Would you help your opponent??

KRJ

Support UKRAINE
Silver Member
OK, playing in league last night. It's a tough league, with 16 teams, and cash payouts. It is a "house league" that is sanctioned by ACS.

We are in 4th place, playing the 3rd place team, about mid season.

So, the other team is full of A players and a couple of strong B players, like most of the teams at the top.

I'm playing one of their top guys, and after his first shot, the cb gets right next to an object ball, so know he was to jack way up, but can't reach it... then begins looking for the bridge.

And I smile, cause I know the house bridge when turned sideways really suck as the cue slips around. Well, when he finds the house cue starts to realize it sucks, my teammate chirps up and offers him his "moose head" bridge to shoot the shot and he shoots a perfect safety on me.

I give me teamate a look like "wtf" dude. And when I start examing the table I ask tell him the guy might need some chalk too, and if you don't mind if he uses your break cue in his next game.... kinda laughing about it, but a little pissed.

After the match my teammate tells me it is the classy thing to do....

I tell him it is NOT. Calling your own foul would be classy, helping him find the house bridge would be classy, or picking up the chalk that dropped from his pocket might be classy. OK, I still won the game and most likely why I laughed it off afterwards... but c'mon ??

Heck, I have a pro-adjustabridge but it is ONLY available to my team mates.... Just like my break stick... anyone can use it IF they are on my team....

So, the question is would you give your personal bridge to a guy you were playing in a competitive league ? Or just let him use the house bridge knowing the house bridge sucks... What say fellow AZB'ers ??
 
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real bartram

Real Cold Steel
Silver Member
OK, playing in league last night. It's a tough league, with 16 teams, and cash payouts. It is a "house league" that is sanctioned by ACS.

We are in 4th place, playing the 3rd place team, about mid season.

So, the other team is full of A players and a couple of strong B players, like most of the teams at the top.

I'm playing one of their top guys, and after his first shot, the cb gets right next to an object ball, so know he was to jack way up, but can't reach it... then begins looking for the bridge.

And I smile, cause I know the house bridge when turned sideways really suck as the cue slips around. Well, when he finds the house cue starts to realize it sucks, my teammate chirps up and offers him his "moose head" bridge to shoot the shot and he shoots a perfect safety on me.

I give me teamate a look like "wtf" dude. And when I start examing the table I ask tell him the guy might need some chalk too, and if you don't mind if he uses your break cue in his next game.... kinda laughing about it, but a little pissed.

After the match my teammate tells me it is the classy thing to do....

I tell him it is NOT. Calling your own foul would be classy, helping him find the house bridge would be classy, or picking up the chalk that dropped from his pocket might be classy. OK, I still won the game and most likely why I laughed it off afterwards... but c'mon ??

Heck, I have a pro-adjustabridge but it is ONLY available to my team mates.... Just like my break stick... anyone can use it IF they are on my team....

So, the question is would you give your personal bridge to a guy you were playing in a competitive league ? Or just let him use the house bridge knowing the house bridge sucks... What say fellow AZB'ers ??

i would offer to let him use it
unless for some reason you cant stand him.
 

VIProfessor

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
OK, playing in league last night. It's a tough league, with 16 teams, and cash payouts. It is a "house league" that is sanctioned by ACS.

We are in 4th place, playing the 3rd place team, about mid season.

So, the other team is full of A players and a couple of strong B players, like most of the teams at the top.

I'm playing one of their top guys, and after his first shot, the cb gets right next to an object ball, so know he was to jack way up, but can't reach it... then begins looking for the bridge.

And I smile, cause I know the house bridge when turned sideways really suck as the cue slips around. Well, when he finds the house cue starts to realize it sucks, my teammate chirps up and offers him his "moose head" bridge to shoot the shot and he shoots a perfect safety on me.

I give me teamate a look like "wtf" dude. And when I start examing the table I ask tell him the guy might need some chalk too, and if you don't mind if he uses your break cue in his next game.... kinda laughing about it, but a little pissed.

After the match my teammate tells me it is the classy thing to do....

I tell him it is NOT. Calling your own foul would be classy, helping him find the house bridge would be classy, or picking up the chalk that dropped from his pocket might be classy. OK, I still won the game and most likely why I laughed it off afterwards... but c'mon ??

Heck, I have a pro-adjustabridge but it is ONLY available to my team mates.... Just like my break stick... anyone can use it IF they are on my team....

So, the question is would you give your personal bridge to a guy you were playing in a competitive league ? Or just let him use the house bridge knowing the house bridge sucks... What say fellow AZB'ers ??

Excuse me? Help an opponent beat me with my own equipment? NOT!! :)
 

ronscuba

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I would lend him my bridge if he asked. My reasoning is the house bridge is supposed to be in good functioning order.

Some of my team mates would get upset at me too.

What if the house had no bridge at all ? Would people handle it the same way ?
 
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KRJ

Support UKRAINE
Silver Member
I would lend him my bridge if he asked. My reasoning is the house bridge is supposed to be in good functioning order.

Some of my team mates would get upset at me too.

OK, the bridge was in good functioning order, it was just a design flaw, that is how it was made... but is was NOT broken....
 

Maniac

2manyQ's
Silver Member
For time-saving purposes, I have let opponents use my moosehead bridge instead of watching them for 5 minutes while they fumble around digging theirs out of their case and look for a house cue without a slip-on ferrule to put it on.

FTR, I have helped lower-skilled opponents with the correct shot to take AGAINST me in some small, local tournaments I have played in the past.

Maniac (it's just a game)
 

FranCrimi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If that happened to me, I would think my teammate wanted me to lose that game. I would not be happy about it. I think you're right. It's beyond courteous.
 

bfdlad

T-Wheels
Silver Member
I would like to say yes I would help. However he didn't have the equiptment that you were wise enough to be prepared to have on hand. So its his fault. For example if you have a shitty house cue and your opponent has a top of the line Tonkin Cue, do you think he would let you borrow it cos you had a crap cue? I am a nice guy I may be inclined to still let him use it so I could say I beat the guy fair and square without any "Well if I only had a bridge I would have won" Maybe it would make it more of a legit win. JMO
 

sfleinen

14.1 & One Pocket Addict
Gold Member
Silver Member
For time-saving purposes, I have let opponents use my moosehead bridge instead of watching them for 5 minutes while they fumble around digging theirs out of their case and look for a house cue without a slip-on ferrule to put it on.

FTR, I have helped lower-skilled opponents with the correct shot to take AGAINST me in some small, local tournaments I have played in the past.

Maniac (it's just a game)

I agree. Additionally, I approach this from a straight pool attitude -- that one shot you need my bridge for, is just one shot out of 150 that you need to beat me. In the grand scheme of things, that's small potatoes. "Feh, here, use my Corona leather bridge or even my London Bridge -- I'll even offer your choice of what you want to use!"

I've also, with weaker opponents, offered assistance in what to do (against me, against myself) when they asked.

And you know what? Karma goes a long way. When they pull off a shot I suggested, and notice the good results they got, or when they use your break cue, and really like it -- they'll remember how much "for the game" you are. You'll become a respected *person* in that pool hall, and not just a player.

People seem to forget that -- there's much more to the player, than just the player. There's a person behind that player.

-Sean
 

Quesports

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was on the table next to RJ last night and know all the players on both teams very well. To put things in proper perspective this league is super strong. BCA champions and top level players in the Chicago area come to this league to play each other. One miss here and you could be done. I have given RJ and others on his team help in the past but not during matches so I have to side with RJ here due to the fact they were playing at the time. Everyone here knows the supplied bridges suck that is why most of the strong players have there own. The other team knows this as well so I would have let him suffer with the house bridge and learn his lesson. Helping your opponent beat you during a match by lending him equipment is not something I would have done given the fact they all know the bridges suck. Hope you guys won last night RJ we went 4-2 and are 1/2 round out of first place.. C U next week!
Dan
 

smoooothstroke

JerLaw
Silver Member
If my teamate is playing I would not offer the bridge to his opponent but if he asked I would say yes.

If my teamate offered the bridge to my opponent I would not even give it a second thought.I can honestly say this would not bother me in the least.

If I am playing and I see my opponenet searching for a crappy house bridge,I might offer him a better one,or I may not,depending on who it is.Most likely I would offer the good bridge.

If I am the player who is about to shoot safe over a ball and all there is is a crappy metal bar bridge then I might ask "does anyone have a good bridge I can use?"
 

smoooothstroke

JerLaw
Silver Member
stab in the dark

I was on the table next to RJ last night and know all the players on both teams very well. To put things in proper perspective this league is super strong. BCA champions and top level players in the Chicago area come to this league to play each other. One miss here and you could be done. I have given RJ and others on his team help in the past but not during matches so I have to side with RJ here due to the fact they were playing at the time. Everyone here knows the supplied bridges suck that is why most of the strong players have there own. The other team knows this as well so I would have let him suffer with the house bridge and learn his lesson. Helping your opponent beat you during a match by lending him equipment is not something I would have done given the fact they all know the bridges suck. Hope you guys won last night RJ we went 4-2 and are 1/2 round out of first place.. C U next week!
Dan

Chicago Dan?
 

sfleinen

14.1 & One Pocket Addict
Gold Member
Silver Member
If that happened to me, I would think my teammate wanted me to lose that game. I would not be happy about it. I think you're right. It's beyond courteous.

If the player offered his/her equipment to the opponent, that's strictly up to him/her -- and the teammates have no right to intervene.

But if the flipside were true if your teammate ponied-up equipment without your say-so (as the OP mentions), then yes, some words should be said to that teammate (in private) so that it doesn't happen again.

It is also true that if "all the bridges suck" in an establishment -- and everyone knows it -- it's on the player to have made adjustments to his/her situation by having adequate replacement equipment on-hand -- even if he/she has to borrow from his/her own teammates. Not have to rely upon the opposing team (and especially those not in the match to begin with) to pony them up.

-Sean
 

swest

goldmember
Silver Member
If my teamate is playing I would not offer the bridge to his opponent but if he asked I would say yes.

Agreed. Too easy to inject yourself into a game that belongs to those two players.

If my teamate offered the bridge to my opponent I would not even give it a second thought.I can honestly say this would not bother me in the least.

If I am playing and I see my opponenet searching for a crappy house bridge,I might offer him a better one,or I may not,depending on who it is.Most likely I would offer the good bridge.

If I am the player who is about to shoot safe over a ball and all there is is a crappy metal bar bridge then I might ask "does anyone have a good bridge I can use?"

Absolutely.

Maniac said:
it's just a game
 
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