I was wondering if this is ethical or not since the owner is the best player in town so usually wins his own tournament 3 times a week?
Can pool room owners play in their own tournaments?
- Thread starter dundeewizard
- Start date
Owner of our pool hall (when we had one) would shoot in his occasionally but he was not the favorite.
The owner of Stix, Joe Boucher, plays in some weekly tournaments, occasionally in a normal weekly tournament to help fill out the bracket, not the favorite usually but a very good player, and he plays in a weekly scotch douibles tournament on Sundays.
I might add he is never the tournament director.
I might add he is never the tournament director.
Is there anything wrong with it? No. If he wants players to continue coming to play in the tourney, I would sit out a few weeks or only play maybe once a week. Eventually if the same person keeps winning the local weekly tourney, a lot of the players stop showing up. Ive seen it many times over the years. Here in Houston, we call it the Tommy Milburn affect.
Sounds like a pick-pocket.
Can they... sure.
Should they, no.
Reason 1. of many....Unless they got the counter(s) covered. There is nothing worse than being the opponent waiting for the owner to have to take care of something during a match.
Reason 2. Unless he is a D player, he will be viewed as someone that shoots fish in a barrel.
Just bad form in general. Tournaments usually are a PITA, tend to the house, rake in the money and let your customers have at it.
JV
Should they, no.
Reason 1. of many....Unless they got the counter(s) covered. There is nothing worse than being the opponent waiting for the owner to have to take care of something during a match.
Reason 2. Unless he is a D player, he will be viewed as someone that shoots fish in a barrel.
Just bad form in general. Tournaments usually are a PITA, tend to the house, rake in the money and let your customers have at it.
JV
Jeez......Daniel Campos owns the Rack in Fresno and he isn't modest about winning his pool room's tournaments.
Mike Tucci is probably the most under-rated stick in Cailfornia and he co-owns the Break Room in Fresno....he seldom
loses in his own tournaments when he enters. But Mike will also add to the pot on any given day and he'll also sit out. ;
I look at it this way. The tournament is an open field and unless the owner was working the pool room while the tournament
was being conducted, as long as they aren't on the clock so to speak, they're welcome to play. Doesn't matter how good
they might play. The field is open and everyone takes their chances. Got a problem with the field, find another tournament
is how I see it.....just my opinion.
Mike Tucci is probably the most under-rated stick in Cailfornia and he co-owns the Break Room in Fresno....he seldom
loses in his own tournaments when he enters. But Mike will also add to the pot on any given day and he'll also sit out. ;
I look at it this way. The tournament is an open field and unless the owner was working the pool room while the tournament
was being conducted, as long as they aren't on the clock so to speak, they're welcome to play. Doesn't matter how good
they might play. The field is open and everyone takes their chances. Got a problem with the field, find another tournament
is how I see it.....just my opinion.
Of course he should play in it. It's called "reward" for all the hours he put in getting that good. Think about the flip side and put yourself in his shoes for a minute- you spend years getting good enough to actually win some small tournaments. You buy a pool room and put on a tournament. Then people say you can't play in it because you are too good. How do you think you would feel?
Now, let's say he stops playing in it, then, what happens next? Do you go after the second best player in it because now he keeps winning it? And so on until you finally get a chance to win it?
Instead of complaining about all the time he spent getting good, why not spend that time practicing yourself so you can win one too? That, or take the league mentality and only play in handicap tournaments so you don't have to bother practicing and still have a shot at winning.
Why take the attitude that excellence should not be rewarded?? And, so what if he does win it, is it winner take all, or does it pay other spots also? If it pays other spots, go for those until you get good enough to win first place.
Now, let's say he stops playing in it, then, what happens next? Do you go after the second best player in it because now he keeps winning it? And so on until you finally get a chance to win it?
Instead of complaining about all the time he spent getting good, why not spend that time practicing yourself so you can win one too? That, or take the league mentality and only play in handicap tournaments so you don't have to bother practicing and still have a shot at winning.
Why take the attitude that excellence should not be rewarded?? And, so what if he does win it, is it winner take all, or does it pay other spots also? If it pays other spots, go for those until you get good enough to win first place.
Is there anything wrong with it? No. If he wants players to continue coming to play in the tourney, I would sit out a few weeks or only play maybe once a week. Eventually if the same person keeps winning the local weekly tourney, a lot of the players stop showing up. Ive seen it many times over the years. Here in Houston, we call it the Tommy Milburn affect.
that made me smile. Tommy is a nice guy.
Is there anything wrong with it? No. If he wants players to continue coming to play in the tourney, I would sit out a few weeks or only play maybe once a week. Eventually if the same person keeps winning the local weekly tourney, a lot of the players stop showing up. Ive seen it many times over the years. Here in Houston, we call it the Tommy Milburn affect.
Best answer of the thread. If there is a tourney 3x a week and he always wins, he'll start to have less entrants, so it would be bad for business.
The Carom Room has an open tourney and a no master's tourney. The owner plays in the open. And although he is a great player, he's not guaranteed to win it. But he certainly holds his own.
that made me smile. Tommy is a nice guy.
Yea hes a nice guy, but boy does he love to sneak into those 5-10 bar tourneys. :smile: Ill never forget me and a couple of buddys driving around one night looking for a bar tourney for some easy money, (keep in mind I was no where near the speed I am now or as good as Tommy) well we end up finding a little hole in the wall bar in the middle of nowhere and decide to check it out. Once we get inside I realize that there isn't a single pool player in the tourney and that I should be favored to win. About 10-15 minutes before the tourney starts, ol Tommy walks in and says he saw the sign outside about a pool tournament. Of course, none of these bangers know who his is, so they welcome him with open arms. I don't even remember if me or Tommy won, but I just found it hilarious that I found a little hole in the wall that I would never expect to see a player in a million years, and sure enough Tommy Milburn finds it.
Thank you sir. :thumbup:
When I owned my pool room I would rarely play in my own tournaments. If it was a county championship, or an Atlanta tour type of event I would play. I once played the smaller weekly tournament when a really cocky stronger player came in who was irritating the regulars. He was telling them he just won sixteen tournaments in a row and was banned from another pool room and was going to win all ours until we banned him too. The regulars asked me to play and try to beat him to shut him up. I played some of the best pool of my life that night and beat him in the finals. After I beat him that guy promised to never come back again. Which was just fine with us.
Last edited:
I play in my own tournaments. My tournaments have a very small pay out. They are mostly just for neighborhood kids. I never win them but I play in them and that ain't gonna change. My 2 cents worth.
Theres the difference, you just said you never win. The OP says that the owner was winning 3 times a week. Huge difference :wink:
And where does this town happen to be?
I don't think it is a problem if the owner plays in a tourney in his pool room as long as his matches aren't constantly interrupted while he stops to handle business matters such as take phone calls, give out tables,wait on customers etc. There needs to be someone else on duty during the tourney in other words.
I know what you are saying but it doesn make sense business wise and here is why. This is guy is bascailly semi pro I beleive he had a top 20 finish in the banks at DCC few years ago. He plays all day everyday, apart from some of the action players who come on the weekend it is local league players in these tournament who have little to chance of beating him. Yes the pot is split and he can be beat, but last week for example he had so much going on and was losing in his match that he messes up the bracket and had people sittin gout when they shouldnt and people in the wrong side of the chart. Addiotnally how can local league players compete with somkeone who plays all day everyday and his already 4 balls better than them? Will they keep coming? We will see as this is relatively new. I will always gfo cos I have good chance of placing and I enojy the challenge but there are only a handful of us in that boat. reality is without the 250 local AOPA members we have you need them in your room to survive.
9 ball tourny tonight so I will see if he plays and let you know who wins and how many show up.