I thought I'd share my little experience from last night. (Sorry so long)
I show up at Pool Hall A around 4 o'clock as I know some people are playing ring game, flip scotch, etc. I have a couple hours to burn before I have to play league at Pool Hall B down the street. Within the first 2 minutes I'm there I get called over to play some cheap $40 sets with a guy I've gambled a little with before, we'll call him Tom.
I start the conversation with, "I only have time for maybe 2 sets before I have to go play league at Pool Hall B, but when we are done we can play for a couple hours."
Tom Replies, "When do you get done and how long can you play?"
Me: "We'll finish by 9:30 and I can only play for 2 hours if you want."
We go back and forth talking about how my wife works nights, I have a babysitter at the house, etc. etc. All sounds really good and there seems to be no problems.
I win the first set at Pool Hall A in a hill-hill battle 7 - 6. In set 2, he makes a stupid mistake and starts to get hot headed because of it. This starts a snowball and I'm playing well. I'm up 6 - 1 and he gets really bad on the 7 and then the 8 ball. He makes the 8 and scratches 100 mph in the side pocket. He throws his cue across the table. I'm up 2 sets and he pays me.
I pack up my cues and continue the conversation that if he wants to play some after league we can. And I know some people that will be there that have a BYE this week in league so he could probably play someone the entire time if he wanted to. All sounded good.
I'm playing league at Pool Hall B, and right around 9 o'clock Tom rolls into the room. Pool Hall A and Pool Hall B are right down the street from each other so it wasn't surprising that he'd stroll in there. We wrap up just before 9:30 and I'm signing sheets, collecting money, etc. He's just sitting across the room by some other mutual players chatting.
I come over and he flips immediately to start playing. The first set is weird and I'm getting lucky wins left and right. I made 2 - 9 ball breaks and get 2 more early combo's. He fights back and I leave him multiple 2 or 3 ball outs. At 5 - 5, I play safe and he kicks the 5 it goes off multiple balls and finds a pocket. Tom gets out and then Breaks in the 9 ball for the first set. I flip and we continue.
(Here's were things get fun)
I'm up 2 - 0 in the 2nd set and he plays a ball poorly and hooks himself. Tom swears a few times and is mumbling "rolls, mumble mumble, can't believe how many good rolls that (I) am getting". As if his bad position play was a good roll for me. From this point on the conversation is all just him going off left and right and I'm just playing, sitting down, eating a little bit. I think I won that set 7 - 3 or so.
He stands over the table with coin in hand and I look at my clock, it's 10:45, so I call Tails. He scratches on the opening break, I run out. I play safe in game 2, goes back and forth, I go up 2 - 0. Rack 3, he makes another bad position play, "Oh the rails are so bad, mumble mumble". He kicks short and I get ball in hand and run the last 5 balls. He puts some racks together and trade a few to get to 5 - 5. At this point I closed out my food tab at the bar and checked the clock it was 11:30. I text my babysitter that I'd be home a little bit late but only by a few minutes. (she has an early morning job too).
I break rack 11 and run out to get to the hill first. I think this was my first break and run of all the sets. I break in rack 12 and come up dry, clusters everywhere. As he approach's the table I break down my Break Cue and put it in my case as I won't be needing it any longer. We trade some shots early and I play a lock-up safe on the 2 ball. No way for him to make the contact, frozen to the bottom rail and the 3 ball kicking away with tons of traffic. He is elevated and tries some crazy kick, masse, something and ends up jumping the ball off the rail and hitting everyball on the table. Tom: "How in the HELL Does that happen, these rails are so bad, you are getting every roll, the rolls have to equal out sometime, blah blah, blah." I get to the table and it's still a mess, even with ball in hand. He's going off, swearing, etc. the entire time I'm at the table. He moved his chair and knocked his break cue on the ground all while I'm shooting.
I get down to the 6 ball and no real pocket for it. I play safe and push the 6 down by the bottom rail by the 7 and 9 ball and the cue ball up table behind the 8. He can't hit the 6 clean but comes behind it and makes contact. The 6 hits the 7 ball and the cueball all come out but nothing hits a rail after contact. I asked him, "Did you hit the 6 on the way in or only off the rail?" He looks at me all crazy eyed. "F'n take ball in hand then, god damn it, blah blah blah." I took ball in hand and ran the final 4 balls for the set win 7 - 5.
He reaches into his pocket and grabs out a coin to flip at the same time as I took my playing cue apart. I said Thanks for playing and we'll have to do it next time. Tom completely goes off on me. "You can't quit now! Mutha F'er, that is not fair to me."
Me: "I told you before you even came to Pool Hall B that I could only play for 2 hours after league."
Tom: "That is Bullshit, you just quit when it was convenient for you! I'm never going to gamble with you again!
Me: "Hey, I didn't lie to you or pull up early, I told you up front that I could only play for so long..."
Tom: "That means nothing, it's gambling, you don't put time limits on gambling! I knew I shouldn't have played you and you would pull something like this......."
I just finished grabbing the rest of my stuff. Said good bye to the guys trying to gamble on the next table, paid my tab at the bar and left.
Last words I hear from him: "I don't like to chase my money!"
Now was it worth the $120 I won? I'm not too sure yet. :grin:
I show up at Pool Hall A around 4 o'clock as I know some people are playing ring game, flip scotch, etc. I have a couple hours to burn before I have to play league at Pool Hall B down the street. Within the first 2 minutes I'm there I get called over to play some cheap $40 sets with a guy I've gambled a little with before, we'll call him Tom.
I start the conversation with, "I only have time for maybe 2 sets before I have to go play league at Pool Hall B, but when we are done we can play for a couple hours."
Tom Replies, "When do you get done and how long can you play?"
Me: "We'll finish by 9:30 and I can only play for 2 hours if you want."
We go back and forth talking about how my wife works nights, I have a babysitter at the house, etc. etc. All sounds really good and there seems to be no problems.
I win the first set at Pool Hall A in a hill-hill battle 7 - 6. In set 2, he makes a stupid mistake and starts to get hot headed because of it. This starts a snowball and I'm playing well. I'm up 6 - 1 and he gets really bad on the 7 and then the 8 ball. He makes the 8 and scratches 100 mph in the side pocket. He throws his cue across the table. I'm up 2 sets and he pays me.
I pack up my cues and continue the conversation that if he wants to play some after league we can. And I know some people that will be there that have a BYE this week in league so he could probably play someone the entire time if he wanted to. All sounded good.
I'm playing league at Pool Hall B, and right around 9 o'clock Tom rolls into the room. Pool Hall A and Pool Hall B are right down the street from each other so it wasn't surprising that he'd stroll in there. We wrap up just before 9:30 and I'm signing sheets, collecting money, etc. He's just sitting across the room by some other mutual players chatting.
I come over and he flips immediately to start playing. The first set is weird and I'm getting lucky wins left and right. I made 2 - 9 ball breaks and get 2 more early combo's. He fights back and I leave him multiple 2 or 3 ball outs. At 5 - 5, I play safe and he kicks the 5 it goes off multiple balls and finds a pocket. Tom gets out and then Breaks in the 9 ball for the first set. I flip and we continue.
(Here's were things get fun)
I'm up 2 - 0 in the 2nd set and he plays a ball poorly and hooks himself. Tom swears a few times and is mumbling "rolls, mumble mumble, can't believe how many good rolls that (I) am getting". As if his bad position play was a good roll for me. From this point on the conversation is all just him going off left and right and I'm just playing, sitting down, eating a little bit. I think I won that set 7 - 3 or so.
He stands over the table with coin in hand and I look at my clock, it's 10:45, so I call Tails. He scratches on the opening break, I run out. I play safe in game 2, goes back and forth, I go up 2 - 0. Rack 3, he makes another bad position play, "Oh the rails are so bad, mumble mumble". He kicks short and I get ball in hand and run the last 5 balls. He puts some racks together and trade a few to get to 5 - 5. At this point I closed out my food tab at the bar and checked the clock it was 11:30. I text my babysitter that I'd be home a little bit late but only by a few minutes. (she has an early morning job too).
I break rack 11 and run out to get to the hill first. I think this was my first break and run of all the sets. I break in rack 12 and come up dry, clusters everywhere. As he approach's the table I break down my Break Cue and put it in my case as I won't be needing it any longer. We trade some shots early and I play a lock-up safe on the 2 ball. No way for him to make the contact, frozen to the bottom rail and the 3 ball kicking away with tons of traffic. He is elevated and tries some crazy kick, masse, something and ends up jumping the ball off the rail and hitting everyball on the table. Tom: "How in the HELL Does that happen, these rails are so bad, you are getting every roll, the rolls have to equal out sometime, blah blah, blah." I get to the table and it's still a mess, even with ball in hand. He's going off, swearing, etc. the entire time I'm at the table. He moved his chair and knocked his break cue on the ground all while I'm shooting.
I get down to the 6 ball and no real pocket for it. I play safe and push the 6 down by the bottom rail by the 7 and 9 ball and the cue ball up table behind the 8. He can't hit the 6 clean but comes behind it and makes contact. The 6 hits the 7 ball and the cueball all come out but nothing hits a rail after contact. I asked him, "Did you hit the 6 on the way in or only off the rail?" He looks at me all crazy eyed. "F'n take ball in hand then, god damn it, blah blah blah." I took ball in hand and ran the final 4 balls for the set win 7 - 5.
He reaches into his pocket and grabs out a coin to flip at the same time as I took my playing cue apart. I said Thanks for playing and we'll have to do it next time. Tom completely goes off on me. "You can't quit now! Mutha F'er, that is not fair to me."
Me: "I told you before you even came to Pool Hall B that I could only play for 2 hours after league."
Tom: "That is Bullshit, you just quit when it was convenient for you! I'm never going to gamble with you again!
Me: "Hey, I didn't lie to you or pull up early, I told you up front that I could only play for so long..."
Tom: "That means nothing, it's gambling, you don't put time limits on gambling! I knew I shouldn't have played you and you would pull something like this......."
I just finished grabbing the rest of my stuff. Said good bye to the guys trying to gamble on the next table, paid my tab at the bar and left.
Last words I hear from him: "I don't like to chase my money!"
Now was it worth the $120 I won? I'm not too sure yet. :grin:
