Social Pool

jojopiff

jojopiff

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
How do you approach pool in a social setting? I don't want to (and don't) take it too serious but the older I get the more I find this is more often than not how I play most of my pool. It then kind of let's bad/lazy habits kick in and the next thing I know my game is down. The last thing I want to do is take it too serious or not play at all socially, but I also don't want my game to suffer.
 
Focus on a piece at a time

jojopiff said:
How do you approach pool in a social setting? I don't want to (and don't) take it too serious but the older I get the more I find this is more often than not how I play most of my pool. It then kind of let's bad/lazy habits kick in and the next thing I know my game is down. The last thing I want to do is take it too serious or not play at all socially, but I also don't want my game to suffer.
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I play One Pocket and its a really hard game with a lot of little pieces each needing to be right.

I try to focus on a piece at a time and concentrate on that, after awhile the other pieces get visited and the entire game goes up.
 
jojopiff said:
How do you approach pool in a social setting? I don't want to (and don't) take it too serious but the older I get the more I find this is more often than not how I play most of my pool. It then kind of let's bad/lazy habits kick in and the next thing I know my game is down. The last thing I want to do is take it too serious or not play at all socially, but I also don't want my game to suffer.
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If you are being serious, it is hard. You don't want to barbecue your friends or seem like a show off. I have for a very long time not really played socially although if the guy can play I don't have to gamble to have fun. But if he is a goof, I would rather play by myself.
 
No matter how good or bad you want to be the basic stroke and stance are the import things. From what you wrote it seems to me that you want to be a good bar player.

Reading what you wrote I think you should practice stance and become proficient at basic pool playing. Like simple cuts, good breaks, knowing how to rack, balls that are frozen to the rail, have experience with top spin and draw and stop shots. So side spin or anything fancy.

But even that will take dedication and practices, About 200 hours of good practice should do the trick.

Hope this helps.
 
jojopiff said:
How do you approach pool in a social setting? I don't want to (and don't) take it too serious but the older I get the more I find this is more often than not how I play most of my pool. It then kind of let's bad/lazy habits kick in and the next thing I know my game is down. The last thing I want to do is take it too serious or not play at all socially, but I also don't want my game to suffer.
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To me "social pool" means you are around friends that don't play pool seriously and there happens to be a table there. Like in a bar or at a friends house. For this type of thing you should enjoy your friends company and leave all your fancy gear at home or in the car. Just have fun. ****ing around occasionally with your friends isn't going to hurt your game if you are a good player at all. Now if someone in the group has game later on after "all the hang out around the table and BS crowd" have left ya'll can put some coins under the rails and get down. Done this many times with my buddy Brandon when he was hosting a party at his house that had a nice table in it. You might even politely decline to play at all in those settings. Hope this helps ya:)
 
Oh, and please don't try to be one of those guys that think they know something about ball control. ugh I hate those guys...
 
When knocking them around with friends who don't play often, it's almost always 8-ball that we play.. I try to run mine off in rotation and bank the 8 to keep the games kinda competitive.
 
If it's a fairly big group and I'm the only pool player I'll let everyone else play on the table and have a good time. I make time to play elsewhere. If other pool player friends are there too I might wait to play them a game or 2.
 
Don't be lazy with your set up or any of your fundamentals, but don't play safe, take on tougher shots and don't spend too long analyzing the table. If they are willing to let you give a spot, give more than they need assuming there is no money involved.
 
macguy said:
If you are being serious, it is hard. You don't want to barbecue your friends or seem like a show off. I have for a very long time not really played socially although if the guy can play I don't have to gamble to have fun. But if he is a goof, I would rather play by myself.
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Some people are good sports about it, and others have ego issues. If I play with friends that don't play I'll usually show them a couple cool things, stupid trick shots or general pool tips if they are interested. Otherwise, I'll go for the crazy shots, and play real loose, not trying too hard to run out every time. You do risk looking like a show off, but IMO, it's boring otherwise. If I'm playing for fun with a guy who can't make a ball, what's the point in trying to run out all the time?

I agree with macguy in general though, as I'd rather play with people who already know the game. For the OP, just enjoy the game and let your enthusiasm show. Hopefully the non-pool players you're playing with see this and become more interested in the game.
 
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Cameron Smith said:
Don't be lazy with your set up or any of your fundamentals, but don't play safe, take on tougher shots and don't spend too long analyzing the table. If they are willing to let you give a spot, give more than they need assuming there is no money involved.
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why make a spot if no money is on the line?
 
galipeau said:
why make a spot if no money is on the line?
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Depends on the person you are playing with. I have some friends who lose complete interest if they can't win or aren't competitive in some way. They just feel like they are going through the motions. So I'll give them a start or play left handed or something. Only if they are okay with it of course, some people may feel like you are being patronizing.
 
I play opposite-handed. It's good practice and keeps my friends in the game. If we've got four people we'll play doubles.
 
Play scotch doubles. You get to play your best, generally with the least talented player (who, let's face it, probably has breasts), you will probably still win and be the hero to your teammate, but won't be the dick in the eyes of the others.
 
jojopiff said:
How do you approach pool in a social setting? I don't want to (and don't) take it too serious but the older I get the more I find this is more often than not how I play most of my pool. It then kind of let's bad/lazy habits kick in and the next thing I know my game is down. The last thing I want to do is take it too serious or not play at all socially, but I also don't want my game to suffer.
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Play to make your opponent lose on his own error and his own shot. Make it look as if it is his own fault that he lost so you will not feel guilty beating a social player :grin-square:

ElCorazonFrio said:
(who, let's face it, probably has breasts).
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You mean man boobs?
 
The scotch doubles idea is a very good option. We also play 3 ball if there are several people of various skill levels. Nobody has to "play down" for anyone else, and the one tie - all tie feature of the game tends to make everyone feel like they have a more or less equal chance. (We usually ante a quarter or half a buck every round, and with all the ties, the pots still can get pretty big when you have 6+ players in the game.)

One other idea is to play one pocket, but just limit your shot choices to offense. That will force you to concentrate on your shot making, avoiding the tendency to get sloppy or lazy. If you are thinking strictly offense, you will be shooting more tough shots than you would normally try, and when you miss there's a good chance you will leave your opponent in good shape to make a ball or two. It's also an easy game for a good player to keep his opponent in the game without being too obvious about it.
 
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