HELP - dealing with SLOW SHOOTER

9BallBust-O said:

Just looking for some advice or words of wisdom.

I play with this dude from time to time that will take like 7-8 min to run from say.... 5 - 9 ball. He will look at table FOREVER then get down on stance, stroke like 15 times, then stand back up and look again, get down on shot, practice stroke like 15 more times, then change from shooting top to botom english, then practice stroke for like 15 more times and finally shoot - and this could be with ball in hand. I seriously feel myself gettin ticked inside and frustrated by the time I am ready to shoot. Then when I shoot he always out loud questions what I am doing or ask why did I make that shot, but in a " WTF are you doing" kind of way.** Even though I usually beat him.** I dont play for money with him but I am just wondering if I were in a tournament with a player like this or playing for $$ , HOW do you mentally deal with this and what do you do sitting there for like 15 min??

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A cattle prode maybe?

I think I would just find an excuse whenever he wanted to play.

catscradle said:

A cattle prode maybe?

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Hey Cats!

I think you're onto something here!! To heck with the "shot clock"!!

Barbara

You must play against the same guy I do!

In the league I am in we have a slow play rule...1 minute to shoot. Otherwise its a foul. You must declare slow play, though. It has never really come down to enforcing a foul, but there is one team who is sooooooo sloooooow. They all shoot slow. It's get frustrating. I had a guy who really took forever...5 minutes in between shots. I think he thought if he missed, he was done for (he was right). He missed, and I was so mad from him being so slow, I ran 6 balls and the 8 in under 1 minute (I must have looked like Luc Salvas). He about sh$t himself. He picked it up a little after that.

I'll tell you what I have noticed...nothing upsets a slow player more than someone who plays SLOWER. Try it, a be patient.....very patient. It yeilds interesting results.

bb

9BallBust-O said:

Just looking for some advice or words of wisdom.

I play with this dude from time to time that will take like 7-8 min to run from say.... 5 - 9 ball. He will look at table FOREVER then get down on stance, stroke like 15 times, then stand back up and look again, get down on shot, practice stroke like 15 more times, then change from shooting top to botom english, then practice stroke for like 15 more times and finally shoot - and this could be with ball in hand. I seriously feel myself gettin ticked inside and frustrated by the time I am ready to shoot. Then when I shoot he always out loud questions what I am doing or ask why did I make that shot, but in a " WTF are you doing" kind of way.** Even though I usually beat him.** I dont play for money with him but I am just wondering if I were in a tournament with a player like this or playing for $$ , HOW do you mentally deal with this and what do you do sitting there for like 15 min??

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You should play him for money!

buddy hall said if someone is slow playing you, YOU play SLOWER!!!! Said that will usually speed things up a bit!

9BallBust-O said:

Just looking for some advice or words of wisdom.

I play with this dude from time to time that will take like 7-8 min to run from say.... 5 - 9 ball. He will look at table FOREVER then get down on stance, stroke like 15 times, then stand back up and look again, get down on shot, practice stroke like 15 more times, then change from shooting top to botom english, then practice stroke for like 15 more times and finally shoot - and this could be with ball in hand. I seriously feel myself gettin ticked inside and frustrated by the time I am ready to shoot. Then when I shoot he always out loud questions what I am doing or ask why did I make that shot, but in a " WTF are you doing" kind of way.** Even though I usually beat him.** I dont play for money with him but I am just wondering if I were in a tournament with a player like this or playing for $$ , HOW do you mentally deal with this and what do you do sitting there for like 15 min??

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Carry a good book in your cue case. When he questions you, that is the perfect time for a strong retort!

5ballcharlie said:

buddy hall said if someone is slow playing you, YOU play SLOWER!!!! Said that will usually speed things up a bit!

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I agree with this too... He might be trying to use some gamesmanship on you...


You have two choices to counter his gambit from the gamesmanship point of view: shoot twice as slowly... or shoot with blazing speed... doing everything opposite of what he does. And I mean EVERYTHING. Turn the chalk upsidedown, chalk after you miss and before you shoot... think of anything. Talk on the cell phone to your broker (imaginary phone calls) about big $$ deals while this guy is shooting.

5ballcharlie said:

buddy hall said if someone is slow playing you, YOU play SLOWER!!!! Said that will usually speed things up a bit!

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Man I like this piece of advice! Best one I've heard all day!

Wow I would bring my ipod, read my books, clean my cues, go buy lunch, use the washroom.......

How about this... After he misses a shot, walk up to the table and notice some chalk dust buildup in one area of the felt. Start brushing at it with your hand with a puzzled look on your face. It's going to take some work to clean up, so walk back to your chair and set your cue down. Then back to the table and really work at brushing this chalk spot away. Start rubbing really hard, stop for a moment and lean down about 5 inches away from the spot to really inspect it up close. Then brush some more. Go ask the waitress if they have a Dirt Devil vacuum... Then when you're finally satisfied with your cleanup job, grab your cue, get ready to stroke your shot, and then notice a smudge on your shaft. Rinse and repeat.

Think only of your game when your standing, don't think about anything at all when your sitting.

juanbond said:

How about this... After he misses a shot, walk up to the table and notice some chalk dust buildup in one area of the felt. Start brushing at it with your hand with a puzzled look on your face. It's going to take some work to clean up, so walk back to your chair and set your cue down. Then back to the table and really work at brushing this chalk spot away. Start rubbing really hard, stop for a moment and lean down about 5 inches away from the spot to really inspect it up close. Then brush some more. Go ask the waitress if they have a Dirt Devil vacuum... Then when you're finally satisfied with your cleanup job, grab your cue, get ready to stroke your shot, and then notice a smudge on your shaft. Rinse and repeat.

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You've watched a recent Johnny Archer match

Actually, I started a thread asking for advice on this topic a while back. Here's a link, I got a lot of good replies:

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=26362

-Andrew

Play alot of safes.. play slowly yourself, and make sure it bothers him - I'm sure you rush to the table a bit frustrated after one of his 5minute stints, where you were just WAITING endlesly for him to just 'hurry up'. It tends to make the player shoot impatiently, like he's trying to show you how fast you should play.

Other than that, just learn to deal with it, play better so he gets less oppertunity at the table.

It's tempting to try to think of ways to manipulate a slow player's behavior, but I believe doing so is more likely to negatively affect your game more than his.

In life and business people often don't behave as we would want them to. If we let it annoy us, or push them to change, then that usually adds to the grief. So my advice is just to adapt to it and deal with it best you can, get yourself comfortable and prepare for a longer waits.

If the player's behavior is clearly sharking or ridiculously slow, sooner or later a TD or others will put on the pressure. And if it's just a practice session, don't keep playing the guy. It's a waste of practice time.

unsportsmen like conduct

I found the best way for me to deal with this cheap hustle is to turn my chair around and find something else to watch while listening to his actions very closely. Works very well but, if I have to watch (cheaters) I do it with my eyes closed and I count the clicks of the balls and the tip impacts. Slow players can't take it when you don't watch. After all they are trying to put on a production. No rule says you have to watch while your opponent shoots his part of the game. After all this is a game of solitaire. I have used this method for years it works well for me. This is one of many ways to turn the wanna be hustler's tricks back around on him. It also shows that he is not real confident so playing a few more smart safe shots might just put him over the edge. Try not to change your normal rythym it might be your downfall.
As for when he is asking you a question during your turn. I would take some balls out of the pockets and start teaching him why you are doing the things your are doing. If he is asking questions he would probably like to know some the answers to them. If not he will soon stop asking you. Hope this helps.
Jamison

JamisonNeu said:

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As for when he is asking you a question during your turn. I would take some balls out of the pockets and start teaching him why you are doing the things your are doing.

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Great idea! And go into DETAIL !! Make him suffer, and if he starts acting antsy, just slow your explanation down a bit, and act like you're really just getting into it. If he tries to get you to stop, just put the balls back into the pocket, and take your sweet time looking at the table. Point the tip of your cue at the contact point, slowly, and squint at it, go over, almost get down on the shot, stand back up and go over the the contact point again, point at it, scowl a bit, then shake your head "no".... And look at other options. Do this all at your normal rhythm so it won't look phony... He'll be climbing the walls in no time...

Flex

A lot of great ideas being posted.

I think another tactic would be to stay in your chair when it is your turn as if you are completely ignoring what is going on at the table pretending to watch another table or the TV. Just keep sitting there until he lets you know that it is your turn. I would then get up and go to the restroom, get a drink, tie my shoe, wipe down my cue, burnish the shaft, dress the tip anything to stall before going to the table. I would then walk around the table a few times. Then I would start to ask a bunch of dumb questions. Start a conversation about something that is completely different than pool. Then if playing 8 ball ask if you are solids or stripes even thought it is apparent. Ask him before you shoot how he thinks you should play out the balls. I would then get down and pretend to shoot and then get up and take a drink of water. This really works well when on the last ball that is a real duck. I seen Johnny Archer do this on the 9 ball when he was on the hill. He took a timeout and left for about 20 minutes just to come back and shoot it straight in to win the match. Screw with his head.

I think it would be fun just to try and beat him at his own game and drive him up a wall.

Let us know how it turns out for you.

Good luck

Andrew Manning said:

You've watched a recent Johnny Archer match

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Johnny Archer = Monk

Man, I saw him play at VF Expo two years ago. Talk about OCD. The floor had this crazy paisley pattern, must have really screwed with his mind. Awesome player, but moves the balls into random pockets all the time. It's kinda fun watching him and trying to figure out which pocket he'll take a ball from, and where he'll put it.

bb