Had this happen the other night...

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?

OK, fun? Playing for fun? And he gets mad because you let him shoot the wrong ball... Sheese, doesn't sound like much fun to me.

Tell you what, I'll play you anytime for fun and when I do something stupid (I always do) I expect you to laugh at least as hard as I do. And then rub it in.

But as usual, I probably do things backwards. I’d tell him if we were playing for money but for fun? Heck no. Just have fun.

My 2 cents.

Mike
 
Sportsmanship - plain and simple
If our beloved sport is going to break through the invisible barrier it has been beating its head against for the past few decades then I believe good sportsmanship - at every level - from everyone involved can't do anything but help.

Situational circumstances are just a way of rationalizing poor sportsmanship. Always assist a fellow player, even if they are an opponent. It just seems like the right thing to do.

Steve H.
 
I wouldn't go as far as saying that you have no class. However, if your playing a 'friendly' gentlemans game and you knowingly let your opponent line up and shoot at the wrong set of balls, the I'll go as far as to say you weren't playing like a gentleman. In short race weekly tournaments (early rounds) I still do what I consider the right thing and will let my opponent know he/she is shooting at the wrong ball or whatever. But at the same time, I'll call "hey, your shirt just touched and moved the 9-ball." In a more serious longer set, larger tournament, I'm after a win no matter what, and will use any advantage I can get. If my opponent is not paying attention to the game enough to know what ball to shoot at, it's his/her problem not mine. And it's my duty as a player that is thinking about nothing but a win to 'let' my opponent foul.
Now, for your opponent to call you classless for not correcting him before he shoots......................................that is no class. It's a 'friendly' meaning your're just out to play some good pool and enjoy doing it, and nobody should really be keeping score here in the first place other for the purpose of knowing when the match is over.
dave
 
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?


nah you were just playing for fun so it's really a judgment call. i'd have let him shoot it and laughed about it. if he made a stink i'd tell him he can keep shooting or something equally patronizing.

if you're gambling imo you aren't supposed to tell him. i don't care if you're gambling with your brother. you let him foul and call him on it
 
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