Kaci got away with obvious foul in the WPM final?! (plus similar case Capito)

He touched it, reacted to the touch, got his cue on line, you could see the gears spinning... yeah I touched it. He stands up waiting for the ref to call the foul... then for some reason goes back down on the shot.

Skeevy.
BUT...
Which part of first or second place is "getting away with it" ?
 
I do my best to always be gracious in defeat. That said, it would take some getting used to having a person interview you directly after a match.
Get the hell out of my face and let me be salty for 5 minutes before you ask stupid questions.
Glad I'm not a pro.
I don't like bad behavior from competitors but when you have dedicated your life to an activity and are now playing for the highest stakes possible, yeah, I can understand why their emotions get the best of them.
 
Well, it was 3-3 when Kaci touched 8 ball with his finger tip and he won the rack to lead 4-3. If it was foul BIH, Ko would win rack and lead 4-3.
Would not have made much difference to end result.

Anyway, it is nonsense to expect and trust someone to call foul on himself (especially when there is ref) when playing in final where winner gets record $40K (big increase from $25K last year) and runner up gets $20K
It is like the scene in one of last episodes of the overrated Breaking Bad.
Walt asks Ed "The Disappearer"- "My money over there. What happens to it then? What if I ask you to give it to my family? Would you do it?" :LOL:
2bEG.gif
Thanks for specifying when it happened. It looks like the ball moved back where it was and he gained no competitive advantage. I can't get upset about it.
 
I don't see a similarity. While it may be true that some would have alerted Joey to the fact that he was about to play the balls out of order, it's not ever the responsibility of the player in the chair to tell opponent he's about to make a mistake. The obligation of the player in the chair is to remain silent while opponent is at the table.
So is it the responsibility of the player to call a foul on himself when a ref is present and watching? Golf is the only sport that I can think of where that would happen
 
So is it the responsibility of the player to call a foul on himself when a ref is present and watching? Golf is the only sport that I can think of where that would happen
Don’t kid yourself, it doesn’t always happen in golf either. You just don’t ever hear about it unless the player calls the infraction on himself.
 
So is it the responsibility of the player to call a foul on himself when a ref is present and watching? Golf is the only sport that I can think of where that would happen
Certainly, this is as matter of opinion, and mine is yes, even more so because pro pool remains a sport trying to escape a very negative image that has tended to separate it from sponsorship dollars over the years.

Pro golf has it right. If you are caught violating the rules (whether you knew it or not and whether it was intentional or not) and sign an incorrect scorecard, you are disqualified from the event. This tends to ensure that players are vigilant about knowing and sticking to the rules.
 
FWIW , according to a recent survey ,96 percent of AZB respondents claim they will call fouls on themselves.
Even if it's true, and it probably isn't, this discussion is about how things should be handled in pro pool.
 
Even if it's true, and it probably isn't, this discussion is about how things should be handled in pro pool.
Oh , it's true. I could post the link if you want.

Lots of talk about integrity in that thread and the scum that lack it.
 
Oh , it's true. I could post the link if you want.

Lots of talk about integrity in that thread and the scum that lack it.
I'm not saying that 96% didn't claim it, merely suggesting that the figure probably doesn't accurately represent the percentage that will call a foul on themselves.

I am reminded of how comedienne Gracie Allen, George Burns' comedic partner in the 1940s and 1950's, was curious what percentage of homes in her neighborhood had telephones. She concluded that everybody had one ---- because everyone she phoned said they had one.
 
Last edited:
I think it's entirely possible that he did not notice the touch on the 8 because he was focused on the shot.
I think it is entirely possible that you didnt see that vid where it was not zoomed-in/slowed down as in the full video you can easily see Kacis INSTANT reaction to that touch. There is snowballs chance in hell that Kaci didnt know he touched that ball. As a player I made such foul several times in my 25+ years pool career and especially with fingers/nails touch you simply KNOW right away, that realization of foul is always like a lightning bolt through your body and thats exactly how Kaci reacted when he did it..
 
I think it is entirely possible that you didnt see that vid where it was not zoomed-in/slowed down as in the full video you can easily see Kacis INSTANT reaction to that touch. ...
Yes, I didn't see that video and the reaction. But in general, people assume that a player is always aware of small fouls. I know I've fouled myself without knowing and at other times I have maybe fouled but I was not sure.
 
If Kaci knew he fouled, he should have called it on himself. Obviously the ref missed it.

I think it's rather interesting that there exists a double-standard when it comes to calling these technicality fouls. Slightly touching an OB ball (playing all ball fouls) even though the OB doesn't get displaced from its original position is almost universally deemed a foul with absolutely no wiggle room whatsoever. However, in this thread, touching a moving CB or placing your hands in a pocket while the CB is still moving even though there is no way the CB would scratch should NOT be called a foul.

Not sure I see a big difference between the two cases.
 
So is it the responsibility of the player to call a foul on himself when a ref is present and watching? Golf is the only sport that I can think of where that would happen

snooker too. but i think the fact that they have a lot of cameras and eyes on them all the time helps to make the right thing.. pool players go from a tournament with one foul rule to a tournament with another foul rule, all the time.
 
Disgraceful in my books. Kaci should feel embarrassed and deserves any backlash he gets from the Ko camp. I'll add that he was less than gracious in defeat in the interview following the final. When you get demolished by a score of 13-5, just say you were outplayed. As a player, Kaci's amazing. As a person and sportsman, he's still developing. He's young and has time to correct these flaws, and I think he'll learn from this. Wishing continued success to this undeniable superstar.

Of course, pool's toxic environment is part of the problem. Even on this forum, many profess the "if you snooze, you lose" mentality and it's time for players to stop saying and living by this and further commit themselves to playing with maximum integrity.

To be fair, the otherwise outstanding referee needs some schooling, having been positioned incorrectly to watch a shot that involved cueing so close to another object ball. Just like players, referees can learn from their mistakes.
I know you are at many pro events.

However, when playing, with adrenaline it is hard to know if you touched a ball or just think you did. I only expect for players to call obvious fouls (refs are there for that reason).

What's worse then not calling a maybe foul on yourself? Calling a foul on yourself mistakenly!

😂
 
  • Like
Reactions: sjm
I know you are at many pro events.

However, when playing, with adrenaline it is hard to know if you touched a ball or just think you did. I only expect for players to call obvious fouls (refs are there for that reason).

What's worse then not calling a maybe foul on yourself? Calling a foul on yourself mistakenly!

😂
Point well taken.

At a WPBA event (at Soaring Eagle Casino if memory serves), Karen Corr met Jeanette Lee in the semifinal.

At one point in the match, Karen Corr was over the cue ball and, in her opinion, the cue ball moved slightly but she had not touched it. She approached Jeanette and told her as much, offering that a video replay might clarify things. Jeanette said "if you say you didn't touch it, that's good enough for me" and Karen continued.

I feel strongly that Kaci would have known that he touched the object ball, but if he thought it was only that he might have, he could have asked for a videotape replay.

I'm no doctor and won't opine on how adrenaline affects one's sense of touch but I do know that an adrenaline rush helps INCREASE, not DECREASE one's concentration, seemingly making it more likely they'd know whether they had touched a ball in a situation like this one.
 
I think it's entirely possible that he did not notice the touch on the 8 because he was focused on the shot.
while you might be right, i think it’s entirely impossible not to notice because when we are at the table we are ultra focused on every tiny thing
 
I've played pool quite a while and I can't recall a single instance where a tournament promoter/director informed the players that the expectation for their tournament was that ALL players would call fouls on themselves. I'm sure it's happened BUT the question remains - is pool a gentleman's game like golf or is it not? I have no idea if it is. I have no problem with that being the expectation but not because the moralists demand it. In a refereed match I have ZERO problem with players not calling fouls on themselves if that action has not been demanded by the promoter, and there's someone in the arena getting paid to make those calls!

We had a horrible call in a championship softball game over the weekend where a clearly foul ball was ruled fair. The opposing team's coach saw that the ball was clearly foul but during the "discussion" with the umpire she said nothing, nor did I expect her too as it wasn't her responsibility.

The question here is not one of integrity but of expectation!
 
Back
Top