Pool Club

On April 11, Jokers Wild won nine and lost only four games against the Ball Busters in Pool Tournament play. Ren Villenueva scored five points, winning both his singles games, while teammate Steve Mitchell pitched in with four points. This moved Jokers Wild into second place, only six games behind the Favorites. The Favorites took a fourgame lead over Team Five and hung on to edge them 7-6. The Favorites won five of its six singles games. The Pocket Rockets also got out to a fast start over Beat the House, winning four of its first five games, but losing its last two games to win 7-6. Bob Barnum and George Gordon both won four games for the Pocket Rockets. Ticket to Ride won 10-3 over Side Pocket. Connie Terry, a much-improved player, won all seven of her games for Ticket to Ride, moving the team up to fourth place in the standings.

One reason the group plays both nine- and eight-ball is because the two games require different skills and strategies. It is easier to make a ball on the break in nine-ball, but a player always has to shoot the lowestnumbered ball on the table.

In eight ball, a player can have as many as seven different balls to shoot. Because there’s only one ball to shoot in nine-ball, it’s easier to play defensively. Playing both will improve a person’s game.

—Dave Silva