've got a flight in the morning.

If I can somehow stay in the zone after travelling 2000 miles, shooting with a different cue, on a tiny 8-foot big-pocketed bar table, I'll be just about as happy with my game as I've been in nearly three years.

But for now I've got to try to get some sleep or the jet lag will kill me tomorrow night.

I shipped my cues to Gene in Seattle today so I don't get hassled by any airport security this weekend.

I guess I'm a little worried about them getting lost or damaged. It's happened before. I did insure them for quite a bit though.

So anyway, for the next couple of days I'm stuck with playing with my Predator cue. Not that I hate it or anything - it's just not the same. Tha balance is all wrong and it's too light. I was originally going to ship it to Seattle instead of my regular cue but at the last minute decided that to have the best chance of doing well there I'd need my most familiar equipment.

So a couple of days after I decided to practice only banks I found out that I'll be visiting Seattle. Since I don't really want to get there with no clue at all about how to play 9-ball or 8-ball I figure I'll have to practice making balls straight in until after I get back.

It's official - I suck at everything but banks.

There seems to be, at least for me, a completely different mindset involved. In bank pool the only target is the object ball. By that I mean I don't aim to have the object ball hit the rail at a certain point. It's all about the object ball and how much of it I hit. This approach works very well for banking but it leaves me woefully unprepared to shoot a regular shot.

Another thing I've completely forgotten is how to make very thin cuts. In banks the only very thin cuts are crossing banks and again, I'm only paying attention to the thinness of the hit. Having to cut the ball very thinly AND send it directly towards a target is an ability I've lost somewhere along the line.

Basically, in banks, the entire shot is a guess. You have to rely on your instincts to make the shot, and you can pretty much expect to miss about half the time. In regular pool, missing half the time is just not acceptable, and I have to decide whether I should try to hone my instincts for those shots or play a more calculating style.

I'm sure I'll post something about how I do playing my friends in Seattle, but for the record I'll predict that I'll get my ass kicked by the same people that used to have no chance against me.

Now if I can talk them into playing any banks, that will be a different story. Probably not a very fair one though.

Went downstairs, racked nine balls, broke them, and banked six in a row. On my first try. Ho Hum.

I seem to almost always do quite well when I first start any given session - whether it's practice or playing against an opponent. Now I just have to figure out how to make it last longer than two minutes.

Today I switched back to banks-only mode to start preparing for the Derby City Classic banks division.

I had been, for the past few weeks, playing and practicing some 9-ball, 8-ball, and one-pocket in a futile attempt to regain the ability to (a)make a ball straight-in and (b)play position.

For the next three months I'll shoot only bank shots. I may not be able to better my finish of last year's tournament, but at least it won't be from lack of practice.

I've got all of my old RSB posts (the ones I had saved anyway) posted into the pool 'blog. That means that the actual Pool Ramblings page will be going away soon.

I would also like to hit Google and find any of my posts that I missed and get them into the 'blog.

I've decided, since I've got this spiffy new 'blog system in place, that I'll migrate all of the old pool ramblings from their old (very long!) page to the 'blog.

This may take a while, but I've put a couple of old messages in to make sure it will work and that the back-dating doesn't break anything.

Tonight I played several games of one-pocket against Larry* at The Bank Shot.

I am really lousy at one-pocket, but Larry is quite good at it, so I really enjoy the opportunities to play and learn from him.

Despite the great difference in our game, we ended up splitting the first few games playing even. This almost always happens when I play him.

Usually I can give at least partial credit to my ability to stay focused and know my limits. The bulk of the credit, however, has to go to Larry and his inability to care about a bunch of free games against a one-pocket beginner.

Anyway, after we split the first four games, Larry asked if he could play me 8-5 to see if the spot would help his concentration. I agreed to the spot, again just grateful to be playing such a good player.

We ended up splitting the next 8 or so games until we both quit at the same time.

I wasn't very impressed with my play tonight. I could pocket balls fine, and my safeties tonight were a little better than my opponent's, but whenever I tried to do both at the same time I sold out a shot. This is actually what I expect my one-pocket game to be like, and perhaps my better performances in the past have been mere flukes.

My opponent's problem was one of being too reliant on the pressures usually caused by money games. He missed far more than he normally does and became visibly frustrated by his poor performance. Basically he wasted a night's play because he wasn't able to perform without the pressure of money being bet.

This is exactly why I've never bought into the "Get used to playing under pressure" argument used by the gambling pool players. If you can only play well under pressure, what happens when the pressure goes away? You can't shoot well until you raise the bet and create even more pressure. This works until you get used to that, then the cycle starts over again. It's never-ending.

My approach is to feel no pressure, no matter what the circumstances. I try to play my best no matter what's at stake. This approach means that playing for funzies, for money, or in a tournament all do the same thing to my game - absolutely nothing.

I'm not saying that my approach is right for everyone, but I'm positive that it's the right approach for me. I want to play as well as I can all the time. Playing well is to me a more lofty and reliable goal than winning (or at least not losing) money or advancing in a tournament.

Larry ended tonight's session completely disgusted with his performance. I ended the session with a little more one-pocket knowledge and a couple of important reminders.

First, I need to fight to the urge to try to do too much with a given shot. Usually there's an offensive opportunity or a defensive one. I can't have 'em both on every shot.

Second, I think that needing to create pressure in order to play well is a self-defeating activity. To play well should be the only goal.

* - Name changed to protect the guilty.

Was messing around tonight trying to develop a better two-rail kicking system than the one I've been using.

I may be onto something. A system that does not require any math or memorizations, and seems to work pretty well for most angles.

If I get this clearer in my head I'll post more later.