Getting mad when playing against better players

AkGuy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Not me.

I am way to old and wise to get angry, mad or pissed when playing a better player. I like playing better players and wish I could a few times a week, as I always shoot better when I play a better player. So they help my game.

A steady diet of good competition helps one to become better. My problem is there is very little competition in my little hick Alaskan town, no pool hall and only crumby bar tables in bars.

If you have access to better players, count your blessings, embrace it, I envy you.

I truly enjoy pool, I have a good old 9 foot Rebco table and good Pat Diveney cues. If I had good competition on a regular basis my game would jump 10 to 20 percent.

For the most part I view getting angry when playing pool as a lack of self control and avoid those kinds of players as they take some of the joy out of the game.

Picture the great Efren, Alex, Parica, Shane, etc. throwing a hissy fit when playing pool, then picture Strickland. Who do you want to be like?
 

justnum

Billiards Improvement Research Projects Associate
Silver Member
Imagine how it is if all the better players are like Strickland.

Every miss shot or bad shape turns into a award winning tragedy performance.

Efren and Shane have won so much, they probably don't get that feeling from a win. They just need to show up and they can have a good time.

D+ losers like me, need that win for a good feeling.

I am way to old and wise to get angry, mad or pissed when playing a better player. I like playing better players and wish I could a few times a week, as I always shoot better when I play a better player. So they help my game.

A steady diet of good competition helps one to become better. My problem is there is very little competition in my little hick Alaskan town, no pool hall and only crumby bar tables in bars.

If you have access to better players, count your blessings, embrace it, I envy you.

I truly enjoy pool, I have a good old 9 foot Rebco table and good Pat Diveney cues. If I had good competition on a regular basis my game would jump 10 to 20 percent.

For the most part I view getting angry when playing pool as a lack of self control and avoid those kinds of players as they take some of the joy out of the game.

Picture the great Efren, Alex, Parica, Shane, etc. throwing a hissy fit when playing pool, then picture Strickland. Who do you want to be like?
 
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hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Imagine how it is if all the better players are like Strickland.

Every miss shot or bad shape turns into a award winning tragedy performance.

Efren and Shane have won so much, they probably don't get that feeling from a win. They just need to show up and they can have a good time.

D+ losers like me, need that win for a good feeling.

Unless you are a pro and need pool to make money, playing to win is the wrong motivation. You should play to play your best game and try to get better. If you happen to beat players doing that, it's a nice side affect.

I get mad when I play bad, I don't get mad when I lose. If I play bad and win, I am not very happy with myself, who cares if you win because the other player messed up? One should win due to good play not hand-outs by other players.

As another poster said if the goal is to win to feel good, then 3rd grade will make it easier to feel superior. I'd rather be the dumbest person in a group of smart people than the smartest one in a group of idiots.
 

vinay

Registered
Player better players is not any fun.

Playing players that are worse feels great.

When they are worse its more relaxing and taking chances is easier.

When playing better players, every shot is stressful because the price of missing is much higher.

Just ranting

I feel the opposite. There's no upside to winning against someone I know is worse than me. If I win... big deal, what's the point of beating up on someone I know is worse? If I do lose though that's a double-whammy.
 
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trob

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Honestly that’s why I like playing apa. Even when I play new or bad players I have to focus to out run the handy Capp. Picking wings off flys isn’t fun to me.
 

Island Drive

Otto/Dads College Roommate/Cleveland Browns
Silver Member
Player better players is not any fun.

Playing players that are worse feels great.

When they are worse its more relaxing and taking chances is easier.

When playing better players, every shot is stressful because the price of missing is much higher.

Just ranting

It's much worse if they are ''workin'' ya and milkin' ya ''just the right way'' every time your in their court, and let ya win every blue moon.

Some of us call these people....Rounders.
 

YOLO

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
When I play better players I feel my game goes up levels. Playing worse players my game goes down levels. I only play my wife now and my game has totally tanked.
 

noMoreSchon

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
So much wrong with this. When you are the better player, are the players you playing

get upset? I bet they are not. They most likely will put time in to learn to beat you. Then

what? Will you stop playing them? This cyclical situation has people getting better and

you staying the same. Great for your opponents but not for you. I can't think of players

that I play that are not equal or better than me, not by much anyway. I would play anyone

that wants though, I think lower level players think much the same as you. No point in

playing someone who won't 'let' me win, instead of what information I can learn from them.

I will play anyone. And hopefully two things will happen.

1. I will learn something.
2. They will learn something....

That is it.
 

justnum

Billiards Improvement Research Projects Associate
Silver Member
The general attitude is that playing better players can help improve one's game.

That logic doesn't work at the pro level.

There are tier 1 pros with a plenty of titles and wins.

The tier 2 pros with some titles.

Then the tier 3 pros, they hardly have any titles.

The same tier 3 pros keep playing against the same better players. But hardly do any of them every enter that top tier.

Then there are the rookie pros that enter tier 1 almost immediately. Thorpe I consider to be one of those players.

The logic does not hold up against player performance history?
 

RiverCity

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The general attitude is that playing better players can help improve one's game.

That logic doesn't work at the pro level.

There are tier 1 pros with a plenty of titles and wins.

The tier 2 pros with some titles.

Then the tier 3 pros, they hardly have any titles.

The same tier 3 pros keep playing against the same better players. But hardly do any of them every enter that top tier.

Then there are the rookie pros that enter tier 1 almost immediately. Thorpe I consider to be one of those players.

The logic does not hold up against player performance history?

Everybody has limitations, be it hand eye coordination, cognitive ability, or simply the drive to put in inordinate amounts of practice.

Not every kid who picks up a football can be Joe Montana. Not every kid who picks up a cue can be Willie Mosconi.

You are looking for justification for your enjoyment of being a bottom feeder.

If you enjoy hollow victories, have at it. Just dont expect to be praised on a pool forum for not caring enough to try and get better. :thumbup:
 

Straightpool_99

I see dead balls
Silver Member
Player better players is not any fun.

Playing players that are worse feels great.

When they are worse its more relaxing and taking chances is easier.

When playing better players, every shot is stressful because the price of missing is much higher.

Just ranting

Getting mad when losing is only natural. Now, are you going to do something about it (losing), or not? That's the question you need to ask yourself.

Personally I'll play anyone, from terrible to pro, but of course if you don't ever get to shoot, then there's really no point. I played an extremely good straight pool player when I was just barely a C or maybe D+ player. He spotted me 90 points to 100. Sounds awesome, right? Well, no. I had absolutely no chance. He never missed a shot and got out in 3 to at most 5 innings like clockwork. Usually he'd get a really big run started from my opening break, even when I felt I hit it good. Every time he had even the slightest chance of missing he played safe. I learned a lot from watching, but still it got really frustrated, especially when I actually ran 10 from nowhere and won a game, and he insisted I now only got 80...Most of the games I got zero points and never had even an edge of a ball to shoot at.

The point is, even though I was frustrated, I worked on my game and got better. And I learned the value of 14.1 defensive play. I don't think I've ever seen a better defensive player in person before, than the guy I was playing. I'm still in awe of that aspect of his game. I also admire his steel focus, even when he was playing a total lamb. That's hard to do. I never liked the other type of great player, the gifted shotmaker. Hard to really learn anything from guys that never miss even the most extreme shots.It's just pure talent.
 

HawaiianEye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
When I was young I played every "better" player in the pool hall over and over and got beat. Eventually, I became the best player in the pool hall and they all asked me for a spot.

I don't think I'd have gotten there playing the people who couldn't play.

By the time I was 16, I beat everybody in town for the cash.
 
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