Are you a pro?

Tin Man said:
Something about his attitude bothered me, I could tell he really thought he was something special, but also that he wanted to wield that against some noobs to try to feel important. So I felt like twisting the needle. My response? I just acted surprised and said "Really, you think I play good? I guess I did spend one week every summer at my grandparents cabin and they had a pool table there so I've played a little bit before, but wow, thanks for the kind words!"

Then I left him with his jaw on the floor, tilted at life that he just lost to a what he thought was a civilian that got 3 balls better than him almost accidentally.

Moral of the story- don't be a d-bag. We're all small fish.
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The guy was humbled, why rub it in?

It does not matter what people say. The truth is told on the table.

I do get where you were on this though.

Indeed, we are all small fish.


.
 
measureman said:
Am I a Pro?
Lets see...............
I have a real job.
I have money in the bank.
I have health insurance.
I have my own place to live in.
I have a car.
No not a Pro.
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Am I a pro?
Let's see.........
I hang out on street corners late at night
I live in the rough part of town
I earn money from people in cars
I have no self respect
I have seen Pretty Woman a million times
Yep, definitely a pro.
 
erhino41 said:
This is the conundrum of pool. As it is played in bars, it has somehow become the ultimate show of manliness. Just to step up to the table with players you've never met, to the lay person, is an assertion that you are not to be reckoned with. To win at any cost shows that you are dominant, doesn't even matter if that comes from a scratch on the break. Most people have visions of running racks and beating everybody off of the table, yet they would never dream of going to a pool hall for an hour or two and actually practicing. When they run into someone who has actually practiced they will either make excuses as to why they didn't win or they will assign you a level of competence far greater than you actually have in order to allow themselves to deal with defeat.

Most people like to play pool, however it is this way of thinking that keeps most people from embracing it fully.
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It could be that, but I also think that it is just that most people have no clue just how well the game can be played.

To people who don't play much pool at all, someone who can run the occasional rack "must be a pro".

Even someone who plays a lot of pool in bars and is a good bar shooter (i.e., the guy the occasional player thinks "must be a pro"), or even the average league player, often don't get it. If they saw an average shortstop playing they would think the guy was Fast Eddie, not knowing that the shortstop would be crushed by an average pro, and the average pro would be crushed by the elite pro, etc. Indeed, I think there are still people who actually hang around in pool halls and play tournaments that can't comprehend that the top shooter in their area, who may dominate the local events, stands no realistic chance against the top pros.

The helpful thing about the internet and having enough interest in pool to use it for pool-related things is that we get to see just how far down the ladder we are.

Gideon
 
Eric. said:
Hahah, lol. I've got a similar story. Actually, its Steve Lipsky's story but I consider him a friend, so I hope he doesn't mind me re-telling it.

Apparently, Steve was in a bar, with a bar table, with two friends. Supposedly, it was a similar situation where the local Pool badass was showing off for his girlfriend and lording his skills over the crowd. At some point, they decided that itmight be fun if one of them went and beat this guy. Now Steve or either of his two buddies can easily beat most poolplayers, let alone, this guy. So, which one of those three did they decide on? For laughs, they told the then current WPA World 9 ball champion,Mika Immonen, to go play that guy. The rest, as they say, is history.


Eric
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Here's another Mika story. Mika was reigning World Champion visiting Los Angeles, An aquaintence of mine is supposed to set him up some matches. My buddy is able to talk a few locals into donating some $100 sets. Mika comes in and asks my buddy about the matches. He then turns around, looks at him, and says "You're not setting me up, are you?".

Meanwhile concerning the OP situation, real pool players should not try to embarrass mis-matched opponents. There's no glory or fun in that. The game speaks for itself.
 
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agreed.

By your own admission the guy shot several good shots, so he was trying to make things fair based on his knowledge of how he plays and he is a d-bag?


BRussell said:
Sorry but from your description, you were the bigger d-bag for lying and rubbing it in. All he did was ask to play, and ask to play with the weakest player. So he likes pool and has his own cue? Unless there's something you left out, I'm on his side in this situation. :p
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TATE said:
Here's another Mika story. Mika was reigning World Champion visiting Los Angeles, An aquaintence of mine is supposed to set him up some matches. My buddy is able to talk a few locals into donating some $100 sets. Mika comes in and asks my buddy about the matches. He then turns around, looks at him, and says "You're not setting me up, are you?".
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Hahah! Assuming these games were "even", you would think Mika would know most players that were near his level...

Wait! Is Los Angeles located in the Phillipines??


Eric
 
I get your point, but the way this example is worded the d-bag in question doesnt come off too bad.
He wasnt trying to play for money or anything. In a bar better to say you play good then "hustling" the locals.
Sneaky pete?
Was there more or did you just need to "show this guy how its done"?
 
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TATE said:
Well, from what I can see, he'll still be beating everybody.:)
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Not by a damn sight. He'll be losing to the youngsters who replaced him.
But, to the point. How well-off do Pros retire these days? They have good pension plans? Are they able to put enough into 401Ks, or other investments?
 
It's funny, because at best I feel I'm a D player, maybe C- at the 9 footer 9 ball. But I prefer 8 ball on bar boxes and play in league 99% of the time.

Now I play UPA and am ranked a 5. UPA has rankings from 1-10. Best guy in our league is an 8. People see me play there and some tell me I'm really good. All I can do is laugh about it. Sure I've beaten all the higher ranked guys in my league but I know I'm not better than them. I just feel that I can hang with them most of the time unless they constantly run out, but I notice that most of the better guys play more defensively. I constantly remind everyone I suck, but they think I just sandbag. It's funny because I know the truth, I've been around too long & around many hustlers & pros to know that there is someone always better than you at Pool no matter your level.
 
Tin Man said:
I went to a concert once with a couple of non-pool playing friends. I had some time before the band I was there to hear took the stage and I noticed a bar table in the corner. To kill some time I invited my friends to play a bit. I was playing scotch doubles with one guy against the other guy. Obviously we're crushing but at least there are multiple innings due to my partner being a noob.

Suddenly this guy comes swaggering over, real smooth, and asks if he can get in. I say 'no problem'. He has his own cue, a sneaky pete obviously. He asks which of us is the worst and says "I should probably play with him". It was crystal clear the guy thought he was a champion, and that he was going to blow us off the table and sign autographs for us.

We switched to regular doubles, and then it happened. I hit dead punch. Something about this guy irritated me and I decided to shut him out. I was playing off the wall but it didn't matter, it was a bar table, and even in bad lighting with dead rails and a concert blaring I can run out, it looked like tic tac toe. I win. I win again. Running out from the break. Or worst case I come up dry, opponent shoots, partner shoots, opponent shoots, I run out again. Etc. I put some TOP SHELF pool on this guy, like no errors for an hour.

The better I played the worse this guy played. In the beginning he made a few decent starts to run outs, but by the end he was totally snake bitten. In fact, after an hour of him not winning a rack I finally fumbled and gave him a winning opportunity, and he chunked the shot horribly.

Finally my band is up and I tell him I have to go. He is somewhat shocked, and now he's acting totally humble compared to the attitude he first had. He asked me if I was a pro, or if I played tournaments, and how I got so good.

Something about his attitude bothered me, I could tell he really thought he was something special, but also that he wanted to wield that against some noobs to try to feel important. So I felt like twisting the needle. My response? I just acted surprised and said "Really, you think I play good? I guess I did spend one week every summer at my grandparents cabin and they had a pool table there so I've played a little bit before, but wow, thanks for the kind words!"

Then I left him with his jaw on the floor, tilted at life that he just lost to a what he thought was a civilian that got 3 balls better than him almost accidentally.

Moral of the story- don't be a d-bag. We're all small fish.
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A few people should read the OP's original post again but v e r y s l o w l y this time. The "champion" wanted to join the game and said he would team up with the weakest player, probably to make it a fair game, at least I would guess thats what he was insinuating. The OP never claimed to be the weakest player.
 
jojopiff said:
Funny you said this, I was thinking the same thing. If I find myself playing at a bar against people I don't know I tell them I play good. Been a time or two too many that people get pissed cause you're too good (drunk in a bar too good, not like actually really good) and for the most part I don't even play in a bar but if I do I tell people right up front, "I'm pretty good". Not because I'm an arrogant d-bag but because I'm trying not to be. Perception of the situation I guess.
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I have to agree with this comment. I would rather have a good time playing with someone rather than leave having them think I am an arrogant jerk. If they ask I tell them I play a lot of pool and I play pretty decent. I am not the best by any means, but to the average bar player I play real well. I love pool for the game and I certainly don't play to get rich or rub it in anyones face.
 
Tramp Steamer said:
Yes, ck, deathly afraid. You never know what's out there. I'll never forget the night, down at Two-Tooth Sally's place in Galveston, when a carload of pool players from Fort Worth came through. My God, you could smell it in the air.
If it hadn't of been for that cue case condom JB had sent along, my old 2x3 Buffalo would have never made it. :wink:
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Oh wow, she's down to two teeth? I told her those pop rocks would rot her teeth out

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk
 
LegitStick1234 said:
I have to agree with this comment. I would rather have a good time playing with someone rather than leave having them think I am an arrogant jerk. If they ask I tell them I play a lot of pool and I play pretty decent. I am not the best by any means, but to the average bar player I play real well. I love pool for the game and I certainly don't play to get rich or rub it in anyones face.
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Your suggestion is always the best way to go. In fact, I have noticed that if people see that you bring your own cue to a bar, there is always someone who will eventually ask you how good you think that you are.

I was practicing in a bar by myself and the owner was watching me. He says, so I'm watching you play and you don't seem to be doing very good. Then he says, "So when you play in a tournament, do you go into "beast mode"?" I first said that I was just "practicing" certain shots.

I had played him for "fun" a while back and I think he one a game or two. So I ask him to play some with me. I broke and ran the first rack and then the third rack also. I ended up beating him easily about 10 games in a row. He quietly just stopped playing, never said he was quitting, or said anything to me about pool the rest of the day. :eek:
 
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as surprising as this may be to some on here...

LegitStick1234 said:
I have to agree with this comment. I would rather have a good time playing with someone rather than leave having them think I am an arrogant jerk. If they ask I tell them I play a lot of pool and I play pretty decent. I am not the best by any means, but to the average bar player I play real well. I love pool for the game and I certainly don't play to get rich or rub it in anyones face.
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I typically won't say a word until other people ask...

Jaden
 
Story would be better if you won a few hundred...money is how the score is kept.
 
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