Had this happen the other night...

RoryHunt

RoryHunt

The King of "so close."
Silver Member
Playing a guy a few games of 8 ball for fun, no money. After a couple of games, he calls the one ball off the 3 ball into the corner pocket. He takes his time lining it up, strokes it nice, and drops it just as he said he would.

Only problem is I was solids, he was stripes.

As soon as the ball goes, I tell him, "Nice shot, but I am solids." He looks at the balls that are down and realizes immediately what he has done. He doesn't argue this at all with me. What he does do, is start to call me a classless player, and that this is a gentleman's sport and I am not a gentleman for letting him do that after he called the shot the way he did.

Normally I don't give two sh!ts what 40 year old tweakers think about me, they have their own problems. What I am curious about was, am I a classless player? What are the rules to this sort of thing?
 
It is true...you have no class.

However, that is not of concern here.

You shoulda kicked him in the peeter and stolen the cueball.

WTF did he expect you to do?

RoryHunt said:
Playing a guy a few games of 8 ball for fun, no money. After a couple of games, he calls the one ball off the 3 ball into the corner pocket. He takes his time lining it up, strokes it nice, and drops it just as he said he would.

Only problem is I was solids, he was stripes.

As soon as the ball goes, I tell him, "Nice shot, but I am solids." He looks at the balls that are down and realizes immediately what he has done. He doesn't argue this at all with me. What he does do, is start to call me a classless player, and that this is a gentleman's sport and I am not a gentleman for letting him do that after he called the shot the way he did.

Normally I don't give two sh!ts what 40 year old tweakers think about me, they have their own problems. What I am curious about was, am I a classless player? What are the rules to this sort of thing?
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I would have told him he was shooting the wrong ball, especially since you weren't playing for anything. I've had that happen in league play and I told the other player he was shooting the wrong ball, but to be honest if it was for money I really don't know what I would do until I was in that situation. I like to think I would still tell him, but until that happens I couldn't say for sure I would let him know.
 
RoryHunt said:
... am I a classless player? What are the rules to this sort of thing?
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There is no "rule" requiring you to tell an opponent that he is shooting the wrong ball... but really, when playing just for fun, why wouldn't you? It can't be very satisfying to win this way, and (as you've seen) calling your opponent on his mistake after the fact can quickly lead to hard feelings.

There was a thread here a few weeks ago asking people if they would call an opponent off a shot if they saw him shooting the wrong ball in a 9 ball match. Many (perhaps most) said that they would, even in a money match or a tournament. Not a requirement, of course, but gentlemanly behavior and (in the view of many) the right thing to do.
 
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DoubleD said:
Rule is: If I call a shot and you wait until after I shoot to tell me I called the wrong balls...I don't play with you again. I don't call you names or bad mouth you, we just don't play again.

Sure, I understand that it happens in tourney/action sets, but when playing 'for fun', it should never happen.

I always try to stop my opponents from shooting incorrect balls.

Oh, you didn't 'have this happen', you 'allowed this to happen' and 'caused this to happen'.
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You would have trouble getting a game where i play.
We think men should be responsible for their decisions.

Only playing lessons are exempt from this policy.

This has already been done to death...
..I think people that want help from their opponents should not compete.

You can play with honor and still not 'ask for or give any quarter'.
 
Personally I would have told him especially as it was just for fun, if someone did that to me, I simply wouldn't play them again. If it happened in League play I would hope I would tell them. Just the way I was taught to play I guess it's not classless it unfriendly and I would not to win that way.
 
Yeah you were a little of an expletive for not telling him, considering it was a for fun game. What I probably would have done is pretend like I didn't even see it and when he lined up the next shot, say "Whoa man, I'm solids! You're high balls, remember?" Then he would have just felt like an ass with nobody to blame but himself.
 
Funny thing is, in a money game, I would have said something, cuz the last thing I want is somebody *****ing about why they lost and not pay me.

I see that this is split right down the middle.

So in football, if your opponent picks up a fumble and starts running to the wrong end zone, are you gonna tackle him before he gets there? Gonna foul a guy who is about to dunk on the wrong hoop?

I guess it takes all kinds. I think part of being a gentleman isn't throwing a tantrum like a 7 year old and calling people classless. If you don't like my decision to let you shoot the wrong ball, that's fine, but class goes both ways.
 
Let me get this straight...... you're playin' for nothing............and you didn't tell him he was lining up on the wrong ball? If you don't like the guy, why spend your time and play for funsies with him? I don't use the word "classless." Maybe you need to re-evaluate this situation for future reference.
 
If I'm playing for fun I tell the guy if he is shooting the wrong ball. Why not? If we're gambling, mum's the word. He's on his own! :rolleyes:
 
RoryHunt said:
I think part of being a gentleman isn't throwing a tantrum like a 7 year old and calling people classless. If you don't like my decision to let you shoot the wrong ball, that's fine, but class goes both ways.
Click to expand...

Also true. He was being a hypocrite in that situation and should have shown tact if he was going to start on about class and such. I wouldn't lose any sleep over this whole thing. Maybe he'll learn to pay closer attention.
 
I don't think it is 'classless' of you.. but is sure is STUPID of him. And then blame you for being 'classless' for letting him be STUPID.

too bad the both of you didn't have a good laugh at the whole situation and just play another game.

It's like your fly being open in public. Someone should whisper to you to correct the situation... not shout it accross the room.. .now that is 'classless' . Still doesn't make you look any less STUPID for doing what you did.

Find another opponent with a sense of humor.. lighten up yourself and next time when playing for "FUN" and something happens like that.. just tell them that 'whoa... maybe we ought to paint some stripes around those solids.. then you can call that shot.." You might just enjoy playing the game..
 
I would have told him even with money involved.

The other night I was playing in a little 8 ball tourney. Jim Helt and Andy Craig were also in it. My first draw was Jim Helt. I won the break and did a break and run. Jim broke dry the next rack. I saw the pattern for the solids and followed it to the 8 - which was a tightly crowded sharp cut into the side. Made the shot and even as I raised up from the table, saw the one ball sitting near the other side pocket. The realization that I had omitted that ball in my thinking for an entire rack hit me pretty hard.

All I could do was laugh. Jim told me that he thought my stroking at the eight was just to check where I needed to be for position. I believe him because I would be equally astonished if he had pulled the same stunt.

Afterward, I couldn't break an egg. :)
 
I have let opponents know in tournament play they are shooting the wrong ball but hey I'm an old snooker player and am used to owning up to fouls and such.
I just wouldn't feel right about it after, but I am also very competitive.
 
game of thinking

I am with Jay on this one, for fun it don't matter, but if he is a big enough boy to be gambling then he should be big and smart enough to think about what he is dong. Part of the game is to be in the game, concentration is what shows up in the end. If you are thinking about something else and you head is up yours then you looseeeee.

Percy
 
"Classless" is a bit strong, but if I were in your situation I probably would have let him know he was shooting the wrong ball. It just seems like a nice thing to do, especially since the game was just for fun. If you had money on the line, or were in league play, it might be a different story. I honestly still would have told him if it were for money or in a league (unless it was like $1000 a rack... :grin:)
 
As everyone else (mostly) stated... I would have told him/her. I have played people that shot so poorly that sometimes I really couldn't tell what in the heck they were trying to do. But since he said it out loud, that makes it a little different. Either way, since it was for fun, I still think he over-reacted a tad, calling you classless. That might have been better kept an inside thought.
Hell, if I am playing my wife, rule is, she makes a ball, she gets to shoot again, regardless if who is what! If she comes close to making a ball, sometimes I let her go for the birdie... point is, it's all fun, so in the end... who cares...
 
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