Cheating at pool...

Tramp Steamer

Tramp Steamer

One Pocket enthusiast.
Silver Member
Neil, has an interesting thread going entitled "Cheating in Sports".
I thought I would be a little more specific and pose the question: "Describe a method of cheating that you have either practiced, or heard about, regarding Pool, Three- cushion, or Snooker." :smile:
 
I did this I college, just to mess with my best friend. No money was involved.

Stand in the shooters line of sight. Just as he is pulling the trigger, shift your body weight ever so slightly. This will throw off the aim of even very good shooters. You do not have to move much and you do not have to move fast. Half an inch. Casual speed. The moving background is very subtle.

My friend was extremely frustrated until I showed him what I was doing and it became a running joke between us.

Do not try this with a stranger. I will not be held responsible for your injuries.
 
Come to think on it, there was a guy where I play pool who, fairly recently, caused his smart phone to ring during his opponents inning while playing One Pocket.
He got called on it, too (no pun intended). :)
 
There are so many it's hard to know where to start really. The imfamous push shot, to the follow through cut shot where the cue actually hits the object ball in. The infamous "what do you mean, that was a bad hit, or it never touched that ball" when in fact it did. Which leads to the infamous calling foul on an obviously good shot with the sole intentions to create conflict and throw the oponent off focus or out of rythm
Theres always the numerous subtle distractions that at first sight appear completely random, but are anything but.... Marking two wins for only a single win in a set. Any one of the 10 million documented shark tactics. Having friends on the next table who purposely monopolize the playing space and take absurd ammounts of time to shot when you need the space at the time.
I used to know a guy that was a good magician (not in pool but the real stuff). He mastered the leaning over the table and manipulating balls with his belly, forearm, elbow or clothing, or even rolling a ball with the butt end or the grip area of his cue leaning over the table out of your line of sight as he lined up shots.
The old two tails trick coin, why I almost always call tails ;) .The old wet finger in the table chalk while they have a good piece of chalk in thier pocket along with a damp napkin in the other pocket to both use for and to clean up the evidence on said finger.
I may edit this to add more as I recall them. working and living in poolhalls/bars, eventually you'll see it all.

Dopc.
 
Truthfully Tramp, the thought of cheating at any sport, specially pool has never crossed my mind.

The taste of victory would be sour in my mouth if I didn't know I played fair and square.

That said, I will tell you a story of how a good friend of mine used to cheat in drinking beer.

This I felt was fair and square.

Years ago, my friend and I drove for the same company hauling concrete.
We used to stop in a small club ran by the Serbs, the Serbian club.

They used the small beer glasses there that draft was served in years ago. Remember that, a nickel a glass. Anyway, these glasses wouldn't hold a full bottle so you were always left a bit at the bottom.

Well, one day, I had a few gulps and turned to empty my bottle into the glass. There was none.

It was then that my Bud told me that for the last year, every time I turned my back, he would empty my bottle into his glass. The fact that this had been happening for a full
year without my catching on was worth a good laugh.

I told him that at the least, he owed me a few beer.

And this is how you cheat at beer.
 
I played in a $5 buy-in weekly 8-ball tournament a few years ago. 1st prize was usually about $60. A guy that was one of the main threats to win any given week was also the TD. He drew out the brackets on a napkin. I can't prove it but I'm pretty sure he seeded himself such that he pulled easy competition in the first few rounds. By the time I suspected this the tournament had faded away.

In 8-ball league play I've seen plenty of times where just after my team misses, someone on the other team whispers to their player "shoot the 2 ball" or some such. Happens all the time. When I called someone on this in an APA match, I got marked down for having a "bad attitude" or something. Geez.

Push shots when the CB and OB are close but not touching is fairly common. But most of the group I hang out with does not know how to spot it (e.g. CB and OB traveling at the same speed after contact) and our unofficial policy is not to call it.
 
I walk in the pool room one day and a guy from out of town is playing the local champ. The out of towner is getting the 6 and the breaks on a bar table, and is stuck 4 grand. Just as I sit down, he says he quits unless they get a neutral racker. The local figures he's winning so easily that he agrees. Less than an hour later they are even. Out of towner later said that he hadn't made a single ball on the break the whole time the local was racking them!

Once played a guy that had to shoot a tough shot on the 5 that I left him. I turn around to walk back to my seat and don't hear anything. When I sit down and turn around, he is shooting at the 7! I call him on it, and it turns out he has the 5 and the 6 in his pants pockets!

Had another guy, and it's my turn. Playing cb fouls only, I have to bridge over a ball to shoot a very tough shot. I pull it off better than I could have drawn it on paper, but the palm of my hand lightly touched the ball I was shooting over. I let him know I touched the ball, but it didn't move anywhere. He proceeds to pick up the ball and place it frozen to the rail behind another ball. I ask him what in the world he's doing, and he says that because I touched it, he can put it back where he thinks it was, and that looked like a good spot for it! (I quit him right there)

Another time, I agree to play the local thief a game of 14.1 to 50. He makes half the balls the first rack, I make the rest, so he racks and puts the score on the counters. We split the next rack too, with him getting the last few balls. So I go to rack and put up the new score and the counter says 26-7! How in the world can you get a score like that after the first rack?? He insists that's right with everyone watching laughing at him. I quit him right there too.
 
It's just not worth it

In our leagues, it happens a lot. Here's how I handle it.

Push shots - Most of the people in the league I am in don't know what this is. So I don't bother calling it. The ones that do know what it is don't do it. Our rules state you have to jack up or shoot at an angle, not straight at the ball.

Double hit the cue ball - everyone knows when the do this. Some will stand up and wait for a foul to be called after the first hit. Some will admit the foul. Some will quick trigger shoot. I lose a little respect for the ones that don't call it on themselves, but lose all respect if the quick shooters deny it after I call them on it.

Hit my ball first - I'm talking the obvious ones. On the close ones, it's not worth arguing. I was at a Wisconsin BCA tourney at a casino. My opponent hit my ball first, clearly and obviously. I clarified ball in hand and he said why? I said you hit the 6 (my ball) first. His response was...I don't see no ref! I took my cue apart and said good luck, you're a piece of shit and obviously need the money more than I. I refuse to be seen at the same table as you.
 
This isn't serious cheating but it is a joke I play on friends once in a while. When playing 8 ball, during the game I will take one of the object balls they made from a pocket and hide it. When they are going to shoot the 8 I sneak up with the "extra" object ball and put it on the table out of their line of sight. They shoot the 8 and I just sit their shaking my head until they realize they still had a ball on the table.
 
In league .play I always had trouble making a ball on the break with the 2nd best player in the league racking.

One night i found out why. He was moving the middle ball in the back of the rack back, and pushing the other balls up.
 
The upcoming issue of Inside Pool will have an article on Sharking in general.

When researching the book "Psychology of Gamesmanship", I identified 80 plus specific sharks plus a list of 20-30 casual tricks. (Included in the book is not only the description, but also one or more counter-responses for each one.)

There is the Juvenile sharks that you can observe when any group of teenagers are playing. The infamous coin-jingling, line-of-sight interference, noise makers, and other obvious stuff.

But there are a few "gamesmen" around who are much more subtle. They use various tests to probe for weak spots, discover irritants, and other efforts that reveal their opponent's attitude, thinking, and resiliency.

The biggest key to handling any shark is recognizing when the attempt is made and then being proactive to stop it. Keep in mind, some people, when told their actions are sharking attempts, are initially surprised, but will cooperatively stop. Others, when called on it, simply switch tactics.

All the pros have their own little library of mind games, applicable to various situations.

For myself, I don't use any tricks or mind games during a match - unless the opponent starts something. :grin-devilish:
 
saw this once

Had another guy, and it's my turn. Playing cb fouls only, I have to bridge over a ball to shoot a very tough shot. I pull it off better than I could have drawn it on paper, but the palm of my hand lightly touched the ball I was shooting over. I let him know I touched the ball, but it didn't move anywhere. He proceeds to pick up the ball and place it frozen to the rail behind another ball. I ask him what in the world he's doing, and he says that because I touched it, he can put it back where he thinks it was, and that looked like a good spot for it! (I quit him right there)

[/QUOTE]

Saw this happen at a VNEA tourney in Toronto 10 yrs ago, luckily there was a ref there, and the opponent ( jumping Joe Flash) did that same thing to his opponent, the ref call an unsportsmanship foul on Joe for being a jerk, other guy ran last 2 balls to a standing ovation,
 
I played a great safety on a guy once in a major state tourny. He walked up looked at me,,, smiled ,,,put his cue on the cue ball and nudged it forward a inch or so.
I walked up,,obviously ,,BIH. And picked up the cue,,,,he started yelling ,,Foul!!

He called the ref over and sure enough,,, I didn't ask!! He had BIH now.

He did this on purpose to get me to pick this ball up. It was so obvious and his facial expressions told me .

He cheated ,,using the rules!!

We still beat that team. And a while later we heard some yelling going on across the room. The same guy,,did the same thing ,,again to someone else.
I went over and told them he did it to me also.

He was close to getting ass whooped. His own team was not happy with him much either!!
 
Hmmmmm

I felt like I cheated, in a game...Once...

I was playing a league match...

and I miscued...and bumped my object ball with the cue ball...but neither hit a rail...

I thought my opponent was watching...but when I looked up, he was partying with his buds, drinking shots...and he didn't see it...

I didn't say anything...but one of his other buds saw it...but didn't say anything until after he had shot...

I felt guilty, so, I'll never do that again, it made me feel dirty, just didn't sit well with my integrity.

anyhow, just a once time issue...won't happen again.
 
Sliding straight needles under the cloth around pockets to affect slow rolls, and on the edges of cushions to affect banks.

Wetting your fingers and making wet spots CB or object balls wet when racking.

Doctoring a rack.

Spitting in the chalk.

Putting your hand on the cloth next to a ball and pulling on the cloth to separate balls. Seen a pro do that.


.
 
PaulieB said:
This isn't serious cheating but it is a joke I play on friends once in a while. When playing 8 ball, during the game I will take one of the object balls they made from a pocket and hide it. When they are going to shoot the 8 I sneak up with the "extra" object ball and put it on the table out of their line of sight. They shoot the 8 and I just sit their shaking my head until they realize they still had a ball on the table.
Click to expand...

I did something similar to two girls in a bar one day, hid the eight ball in the ball return after they broke and made a few, they went to the bar for a beer, then i got up and hid it . Sat and waited for them to get close to end of the game and notice, and when they did they were like " How the .... did that happen ?"
We had a good laugh. :D
 
Balls moved

I played in a local $10 entry 9ball tournament.

Opponent had a straight in shot. CB just off rail, OB maybe 3/4 inch away, both lined up straight to the far corner.

I asked shooter to hold up until I could walk over to get TD to watch the hit.

TD arrived back at table before I did.

The balls had moved. CB was now 2 inches off the rail. OB was about 4 inches away from CB. Opponent made the shot with no problem.

TD asked why I brought him over to watch the shot. I just shook my head and laughed. I did learn a lesson...about my opponent, and about staying at the table, while calling for the TD.:eek:
 
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