"Bad Rolls" How do you handle them?

If my opponent misses, but leaves me tough, either intentionally, or by accident, I look at it as an opportunity to get back to the table. I like being at the table, because that is when I control what happens next.

If I get a "bad roll" myself, I immediately ask myself what I did wrong. Since the laws of physics always rule, where the balls end up after I hit the cue ball must be a direct result of what I did.

I refuse to allow myself to mentally become a victim at the pool table.

Steve
 
you are cursed!

EZMoney said:
I've been feeling the pain of bad rolls for me or good rolls for my competitor for so long now that I avoid playing the game. I've adaptive the attitude that when I know I've missed the shot, I head for the chair oblivious to the outcome of the leave. It's too painful to watch my poor attemps turn into wounderful leaves for my competitor. I will then disengage myself from the game until it's my turn, and what do ya know?, I get either a dick or a full length cut shot which requires inside english to get position on the next shot. This night mare doesn't seem like it want to end but just keep feeding on its self. I know my play makes me look like a dick but its the only way I can handle this s**t.

I saw the espes the other night and there was a quote by John Wooten's father, made when the famous coach launched his carrier, "Don't whine, don't complain, and don't make excuses". Try to adhear to these ideals when the pool gods aren't in your camp.

I have lost my passion for the game. I know these rolls a suppose to even out but its seem like forever seen I've had a good day at the game.
When will it end?
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You are cursed by the gods! Some people are just like that, if it wasn't for bad luck you would have no luck at all. I recommend that you go to the nearest bridge over a deep river and throw in everything you own pool related. If you still find yourself pulled towards a pool hall go back to the river and jump in!

Now that I have that out of the way, there was testing done with a random state generator, 50/50 chance over the long run. The longest run of it stopping on one state in a hundred thousand tries or so was over twenty times. That is plenty enough for you to get the bad rolls in a match or two, or even for days. Accept that crap happens and always remember your turn is coming.

I have to admit I take the scientific and suspicious approach. If I get a bad roll on my shot it is because I chose a stupid shot or played it poorly. My fault. That is the science part. If my opponent is getting all the rolls on his shot I have to suspect that he is better than I thought and he is making the rolls.

My somewhat ridiculous viewpoint is that I should win every time and if I don't it is because I didn't do what I needed to do to win. That viewpoint saves me a lot of wasted angst and aggravation.

Hu
 
I thought everybody knew, "The good players get all the rolls!" :smile:
One more sober thought is that the balls are inanimate objects. They only go where we direct them to go.
 
When I was in college I lost the final of a bar table tournament at one of the college bars.

I walked out the front door and threw my cue in front of a truck that was driving by and it ran over it.

Fortunately it was in a strong tube case and did not get damaged, but the case was trashed.

Now I control my emotions a little better.
 
I understand the concept of not letting bad rolls affect your play (especially when its hill-hill and he misses a simple shot and your locked up behind the point or the only other ball on the table).

Its one thing if you're the player who created the poor position for yourself (then deal with it) but when your opponent has no idea what's going to happen that's another.

I never understood why all pool games weren't call pocket or safety. There can still be luck like over hitting position by 3 feet and discovering that was actually the right position or using a jump cue instead of the playing cue or kicking.

Books and videos are loaded with fundamentals but I've yet to read a book that adequately deals with the mental side (that includes "Pleasures of Small Motions").

Everybody jumps on Earl Strickland I was ready for him to explode when Efren Reyes after hooking himself; 2 rail kicks in a ball to run out but he just cheered and went on his way.
 
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