Nitty or not?

Woof Biscuit

Woof Biscuit

and gravy
Silver Member
Yesterday I walked into the pool hall around 2:00 (just when it opens). There was only one other guy in the room that was playing. I went in to play the ghost some during off hours when it is usually pretty peaceful. I start to take my cues out of the case and put them together when the guy asks me if I want to play some. I say, "sure, I will play. Did you want to play for fun or bet something?" I know the guy plays really well and will be almost like playing the ghost (which I have a shot at if I'm playing well). He says we can play $10 a game. I say OK. We play about 8 games and it's an absolute runout contest. He is up 3 games and I put down a 2 pack to pull within one. At that point, he says, my back is starting to hurt and I can only play one more game. We had only been playing for about 45 minutes and for some reason that really pissed me off. So I can break even or lose $20. I played the next game. I broke dry and he ran out. I paid off and that was that.

I have a really hard time quitting when I'm ahead after a short period of time. If it's been a long session, that's one thing. I guess he gave me a shot to get even but I'm not sure if I will play him again. Am I out of line here? I really want honest opinions and I am listening. It just didn't seem right to me. Maybe, that's because I was really enjoying the competition and didn't want to quit, but I don't know?
 
If I think I will have a problem with my back {I'm disabled, partly because of my back} I'll tell my opponent I may have to quit early, win or lose, because of it. It's up to you, I guess, what you'll do if he wants to play again. I'd remind him of it, though;)
Whether it's right or not.....well....
 
Sounds like to me, the guy saw he was in a way tougher game than he thought he was gonna be in and wanted out. If thats the case, he should have waited until you guys were back even before he quit. JMO.
 
Jadssons said:
Sounds like to me, the guy saw he was in a way tougher game than he thought he was gonna be in and wanted out. If thats the case, he should have waited until you guys were back even before he quit. JMO.
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That was my thought too, Jad. The only reason I even asked what others thought was the fact that he gave me that one last game to get even. But when I put the heat on him, he pulled up. I think it's a very fair game. Neither of us have to win.

Like you said, Pushout, if I do play him again; I will probably end up saying something in a friendly way about it.
 
Really? To me if I'm playing with a guy for $10/game, we're just playing for fun. If he wants to quit after 45 min. I'm perfectly okay with that.

I hate that everyone feels that I need to give everyone a chance to get back to even. What the hell is that anyway? If we play 10 racks and you're down and I don't feel like playing anymore why should I have to? We didn't specify how many racks we were going to play in the beginning.

If a guy wants to quit while he's ahead it really doesn't bother me at all. Especially if we're talking about $10 games. So you are upset because you lost $20 or what? What did you want the outcome to be? You play for hours and hours on end just because he wanted to play a few games?

I'm not a marathon player and I don't feel obligated to play until the losing party is satisfied.
 
Laser, I certainly see your point. I guess I shouldn't have broke dry. For the record, it is not about the money, that's for sure. It's the principle of winning or losing to me. It just stung. Maybe I'm a sore loser? Having said that, I never let him or anyone else think that I was pissed. I shook his hand and said something to the effect of, "Wow! That was a shoot out. Nice playing.".

I think the moral of the story may be, to get all of that out in the open before the first break.
 
Having a bad back I likely have bias and sympathy towards your opponent. I also don't see a problem if it's a situation where the stakes are low and you are playing by the game..

However before I know enough to make the Nitty call what happened after he quit you?

Did he continue to practice or did he break the cues down and leave?? Did he start playing again after a break and not ask to start back up?

Most players I know that go in for afternoon sessions aren't planning on just a 45 minute or so stint at the tables....
 
Yeah, and fortunately I have been around enough and been through it enough times, I always tell the other play I'm willing to play a FEW games. I usually don't play for longer than an hour at a time as I usually lose interest. After 15 years of playing I just don't enjoy 4 and 5 hour runs at it anymore.

I certainly don't think you're alone in feeling the way that you do, it's just part of the culture and regular etiquette that I know going into it so I usually specify.

If it's just for a fwe bucks I'll usually just cover the table time so the loser doesn't feel robbed or gipped. It's all fun and games anyway, so it when it ceases to be fun or interesting I generally quit.
 
The Renfro said:
Having a bad back I likely have bias and sympathy towards your opponent. I also don't see a problem if it's a situation where the stakes are low and you are playing by the game..

However before I know enough to make the Nitty call what happened after he quit you?

Did he continue to practice or did he break the cues down and leave?? Did he start playing again after a break and not ask to start back up?

Most players I know that go in for afternoon sessions aren't planning on just a 45 minute or so stint at the tables....
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Ren, he broke it down and left. I know that he had just got there since they had just opened the doors when I showed up.

Thanks, Laser. I just need to be more clear next time. It was a good game and tough competition. At least you can see where I'm coming from a little and are upfront with your opponents. I played steady for about 13 years then put it down for 5. I just got back into it heavy the last 2 years and I have the "fire" right now.:thumbup:
 
next time you play:

Not knocking on you(believe me) but next time you play get a belt and tighten it so tight around your lower back you can barely breathe then play pool for an hour!Come back and post to how you feel when its over.....I deal with it any time I do anything....
 
I hear ya! Thank goodness that's one ailment that I don't have. I know it's nothing to joke about. I hear it is extremely painful.
 
An early quit is the mark of the nit!

laserbrn said:
Really? To me if I'm playing with a guy for $10/game, we're just playing for fun. If he wants to quit after 45 min. I'm perfectly okay with that.

I hate that everyone feels that I need to give everyone a chance to get back to even. What the hell is that anyway? If we play 10 racks and you're down and I don't feel like playing anymore why should I have to? We didn't specify how many racks we were going to play in the beginning.

If a guy wants to quit while he's ahead it really doesn't bother me at all. Especially if we're talking about $10 games. So you are upset because you lost $20 or what? What did you want the outcome to be? You play for hours and hours on end just because he wanted to play a few games?

I'm not a marathon player and I don't feel obligated to play until the losing party is satisfied.
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I believe that the "my back is tired, this is the last game" was most likely an attempt to get out once it became apparent that this was not going to be an occasion for effortless robbery. I have back problems, and I can say that it's rather rare for pains to develop "all of a sudden," and it becomes suspiciously similar to an excuse when the pains develop just as the opponent is running racks to wipe out a lead.

In addition, I would like to further comment on the sentiment expressed above which stated, in effect, that "I can quit when I want to." No one (at least here) is going to force you to stay in a game, although you should be advised that trying this (quitting ahead without notice) in the wrong room could turn ugly in a hurry. However, I would like to submit this for your consideration in terms of the future consequences, both for the individual player and for action in general.

The time-honored tradition of not quitting ahead has profound implications both in terms of "honor" and practicality. First, it has been understood from the earliest days that when two players match up it's a war of attrition in which stamina and the ability to break down or outlast an opponent is part of the equation. In more practical terms, however, if it becomes normal to assume that a player will not be afforded at least the opportunity to try and struggle back to ahead or to even after falling behind by a few barrels, then action is diminished everywhere because no one but a fool will even consider continuing to play if they fall behind because they will know that there's no way to recover and turn the tables. When you quit ahead, you not only go against the traditions of our sport, but you severely hamper the ability to rack up winnings in the future--both for yourself and others who the unfortunate loser will play encounter in subsequent sessions. At the very least, notify the opponent, at the very beginning, that you will only play for a limited amount of time. Or, of course, you can prepare to be labeled as a nit among nits. It's up to you. :cool:

And BTW, "fun" sessions of $10 dollar nine-ball have started the ball rolling on countless four and five-figure scores!
 
VIProfessor said:
I believe that the "my back is tired, this is the last game" was most likely an attempt to get out once it became apparent that this was not going to be an occasion for effortless robbery. I have back problems, and I can say that it's rather rare for pains to develop "all of a sudden," and it becomes suspiciously similar to an excuse when the pains develop just as the opponent is running racks to wipe out a lead.

In addition, I would like to further comment on the sentiment expressed above which stated, in effect, that "I can quit when I want to." No one (at least here) is going to force you to stay in a game, although you should be advised that trying this (quitting ahead without notice) in the wrong room could turn ugly in a hurry. However, I would like to submit this for your consideration in terms of the future consequences, both for the individual player and for action in general.

The time-honored tradition of not quitting ahead has profound implications both in terms of "honor" and practicality. First, it has been understood from the earliest days that when two players match up it's a war of attrition in which stamina and the ability to break down or outlast an opponent is part of the equation. In more practical terms, however, if it becomes normal to assume that a player will not be afforded at least the opportunity to try and struggle back to ahead or to even after falling behind by a few barrels, then action is diminished everywhere because no one but a fool will even consider continuing to play if they fall behind because they will know that there's no way to recover and turn the tables. When you quit ahead, you not only go against the traditions of our sport, but you severely hamper the ability to rack up winnings in the future--both for yourself and others who the unfortunate loser will play encounter in subsequent sessions. At the very least, notify the opponent, at the very beginning, that you will only play for a limited amount of time. Or, of course, you can prepare to be labeled as a nit among nits. It's up to you. :cool:

And BTW, "fun" sessions of $10 dollar nine-ball have started the ball rolling on countless four and five-figure scores!
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I totaly agree with this. I am 51 years old and have been playing pool for 30+ years. I can remember when quitting ahead meant splitting your head. I feel that the etiquette has changed over the years and today it is a good idea to set time frames before you start playing. If someone quits me winner, I just chalk it up as payment for info on that person's character and never give them action again.
 
An early quit is the mark of the nit!

laserbrn said:
Really? To me if I'm playing with a guy for $10/game, we're just playing for fun. If he wants to quit after 45 min. I'm perfectly okay with that.

I hate that everyone feels that I need to give everyone a chance to get back to even. What the hell is that anyway? If we play 10 racks and you're down and I don't feel like playing anymore why should I have to? We didn't specify how many racks we were going to play in the beginning.

If a guy wants to quit while he's ahead it really doesn't bother me at all. Especially if we're talking about $10 games. So you are upset because you lost $20 or what? What did you want the outcome to be? You play for hours and hours on end just because he wanted to play a few games?

I'm not a marathon player and I don't feel obligated to play until the losing party is satisfied.
Click to expand...

I believe that the "my back is tired, this is the last game" was most likely an attempt to get out once it became apparent that this was not going to be an occasion for effortless robbery. I have back problems, and I can say that it's rather rare for pains to develop "all of a sudden," and it becomes suspiciously similar to an excuse when the pains develop just as the opponent is running racks to wipe out a lead.

In addition, I would like to further comment on the sentiment expressed above which stated, in effect, that "I can quit when I want to." No one (at least here) is going to force you to stay in a game, although you should be advised that trying this (quitting ahead without notice) in the wrong room could turn ugly in a hurry. However, I would like to submit this for your consideration in terms of the future consequences, both for the individual player and for action in general.

The time-honored tradition of not quitting ahead has profound implications both in terms of "honor" and practicality. First, it has been understood from the earliest days that when two players match up it's a war of attrition in which stamina and the ability to break down or outlast an opponent is part of the equation. In more practical terms, however, if it becomes normal to assume that a player will not be afforded at least the opportunity to try and struggle back to ahead or to even after falling behind by a few barrels, then action is diminished everywhere because no one but a fool will even consider continuing to play if they fall behind. When you quit ahead, you not only go against the traditions of our sport, but you severely hamper the ability to rack up winnings in the future--both for yourself and others who the unfortunate loser will encounter in subsequent sessions. At the very least, notify the opponent, at the very beginning, that you will only play for a limited amount of time. Or, of course, you can prepare to be labeled as a nit among nits. It's up to you. :cool:

And BTW, "fun" sessions of $10 dollar nine-ball have started the ball rolling on countless four and five-figure scores!
 
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Thanks for the comments, VIProf. That sums up how I felt. I intended to shoot 10 games at him. So he could have won at least $100. If I thought I could win, even after that, I had about $500 total on me that is my "gambling" bank roll for pool at the moment.
 
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My humble opinion

I think you should get an understanding before you break the first game. Thay way there are no surprises or misunderstandings. Did the guy need a reason to quit? Technically no. Was it bad for quite possibly. I guess we are all still operating under the gentleman rule, well at least in a few players minds. It dont matter if it was for 10 bucks or a dime a game, I think there is still a level of respect that we should practice. Say, he buddy i kinda have a bummed back and it tightens up on me after a short set, Or hey I have about an hour before I have to pick up my kids. That way you know what your getting into and there are no issues if you quit winner. I may be nuts, but thats they way I would do it.

FC
 
Back

Sometimes while playing my back will start to get sore sometimes it doesn't. After saying that if I was just playing for fun for $10 a game i wouldn't care when the guy quit.

I would worry more about it if I got ahead a game or two and he quit then. Then I would think he only had $20 or $30 dollars and was just taking an almost free shot at my bank roll. I would just ask my self if he is good ten dollar action for good practice or not to determine if I would play him again.
 
If he had been upping the bet and then quit I would probably be pissed. For a constant $10 per game, it wouldn't have bothered me.
 
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