VNEA League Week 4

This was my second week playing in the VNEA bar box 8 ball league since I missed the first two weeks. It's still a little weird playing four games, one game at a time, but at least it makes for shorter nights than other formats. I made a crucial mistake in one my matches because I didn't realize how easily the side pockets accepted balls. You can fire them in from sharp angles and they'll still go down. I ended up trying to slow roll a ball and ended up scratching giving up that game.

In the last game of the night, for me and my team, I ended up with ball in hand in the following situation (I had stripes):


I'm sure I didn't pick through all of my options all that well, but I ended up shooting this:



Just to get the 13 out of there and leaving the 8 covered up. I ended up leaving a long 1 rail kick, but my opponent missed, and after I dogged a few more shots, he also missed the 1 rail kick a few more times before I finally got out.

Anyways, I ended up winning 3 of my games and losing 1. Realistically, I should have gone 2-2 since one of my opponent's slow rolled the 8 ball which was on a direct line for the corner pocket, but ended up not hitting a rail giving me ball in hand with only one my balls still up. The team won 10-0 again. My captain thinks he'll bump my handicap up though, so that might change things.

Trick Shot Magic 2014

ESPN's Trick Shot Magic took place on October 9, 2014 at Harrah's Resort in San Diego, CA. A four-man field battled out for supremacy including Florian Kohler, Nick Nikolaidas, Andy Segal, and Gabi Visoiu. This was reduced from the typical eight man tournament, but there was no shortage of action.

In the first semifinal, Andy "The Magic Man" Segal took on Nick "Quick Nick" Nikolaidas. They share 5 WPA World Championships between them, including the last 4 in a row, so the heat was on from the get go. The tight match ended 8-8 and went to a sudden death tiebreaker featuring an 9 rail bank on to a hundred dollar bill. Segal got inches closer for the victory and a spot in the finals!

In the second semifinal, two of Europe's finest (and World Cup teammates) took battle with Gabi "Mr. Perfect" Visoiu taking on Florian "Venom" Kohler. The match started out tight and was 5-5 by the midway point. Kohler then started to pull away in the second half of the match to take a 10-7 victory!

With Segal and Kohler in the finals, everyone was on the edge of their seats! Segal though took an early lead and while Kohler fought valiantly, he never closed the gap completely and Segal took a 9-7 victory to claim his fourth Trick Shot Magic championship in a row!

The 2014 Trick Shot Magic will be airing on the ESPN networks on December 28sometime in November. Stay tuned for future updates!

How To Do Trick Shots

In December, Dr. Cue held Artistic Cup 7 in Florida, the first one on 9-ft pool tables, featuring a beginner-friendly shot program. While I was unable to attend, I put together these video walkthroughs and tutorials so other players could see how I shoot each shot and perhaps help them out in the competition. If anyone is interested in playing in tournaments, this is a great place to start. So download the program and watch the videos on a non-mobile device to see the overlays and click through all of the shots to get some expert tips and advice!