Got Sharked?

Fast Lenny

Fast Lenny

Faster Than You...
Silver Member
Well i did last night in a 9 ball tournament is a semi final match,hill-hill on the 9 ball.Me and the guy are rated even so there is no spot,were battling pretty good and its a good match all in all.The first rack starts with safety play and i get him on 3(foul him out),he gets all pissed and starts muttering things.Then he scratches a rack or 2 later and says "Why dont you get me on 3 again?",i dont feed into that and just let him know the table is easy and i will run this one. Another rack i get bad on the nine and have to bank it full table,a safe was not easy so i make the bank,he even talks trash about that.I have played the guy for money and when you beat him,play safe,or he screws up he whines,that is a form of sharking but not something i cant handle,just keep putting the screws to him,plus i dont gamble with him anymore because of that fact,its just too damn annoying for $5-$10 sets that are supposed to be friendly to have someone be a whiner.

Well it gets hill-hill,he misses and leaves me the 5-9,balls spread nicely,i run and get to the 9,he is sitting in my field of vision,no big deal but i am down shooting the 9 and he is rubbing his eyes blatantly.I do the right thing and got up and stepped away from the table,chalked up again and gave him a glare,he knows im pissed,i get back down and go to shoot the 9 which wasnt a really tough shot and it hangs barely so i poke it in for him with my stick and walk away.I pride myself on being a cool customer,not easily sharked,i have dealt with worse in the bar,i feel i am a good sportsman and not a sore loser but i guess you cant be perfect.I could have asked him to move or waited until i felt 100% focused again even if it took a minute or 2 so i did have my eyes inadvertantly moving to him while shooting,so in the end i guess its my own fault.After a few minutes i shook his hand and said good game,he knew i was pissed and said he would have moved if i had asked him too,well either move or sit still,he knew what he did and has been playing tournaments long enough to not move when your in someones line of sight.When someone tells me they got sharked because someone moved or was doing something i tell them they are also to blame because they dont have to shoot at that moment and can get back up and/or address the problem,i thought i did by getting up but didnt have the focus after that,it was in my head,i let myself be sharked and its not a good feeling when i felt i couldnt be.Everyone has excuses for losing but i like to only have 2,he shot better or i shot bad,i dont like to say i was sharked or any of the million excuses people have but once in a blue moon things happen i guess.Just felt like to vent because i can,any feedback is appreciated,but all in all its just a story to vent,anyone else Got Sharked?:)
 
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Fast Lenny said:
Well i did last night in a 9 ball tournament is a semi final match,hill-hill on the 9 ball.Me and the guy are rated even so there is no spot,were battling pretty good and its a good match all in all.The first rack starts with safety play and i get him on 3(foul him out),he gets all pissed and starts muttering things.Then he scratches a rack or 2 later and says "Why dont you get me on 3 again?",i dont feed into that and just let him know the table is easy and i will run this on. Another rack i get bad on the nine and have to bank it full table,a safe was not easy so i make the bank,he even talks trash about that.I have played the guy for money and when you beat him,play safe,or he screws up he whines,that is a form of sharking but not something i cant handle,just keep putting the screws to him,plus i dont gamble with him anymore because of that fact,its just too damn annoying for $5-$10 sets that are supposed to be friendly to have someone be a whiner.Well it gets hill-hill,he misses and leaves me the 5-9,balls spread nicely,i run and get to the 9,he is sitting in my field of vision,no big deal but i am down shooting the 9 and he is rubbing his eyes blatantly.I do the right thing and got up and stepped away from the table,chalked up again and gave him a glare,he knows im pissed,i get back down and go to shoot the 9 which wasnt a really tough shot and it hangs barely so i poke it in for him with my stick and walk away.I pride myself on being a cool customer,not easily sharked,i have dealt with worse in the bar,i feel i am a good sportsman and not a sore loser but i guess you cant be perfect.I could have asked him to move or waited until i felt 100% focused again even if it took a minute or 2 so i did have my eyes inadvertantly moving to him while shooting,so in the end i guess its my own fault.After a few minutes i shook his hand and said good game,he knew i was pissed and said he would have moved if i had asked him too,well either move or sit still,he knew what he did and has been playing tournaments long enough to not move when your in someones line of sight.Just felt like to vent because i can,any feedback is appreciated,but all in all its just a story to vent,anyone else Got Sharked?:)
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Pool halls are chock full of clowns like this.

Every time I go a Nine Ball tournament by me on Monday, someone has to start acting a fool.

It's like people forget how to act the moment they walk into a pool hall.
 
Gregg said:
Pool halls are chock full of clowns like this.

Every time I go a Nine Ball tournament by me on Monday, someone has to start acting a fool.

It's like people forget how to act the moment they walk into a pool hall.
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Yeah it is alot like a circus with some of these guys and there antics,i used to like to say to people "Your goin' down clown!":D
 
Yeah I was playing this guy and his girlfriend follows him from table to table and everytime I am shooting in her direction she is moving around ... crossing and un crossing her legs .. coughing .. lighting a cig. I would really focus on the shot and make it and then look at her to let her know that her weak mind games are not match for this Jedi. I did say to her afterwards that I believed that she played better defense just sitting there than her boyfriend did on the table. She looked at me like "uh, WHAT?"
 
Tell him the tourny means nothing to you, and ask him to run some $100 sets, and he can shark his money right into your pocket.
 
Fast Lenny said:
Well i did last night in a 9 ball tournament is a semi final match,hill-hill on the 9 ball.Me and the guy are rated even so there is no spot,were battling pretty good and its a good match all in all.The first rack starts with safety play and i get him on 3(foul him out),he gets all pissed and starts muttering things.Then he scratches a rack or 2 later and says "Why dont you get me on 3 again?",i dont feed into that and just let him know the table is easy and i will run this one. Another rack i get bad on the nine and have to bank it full table,a safe was not easy so i make the bank,he even talks trash about that.I have played the guy for money and when you beat him,play safe,or he screws up he whines,that is a form of sharking but not something i cant handle,just keep putting the screws to him,plus i dont gamble with him anymore because of that fact,its just too damn annoying for $5-$10 sets that are supposed to be friendly to have someone be a whiner.

Well it gets hill-hill,he misses and leaves me the 5-9,balls spread nicely,i run and get to the 9,he is sitting in my field of vision,no big deal but i am down shooting the 9 and he is rubbing his eyes blatantly.I do the right thing and got up and stepped away from the table,chalked up again and gave him a glare,he knows im pissed,i get back down and go to shoot the 9 which wasnt a really tough shot and it hangs barely so i poke it in for him with my stick and walk away.I pride myself on being a cool customer,not easily sharked,i have dealt with worse in the bar,i feel i am a good sportsman and not a sore loser but i guess you cant be perfect.I could have asked him to move or waited until i felt 100% focused again even if it took a minute or 2 so i did have my eyes inadvertantly moving to him while shooting,so in the end i guess its my own fault.After a few minutes i shook his hand and said good game,he knew i was pissed and said he would have moved if i had asked him too,well either move or sit still,he knew what he did and has been playing tournaments long enough to not move when your in someones line of sight.When someone tells me they got sharked because someone moved or was doing something i tell them they are also to blame because they dont have to shoot at that moment and can get back up and/or address the problem,i thought i did by getting up but didnt have the focus after that,it was in my head,i let myself be sharked and its not a good feeling when i felt i couldnt be.Everyone has excuses for losing but i like to only have 2,he shot better or i shot bad,i dont like to say i was sharked or any of the million excuses people have but once in a blue moon things happen i guess.Just felt like to vent because i can,any feedback is appreciated,but all in all its just a story to vent,anyone else Got Sharked?:)
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I've been sharked quite a bit in my time and you would think by now that I would be over it. Well, no matter what anyone says, sharking will eventually erode one's focus and the result will be missed balls whether you think it was the sharking or not. Fast Lenny you carry yourself with
a lot of class. I would play you anytime for money or fun/competition.

We have one guy who sharks constantly, very minor stuff, but virtually every gentleman?-shark/scumball-shark you can think of and eventually it has a negative impact on my game and so I just try to avoid playing the guy. He plays TOP SPEED and I enjoy the competition but it isn't worth the effort.
JoeyA
 
JoeyA said:
I've been sharked quite a bit in my time and you would think by now that I would be over it. Well, no matter what anyone says, sharking will eventually erode one's focus and the result will be missed balls whether you think it was the sharking or not. Fast Lenny you carry yourself with
a lot of class. I would play you anytime for money or fun/competition.
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Thanks for the compliment,and your right sharking will take away someones focus overtime,some people just have a high tolerance and i think i do but one can only deal with so much BS before your concentration and focus arent 100%.
 
IMO the reason he bothered you on the final shot was because you were expecting it due to his prior behavior.
 
It's like people forget how to act the moment they walk into a pool hall.
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Ive always noticed people, mainly younger guys who go into a pool hall and put on this big fake bravado act. They think if they act they they are big time players, people will think they are.
I had a kid in Vegas come up to me at the cue club, he was an ok player, would run out probably 30% of his runable racks.... nothing special. And he had this attitude that he was the best there was. Comes up to me and wants to play $20 a game, i ask him "Well..... what will you give me?" He looked at me strangely, I said "Ill take the 7, 8 and the break for $50 a game, gimme the 6 too and we can go $100 a game" He was speechless. Then he said well maybe the 8.... or how bout we alternate the spot every other game? I started laughing.... this kid was about 20ish, where ever he came from.... he probably annoys the hell out of people.
I told him to think about it and went on practicing, but as he was walking away he started mumbling "I cant win with that spot"......... well duh...... :D
Alot of folks need to lose the character they try to portray, and just be themselves, it will help their game too.
As far as sharking..... Ive always been a firm believer that if you let anything into your head, no matter what it is besides what is happening on the felt..... its something the sharkee needs to work on.
Its just a matter of not losing focus. I know its easier said than done..... but there is no secret..... just focus.
Chuck
 
RiverCity said:
As far as sharking..... Ive always been a firm believer that if you let anything into your head, no matter what it is besides what is happening on the felt..... its something the sharkee needs to work on.
Its just a matter of not losing focus. I know its easier said than done..... but there is no secret..... just focus.
Chuck
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I agree,i think i was not just mad at him for doing it purposely,i was mad at myself because i got up from the shot and went through the motions again because of the importance of it,case game and all and got down not being 100% focused.I could have taken more time and/or asked him to move,a tough lesson learned i guess but i wont tolerate any BS from this guy next time,i will stop it quick,im pretty humble and let other people do the antics but this game is tough enough without clowns.:)
 
The funniest sharking I remember was when my wife was watching me play this guy and she tells me "I think that guy is trying to shark you" Since I didn't notice I ask her what she's talking about. It turns out he would stand off to my right on every shot and fidget; only problem being since I can't see out of my right eye I could care less. So I didn't say anything, beat him and just let him dance the night away.
 
Fast Lenny said:
Well i did last night in a 9 ball tournament is a semi final match,hill-hill on the 9 ball.Me and the guy are rated even so there is no spot,were battling pretty good and its a good match all in all.The first rack starts with safety play and i get him on 3(foul him out),he gets all pissed and starts muttering things.Then he scratches a rack or 2 later and says "Why dont you get me on 3 again?",i dont feed into that and just let him know the table is easy and i will run this one. Another rack i get bad on the nine and have to bank it full table,a safe was not easy so i make the bank,he even talks trash about that.I have played the guy for money and when you beat him,play safe,or he screws up he whines,that is a form of sharking but not something i cant handle,just keep putting the screws to him,plus i dont gamble with him anymore because of that fact,its just too damn annoying for $5-$10 sets that are supposed to be friendly to have someone be a whiner.

Well it gets hill-hill,he misses and leaves me the 5-9,balls spread nicely,i run and get to the 9,he is sitting in my field of vision,no big deal but i am down shooting the 9 and he is rubbing his eyes blatantly.I do the right thing and got up and stepped away from the table,chalked up again and gave him a glare,he knows im pissed,i get back down and go to shoot the 9 which wasnt a really tough shot and it hangs barely so i poke it in for him with my stick and walk away.I pride myself on being a cool customer,not easily sharked,i have dealt with worse in the bar,i feel i am a good sportsman and not a sore loser but i guess you cant be perfect.I could have asked him to move or waited until i felt 100% focused again even if it took a minute or 2 so i did have my eyes inadvertantly moving to him while shooting,so in the end i guess its my own fault.After a few minutes i shook his hand and said good game,he knew i was pissed and said he would have moved if i had asked him too,well either move or sit still,he knew what he did and has been playing tournaments long enough to not move when your in someones line of sight.When someone tells me they got sharked because someone moved or was doing something i tell them they are also to blame because they dont have to shoot at that moment and can get back up and/or address the problem,i thought i did by getting up but didnt have the focus after that,it was in my head,i let myself be sharked and its not a good feeling when i felt i couldnt be.Everyone has excuses for losing but i like to only have 2,he shot better or i shot bad,i dont like to say i was sharked or any of the million excuses people have but once in a blue moon things happen i guess.Just felt like to vent because i can,any feedback is appreciated,but all in all its just a story to vent,anyone else Got Sharked?:)
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That's nothing. If you can't handle that I don't know what to tell you. I know a guy named George Kahaley (Not sure how his last name is spelled) who will bet small, $5 and $10 a game on the regular and he likes to walk around the table talking to you while your shooting. Now if your shooting the money ball, He will stand in front of the pocket your shooting at on purpose and start to bounce from side to side among other things. It's pretty funny to me when I see him gambling. They usually TELL him to sit down and he will until you look away and then he's back up with his moves. I guess you'd just have to witness it to understand the full humor in it. He's an ok guy but definitely a character.
 
Here's my favorite shark. So your going in to steal the money in a bar tournament. You know your local hole in the wall bars. All of these type places have their players who think they are something but in reality are no match to a real player. No offense to anyone. You know your caliber of play is so far above the rest it's a joke. Suddenly they realize this too and before you know it the whole bar is against you. Now you get up to shoot and it's like an away team shooting a free-throw in the NBA. You have all the monkeys doing what they can to try and make you lose. I have to say it can get annoying at times but in the end when your thinking back on it it's a great laugh. When someone is trying to shark me I usually just tell them straight up they can do what they want because it's not going to work. Focus my friends and these small minded sharkers will just fade away. :cool:
 
jerk

Don't let jerks like this get into your head.They win/you lose.Both ways.WTF?Stand up gather your thoughts,get back down and shoot.He can be as big of a jerk as he wants to be as long as you keep winning and kicking his a#$.:cool:
 
BlackDragon said:
you didnt get sharked, you missed :cool:
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Your right i did miss,i got up from the shot after his little move of rubbing his eyes and whatnot,gave him a look and he knew not to move again,but when i was down i wasnt focused,so i missed,my fault in a sense but i just dont like poor sportsmanship.I could have taken more time to collect myself and/or asked him to move,i am not saying i would have made the ball 100% if he didnt do what he did but i liked my chances alot better,when your in the zone and taken out of it,there not all hangers anymore.;)
 
A few tips a road player gave me a long time ago. Most of the time the sharking occurs on a routine shot. (This is positve because the opponent has in a way conceded) The roadie's theory was use their antics to improve your game. "You already know what to do on these routine shots, so just add one element to your thought process". Tell yourself, I am dealing with a lower form of player here, he is sharking because he's lacks the skill to win fairly. Go thru you preshot routine 2-3 times on shots he sharks if necessary. Never, acknowledge his behavior while still playing, this gives him the edge. I am not saying this always works but it's all about confidence and adjusting to conditions. You don't always have to play at your top speed, just good enough to beat your present opponent.
While it would be nice to always crush the sharks, it is more important to just focus on winning. Good luck.
 
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