Just a quick report...

Team -- 8:30 pm  -- Shot had a lot more hook than I expected.  I was lazy and only brought 1 ball (elite black label) and it seemed to be almost too much ball.  Don't mistake hook for miss room though.  Anything outside of the back right marker was dead.  Anything just on it or within a board or 2 at the breakpoint was usually good, and if it started hooking earlier than that or was inside was through the face.  I was sliding about 27 playing 17 to 12 and had a good look when I could hit it.  Spare were my (our) downfall.  Shot 564 with 230 the third game..  We will be just below the low to cash line (i belive) with just under 2700

S/D -- 11:40am -- This shot had a ton of hook up front, and I didn't have near the right ball.  Black Label read way too early for me.  There was still no miss room right, and the same marker was still the desired breakpoint.  I tried to get way in without much success, mostly due to consistency problems (varying reasons.. knee pains, hungover, tired etc..lol)  We had some guys shoot well here though.  Though they had lower revs and better equipment than me.  1 guy went 675/605 and another went 582/637.

I really believe there will be some scores shot this year.  If you can shoot spares and avoid the uglys (I had 15 or 16 splits), 3500+ could be shot in team..  Fresh shot seemed a lot more playable to me than any of the other 3 or 4 years I have gone.  We had 1 guy shoot 1808 in AE and lost money in brackets ($280 back $300 in), of course he mixed in a 157 the middle game of doubles.   Picking up at binions seemed like no big deal to me, but then again we had a car.  It is about a $22 cab ride from there to mid-strip though, so I can see it being a bit of a pain.

Otherwise Vegas was as ridiculous as it always is.  12 hours of sleep in 5 nights, lots of eating and drinking and gambling, and St Patricks day was crazy.  Stayed at the Flamingo, nice location, nice pool area, and nice enough room.  Ate at their steakhouse one night, expensive but very good.  Also ate at Texas de Brazil and Diablo's Cantina.  Played golf at the Badlands.. $105 after 1 and free rental clubs for bowlers, so that wasn't bad.

Good times had by all, so maybe we will do Reno again next year..

Edited on 3/19/2009 9:45 AM

My Black Label was at 1000 with just a touch of polish.  I wish I had a bit more surface for team to get a slightly earlier read and a bit less surface for S/D for later

The guy who went 675/605 was throwing a pretty tracked up Black Widow with no more than a matte finish on it and I would guess it was around 2000.  Tweener with moderate speed and just had a great look.  He missed 8 or 9 single pins and a few other spare otherwise he is close to 2000 A/E.  He missed 2 ten pins in doubles and had 28 clean...3 in singles and had 26 clean

Other guy is more of a stroker with higher speed and was mostly throwing a Swamp Monster at 1000 and an old Columbia Aftershock.  His breakpoint was a bit inside of everyone elses but only by a board or 2.

The key really was that marker on the 10 board.  If you could get the ball to start turning left right at that point or just after (or a board or 2 inside), it was in the pocket.  Carry, completely different story.  But do not miss out...Even the biggest crankers we watched couldn't bring it back from outside of about 9.  There was a shot up 3-4, but you had to be dead on and couldn't swing at all.

Thanks for the post.
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