Hand flip's and such!

mattydrva

Member
I couldn't agree with the posts in this thread more. Mika is a total A-Hole.

I witnessed this in person too at a 14.1 exhibition match vs. John Schmidt a few years ago. That time he was whining about John touching a ball while cueing over it to hit the cue ball. This was an exhibition; not exactly an all balls foul environment. It sure didn't look like a foul any way. He was just trying to throw John off. Thankfully it didn't work and John ran out and won.

He's a horrible sport, an arrogant jerk and a black eye for pool. One of the reasons I follow pool to begin with is the players are typically relatable, decent and nice guys which I don't find in the major money sports. Glad he appears to be the exception.

I really love how Shane, John both took the high road with these obvious sharks.

Another Mika favorite is to make a big deal about an opponent leaving a piece of chalk on the rail of the table like it's a crime, pff... What a d-bag
 

tomatoshooter

Well-known member
The old players used to say and this is a quote. I don't care if you drop a piano in front of me while I am playing. All I care is when your beat you pay up. Can't stop a ass from being an ass. Stone cold money players absolutely love when their opponents do all that acting up. It is a sign of desperation. You are watching a desperate man. Going down. You should be watching the man with the shovel burying the creep. On the inside he is pissed maybe a little. You can bet he laughs all the way to the bank with no complaints. He loves action. Crushes it.
Nick :)
When I'm down on the shot I see nothing beyond the edge of the table. The other day some guys were screaming and yelling about stuff and dragging hoses through but I stayed down on the shot. I didn't watch enough of that to see some fidgeting which look like it was out of Shane's line of sight, and Mika standing near his chair when Shane was shooting out of a safety that he had zero chance of pocketing. If someone wants to point out the time of some egregious sharking incidents, I'd like to see. I do try to be as still as possible if I'm in my opponent's line of sight but a World Champion shouldn't be so easy to distract, and apparently he isn't. I'm certainly opposed to people deliberately making a racket and moving excessively but if quarterback can make those throws while several large men are chasing after them I can power through some fidgeting.
 

dquarasr

Registered
I watched the video starting at 10-3. Wow, SVB was awesome.

I have only dreamed of playing at that level. But I didn’t realize those were antics. I’ve seen so much worse in crappy league, and I’ve only been playing at a pool hall for just over a year. If it wasn’t pointed out here, I would not have even noticed anything amiss. That said, understanding now that this is indeed purposeful, I applaud SVB for his ability to stay focused and kick some @$$.
 

Welder84

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
He told the ref he should have used a marker to move the rack out from under the 9 ball. That he can't just "hand lift the 9". He exchanged some words with Shane about it after the rack. Seemed a bit petty on Mika's part. I think Shane told him to quit whining.
So Shane shot Mika's liver out.

Mika has the silent Earl meltdown working.

Good for Shane!
 

SlateMan

Registered
He told the ref he should have used a marker to move the rack out from under the 9 ball. That he can't just "hand lift the 9". He exchanged some words with Shane about it after the rack. Seemed a bit petty on Mika's part. I think Shane told him to quit whining.
That nine ball is DOBA. The ref should use a marker, but if you pause the video and put something on any edge of the 9-ball and then press your right cursor key twice (Jump ahead 10 seconds) the ball does not move. I checked top edge, bottom edge, both side edges. The ref did a great job with the placement. Sometimes the appearance of fairness is important.

I agree that this argument was a sharking technique. It backfired into a shart.
 

tomatoshooter

Well-known member
That nine ball is DOBA. The ref should use a marker, but if you pause the video and put something on any edge of the 9-ball and then press your right cursor key twice (Jump ahead 10 seconds) the ball does not move. I checked top edge, bottom edge, both side edges. The ref did a great job with the placement. Sometimes the appearance of fairness is important.

I agree that this argument was a sharking technique. It backfired into a shart.
Yeah, we want everything to be perfect and I agree that the appearance of unfairness can diminish the legitimacy of a top tournament. That said, I've seen the template deflect balls and unless a ball didn't pass and now it does, or vice versa, there is no actual effect on the outcome.
 

Cornerman

Cue Author...Sometimes
Gold Member
Silver Member
That nine ball is DOBA. The ref should use a marker, but if you pause the video and put something on any edge of the 9-ball and then press your right cursor key twice (Jump ahead 10 seconds) the ball does not move. I checked top edge, bottom edge, both side edges. The ref did a great job with the placement. Sometimes the appearance of fairness is important.

I agree that this argument was a sharking technique. It backfired into a shart.
Someone put grid marks on snap shots lining up the other two balls. The 9-ball moved... in the opposite direction. It actually ended up a worse shot for Shane not better. So, even worse sharting?
 

Cornerman

Cue Author...Sometimes
Gold Member
Silver Member
What is hand flipping ?

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Plus, go ahead and watch the whole match. We discuss the hand flip and other options throughout the match. But this link is a good explanation point in the match.
 

rexus31

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
When I'm down on the shot I see nothing beyond the edge of the table. The other day some guys were screaming and yelling about stuff and dragging hoses through but I stayed down on the shot. I didn't watch enough of that to see some fidgeting which look like it was out of Shane's line of sight, and Mika standing near his chair when Shane was shooting out of a safety that he had zero chance of pocketing. If someone wants to point out the time of some egregious sharking incidents, I'd like to see. I do try to be as still as possible if I'm in my opponent's line of sight but a World Champion shouldn't be so easy to distract, and apparently he isn't. I'm certainly opposed to people deliberately making a racket and moving excessively but if quarterback can make those throws while several large men are chasing after them I can power through some fidgeting.
There's much more to sharking than getting into your opponents line of sight. Anything intended to break concentration, rhythm or head space is sharking. The only reason for Mika to say ANYTHING to Shane AFTER the rack where the 9B was lifted was to try and derail him. It was unprofessional and uncalled for.
 
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mrshifty

Registered
Yeah, we want everything to be perfect and I agree that the appearance of unfairness can diminish the legitimacy of a top tournament. That said, I've seen the template deflect balls and unless a ball didn't pass and now it does, or vice versa, there is no actual effect on the outcome.
I'm not sure which of Shane's matches it was in, but the template stopped a ball from rolling and it blocked a straight in shot to the corner on the low number ball. Shane just shrugged and played a safe.
 

Jack Fate

Active member
I'm not sure which of Shane's matches it was in, but the template stopped a ball from rolling and it blocked a straight in shot to the corner on the low number ball. Shane just shrugged and played a safe.
See the template do this all the time!
 

skogstokig

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
See the template do this all the time!

for balls rolling slow over the template it can happen, also there are different templates. this one i believe was the accu-rack which is a little thicker than the magic rack. but it doesn't happen very often and it seldom has a significant effect on the outcome of the game.

guys in local tournaments not removing the rack completely, laying it half on the rail hanging down, that bugs me a bit. a ball making contact with it hanging over the rail is actually a foul.
 

JazzyJeff87

AzB Plutonium Member
Silver Member
I don’t know how to feel about the template in pro pool. I love it for myself, because I suck at hand racking I guess and the template makes for more open tables, quicker and cleaner games. Especially on rough equipment.

The times it disturbs a ball slightly I just chalk it up to a continuation of the break basically. The randomness of the break doesn’t end until the template is off the table. Almost always you can get it off the table right after the break but sometimes a few balls are still on it and then it just is what it is.
 

Straightpool_99

I see dead balls
Silver Member
Can’t comment on the other stuff, but aren’t you only supposed to take restroom breaks on your turn or between games?
I find it hard to believe that there are tournaments where this is not explicitly stated in the rules! Taking breaks during your opponents inning is the ultimate shark move and incredibly unsportsmanlike.
 

rharm

Registered
I don’t like how Mika competes…but he was right about the 9-ball….markers exist for a good reason.
How would you place the marker if the 9 ball is sitting on the template? Where can you position it without it also being on the template?
 
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