Dear AZBilliards

[nicksaint26]

My experience

I live in Rhode Island and there are a lot of Open/A players and even a few pro's that play in the poolroom where I play(Snookers). I have had the exact opposite experience. A lot of these players including the pros are always willing to help and answer questions when not in matches etc. And if they are not gambling they will even play and practice with me for free. Mind you I am a lowly C- level player and they don't care or laugh when I screw up. It sounds like you are making generalizations about pool players everywhere based on your experiences from your state/area only. I don't think it is fair to say all pro's are jerks because they are jerks in Phoenix. Mike Dechaine and Tom "Shorty" D' Alfonso are two regulars and pro's who play at Snookers and I would call them both friends with Shorty being a good friend. We met and became friends from playing/taking about pool. They don't care that I am a lowly C level player but do care about helping me improve my game. I guess I am glad I don't live in Phoenix because I can see how what you have experienced can be frustrating. Keep your head up and stay positive because you are right it is only a game and most of us will only be average players.

 

[lstevedus]

I live in Rhode Island and there are a lot of Open/A players and even a few pro's that play in the poolroom where I play(Snookers). I have had the exact opposite experience. A lot of these players including the pros are always willing to help and answer questions when not in matches etc. And if they are not gambling they will even play and practice with me for free. Mind you I am a lowly C- level player and they don't care or laugh when I screw up. It sounds like you are making generalizations about pool players everywhere based on your experiences from your state/area only. I don't think it is fair to say all pro's are jerks because they are jerks in Phoenix. Mike Dechaine and Tom "Shorty" D' Alfonso are two regulars and pro's who play at Snookers and I would call them both friends with Shorty being a good friend. We met and became friends from playing/taking about pool. They don't care that I am a lowly C level player but do care about helping me improve my game. I guess I am glad I don't live in Phoenix because I can see how what you have experienced can be frustrating. Keep your head up and stay positive because you are right it is only a game and most of us will only be average players.

Nice post. Some areas are just tough to live in period.

 

[JasonCrugar]

Really, He came on here telling the forum to GO F*&% there selves.

Everyone deserves the respect that they themselves project.

He is frustrated from the poor treatment he has been given for a long time and vented about it. Would it be better to slam balls on the table or be a complete douche at a tourny and ruin other peoples fun? No he posted it in a forum to be discussed. He only name dropped one person and he is notorious for meltdowns or just being a dick.
If he wanted to just say go F yourself, it wouldnt have been such a long first post. In part I think he was just bringing up a subject that no one talks about, that bothers him. And should be brought up. I have seen firsthand what he has posted about.

 

[TSW]

Would it be better to slam balls on the table or be a complete douche at a tourny and ruin other peoples fun?

Why would he do this? Because he met pool players who are jerks? Pardon my French, but grow the f- up.

The world is full of jerks. Pool perhaps has more of them than some other pasttimes. Being a jerk yourself in response is not going to win you any friends.

 

[Cdryden]

the last thing i expect from pool players anymore is respect. and yes, most people here don't know me and have not wronged me. but this is bigger than me (and i'm a big guy)

this forum is full of posts raggin on recreational players, players playing with and on inferior equipment. full of people hating on tournaments meant for fun and little added money. look around...it's EVERYWHERE. the pool word is full of degenerate people that do EXACTLY what I'm talking about to other players on a constant basis.

so yes, very few people have wronged ME...but it happens to players like me all the time

I guess I don't really see it that way at all. I think this forum has tons of helpful content. You seem to seek out the negative parts that pertain to you and complain about them. You do realize that there are 46 sub forums here. The negative parts you are speaking of make up a small part of this site.

How much have you contributed here in a positive way?

I'm sorry you feel like the pool world has it out for you. But if you are a big boy like you say you are, you should realize that there are jerks in every walk of life and you are not improving your situation by cursing out an entire group for it.

 

[Cdryden]

He is frustrated from the poor treatment he has been given for a long time and vented about it. Would it be better to slam balls on the table or be a complete douche at a tourny and ruin other peoples fun? No he posted it in a forum to be discussed. He only name dropped one person and he is notorious for meltdowns or just being a dick.
If he wanted to just say go F yourself, it wouldnt have been such a long first post. In part I think he was just bringing up a subject that no one talks about, that bothers him. And should be brought up. I have seen firsthand what he has posted about.

Thats like going home and kicking your dog because your mad at someone at work. POINTLESS, and does little to solve the problem at hand.

Everyone needs to vent once in awhile, but it shouldn't be at the expense of others.

 

[Cdryden]

. In part I think he was just bringing up a subject that no one talks about, that bothers him. And should be brought up. I have seen firsthand what he has posted about.

And yet you didn't come on this forum and blame everyone else for your problems.

 

[Cracktherack]

APA players whine and think they need a handicap to play anybody. Even if they can run a few racks, they still whine and need a spot. They really crack a smile and grin from ear to ear when they're presented with a patch for their prestigous pool jacket. OK, here is a patch for making a hanger when you had ball in hand.
They bring shot clocks with them for amature night, crying towels, jumbo containers of baby powder and car wax to buff up their new Cuetec.
They look for the guy that can't make even 1 ball and ask him if he'd like to play for $20
They prefer music at full volume and like to rest their beer on the cloth of the best table. Many of the APA players are experts at cue twirling too. Yes, a masterful skill indeed. I give them credit for taking showers and putting on clean clothes. The dart league is unlike the APA players and have many members that haven't bathed in weeks.
It's no secret how a K9 dog could track one when you realize just how ripe they really are.
Well, if playing top players is a fearful thing for you, maybe it's best you stay on the porch if you can't run with the big dogs.

 

[Cdryden]

APA players whine and think they need a handicap to play anybody. Even if they can run a few racks, they still whine and need a spot. They really crack a smile and grin from ear to ear when they're presented with a patch for their prestigous pool jacket. OK, here is a patch for making a hanger when you had ball in hand.
They bring shot clocks with them for amature night, crying towels, jumbo containers of baby powder and car wax to buff up their new Cuetec.
They look for the guy that can't make even 1 ball and ask him if he'd like to play for $20
They prefer music at full volume and like to rest their beer on the cloth of the best table. Many of the APA players are experts at cue twirling too. Yes, a masterful skill indeed. I give them credit for taking showers and putting on clean clothes. The dart league is unlike the APA players and have many members that haven't bathed in weeks.
It's no secret how a K9 dog could track one when you realize just how ripe they really are.
Well, if playing top players is a fearful thing for you, maybe it's best you stay on the porch if you can't run with the big dogs.

And this crap is just as stupid as what the op posted in the first place. Why would you lump everyone into one category? There are some APA folks I know that are great people that are not like this at all. Quit thinking you are better than someone else because you are or are not APA or PRO or BCA or whatever.

 

[DaveK]

The games of pool provide me with great pleasure. Developing my stroke, learning new shots, gaining precision, all are great motivators and keep me smiling when I do well, and make me dig deeper when I do not. This is pool to me.

Leagues are full of people, some who have the same attitude as I, many who do not. I end up hanging around and playing individually the ones who have similar attitudes. In league I do not have any choice as to who I play. Fortunately there are many ways to deal with the negativity and idiots .... first and formost I enjoy playing pool, I do it for myself and nobody else. What others think of my game is immaterial to my enjoyment of the game. Learn that and you can play with anyone and it simply does not matter what their attitude may be.

Good luck with your pool game abie10.

Dave

 

[abie10]

I guess I don't really see it that way at all. I think this forum has tons of helpful content. You seem to seek out the negative parts that pertain to you and complain about them. You do realize that there are 46 sub forums here. The negative parts you are speaking of make up a small part of this site.

How much have you contributed here in a positive way?

I'm sorry you feel like the pool world has it out for you. But if you are a big boy like you say you are, you should realize that there are jerks in every walk of life and you are not improving your situation by cursing out an entire group for it.

you are choosing to polarize this as a shot at azbilliards... Which is my fault because of the bad choice of a post title. This was a shot at the pool community in general. Azbilliards isa great resource and tool that I enjoy and will always enjoy...

My apologies to those who thought this was a shot at azbilliards

 

[abie10]

APA players whine and think they need a handicap to play anybody. Even if they can run a few racks, they still whine and need a spot. They really crack a smile and grin from ear to ear when they're presented with a patch for their prestigous pool jacket. OK, here is a patch for making a hanger when you had ball in hand.
They bring shot clocks with them for amature night, crying towels, jumbo containers of baby powder and car wax to buff up their new Cuetec.
They look for the guy that can't make even 1 ball and ask him if he'd like to play for $20
They prefer music at full volume and like to rest their beer on the cloth of the best table. Many of the APA players are experts at cue twirling too. Yes, a masterful skill indeed. I give them credit for taking showers and putting on clean clothes. The dart league is unlike the APA players and have many members that haven't bathed in weeks.
It's no secret how a K9 dog could track one when you realize just how ripe they really are.
Well, if playing top players is a fearful thing for you, maybe it's best you stay on the porch if you can't run with the big dogs.

Nothing more really needs to be said... This post validated EVERYTHING I'm talking about

 

[hang-the-9]

I live in Rhode Island and there are a lot of Open/A players and even a few pro's that play in the poolroom where I play(Snookers). I have had the exact opposite experience. A lot of these players including the pros are always willing to help and answer questions when not in matches etc. And if they are not gambling they will even play and practice with me for free. Mind you I am a lowly C- level player and they don't care or laugh when I screw up. It sounds like you are making generalizations about pool players everywhere based on your experiences from your state/area only. I don't think it is fair to say all pro's are jerks because they are jerks in Phoenix. Mike Dechaine and Tom "Shorty" D' Alfonso are two regulars and pro's who play at Snookers and I would call them both friends with Shorty being a good friend. We met and became friends from playing/taking about pool. They don't care that I am a lowly C level player but do care about helping me improve my game. I guess I am glad I don't live in Phoenix because I can see how what you have experienced can be frustrating. Keep your head up and stay positive because you are right it is only a game and most of us will only be average players.

I have no idea how you got Shorty to say more than 3 words to you, he's the quietest guy in the place LOL He's like the anti-Super Dave.

Anyhoo, if you are a C player in Snookers, you need to practice more, playing with the people there should get your game up quick.

I'd say maybe 10% of people I've met that are at a top level that won't say anything to you unless you are better than them or are feeding them money in sets. Not really enough to say that the pool community sucks and is a locked door for new players.

 

[abie10]

And this crap is just as stupid as what the op posted in the first place. Why would you lump everyone into one category? There are some APA folks I know that are great people that are not like this at all. Quit thinking you are better than someone else because you are or are not APA or PRO or BCA or whatever.

I agree with this completely. I lumped all the higher rated players on one group because thats how we are looked at and talked about all the time. My post was definitely meant for a select group of people but I choose to lump them all in one

That doesn't make my point any less valid...

 

[Cdryden]

EDIT: Dear AZBilliards was admittedly a bad title for this post. As a resource, AZBilliards is amazing and I have nothing but good things to say. This post was meant to be directed to the pool community as a whole and not AZBilliards directly. My mistake

Thank you for ruining pool for me. Obviously this isn't meant for everyone in the community, but it is meant for a vast majority of you.

I started playing pool about 3 years ago. Joined an APA league and jumped in full force. It was fun. I met new people, I learned new things. I went out each week, had a couple beers and had some real fun.

But then, something weird happened. I found this site. It had a wealth of info...results, interviews...and then I found the forums. At first I was amazed...so many people discussing every single aspect of pool...from equipment to aiming to why pool isn't growing. I used to visit the site every day...trying to soak of info and tips and follow my favorite players.

I didn't know it then, but that was the downfall of pool for me. I started wanting to play better players...play on better equipment. At first it was awesome...but quickly things changed.

I started having "situations" with higher ranked players. They started telling me that I shouldn't be playing with them because I haven't "earned my time." Discouraging to say the least.

I kept reading the forums...reading the bashing of the league that I started in and still play in...the APA. I read so much that I, myself, started disliking the APA and all that they stand for. So I decided to leave it and play in the BCA...a local league here that was amongst the best ones in the area. I played...and I lost...a lot, but I didn't let that hold me back. I kept playing...I kept playing in higher ranked tournaments...I got slowly better.

The one thing I picked up from my time playing with the higher ranked players is the negativity. Nothing is ever right for them. They get mad cause lower ranked players get weight against them. They get mad cause lower ranked players pay lower entry fee's. They get mad because bars don't add money to their tournaments, or don't add enough money. In a word, entitlement.

I grew frustrated with the whole pool scene...started hating it. I didn't quit, but I didn't play very much at all. Then I realized that it all stopped being fun. So I went back to where pool was fun...and went back to playing in the APA and my friends...all of the sudden, I loved pool again.

There is a class system in pool. The APA is the lower class...the "99%" if you will. We are looked down upon because we play on inferior equipment with inferior rules for league operators who are in it for the money. Beer drinkers that play in bars with loud music and rowdy people. We play with handicaps because we aren't good enough for the "real" pool world. Meanwhile, the 1% are out there...playing on their diamond tables with their added money tournaments while they sip ice water and not support the rooms that add this money. It's entitlement at it's best.

"Pool players" feel like room and bar owners owe them the world. The nicest equipment with the nicest cloth. Massive amounts of added money and get rid of all the music and karaoke and people that make the room the money so they can play in quiet. Basically trying to get rid of players like me.

Please don't tell me or players like me that this isn't happening. I've experience this first hand here in Phoenix. I've been ridiculed for playing in the APA. I've been told by A players here in Phoenix that I shouldn't be playing them because I haven't earned my time like they have. Big time players like Scott Frost mocked me because they had to play me in a 9 ball tournament and made fun of me because "I had the gall to ask him to split quarters," for a tournament match.

Hell, I've even been turned away from a tournament because I'm not good enough. And when I do get to play, it's very uncomfortable. The higher rated players make me feel like it's a priviledge to play them. I shouldn't feel this way...but that's what you do.

In a nutshell, get over yourself. You can have your game...because that's all it is...a game. Or have you forgotten that? I will stick with the league that is ruining pool...even though it brings more and more people into it each year. I will stick with the inferior equipment and inferior rules and the loud music and beer drinking because I love where I play and want to support them as much as I can.

I want to go back to a place where the only complaining I hear about is the guys complaining that the wife barely let them come out to play tonight, not some entitled douche bags discussing the ins and outs of their $30 chalk or how this room sucks cause it has Valley's.

GFY...Yes I'm bitter, you ruined the game for me and a lot of others out there, but I'm going back to where it's fun...and will continue to teach my kids my horrible stroke and pool knowledge so they can have fun with this wonderful game. But I will never teach them to become a "pool player" because I don't really wish that on anyone anymore.

tl;dr - Pool used to be fun, I got serious like everyone here said I should and hated it. I'm going back to the APA.

Nothing more really needs to be said... This post validated EVERYTHING I'm talking about

Yes that person is an idiot for making a blanket assumption about everyone in the APA, but it has a familiar tone doesn't it? Kinda reminds me of the your 1st post here.

Don't be such a hypocrite.

 

[btown]

I'm sorry abbie, i had to quit reading after the 3rd page..

I will just be blunt but not try to be rude. Your analysis is wrong, there is pool players like that but they were like that before they were a pool players.

You have showed to be the MOST negative person in this entire thread! i would guess this is your attitude before you walk out the door to hit the pool room.

I would assume you to be one of the APA players that wont play in ANYTHING unless it is handicap and probably complain if your room or bar has a open tournament would be my guess!

The majority of good players are very kind and polite, but trashy people are everywhere not just pool rooms.

If i were you i would try to think more positive and just do what i enjoy, if someone in the pool community ticks you off then just ignore them because they are probably having a bad day at the table!

And playing in high level tournaments on great equipment is fun. You can go to any bar any night and get drunk and play on trashy tables, it doesn't take the APA for that.

SOUR GRAPES ON ABBIE

 

[abie10]

Yes that person is an idiot for making a blanket assumption about everyone in the APA, but it has a familiar tone doesn't it? Kinda reminds me of the your 1st post here.

Don't be such a hypocrite.

I'll let you finish reading so you can see that my grouping of everyone was intentional and not hypocritical...

 

[abie10]

I'm sorry abbie, i had to quit reading after the 3rd page..

I will just be blunt but not try to be rude. Your analysis is wrong, there is pool players like that but they were like that before they were a pool players.

You have showed to be the MOST negative person in this entire thread! i would guess this is your attitude before you walk out the door to hit the pool room.

I would assume you to be one of the APA players that wont play in ANYTHING unless it is handicap and probably complain if your room or bar has a open tournament would be my guess!

The majority of good players are very kind and polite, but trashy people are everywhere not just pool rooms.

If i were you i would try to think more positive and just do what i enjoy, if someone in the pool community ticks you off then just ignore them because they are probably having a bad day at the table!

And playing in high level tournaments on great equipment is fun. You can go to any bar any night and get drunk and play on trashy tables, it doesn't take the APA for that.

SOUR GRAPES ON ABBIE

I can definitely understand why you would come to those assumptions but I will respectfully tell you that I'm actually the exact opposite of that

 

[Cdryden]

I'll let you finish reading so you can see that my grouping of everyone was intentional and not hypocritical...

I read it, I understand you, and I disagree.

I'm sure you're and ok guy and you just needed to vent some. Everybody does. You just choose a very poor and inappropriate way to do it imo.

The way I see it you got 2 choices. Get some thicker skin and continue to play the game. Or quit.

But I know one thing for sure, if you continue to let these people get under your skin your game will continue to suffer. Playing angry is a waste of time and blaming everyone else for your problems isn't going to get you anywhere, even if you are right.

Good luck to you.

 

[hang-the-9]

I'll let you finish reading so you can see that my grouping of everyone was intentional and not hypocritical...

I'm sorry I was mean to you when we played. You were in MA at some point right? I think I may have played someone in the APA a year ago. Must have been you since you say all the good players made fun of you. I bet the good players in Florida also laughed at your cheap case when you went there. And forget about NY, they probably tied you naked to the outside of the room on the lamp post for daring to enter a tournament there. I hear you can't get a soda in any Georgia pool room unless you can run a 4-pack at least. Right? You must know because all good players were mean to you.

Or could be the post is about 4 people that you did not like in a 10 mile radius from your house?