Pool Room with a View

(recent sunset from the pool room at Mikie's Fun House)

Looking west, from the lower right corner pocket,
past the head spot, and out over the Pacific ocean.

It's a bit distracting at times,
but I guess it's ok to take a break and enjoy life,
every once in a while...

New Cue Case Has Magical Powers!

I just got my new custom cue case made by Jim Murnak
and not only is it awesome looking and extremely well made,
(see photos in post below)
it is also MAGICAL! At least the one he made for me is magical.

I got the case yesterday, and really excited to check it out.
Last night I transferred the cues and stuff from my old case.
This morning I woke up and figured I'd take another try at
a drill that has bugged me for a long time.
I call it The Sorto String,
named after the deviant (my instructor Tony Sorto)
who challenged me with it.
I've been close, but never did it,
and I've tried probably north of 100 times.

So the next morning,
I take my same old cue out of my brand new Jim Murnak case,
warm up with a couple of wimpy tries at the Sorto String,
and then turn on my camcorder and record the next 10 tries.
I guess I felt something good might happen.

Sure enough, on the 5th try, I finally beat the devil!
It must have been the case. Had to be. Only makes sense.

(I wish I had that case last weekend,
for the US Amateur Championships,California preliminaries.)

Since that morning-after magic,
I have completed the Sorto String to the 9-ball three times.
Yesterday, El Maestro saw the videos for proof,
(click here for the video on youTube.com)
and, as my reward, he added 6 more balls to the drill.
As I said, he's truly deviant!

Just to show him I was serious,
I got to the 11. His best effort was the 12.

Watch out, Tony! I'm right behind you!!

New Jim Murnak Custom Cue Case!

I am sooooo stylin' with my new Jim Murnak case!
If I had this baby with me last weekend,
I would have won the tournament, for sure!



Notice the Fast Mikie. Duh, how could you miss it?



Notice the SIX POCKETS!!!



Notice that Jim Murnak signs his work.
And what a beautiful piece of work it is!
The finest leather, for sure, and built by an artist!

Thanks Jim!

Let Jim build one for you.
Check his website at http://jimmurnakcuecases.com.

Now all I need is a stick or two from Miltonio,
and I'll have no excuses left.
Hmmmmm.....

The Sorto String, Revisited

(the setup)

This is one darn challenging drill.
You try it and let me know how you do with it.
And if you can do it, let me know your secret.

Line the balls from the center of the foot rail
right through the foot spot, and a bit beyond.
I usually have the 9 ball located at about the foot spot.
The space between the balls increases slightly with the 7 - 9.
Start with ball in hand,
and run them all into the corner pocket.
You must hit the foot rail on each shot,
but no other rails, or another ball.

This morning I got them all up to and including the 7,
but lost out on position on the 8.
Can anyone, except El Maestro, get them all?

---

Follow-up entry:
I finally did achieve this exercise.
Click here to play the video.

Girl Pool

When I was hanging out in Denver
I had the great pleasure to meet and shoot pool
with Sammantha Diep, the owner of
SammsPocket.com
which sells some interesting and useful pool products.
(Check it out!)
And check out her pool blog!

Samm is an excellent player, and the first thing I noticed
is that her pre-shot routine is flawless.
She approaches every shot with the same high intensity
and total focus. Every move is choreographed.
It was very intimidating for me,
because my style is more toward the "fast and loose"
end of the spectrum.
Ok, maybe slow and loose would be more truthful...

We played at a pool hall in Boulder.
The tables were pure garbage.
The cloth was stained and ripped and loose.
What a mess!
But they can't all be as classy as Mikie's Fun House,
and you have to take your pool as it comes...

Samm had some tough rolls,
and I had some good ones.
If it weren't for that,
I would have been in serious trouble,
and had to report that I lost to a pretty girl.
That's the problem with shooting pool with girls:
You might lose!

;o)

But Samm is no ordinary pretty pool shooter.
She's also a sharp businesswoman, and an author.
Check out her new book:
"You Might Be A D Player If..."
which will keep you laughing (sometimes at yourself!).
Click on the link, and buy a bunch for gifts,
and save money on the pre-publication price!

And tell Samm that "Fast Mikie" sent you.

Pocket Billiards in Russia

Scott R. is a good friend of mine,
the guy who owns the cabin in the Rockies (see below),
and he also owns a software company in Russia.
After his latest trip there, he sent me this note
about his pool playing experience:

Played "Russian Pool" in Moscow this last trip
and almost won our in house tournament.
The table is two feet longer and two feet wider than my table.
The balls are the size of tennis balls....bigger, and all white.
The holes are smaller and not flared:
there is only half an inch clearance
on each side of the ball to fit in the pocket.
And the biggest difference is there is no cue ball.
You can hit any ball with any other ball!
Wow....that really blew my strategic gaming thinking
into a different paradigm!
I ended up in third place
and all were impressed with my ability at the new game.

It sounds like Yankee Imperialist pool
is better than Commie pool...
I'll post a photo of Russian pool
as soon as he gets back from his next trip.

Here's a link I found with the Russian Rules:
http://www.billiard-online.com/ecpsporte/rules.html

Pool at Ten Thousand Feet - Part Two

While the thin air seems to have no noticeable effect
on the physics of pool (the interaction of the balls),
there is a definite effect on the shooter.
Sleep is interrupted with frequent waking,
due to shortness of breath,
endurance is significantly reduced,
the effects of alcohol come more quickly,
the dry air causes minor nosebleeds and headaches,
and more water intake is needed
to keep vision, thinking and reflexes sharp.

In all, these conditions are not conducive to good pool.
I wouldn't want to play a tournament at this elevation,
but it would be interesting to see everyone else deal with it!

The photo above shows the log cabin's pool table.
There is no TV, so there's plenty of time to read
a few pool books I brought along:

The Pro Book by Bob Henning
The Advanced Pro Book by Bob Henning
The Great Break Shot by Charley Bond

Pool at Ten Thousand Feet

In a recent physics experiment,
I traveled to a remote cabin in the Rocky Mountains,
at the 10,000 foot level,
to determine if the thin air would have any effect
on shooting pool.

It doesn't.

However, it is more difficult to breathe!
Especially when hiking.
We saw lots of bear, elk, bobcat and deer tracks,
and fresh droppings from all these animals,
but never saw the real thing.

Lots of things to do, other than shooting pool:
Fly fishing (didn't catch anything),
vertical hiking (up to 11,000' level),
pistol shooting (40 cal.),
ATV adventures (way radical),
and teaching pool to my host on his new table.

Mostly, it was pool...

The Sorto String

Today's lesson consisted of a humbling 7-3 loss
in Masters' format (8 and 9 ball),
and a 100-57 loss in straight pool,
at the hands of El Maestro.
He seemed pleased with the new table.

For the ultimate in humility,
he challenged me again to practice
an exercise I call the "Sorto String".

Place the 1 ball on the cushion at the center of the foot rail,
and the other balls numbered 2-9 in sequence,
somewhat evenly spaced,
in a line extending through and past the foot spot.
Cue ball in hand on the first shot.
Now shoot all the balls into the same corner pocket.
On each shot the cue ball must touch the foot rail.
It is a foul to contact any other rail, or any other ball.

It took me a lot of shots just to get the right hit on the 1 ball.
And I can get to the 6 or 7 with some focus,
but I have yet to pocket all nine balls,
even after trying it at least 100 times.

The key to success with this exercise is precision position,
making minute adjustments to stroke and english as needed.

It seems easy for Tony,
but I have never seen anyone else do it.
He did it on his second try today.

------------------------------------

I finally achieved this exercise, and got it on video.
Click here for the video on youTube.com

The Sudden Emergence of An Over-Abundance of Players

El Maestro calls with news that
two friends want to join him during
his normal Saturday lesson with me.
They want to check out the new table.

Several emails arrive with offers to shoot pool
(on my new table of course).

Overload!!!

I suddenly realize that my priority
is to prepare for some upcoming tournaments.
That's one of the big reasons for
upgrading to the competition table.
I need to stay focused now more than ever.
All my non-practice time needs to be serious
challenge matches with superior players.

This will delay casual visits to "shoot some racks"
until after the first week of November.

Therefore, please accept this apology
for the delay in sharing this great new toy.
I hope you all will understand that the weeks ahead
deserve my total focus.

Namaste'

Gold Crown IV - Day Two: Buglets

Annoying tidbit:

The ball catchers at each pocket
allow the first ball in to
roll silently around the inside perimeter
for many seconds after the ball drops.
And then, quite unexpectedly,
when you are already down on your next shot,
you get this kerplunk sound as the ball finally
settles into the central depression.

I'm already thinking of solution for this,
but hate to spend time reinventing a
Delayed Kerplunk Prevention Device,
so if you know of a fix, please let me know.

Gold Crown IV - Day Two: Mikie Likes It!

Slicker'n weasel snot!
That's my picturesque description of
the playing surface on my new Gold Crown IV
with fresh Simonis 860.

Fast, yes. But also slippery, like a road with icy patches.
Unexpected results. Challenging. And fun!

And it feels Oh, so Gooooooooooood.

Gold Crown IV - Day One

A brand new out of the box(es) Gold Crown IV
was just installed in Mikie's Fun House this afternoon.

They were still hanging the bridge holders
when Terry The Installer says
"It's ok to shoot some balls, if you want..."

And I start thinking
Hmmmm.... the first ball I shoot on my new table...
that could be an omen, maybe...
so maybe I should be sure to make it...
so maybe I should line up an easy one...
but instead, I set up an obscene reverse cut, long...
and then I wail at it and it drops like it was going home!

Now there's an omen I can like!

First impressions are that the new 860 Simonis
is like shooting on ice.
Balls noticeably skid when hit.
Draw is effortless.
All ball action is magnified a lot.
I have to dial back on stroke.
(It almost looks like I *have* a stroke!)

The table looks a lot better than I thought it would.
Overall I am very pleased,
but this is only day one.
Stay tuned for detail reports.