Are Air Barrels ever justified?

Like Jay and a few others have said, back in the 70's and 80's, shooting an air barrel on the last game was just part of the game.

Hell, I had "air' shot at me so often, I thought I'd been invited to a farting contest!

Stones
 
Black-Balled said:
How about if your opponent owes your buddy $x, you play him for $x, lose and tell him he is off the hook to your buddy?
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Maybe ethical in the strict sense, but dangerous...

Tom
 
jay helfert said:
I once beat a guy out of several thousand dollars playing Tonk for a hundred a game and double on undercuts and gins. He was a wealthy Bingo parlor operator. After the last game, he reached in his pocket and pulled out his last few bills. It amounted to about thirty or forty dollars. I told him to just forget it. ALL my pockets were stuffed with bills already. He insisted on paying me.

He went up to the counter and got the girl who was working there to give him all her bundled up ones. He came back over and handed me this stack of one dollar bills, in bunches of twenty each, held together with paper clips. It was one hundred dollars. I didn't want to take it, but he said he pays all his debts. So I took it. Then he asked me if I played pool. This was about 7AM after we had been playing cards all night. I told him I play a little. So he said we have to play some One Pocket sometime.

I have never seen him again, but I've only been back in Rusty's one time years later. I have been told that he was a bigger sucker at pool than cards. I guess I dogged it on this one. I was in town for the Trade Show in Ft. Worth and had a plane to catch. This was the show where Fats got inducted into the HOF. I had a choice to go back to Dallas the next night or watch Fat's induction. So I stayed.

The long version of this story is going into my book.
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Do you mean "the book" the pool world is waiting for ? We all live in fear of seeing a thread someday in the future, saying "Jay Helfert, run over by bus on the way to the publisher with his manuscript". He was well loved in the pool community. Jay was 94 years old. :sorry:

Dick
 
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Air Barrel's!

SJDinPHX said:
In the early years, it was almost accepted. I've been on both ends of it.
Although never for the kind of $$$$ you are talking about.
In high $$$ races,(or even by the game) anyone who doesn't post up, WILL get airbarrelled eventually. Most pool player's have a slightly different code of ethics than the rest of the world, or so it seems. JMHO

Dick
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If i'm playing you by the game and you air barrel me the last one, that's fine!, I'll even give you a "walking stick" back to go pump up on!:thumbup:

Playing Sets, (Post Up!)


David Harcrow
 
watchez said:
Maybe this is another reason why poker is thriving and pool still remains in the dark ages with its' idiotic acceptance of ideas such as the air barrel and not quitting winner. I think at pool, as long as you set a time frame or X number of games, go ahead and quit. At a poker table, you cannot air barrel someone and you surely can quit winner. I have seen someone half joke saying they are 'All In' and the floor stating it is verbal and to push in their chips. Sticking with rules keeps the games in line. There are still plenty of suckers at the table and the action is good. And the suckers come back week after week. Guess they don't need an air barrel to feel comfortable.

Yes, you can milk a cow every day but only slaughter it once. That is a good rule to follow. But I don't care to milk a cow if he is going to shit on my head when I do it.
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I caught the same thing Hu did re; "milking a bull".

I've also caught another common theme throughout most of your posts.
That is your disdain for pool player's and pool in general. If I thought poker or golf (or anything) so far eclipsed pool, I don't believe I would waste my time "slamming" the game, on a forum devoted to people who obviously love pool, and accept the good with the bad. Would you go on a NASCAR forum saying you can't stand car's or driver's?
I guess I'm asking, what is the attraction for you ?

Dick
 
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Neil said:
Corvette: I quoted that to remind you of what you said. Hopefully, you and a few others have changed your stance a little. Did Ronnie throw an air barrel? Yes, for $500. The last game. Ronnie is an old schooler also. And, I'm sure he would make it right on his next trip through.

Ronnie did not think he owed the full 3900. After more communication with all parties, he agreed to pay it. That is not an air barrel, that is miscommunication.

If you guys want to stay with your stance, then just remember that Jay, u-wate, SJD, and hundreds more, including you Corvette are fitting of your description above. I say you too, because you yourself admitted that you have thrown an air barrel.

Air barrels are still thrown all the time by known players. You just don't here about it all the time. Some are known for doing it a lot. Anybody that really thinks the postings on this forum have changed anything, is deluding themselves. Yes, this forum has done great things. In this case, the forums don't mean squat, as most of the big money players don't even read or care about them. In a lot of the pool world, this forum has a name of something to stay away from.

Ronnie's case got cleared up by communication between the parties involved, not by anything on here.For those of you that think Ronnie would throw Shawn a 3900 air barrel, you are way off base. Ronnie isn't about to shoot what he thinks is a good horse. Few people agree with him, but he thinks he has a good game with Shawn. And, he has won with it. He wants more of that action, not kill it from one loss. Personally, I think Shawn has the best of it overall, time will tell though.

And, just for the record, I have never thrown an air barrel. But I have had many thrown at me. It's all part of the game. You have to know when to say something about it, and when to shut up about it.
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Neil, FYI I never played an air barrel. I don't remember ever going broke that way and taking a free one game shot at anybody. If someone broke me (which did happen once or twice), I simply quit. I did have quite a few air barrels thrown at me though.

On the other hand, I played on "ass" more than once. But we were paying after a certain number of games on the wire (like five). And I never once lost in that spot. Thank God! Now if I had lost and didn't have the money to pay, I would have probably given up my cue stick to hold as collateral. And then gone and got the money. I never totally stiffed anyone. I wasn't big enough or brave enough. And it just wasn't my style.
 
As mentioned circumstances exist which make an "air barrel", in certain instances, palatable.

In the event an "air barrel" evolves into a stiff which is written off don't be shocked if it's done ....in blood.
 
Neil said:
No offense at all Jay, and if I offended you, I apologize. I took your post wrong, but you have made it clear. I have seen many play on 'arse'. The one thing I never understood, is playing for your only cue???? I've never wanted to lose one. To hard to play great using a house cue when you are used to one cue. But, I also understand that many ONLY used house cues.
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No offense taken. Look, I was no saint in those days. I was not above looking for an easy game, and I took full advantage of all "information" available to me at the time. I had no desire to fade tough action if it could be avoided. But if I had to play I could and did many times. I beat more than a few guys who I wasn't supposed to. I had a few moves. :D
 
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Neil said:
No offense at all Jay, and if I offended you, I apologize. I took your post wrong, but you have made it clear. I have seen many play on 'arse'. The one thing I never understood, is playing for your only cue???? I've never wanted to lose one. To hard to play great using a house cue when you are used to one cue. But, I also understand that many ONLY used house cues.
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You have got to respect your cue!!! I have had many people offer to buy my cue and believe me, there have been times I could have used the money. I agree, there is no sense in playing for your cue stick!! A great player once told me there were three things it took to be a good road player.....
1. Bankroll/money management
2. Dependable transportation
3. Good Cue stick that you treat with respect.
 
jay helfert said:
No offense taken. Look, I was no saint in those days. I was not above looking for an easy game, and I took full advantage of all "information" available to me at the time. I had no desire to fade tough action if it could be avoided. But if I had to play I could and did many times. I beat more than a few guys who I wasn't supposed to. I had a few moves. :D
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Jay, see post# 65, I'm afraid you'll move on and miss the subtle message :wink:
 
Neil said:
...In my Navy days I used to bust guys, then win their sticks. I would then refinish them . They would gladly buy them back...while I was doing my best to keep from laughing... it was the same cue I got from them...
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Honestly? Is this a bit of overstatement?

Do you really think it is plausible that a person(s) wouldn't recognize their own cue a week later?

Really?
 
Neil said:
Sometimes, just sometimes, that final thought of having to leave dead broke, and actually picturing that in your head, is enough to bring out ones "A" game and turn things around. I've had it happen against me several times.

Also, the guy ahead will be able to sense a lot of times that this is the airbarrel game, and he lets up just a hair, thinking it is finally over. Sometimes that is enough for the guy that is down to turn it around. Now the guy ahead is mentally kicking himself for letting up and has to get his head back where he needs it and win a couple more games to close it out.
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Yeah, I can see that too, but it still doesn't make it right to me. When you gamble with someone, you make an agreement and accept a responsibility to pay if you lose. Would the mortgage company accept an air barell if you didn't have the money?................
 
Fast Lenny said:
Wasn't McGoorty who said the true test of your game was playing on nerve alone with no cash?
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Wasn't he a "Billiard Bum" and a heavy drinker? That's not someone I'd take advice from.
 
How about the "barrel and bite" or "barrel and bone"? Get airbarreled the last game and then they bite you for a walking stick....

"You've never truly been airbarreled until you've been airbarreled in Middletown...."

Saw
 
Fast Lenny said:
Wasn't McGoorty who said the true test of your game was playing on nerve alone with no cash?
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That's probably true but it doesn't make it right. However the true test would be if you were firing an air barrel and YOU KNEW that the consequences of not paying were going to be severe and immediate.

It's a sick feeling on both sides at the end of a set when an air barrel has been fired. The winner feels let down and the loser feels really defeated and leaves owing someone, knowing that this is going to knock his action.
 
I have had an air barrel fired and I took the guys cue and told him when he had the money he would get it back,he wasn't a good player and wouldn't make money with it anyway.I have when I liked the guy and he was busted gave him a chance to win his walking stick,I would put up $50 or $100 of his money and say if you beat me you get the money,we would both play hard and most guys I gambled with respected me for it. :smile:
 
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