Am I a nit?

I think you did the right thing. I believe he was setting you up to get a bigger game going by laying down the first, then seeing that you could shoot and having to come back off of a large deficit to win the second.

If you're comfortable with a $20 set, keep it there. If you raise it and are not comfortable, you might as well just hand it over without playing because it will rattle your stroke/game.
 
Rackin_Zack said:
playing on his part he came back and beat me 5-4. At this point he tells me that he has to leave shortly and askes if I will play him a race to 7 for $40. I
Click to expand...

You didn't do anything wrong. Denominations aside, I wouldn't jack it up if the guy said he had to leave soon, unless I was ahead and giving him a shot at his money. If you're tight on cash, play in your comfort zone...if you're trying to get seasoned, play out of your comfort zone by a little bit. just my 2c

peace
-egg
 
So he asked you to play and then after the first set he says he has to leave soon?

I'm wondering why he asked you to play if he was too busy to finish the job? Perhaps he didn't really have to go anywhere but was using that as an excuse to bump the bets?

I had a guy bother me for years about having a game. I usually put him off as he was a gambler first and player second and I didn't like what he did to the environment in the hall. So, finally I'd had enough. I said I'd play him for $20 a game 9-ball. I won the first game, unscrewed my stick and headed for the door. He said, "Hey, you can't quit." I said, "Watch me go." He's never bother me since.

Btw, I was being pretty "nitty" there, but it had to be done. So being a nit isn't all bad. One other thing....just what the hell is a "nit?"

Jeff Livingston
 
sniper said:
There's nothing wrong with not playing the guy for $40 a set, to bad for him. If he has to leave "shortly" why is he making it a longer race?
Click to expand...

There's nothing wrong with playing the guy $40 sets, either. It's called giving action. The guy just risked $40, so he's trying to win $40.

Absolutely nothing wrong with telling the guy no, but I've been in both spots.
 
lukeinva said:
A nit is a baby gnat!
Click to expand...

From dictionary.com :D ....

nit1 ( P ) Pronunciation Key (nt)
n.
The egg or young of a parasitic insect, such as a louse.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Middle English, from Old English hnitu.]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
nitty adj.

[Download Now or Buy the Book]
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

nit2 ( P ) Pronunciation Key (nt)
n.
A unit of illuminative brightness equal to one candle per square meter, measured perpendicular to the rays of the source.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[From Latin nitor, brightness, from nitre, to shine.]

[Download Now or Buy the Book]
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.


nit (nt)
n.

The egg or young of a parasitic insect, such as a louse.


Source: The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.


Main Entry: nit
Pronunciation: 'nit
Function: noun
: the egg of a louse or other parasitic insect; also : the insect itself when young


Source: Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.


nit

n 1: a luminance unit equal to 1 candle per square meter measured perpendicular to the rays from the source 2: egg or young of an insect parasitic on mammals especially a sucking louse; often attached to a hair or item of clothing
 
StevenPWaldon said:
I agree with everyone.

Play withint your comfort zone. As your skill increases, so will your comfort zone; pretty sure you won't mind playing a $40 set and then your comfort zone will have expanded by nothing else than the level of your game improving. Then you'll be doing $100 sets and beyond.

Push yourself but don't force it.
Click to expand...

Zack, your comfort zone will not expand until you put yourself in the pressure cooker. Sure, you may stop your rock when your trying to draw it, and follow it when your trying to stop it, but the only way to get used to ut is to test yourself.

It only hurts for a second, Zack. Toughen up, big guy!
 
senor said:
Zack, your comfort zone will not expand until you put yourself in the pressure cooker. Sure, you may stop your rock when your trying to draw it, and follow it when your trying to stop it, but the only way to get used to ut is to test yourself.

It only hurts for a second, Zack. Toughen up, big guy!
Click to expand...

Unless he bust and can't pay his bills. If you can afford it then go for it, but if your are gambling away your livelihood then you are just plain dumb. Zack you are no nit.
 
Well, I guess ...

No, your not a nit, but you can not be scared either. Before we all became
good at winning, we were good at losing ... right ... How long do you want to
go on losing ... It always pissed me off, and insulted my intelligence internally.

Right, guys used to try to get me out of my comfort zone, but that is also
how I expanded my comfort zone. As long as you have a place to sleep
and food to eat, what's $40. Yes, I have been broke many a time until
payday, and I have had plenty of money and could let payday roll by like nothing.

There are 3 basic times players really work at improving their game once
they have started learing the game:

1) When a tournament is coming up they want to do well in.
2) When they have won some money and want to win more.
3) When they have been busted, and don't want it to happen again.

Now, as you can see all 3 involve money, you win money in tournaments
if you do well, you make money at Pool if you play well, and you will not
lose money at Pool if you play better.

As you get older, a sport will sooner or later lose its glimmer unless there
is something else to keep the motivation up. In Pool, that motivator is
being able to make some money at it. So, is it any surprise that money
is a good motivator for improving your game. It forces you to concentrate
and think about your game and weaknesses more, and to try to improve
the areas where you need work.

I love the sport, always have and still do. (only been burned out twice
in 43 years of playing)
My brother told me when I started shooting (and he was good) that
if I wanted to be real good to shoot for money, even if it was for only
a $1 a game.
I like to make money.
I hate being without money.
I am conservative with my money - I don't drink when I shoot, so no
big bar tabs, or wasting my money.

For a long time now, like when I am on a challenge table for say $5 a
game, and someone wants to shoot for $10 a game, I just say, "Lets
just make it $20 a game". The look they get on their face is worth a
million bucks. All of a sudden, they are not quite sure if it is within their
comfort zone... lol
 
Hey Zack,

Like other posters have said, gambling is an acquired taste, the more you do it, the more comfortable you will get with larger bets. I also agree that the woofing is unnessary and stupid, it is usually indicative of someone who feels less than comfortable with their game. Stay within you're means and negotiate games like a gentleman.

Anymore, I am very picky about who I gamble with. It actually has very little to do with whether I am afraid of them or not. It has more to do with whether I think they will behave themselves and that the play will be respectful.

Lastly, I enjoy player per game more than playing sets. In short races, anything can happen and you can lose to a lessor player. If they are a "nit", then they might just leave without giving you an opportunity to get back. An example of playing by the game might be something like this: Decide how much money you feel comfortable putting into play (let's say $100). Suggest a 10 ahead "set" for the cash. However, put a time limit on the match in the event that both players are evenly matched. So, if after 3 hours (for example) a player is up $60, the match is ended unless renegotiated. This method allows you to decide how much each player is willing to risk. It also determines ahead of time that there will not be a "nit" situation as the money is posted. If $100 ahead "sets" is chump change, make it $300 ahead, etc... Hell, I've played friends for $1/game for hours.

Playing races to 5 is OK if you are trying to get "tournament tough" and willing to test you're ability to come back from being down 4 to 1.

Regards,

Doug
 
I've known GREAT players who I thought were, or could act like the biggest Nits. I was gambling with a guy around here in VA named Pookie (Asian guy, I'm sure many of you know him or have heard of him). He's a phenomenal player and gambler (with a big mouth). About two years ago he was spotting me the 7 for races to 5 for $50. We played three sets...and he was up 2 sets. He then spotted me 40 points in a game to 100 Straight pool for $100 a game. Now..I had about $500 more on me, and I was willing to lose it all. I liked playing Pookie, and was learning a little bit. Well, I was a better straight pool player then he realized. I was up 80 to zip before he got up to the plate....and all of the sudden he couldn't shut up. He started woofing while I'm shooting...."Let's jack it up!! Bet $200....."...on and on and on. Remember this is WHILE I'm shooting and close to winning. Well, it angers and rattles me because he was acting and playing like a champion when he was winning at 9 ball (of course, right). He wasn't torturing me, giving me the 7..but he was outshooting the spot. Anyhow, after he gets up we shoot back and forth..and he beats me 100 to like 83. I pull out my money (so he sees I have more than just 1 bullet to shoot at him), pay him and quit. The way he acted was being a NIT in my book. If he was a gentlemen I would have gladly lost it all.

Matt. Guys like that should get NO action from anyone but a champion. Let's see him act like that against an equal or better player. I've gambled with some world class players and many no class players before. The only ones that get any kind of repeat action are the ones who treat me the same as I treat them. Like a gentleman. I certainly hope you never play this guy again. Tell him to get a job and act like that at work. See how long that lasts!!
:)
 
Thanks for everyone's advice and opinions! Here lately I've gotten to a point in my game where I'm a decent amount better than all of the recreational players and not quite as good as a lot of the money players around. It is no longer fun, most of the time, to play the recreational players because I get sloppy and it gets boring because I know I can more than likely miss a couple of times and still win, not that it means anything if I lose...lol. On the other hand I don't want to just give money away to the money players. This is where my inexperience comes into play as I have no idea how to determine what spot to ask for from someone.

At this point I don't have a lot of extra money becuase I have several cues on order that I have had to save money for. However, once they have all come in I will have more gambling money. For the record, I'd never play for rent or bill money as I enjoy having a roof over my head, although less food would probably be a good thing...lol. I think I have crossed over to the dark side but I remember when I first started playing I didn't want to get like the people who have no enjoyment of the game if money isn't involved. I love the game and love to play for the game, but I also want to play someone who is going to challenge me and my skill level to improve!
 
whitewolf said:
Perhaps you might try what Grady Matthews said in his tape Money Pool: tell your opponent BEFORE you start to gamble that your are going to play for x amount of $$$ and not more, and that if he doesn't like this proposition you are not interested. Grady also said for one to mention that tomorrow you may play for more money, but not today. I am presuming that this is in case you have a real sucker hooked. Leave the door open. But play within your limits. That way you can escape the BS about being called a nit, even though you weren't IMO.

Next you get to test your hustling skills. Like Drivermaker said, you have crossed over to the Dark Side so be prepared to go with the flow :D
Click to expand...

Didn't Grady also say that if he plays a guy and loses, and then asks to raise the bet and the guy says no then Grady will never play him again?
 
Nit Pickin'

Best descripion of a nit I've seen lately is Jimmy Mataya's quote in the Johnny Ervolino article I wrote in June's P&B:
(About the players at 711) "They'd play you for $1.50, then run 149 balls on you and back scratch."

So, don't be concerned about being a nit. You don't qualify.

But I wonder about all this advice about staying in your comfort zone. Fine for the grinder but I think it benefits any player to step outside that zone from time to time. Give yourself a thrill, make life exciting, expand your horizons, type a cliche.

Tom
 
dogginda9 said:
About two years ago he was spotting me the 7 for races to 5 for $50. We played three sets...and he was up 2 sets.
Click to expand...

You must mean that he won 2 sets (or was up 1 set). If you play 3 sets, he has to be up 1 set or 3.

Mike
 
Zack-Don't worry-Be happy!

You said you were going to start hanging around The Break, where I play daily.
There are many levels of short money players available.
It is also a very comfortable place to hang out.
As you asked me - I will be happy to play cheap sets (if there is nothing better going on) of 9-ball or 1 pocket.
As I have preached here, the fairest way to handicap is to get games on the wire. The spot is always there and it is the easiest to adjust.
I have no idea how you play but that takes a very short time.
You have my #, so just call me when your ready.

TY & GL
 
No Nit

Rackin_Zack said:
Okay, I was stopped in the pool hall today and there was a guy doing trick shots between playing a friend of mine so I asked him if he wanted to play some. He asked me if I wanted to play for money and I said I'd play something cheap; we agreed on a race to 5 for $20. Even though I don't play for money much I've been wanting to match up more often to try to improve my play under pressure situations.

We play the first set and I win, barely. We play another set and I streak out to a 4-1 lead and with a combination of bad shots on my part and okay playing on his part he came back and beat me 5-4. At this point he tells me that he has to leave shortly and askes if I will play him a race to 7 for $40. I tell him no but I'll play him the same race to 5 for $20. There is the requisite woofing, which I suck at by the way, each of us accusing the othe of trying to "hustle" or whatever. Anyway, I was feeling the nerves a bit for just the $20 and whether he was laying down or not I figured that for $40 with no spot he'd have the nuts against me...lol. I've played $50 sets before and folded like a cheap suit! He ended up declining the game but said he may come back some other time and play some more $20 sets.

Now, I know that a lot of you are going to laugh at me for "being afraid" to play a $40 set, which I realize is still cheap going to 7, but I just didn't feel comfortable playing for the increased amount. After all that, the question I pose to you all is this: Am I a nit that should stick solely to recreational games for no, or very cheap, money or should I continue to play for what I am comfortable, or should I sell all my cues and get out of the game...lol?
Click to expand...
Buyin cues playin for 20.00 NO nit!! The best road players ever have played for 1.00 a game in some spots,to put gas in their tank or to get a room for the nite, the art of playin good is what your needs are. Laugh at the guy,ask for his autograph & phone # tell him you know a player that bet's high TellHim You Just need a # to put him in action Tomorrow But he will have to post 2,500 or no game!Bet he shuts up then!! Who knows you mite steer yourself into tall $$$$ TAKE THE JELLY ROLL! LOL have fun!!! :D
 
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