Do your coworkers take your pool game seriously?

I agree

gdog said:
Nothing good can really come from telling coworkers about your passion for pool. It's all perception. Pool means i drink, gamble, stay up late and don't take my job really that serious. So now you have e'm already looking at you in a different light. I have learned after Three long stints at large companies that what i do in my spare time, I will keep to myself.
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I agree. One time I went out with a few co-workers and one of them had their stupid brother with them. Well, they talked me into shooting a game of 8-ball with this dummy. He made believe that he could not play. So I was missing shots to give him a shot and telling him what to shoot and how to shoot it. It came down where he needed two balls and then the 8. Suddenly he knew how to shoot and shot the two balls in plus the 8 ball and then quit on me. You would not believe how I heard for years that this jerk brother had beat me. No one knew what he had done to act like a non player. It really made me mad. Even when he made the last balls. I could tell that he couldn't shoot well.
I do not play with non pool players anymore. If company comes over to the house. I let them all play and I sit and watch. It is for the best. I am also sick n tired of hearing;
I put myself threw college playing pool
I never paid for a drink while I was in college
I play good when I drink..........
There are many more. I am thinking of making up a T-shirt with the Top 10 pool sayings. I think it would be funny
 
This happens with all my coworkers. Pool gets randomly mentioned. I tell them I like to shoot. They say they're hot stuff. And what happens? They realize what a monster I am compared to them and how much it means to me. Now whenever a new guy comes to work, other coworkers get them to play with me just to see how they react.
 
some good discussion, thanks everybody thats chimed in so far.

anybody ever actually won/lost money to a co worker?
 
be careful what you ask for...

100kbet said:
Every job I've ever had it seems to go like this.

*pool get mentioned randomly*
me: I like to play pool, you play pool?
them: I could beat you
me: you want to bet on that?
them: sure, I used to play a lot
me: lets bet paychecks. my check vs yours. how does that sound? first person to win 10 games? that way I cant get 'lucky' on you in one game.
them *hem haw blah blah blah*

I figure one day I'll actually play pool with a coworker and play em for a little, just for the satisfaction of seeing their faces. :)

anybody else run into this much though?
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One of these days someone at your place of work that you don't know might say "Yes"... and then what? Maybe you've bitten off more than you can chew.

Do you show the same agression when you have the same conversation with a stranger in a strange pool hall? I think not.
 
100kbet said:
some good discussion, thanks everybody thats chimed in so far.

anybody ever actually won/lost money to a co worker?
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I played a co-worker for lunch a few times...the first time was the best though; get to a bar that had two very decent (surprisingly, I mean) Valley boxes, and he asked if I'd play him for the bill. I asked what he wanted to play, and he said that he liked 9ball. I said, I HATE 9ball, but you're on! Flipped for the break and I won...I broke and made the 9. He was ticked, and I said, go ahead and spot the 10, I don't want to win by just breaking. He happily did so, and I went 2 - 10 combo, and said, but I will take that, and a cheeseburger, fries, and iced tea :p
 
Word of warning... If you want to keep your pool life from your co-workers, never take a pool instruction book into work with you. Holy crap, all of the sudden the water cooler talk is; "He's so obsessed with pool he actually reads books about it" :yikes:
Ok, they were right...but still
 
Shortside K said:
One of these days someone at your place of work that you don't know might say "Yes"... and then what? Maybe you've bitten off more than you can chew.

Do you show the same agression when you have the same conversation with a stranger in a strange pool hall? I think not.
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if somebody that I work with ever says 'yes' then i'll be playing for the paycheck. I'm not afraid to gamble for it, but I also know most of my coworkers shut up when you mention anything of value.

and no, I dont show the same aggression in a pool hall. I may show some of that aggression in a bar on occasion, but its often the only way to get a game in small local bars. In a pool hall I know theres better ways of finding a game and people tend to 'speak the lingo' so I dont need to be aggressive to get a game.
 
I've been fortunate with pool and work. For many years there was a pool hall adjacent to our building, and several of us would play over lunch. Others would come by now and then, but weren't interested after learning they were not competitive.

When I was consulting at a research park there was a nice pool table in our buildings rec room. Again I'd play at lunch, as did most of the other pool players. There was a pecking order with a few relatively good players (who'd bring their cues to work), some OK shots, and a bunch of out-for-fun players. It didn't take long to become known as one of the guys who plays at lunch.

Dave
 
100kbet said:
some good discussion, thanks everybody thats chimed in so far.

anybody ever actually won/lost money to a co worker?
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Not that I can remember, but my son has. When we both worked at the same place, he played another kid who worked with me. They played on a bar table in the Pool room {only place in NY with bar tables and the players never played on them} and my son literally robbed the guy. Took most of his pay check. The kid couldn't understand it. He'd been trying to get me to play and I declined. My son asked if he still wanted to play me. No answer:grin:
 
I once had a couple of co-workers that would regularly get together to drink and play pool. I casually told them that I also liked to play and said maybe I could join them sometime. I didn't really pursue this since I was sure they weren't at all serious players. Many months later, I happened to be visiting one of those co-workers when his pool buddy came by to see if he wanted to go out. He agreed and asked if I had time to come along. I told him I could.

We go to the pool room and I am mowing these folks down so bad they were convinced the devil owned my soul. I showed them shots they've never seen before - jump shots, masse shots, time shots, you name it. From that time on, back at the office, I was known as the resident pool shark!
 
just wanna say your sig is priceless einstein. :)

There were two OLD brunswick annys in my freshman dorm room. I took all of two weeks to be known as 'the kid always playing pool'. Kids would occasionally drop by and want to try their luck, sometimes for a few bucks. never anything worthwhile.

The only other two serious players were an indian guy and a black guy. we used to call our all night pool sessions 'international nights' while shooting and BS'ing each other.
 
Can't tell you how many people I have talked to who where killer pool players back in the day who made money playing the game, but can't make a ball when you go play with them. My mention of pool at work is a mixed bag, most think it is cool and exciting as most people I work with hate their own lives and would rather be doing something else if they had the courage to.
 
Interesting thread. I never cared much if coworkers knew I played pool one way or the other. I rarely said anything to anyone but the subject has come up a few times. In all my years I had 3 or 4 pretty good money games.

The first time it come up somehow, don't remember exactly why. But I'll bet he challenged me to a game saying he was better because I probably said I play pretty good. That was the first time, played for a hundred and I won.

Next time, different person, same deal, played for a hundred and he lost. But this guy played pretty good, surprised me a little.

Last good game was a smart ass guy that was the service manager. You know the kind, better than anyone else and knew everything. He wanted to show off in way to belittle or be above me. Played two games for 50 and I smoked him real good. He got to drinking more, guess he could not handle being shown up. Later on he smarted off to the wrong guy and got decked. I loved beating that guy.

That's all that's worth a mention. Where I work now there is a cute little lady that knows I play pool because I got something out of my trunk. She wanted to know what was in the case. She could not believe pool cues cost so much money. LOL Anyway because of her very small size I gave her the nickname of short rack. LOL She said something one day to a guy and the guy said he would play some. That hasn't happened yet because I'm waiting for him to stick his foot in his mouth for the right amount.

So yes I've known a few, I just wait on them. Sooner or later at the right time they say something that would not look good to back out of in front of other workers. I never push them, they do it to themselves. They trap them self into a game. I never wanted to be accused of hustling a coworker, it's not worth it. Well, it is sort of but I'm not the one spouting off how good I am.

So win or loose I'm the good guy even though I always have the best of it. If it never happens again no problem. But I'm going to retire next year so they better get it while they can!

Rod
 
guess I'd really have to take pool seriously (my own game) for some of the situations that y'all are describing.

I have had a number of folks that I've worked with or around make comments to me about golf (whether they notice a Titleist hat I'm wearing, or if I bring up something golf related). Usually most won't play when they figure out I'm not the cart riding guy who stops the beer girl every other hole, shoot 100 something, and doesn't mind 5 hour rounds....but if they do play, they quickly find out I am a threat to shoot par or better any given round, and don't want to play again. Kinda like what someone mentioned with pool earlier in the thread - they hear you play, and immediately underestimate (or think you exaggerate) your skill level.

I seriously had a co-worker ask to play after work with me one day (local muni - thought we'd just play 9), and suddenly forgot he had to go somewhere after I birdied 3 outta the first 5 holes (5th hole ended by the parking lot). lol He had played in high school, still played every Saturday, and was decent, but no better than a bogey golfer. He had asked me at work how I played, and I told him I usually shoot in the 70's (left it at that), and I don't think he believed me. After his "brief" look at my game, he told everyone on the job that I hit the ball like Tiger - lol.
 
Not only the coworkers, but no one takes my pool game seriously here. When they talk with me about pool, i can feel the sarcasm in their voice.
Anyway, i played with two of my coworkers on a separate ocasions. Once i played with my boss, who was very confident pre match about his game. I beat him 14:0 in 8-ball. The guy who works in the club called me wnen the result was 11:0 and said to me:
-Are You crazy?! Let your boss win at least a couple of frames. It's quite embarasing for him.
I said:
-Hmmm..., no!

After that he never came to play with me, as well as nobody else from the company, which is quite good because i don't wan't to waste time with bangers.
 
TheNewSharkster said:
I have had people give me crap for spending $500+ on a pool cue. My standard response is someone who is into guitars and likes to play will drop thousands without blinking. Its the same thing with a pool cue IMO
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I explain the cost of my cues/equipment to people in the following way:

"Do you ski? How much did you spend on your skis? $200.00? How about your boots and bindings? Another $250.00? Clothing, gloves, other accessories? Another $200.00? At this point, you have several hundred dollars wrapped up in your hobby, as I do in mine."

As far as playing with co-workers, at a previous job, a large group attended a grand-opening of an upscale room one time. I happened to play pretty well that night and many were impressed. From that time on, it was pretty well-known that I was a decent player. At my current job, my co-workers know I now build cues and play, but they have no idea at what level. It's nothing that I try to keep on the down-low about. If people have it in their mind that pool halls are dark, dirty, evil places, I don't have to worry about ever running into them there.
 
md5key said:
I'm in IT and several of the guys I work with like to play as well. I do get a little ribbing every now and then from other people when I bring my cue in so that it isn't subjected to the cold/heat outside. It's interesting, people who wouldn't think twice about spending thousands of dollars on golf clubs just can't seem to understand why I would want my own cue.

I also get the normal reactions when I'm bringing my case in:
"Is that a gun?"
"Here comes a hustler!"
"How's it going Fats?"
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Ditto. I just tell them at noon I am going postal with my shotgun and they all better run for the hills.
 
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