Fair to get bumped off your table by the league?

oldplayer

oldplayer

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
just looking for your opinion on an incident the other day. a friend and I started playing on a table around noon. it was a fairly even match that afternoon and around 3 pm in the afternoon we were tied at 10 games each. about then a league player comes over and tells us we have to give them the table as league play has started. I say WTF? what do you mean we have to leave, we have been playing on this table all day! ends up we have to give up the table as it seems that "league play" over rules private play! WTH? so my buddy and I do not get to finish our private match as another table was not available. in the future I will not go to my favorite pool hall on that day as it may happen again. I would like some feedback as to what you might have done or you think this is a fair policy? . :shrug:
 
I've never heard of league starting at 3 atleast here in missouri but I mean if it was the only table in the house that could be used I'd say its the rules I know in apa u have too start at 7pm not later and that's how it is if it were my team and u guys were playing money game I'd let u play it out long as it wasn't another 10 racks each or something sometimes it don't work out. Not too long ago I was playing a buddy $500 dollar set I needed 2 racks and the bar tend kicked us out lol we had too wait till next day play rest of the set
:thumbup:
 
I calmly would have told them to refund any money that losing the table would have cost me, if it was done I would have packed up my stick and left slightly annoyed. If they refused, I guess we'd see if they were desperate enough to make me.
 
oldplayer said:
just looking for your opinion on an incident the other day. a friend and I started playing on a table around noon. it was a fairly even match that afternoon and around 3 pm in the afternoon we were tied at 10 games each. about then a league player comes over and tells us we have to give them the table as league play has started. I say WTF? what do you mean we have to leave, we have been playing on this table all day! ends up we have to give up the table as it seems that "league play" over rules private play! WTH? so my buddy and I do not get to finish our private match as another table was not available. in the future I will not go to my favorite pool hall on that day as it may happen again. I would like some feedback as to what you might have done or you think this is a fair policy? . :shrug:
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You should have been advised in advance but having said that, what is the big deal. I would not take it personal. Now you are going to alter your life and not go there on certain days because of what may or may not happen? Are you listening to yourself.
 
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That decision is up to the room manager/owner and how they run the room and what they agreed to with the league; the table belongs to the room, not the customers or league. It's pretty common out here for halls to move players off of tables for league teams, however the manager will usually let the players know the cut-off time in advance.
 
In the locations that have league play, that is a common practice in my area. The room management usually informs people that by X:XX time certain tables will have to be closed out as it is used for league play. It has been that way for years. Even the bars generally put out reserved for league signs.
 
CK6Speed said:
In the locations that have league play, that is a common practice in my area. The room management usually informs people that by X:XX time certain tables will have to be closed out as it is used for league play. It has been that way for years. Even the bars generally put out reserved for league signs.
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The league will bring in a consistent (and often large) amount of business every week, so they usually will get accommodation.

Still, it does stink that you weren't told ahead of time, or tried to accommodate as well. Of course we don't know all the particulars either. Here where we play league, we try to leave a few tables for regular business too.
 
For some halls it's a question of simple economics... I'd assume the league pays a table rate on ALL the used tables AND the hall will get more incidental sales on food and drink and such due the volume of players so instead of having a couple dudes gambling and paying for one table they go to where their bread and butter is... as macguy said, just get over it. It's not a huge deal. Take it as a lesson in business...
 
The right thing for the owner or bartender to do was to give you a half hour notice or more. But that being said, it happened to me all the time on the bowling alley. Bowling leagues are scheduled events and have precedent over open play. No different in pool.
 
justadub said:
The league will bring in a consistent (and often large) amount of business every week, so they usually will get accommodation.

Still, it does stink that you weren't told ahead of time, or tried to accommodate as well. Of course we don't know all the particulars either. Here where we play league, we try to leave a few tables for regular business too.
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It may not have entered the employees mind to even mention it since the league was not going to begin for three hours. The OP said they had been playing since noon. That would be some pretty advanced notice.

This is just a lot of phony outrage to make ones self seem important. It happens everywhere leagues play. The OP didn't say if he was a regular there or not. If he is a regular the policy is probably commonly known.

He must know they have leagues. Like I said, phony outrage, look at me I am being mistreated and I am never coming back. We all know the answer to that and it has do do with not letting the door hitting you in the ass.
 
A league player shouldn't be telling you to get off the table. He is a customer just like you. It should be the room manager's job. If he/she didn't then that person is doing a pretty bad job, and lost you as a customer.

I had a situation where the manager forgot, and put me on a table scheduled for league play When the league players showed up, they didn't push me off as they realized it was an oversight of the manager. They were deciding to play elsewhere in the room. Instead of splitting them up, I moved to another table. One of the league captain bought me a beer.
 
macguy said:
It may not have entered the employees mind to even mention it since the league was not going to begin for three hours. The OP said they had been playing since noon. That would be some pretty advanced notice.

This is just a lot of phony outrage to make ones self seem important. It happens everywhere leagues play. The OP didn't say if he was a regular there or not. If he is a regular the policy is probably commonly known.

He must know they have leagues. Like I said, phony outrage, look at me I am being mistreated and I am never coming back. We all know the answer to that and it has do do with not letting the door hitting you in the ass.
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I am a regular, like 4 or 5 times per week. the league had just started there the week before and there were not that many league players the week before. been playing for 3 years there and never had the problem before. yes I am an important person, I was there first and was unfamiliar with those rules of my losing the table while being there first. yes, the door can slap me in the ass as I feel as though I had the table prior to....but it is what it is. i'll go somewhere else on that day.
 
@CK6Speed, the managers at my local pool hall also let people know if a table is scheduled for league play. When mistakes happen, the manager may buy them a drink, invited to sit at the bar until a table opens up.
 
oldplayer said:
I am a regular, like 4 or 5 times per week. the league had just started there the week before and there were not that many league players the week before. been playing for 3 years there and never had the problem before. yes I am an important person, I was there first and was unfamiliar with those rules of my losing the table while being there first. yes, the door can slap me in the ass as I feel as though I had the table prior to....but it is what it is. i'll go somewhere else on that day.
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Well, it is your prerogative but would it not make more sense to just play on a different table or change tables in advance of the league starting since you now know? I guess you will show them, you will take your business somewhere else.

Like I said in my other post, are you listening to yourself? This sounds like such childish whining. If this is your biggest problem in life then you are blessed.
 
macguy said:
Well, it is your prerogative but would it not make more sense to just play on a different table or change tables in advance of the league starting since you now know? I guess you will show them, you will take your business somewhere else.

Like I said in my other post, are you listening to yourself? This sounds like such childish whining. If this is your biggest problem in life then you are blessed.
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Yep. That about nails it. The tables were reserved in advanced. We have to boot folks off our tables all the time for league. Most folks understand that an entire league is not going to be altered because you got there "first" ;)
 
oldplayer said:
just looking for your opinion on an incident the other day. a friend and I started playing on a table around noon. it was a fairly even match that afternoon and around 3 pm in the afternoon we were tied at 10 games each. about then a league player comes over and tells us we have to give them the table as league play has started. I say WTF? what do you mean we have to leave, we have been playing on this table all day! ends up we have to give up the table as it seems that "league play" over rules private play! WTH? so my buddy and I do not get to finish our private match as another table was not available. in the future I will not go to my favorite pool hall on that day as it may happen again. I would like some feedback as to what you might have done or you think this is a fair policy? . :shrug:
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Something I would like to ask. Was this on a Saturday or a Sunday? Kind of odd a league starting at 3 on a weekday.

chefjeff said:
Join the league.

Jeff Livingston
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I was just thinking that. I'm sure somebody there need another team member. Just tell them you'll play on a trial basis. Keep playing if you like it, quit if you don't.
 
I think most folks that play pool realize that without leagues we would have way less pool halls in general. The income that is realized by the pool halls during a league night is one reason that the OP had a pool hall to go to in the first place. Whenever I am unfamiliar with a pool hall I ask about any league or tournament events. Both normally allow practice time before the start of competition so it is something that you need to know. In a perfect world the pool hall employee should make anyone renting a table aware of this but it does not always happen. The best thing to do is ask so you are not inconvenienced in the future. It's not a perfect world and sometimes you have to roll with the punches and take what life gives you. There is always tomorrow!
 
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