Good or Bad?

S

straightline

CPG CBL
Silver Member
The game ball I mean. Veteran's hab-ritually give a good on them. I think it throws off the aesthetics at the very least. If you can play you get incomplete packs (I call 'em stax) and there's a vital continuity and energy to that game duck; energy you should feed on that the opponent would rather not suffer. I like shooting the game ball. You'll never get a good on a bank or kick of any kind.

Those of you that string racks habitually, Do you think accepting those obligatory concessions hurts or helps?
 
straightline said:
The game ball I mean. Veteran's hab-ritually give a good on them. I think it throws off the aesthetics at the very least. If you can play you get incomplete packs (I call 'em stax) and there's a vital continuity and energy to that game duck; energy you should feed on that the opponent would rather not suffer. I like shooting the game ball. You'll never get a good on a bank or kick of any kind.

Those of you that string racks habitually, Do you think accepting those obligatory concessions hurts or helps?
Click to expand...
Chinese will never let you finish game ball in casual games, and often in tournament play you also get the same treatment. There is a certain psychological rush given from putting it in the hole... nothing like slamming a straight one in (they don't know I am happy and relieved they concede in such a way :ROFLMAO: - sometimes they even take off quite hard shots by my estimation lol - anyway, it's a case of different situations create different feelings or pressures though)
 
I'm familiar with the etiquette and there is an understandable dryness and wisdom to it.

On the other hand, the Bergman string was posted here:

Nice shooting... "FOR A PATTERN RACKER "

...Just kidding... Well Done Justin
forums.azbilliards.com
and reminded me that while 18 racks is nothing to sneeze at even if you place all the balls by hand, Guinness would disallow the string never mind a sanctioning body. Continuity is an anchor-stone of pool.
 
Last edited:
straightline said:
The game ball I mean. Veteran's hab-ritually give a good on them. I think it throws off the aesthetics at the very least. If you can play you get incomplete packs (I call 'em stax) and there's a vital continuity and energy to that game duck; energy you should feed on that the opponent would rather not suffer. I like shooting the game ball. You'll never get a good on a bank or kick of any kind.

Those of you that string racks habitually, Do you think accepting those obligatory concessions hurts or helps?
Click to expand...
I'll go back over 30 years ago when an old time hustler- his moniker was " Baltimore Charlie" told me that he always conceded easy 8 and 9 balls - theory was that you don't want your opponent to get comfortable pocketing the game ball so that when a tough game ball shot appears- the opponent will feel more pressure. I don't know if this has any bearing on true professional players, but in regular pool room gambling sets there may be some validity to the theory.
 
mikemosconi said:
I'll go back over 30 years ago when an old time hustler- his moniker was " Baltimore Charlie" told me that he always conceded easy 8 and 9 balls - theory was that you don't want your opponent to get comfortable pocketing the game ball so that when a tough game ball shot appears- the opponent will feel more pressure. I don't know if this has any bearing on true professional players, but in regular pool room gambling sets there may be some validity to the theory.
Click to expand...
I've done that. In my younger days when I was gambling nearly every day, I found that to be effective to a degree.
Even making them shoot the occasional fairly-easy shot would sometimes cause the dog effect.
I assumed they had other thoughts than pocketing the ball running through their minds on the final shot.
Thoughts like, "WTF is he making me shoot THIS shot when he conceded tougher ones earlier?"
This is speculation of course, but I felt it worked. I take no pride in that looking back lol.
These days I concede money balls if someone walks by the table while my opponent is down on the shot.
 
mikemosconi said:
I'll go back over 30 years ago when an old time hustler- his moniker was " Baltimore Charlie" told me that he always conceded easy 8 and 9 balls - theory was that you don't want your opponent to get comfortable pocketing the game ball so that when a tough game ball shot appears- the opponent will feel more pressure. I don't know if this has any bearing on true professional players, but in regular pool room gambling sets there may be some validity to the theory.
Click to expand...
Similar theory in golf matches. Make em putt early in case of jitters. Concede everything in the middle so they don't actually see the ball in the cup. Make em putt gimmes late. Seems to work well enough for the strategy to have stuck around forever.
 
mikemosconi said:
I'll go back over 30 years ago when an old time hustler- his moniker was " Baltimore Charlie" told me that he always conceded easy 8 and 9 balls - theory was that you don't want your opponent to get comfortable pocketing the game ball so that when a tough game ball shot appears- the opponent will feel more pressure. I don't know if this has any bearing on true professional players, but in regular pool room gambling sets there may be some validity to the theory.
Click to expand...
I agree there although with me I'll give the ducks to save wear and tear on my gameness.
 
straightline said:
The game ball I mean. Veteran's hab-ritually give a good on them. I think it throws off the aesthetics at the very least. If you can play you get incomplete packs (I call 'em stax) and there's a vital continuity and energy to that game duck; energy you should feed on that the opponent would rather not suffer. I like shooting the game ball. You'll never get a good on a bank or kick of any kind.

Those of you that string racks habitually, Do you think accepting those obligatory concessions hurts or helps?
Click to expand...
To me it’s simply a matter of respect, gambling or tournament match, to concede a game ball to a skilled enough opponent that would miss the conceded shot less than 1% of the time.

Regardless, some players absolutely never concede unmissable shots and I have no problem with that.
 
ChrisinNC said:
To me it’s simply a matter of respect, gambling or tournament match, to concede a game ball to a skilled enough opponent that would miss the conceded shot less than 1% of the time.

Regardless, some players absolutely never concede unmissable shots and I have no problem with that.
Click to expand...
Personally, I would rather no concession was allowed. Ever.
....but that won't stop people.

I love when the games been conceded, and then I give it a good old blast anyway. Absolutely love when I miss these shots after a concession too. When the games gone, the games gone ;)
 
straightline said:
Anybody else? Looking for if getting free game balls is plus or minus to your flow...
Click to expand...
Is THAT what you were asking in post #1?

I read it three times and still didn’t understand what you were asking. Only after reading some of the responses did I have a clue.
 
dquarasr said:
Is THAT what you were asking in post #1?

I read it three times and still didn’t understand what you were asking. Only after reading some of the responses did I have a clue.
Click to expand...
Personalized vernacular. Giving a good simply means a concession of the gameball or pattern of remaining ducks. The guy sitting will say something like "That's good." or some signal you both get. Happens all the time and unfortunately is even allowed in some tourneys. Say a guy runs a thousand balls except he hangs the break ball around 500. You wave him on and he runs another 500. That virtuosic display counts for back to back 500s and not a record 1000.

It's that underlying rule of pool I'm getting at. Say you're sinking your teeth into a challenging rack of 8 or 9 ball. You bear down and shoot perfectly, leaving 3 ducks to closeout the rack. The opponent stands up and starts to rack the balls.
How does this affect you? Right then and especially in the longer term?
 
straightline said:
Say a guy runs a thousand balls except he hangs the break ball around 500. You wave him on and he runs another 500. That virtuosic display counts for back to back 500s and not a record 1000.

It's that underlying rule of pool I'm getting at. Say you're sinking your teeth into a challenging rack of 8 or 9 ball. You bear down and shoot perfectly, leaving 3 ducks to closeout the rack. The opponent stands up and starts to rack the balls.
How does this affect you? Right then and especially in the longer term?
Click to expand...
Those are two completely different things - you cannot concede a missed shot after the fact under any circumstance, while conceding the last ball or even 2-3 balls of an 8-ball or rotation game is a common courtesy/sign of respect between good players. I’ve never given a thought to it being a negative when offered to me.
 
I'll always accept them and never give them. If my opponent gives me the game ball I don't mind, sometimes I just shoot it anyway.
 
couldnthinkof01 said:
I'll always accept them and never give them. If my opponent gives me the game ball I don't mind, sometimes I just shoot it anyway.
Click to expand...
Ye this is one difference in pool and golf. if u shoot anyway after a gameball is given and miss, whatever it was given. if u putt after ur opponent says it's good, it counts.

I played a guy like u quite a bit....i'd give him anything easy. meanwhile he'd have me shoot the 9 after he made the 8 and scratched even if it was a foot from a pocket lol. I just chuckled and made the ball as I should but I always thought it was odd to never concede a thing when the other guy is moving the game along and giving ducks.
 
DeadStick said:
Those are two completely different things - you cannot concede a missed shot after the fact under any circumstance, while conceding the last ball or even 2-3 balls of an 8-ball or rotation game is a common courtesy/sign of respect between good players. I’ve never given a thought to it being a negative when offered to me.
Click to expand...
The missed ball is hypothetical as is the scenario. The point is continuity is everything.

Most take the free game as well - gift horse and all... Have you never wondered though, if those concessions somehow detract from your game?
 
straightline said:
Have you never wondered though, if those concessions somehow detract from your game?
Click to expand...
Personally, no, I view a concession from an opponent as a sign of respect and it only builds my confidence.

But I can see how some may take it the other way, and feel like they deserve to finish a good run and don’t like that being taken away.

Since we can’t control what our opponent does, might as well try to respond positively to it.
 
DeadStick said:
Personally, no, I view a concession from an opponent as a sign of respect and it only builds my confidence.

But I can see how some may take it the other way, and feel like they deserve to finish a good run and don’t like that being taken away.

Since we can’t control what our opponent does, might as well try to respond positively to it.
Click to expand...
Fair enough. I fall into the "every ball counts" group. Rules can be implemented to prevent concessions of individual games especially in private action. This might seem noobish to the gamblers but consider the "star" players that go deep in tourneys and bomb out by hanging stuff, breaking bad - whatever dogging it entails. I think that stuff can be prevented by adopting better habits.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top