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Long Kicks

This is series of shots I made during a solo practice session several weeks ago at SoHo Billiards. For the most part, I'm going to let the diagrams speak for themselves (as always, click to enlarge). Whenever I go in to practice I always find myself practicing safeties. This time was no different, and getting out of this initial safety (shot #1) turned into a really interesting and challenging scenario. I would've loved to have been with another person to discuss this. In my opinion, shot #4 is the best shot of the series. Sure, #2 and #3 were nicely made kick shots (albeit at pocket hangers), but the aim and speed on #4 had to be just right. After #4 is where I went against my own rule that I always tell my teammates, which is "Don't try to be a hero." In #5 the angle on the kick was way too thin and I ended up hitting the 8 first and breaking up the cluster. Instead, before taking #5 would it have made more sense to just pick up the cue ball and hand it over (or, to take it back one step, doing the same after shot number #2)? Or how about about intentionally shooting the cue ball into the 8 and nudging it closer to the 2 ball? Lots of scenarios, lots of outcomes.

M1-5 Lounge

I would say there are three main kinds of pool bars. One is the kind of place that you try to frequent as often as possible, and perhaps might even do so without any desire to play pool. Those are very rare. Second is the kind of place that you hear about, visit once and never return. Those are pretty common, but still important. Then there's a third kind of place, the kind of venue that stays on your radar for a while, a place you might visit three times in four years. Down in Tribeca, at 52 Walker Street between Church and Broadway, is one such place. It's called M1-5 Lounge. I've been there three times. The first time was probably in 2006 or so to check the place out because I had seen it listed as a venue on an APA league schedule. The second time was soon thereafter when some friends of mine in a band were performing there. Then a few weeks ago I was at a nearby bar, Whiskey Tavern, with my friend Richard Khavkine, when we decided to have a nightcap and a game of pool there.

Walking by M1-5, you could easily pass it. From the sidewalk you can't really see inside because there's enclosed foyer/hallway area. The only thing that might give it away is people smoking outside, or the doorman checking IDs. Upon entering the space you quickly see that it is absolutely cavernous. I'm guessing it's in the range of 4,000 square feet, with super high ceilings to boot. During my recent visit, the place was not very busy. We had the pool table all to ourselves for several games but eventually it filled up and we began to get some challenges for the table, via quarters placed along the rail. Two women in their very early 20s wanted to play pool, but didn't want anything to do with playing doubles with two very old dudes. I did what any gentleman would do and gave them the table to let them deal with whose quarters were whose.

I definitely recommend a visit to M1-5 at lease once. The place is pretty dark but it's spacious and the seating around the pool table is very comfortable. I recommend it for a neighborhood pool tour, perhaps including other nearby bars such as Toad Hall and Tribeca Tavern. A nice review of M1-5 by Ethan Wolff's for NYMag can be read here.

Kick out of safety to (fluked) return safety

This is one of the more difficult shots I've ever attempted to diagram. A lot of it, in terms of ball routes, is improvised. But the gist is that it was an amazing shot to witness, even if it was somewhat of a lucky roll. This is a shot my teammate Adam made a couple weeks ago during our final match of the winter league session. He was on stripes and his opponent had just played a safe off the 3 ball, leaving Adam blind on his 14. My teammate Josh and I were sort of muttering to one another about what we thought he should do. My idea was that Adam should go for the kick but do it softly so as not to break up the 14 and the 8, so that even if he didn't make contact it would be no big deal. Josh was thinking Adam should be more blatant about it and just pick up the cue ball and hand it to the other player. Adam declined a coach and went for it, missing his ball entirely and scratching into the nearby corner pocket. With ball in hand, his opponent played another safety, effectively giving Adam another chance at the same shot he had just taken. So Adam lined up the shot, hitting it fairly firmly as I recall. I can't remember if the 14 was frozen (I don't think it was) but the cue ball double-kissed off of it and then went two rails–again, hard to diagram from memory. The 14 went somewhere in the middle of the table. All I remember is watching the cue ball roll slowly back to rest more or less where the 14 had been a few seconds earlier. But it actually ended up closer to the 8, leaving his opponent in a far more difficult bind than Adam had been in. So with ball in hand Adam ran the table out to put us up two games to nothing. I had played a strong match earlier, defeating my opponent three games straight. Adam's win gave us the momentum to close it out, and we ended up taking the evening 3-2 in the fourth and final match (we only had four players for the whole night). It felt fantastic. Because not only did they have their entire roster present (playing on their home table, I might add) but they were the top-ranked team. We ended up not getting the postseason wildcard but we did end up with a winning season, 8-6.

Doghouse Saloon

I've been sitting on this picture of the pool table at Doghouse Saloon since around mid-October or so. The quick back story for you is that I had walked by a week or so earlier, noticed a new sportsbar-type sign posted outside and a couple construction guys standing by the entrance having a smoke. They were in the process of renovating Annex and transforming it into Doghouse. I asked by chance if there was to be a pool table and they confirmed this.

So several days later I was killing time on a Friday night before going out to a party in Williamsburg. As I recall it was quite early, maybe not even 6:30PM, when I went in. The only people there were a couple guys playing beer bong on the ground floor. I was happy to discover the pool table was in an upstairs game room area. I quickly grabbed a beer and played a solo game and that was that. The table was in excellent shape, although it cost two dollars per game to play on it. The space immediately reminded me of a double-wide, frattier version of The Skinny just up the street on Orchard. By the way, Doghouse is at 152 Orchard, a few doors above Rivington Street. Combined with Sixth Ward and Lucky Jack's, I'd definitely say this pretty much cements Orchard Street's status as the most pool-friendly street on the Lower East Side. For a more in-depth breakdown of the Annex-Doghouse transition, check out the excellent neighborhood blog Bowery Boogie. (Note: the image above is an assembled panoramic from two separate photographs)

Kick out of safety to 8-ball bankshot

I have to hand it to my opponent, Jay Transue, who made this amazing shot last night during our match at O'Hanlons Bar. Neither of us had our own cue, nor teammates, so we were sharing a house cue and marking our own innings. It was a race to three games and I think at this point we were tied one apiece. I was on the 8 ball and could have banked it cross side, but I decided to play a safety instead. So I hit into the 8 softly and had it come off the rail and stop perfectly between the 7 and the cue ball, leaving him no access to his 7 ball. So as I'm taking a sip from my beer thinking I've Got This In The Bag, he's looking over the kick shot. I thought he'd have little difficulty making contact with the 7, so I wasn't quite preparing for ball in hand. But not only did he make contact with the 7, he drilled it into the far corner. The cue ball rolled downtable and stopped across from the 8. My diagram might be off, I think the 8 might've been closer to the rail, but no matter because he made that shot, too. In the next game I had an early 8, losing the match 3-1. He bought me a consolation shot and I toasted something to the effect of "I'll lose like that any day of the week." Nice game, Jay.

40C is now Batista

Several weeks ago I noticed that a new venue had been added to our fall session APA roster. The name of the bar, Batista, was unfamiliar, but the address, 40 Avenue C (at 3rd Street), definitely rang a bell. That's because the bar located at 40 Avenue C used to be called 40C and had since been renovated and renamed Batista (you can click here to read my brief review of 40C, from nearly three years ago). I'm a few months behind in reporting this, and many thanks to EV Grieve for the information. According to a photo posted on EV Grieve, of a note posted to the front door, here's what the situation at 40 Avenue C was as of August 14, 2009:

"Thank you for coming to 40C....

You may notice some changes over the next few weeks: we are busy transforming 40C into our new vision, "Batista." This new space will become an L.E.S interpretation of a 1950s Havana Cafe & Bar. Batista will retain all of the energy that 40C had, but with a new look, some food and lighter atmosphere.

So there you have it. I learned that the Monday team now playing at Batista is a recently relocated team, from ten or so blocks up Loisaida Avenue, where they used to play at Musical Box. I'm not so sure about the intended "1950s Havana" vibe at Batista, but the atmosphere is definitely lighter now than when it was 40C. Actually, the very first place I was reminded of walking into Batista was Whiskey Ward. The two bars share nearly identical layouts: bar on the right, seating all along the left, high ceilings, exposed brick walls, DJ area and restrooms in the back near the pool table.