Fixing in pool tournaments

pool whiz

pool whiz

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
:confused: I really don't know if
this happened similarly anywhere, but experience thought me lessons that::confused:

1. hustlers fixed games.
2. some players threw matches.
3. organizers favor in-house players
4. syndicates abound even in small-time tournaments/money games
5. in pool, like boxing, the fix comes in diff'rent forms.


just my ten cents worth of experience,

poolwhiz
www.filipinopool.com
 
Ever wonder why Efren Reyes was dubbed Mr. Second Place early on his career? Maybe I'm just cynical.
 
pool whiz said:
:confused: I really don't know if
this happened similarly anywhere, but experience thought me lessons that::confused:

1. hustlers fixed games.
2. some players threw matches.
3. organizers favor in-house players
4. syndicates abound even in small-time tournaments/money games
5. in pool, like boxing, the fix comes in diff'rent forms.


just my ten cents worth of experience,

poolwhiz
www.filipinopool.com
Click to expand...

An interesting study would be how much $ changes hands via gamble vs business. Could be like steroids in sports----SHOCKING:(
 
closely related to that,,,what would you do if the pool room owner played in and often won the tourneys ?

happened at a place I frequent,,,the numbers are down considerably and I can't convince the guy that this is driving away possible shooters,,, j
 
I think the draw for high-profile events should be done out in the open, so that there are neutral parties witnessing it to ensure it is a fair draw.

It sickens me to see a "favored" player get a cake walk on the tournament chart, time and time and time again.

Once in a blue moon, players get easy draws. That's a given, but when it occurs on a repetitive basis with the same player at the same event, something is rotten in Denmark, as they say.

JAM
 
JAM said:
I think the draw for high-profile events should be done out in the open, so that there are neutral parties witnessing it to ensure it is a fair draw.

It sickens me to see a "favored" player get a cake walk on the tournament chart, time and time and time again.

Once in a blue moon, players get easy draws. That's a given, but when it occurs on a repetitive basis with the same player at the same event, something is rotten in Denmark, as they say.

JAM
Click to expand...

Lets not forget!

How the favored guy in some high profile events:
1. Gets the perfect match times so they can sleep late instead of playing at the crack of dawn.
2. Always gets a break when they decide to show up late instead of getting put on the clock immediately.
3. (how in local regional events) How they always get to play on the good equipment, and not the crappy back of the room equipment (should the room have 2 sections)
 
I've been told about a smaller regular bar Tournament where the "locals" are expected to win and if they don't then the "out of towners" who do win are told not to come back. It's a joke.
 
Last edited:
SUPERSTAR said:
Lets not forget!

How the favored guy in some high profile events:
1. Gets the perfect match times so they can sleep late instead of playing at the crack of dawn.
2. Always gets a break when they decide to show up late instead of getting put on the clock immediately.
3. (how in local regional events) How they always get to play on the good equipment, and not the crappy back of the room equipment (should the room have 2 sections)
Click to expand...

Looks like you've attended some of the same tournaments I have! :o

That sleeping late crap really makes me mad. All others have to be there at the crack of dawn, not knowing when their match will begin, sopmetimes waiting literally hours. The favored players show up at designated times provided by the tournament organizers, always fresh as a daisy. :mad:

And let's not forget about the players who support tours, but are not recognized for their loyalty. Players who don't even compete on the tour, show up for one event and one event only, are given preferential treatment because of who they are.

JAM
 
crosseyedjoe said:
Ever wonder why Efren Reyes was dubbed Mr. Second Place early on his career? Maybe I'm just cynical.
Click to expand...
Yes, you are being cynical.
How many second place finishes did Efren get before he won the 1994 US Open?
His weak break cost him against the likes of Strickland, Archer and Varner.
Not counting the enormous pressure for the man to win for his country.

I don't think tournaments are fixed per se. But, the favorites are caterer sometimes. I know one local owner who changes the rules to favor his cheating ahz. If he's on the winners' side(he plays tooi ) , he wants the guy on the hot seat to get beat twice to win the tourney. If he's on the losers' side, he lenghtens the final but you only have to beat the hotseater one set. Pretty shameless as he's done it twice already.
 
Most tournaments are not fixed. The object is to get people in the door, to buy $5 beer and $10 chicken fingers. The tournaments are designed to be a near break even proposition for the local owner.

//RANT ON

The people complaining about tournaments being fixed are just in the middle of the arc of realization. What realization you ask? This one: We (pool players) are a bunch of rats fighting over a microscopic piece of cheese. As long as there is no men's tour, where players get paid 5 figures just to show up (read: PGA), all the whining about fixes, poor payouts and start times just reinforces the sterotype.

Why is a sport that is arguably as tough as golf still mostly ignored by the mainstream media? I don't know the answer. What I do know is that crying about tournament fixes is just another step backwards.

//RANT OFF
 
Tournament directors around here commonly favor themselves and their friends. I know for a fact that those who run tournaments on their laptops often repeat the draw until one comes up that's to their liking. Others use brackets that don't spell out where the losers go, therefore leaving them a little flexibility. Handicap tournaments are a bigger joke. If you aren't on the td's favorite list, you'll be ranked three notches higher than Mosconi and wind up spotting everybody in the house. I don't call these kind of shenanigans fixing, just plain old cheating.
 
I know of tournament directors that have banned people for winning. As long as the newcomer was losing it was ok, one win and they are out. Yet their friends who are superior to the rest of the field have no problem entering.

Others have imposed arbitrary spot on some players. Despite the fact that those players have never gotten very far in any of the tournaments.
A friend of mine had the misfortune of executing two ERO’s against a tournament director. He was accused of lying about his speed and that starting next tournament he would have to spot a game. My body was out in just 3 rounds by losing to players better than him. Funny those guys were not giving spots to anybody.
 
I_Need_D_8 said:
Most tournaments are not fixed. The object is to get people in the door, to buy $5 beer and $10 chicken fingers. The tournaments are designed to be a near break even proposition for the local owner.

//RANT ON

The people complaining about tournaments being fixed are just in the middle of the arc of realization. What realization you ask? This one: We (pool players) are a bunch of rats fighting over a microscopic piece of cheese. As long as there is no men's tour, where players get paid 5 figures just to show up (read: PGA), all the whining about fixes, poor payouts and start times just reinforces the sterotype.

Why is a sport that is arguably as tough as golf still mostly ignored by the mainstream media? I don't know the answer. What I do know is that crying about tournament fixes is just another step backwards.

//RANT OFF
Click to expand...

it's not actually ranting about being eased out in tournaments, it's just the feeling that, somehow there are instances of fixing in pool contests by either players, organizers and other personages....i firmly believe it comes in whatever form....

poolwhiz
www.filipinopool.com
 
small tourneys

Jack Flanagan said:
closely related to that,,,what would you do if the pool room owner played in and often won the tourneys ?

happened at a place I frequent,,,the numbers are down considerably and I can't convince the guy that this is driving away possible shooters,,, j
Click to expand...

Most of the smaller tourneys in local bars or pool rooms should have a 2 week max on winners. Even if it's your own tournament, you should never win more than 2 weeks without sitting out a couple of weeks. I made it a rule for myself back when I was playing all the local tourneys. If I got first or second a couple of weeks, I didn't go back for a couple of weeks.
 
The Best tournament i ever attended was in 2006 a 9 ball tourny in a tavern in Strugis,S.D....there were about 10 players ..some of them ranchers who came in their bib overalls and work boots and cowboys in their cowboy hats..everybody had fun and showed alot of class to each other...:)
 
Been there

JAM said:
Looks like you've attended some of the same tournaments I have! :o

That sleeping late crap really makes me mad. All others have to be there at the crack of dawn, not knowing when their match will begin, sopmetimes waiting literally hours. The favored players show up at designated times provided by the tournament organizers, always fresh as a daisy. :mad:

And let's not forget about the players who support tours, but are not recognized for their loyalty. Players who don't even compete on the tour, show up for one event and one event only, are given preferential treatment because of who they are.

JAM
Click to expand...

About a year ago I was at a Very high profile event, and I won't mention any names involved, but the round was supposed to start at 10am. It was announced that morning that the round would not start til 11 and no-one would be put on the clock until 11am. I was warming up on my table at about 11:20 when a friend stopped by and asked my score. I didn't realize what time it was. I went to the the desk and asked them to page my opponent, who is a very high ranking player in the U.S. They refused tio put him on the clock. Even at 11:40 I went back to the desk and they said they were trying to find him. At 11:45 he showed up and I was furious. I played like crap and got beat. I was already the underdog in the match, but it was crazy they treated me like that.
 
I had that happen to me at a tournament recently the guy i was supposed to play was the TD's and a lot of others buddy. When the time came for our match he just skipped over us like nothing was wrong. This went on for three more matches(skips), finally i went over to the TD and asked that he be put on the clock. He looked at me like I had squirrels jumping out of my ears and said "Oh he's just running a little late" 2hours to be exact. A little later he came up to me and said begrudgingly "well looks like you got a bye" and walked off.
 
crosseyedjoe said:
Ever wonder why Efren Reyes was dubbed Mr. Second Place early on his career? Maybe I'm just cynical.
Click to expand...

I think it was because he was playing the likes of Mike Sigel, Earl Strickland, and Nick Varner.
 
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