Help Needed on How to Always over Estimate your opponent

N

naji

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hello All,
When we play players that we do not know, we tend to play hard and as if they are really great players; but once you beat them once or twice our play level somewhat drops a notch or two, and safe play seem to not exists.

What is your advice, what have you done to maintain the same level no matter who you are playing? We are talking money games here.

Is giving a spot helps in this situation, to force you to play hard?

Thanks.
 
naji said:
Hello All,
When we play players that we do not know, we tend to play hard and as if they are really great players; but once you beat them once or twice our play level somewhat drops a notch or two, and safe play seem to not exists.

What is your advice, what have you done to maintain the same level no matter who you are playing? We are talking money games here.

Is giving a spot helps in this situation, to force you to play hard?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I asked John Dudley this once and he gave me a great answer.

"When you have had to play a game that means more than money you will get it. If loosing means you don't eat, or when your rent money is on the line you will understand that every game is important."
 
Cdryden said:
I asked John Dudley this once and he gave me a great answer.

"When you have had to play a game that means more than money you will get it. If loosing means you don't eat, or when your rent money is on the line you will understand that every game is important."
Click to expand...

Wow ! tough answer. Thanks..
 
naji said:
Hello All,
When we play players that we do not know, we tend to play hard and as if they are really great players; but once you beat them once or twice our play level somewhat drops a notch or two, and safe play seem to not exists.

What is your advice, what have you done to maintain the same level no matter who you are playing? We are talking money games here.

Is giving a spot helps in this situation, to force you to play hard?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Remind yourself that playing a weaker player doesn't make the pockets any bigger. Put the emphasis on your own stroke, the pockets, the table speed, the clusters, etc. In other words you don't focus on beating your opponent, you focus on running the rack. If you run out, the opponent in the chair will lose whether he's Efren Reyes or some chump that doesn't know how to make a proper bridge.

-Andrew
 
Andrew Manning said:
Remind yourself that playing a weaker player doesn't make the pockets any bigger. Put the emphasis on your own stroke, the pockets, the table speed, the clusters, etc. In other words you don't focus on beating your opponent, you focus on running the rack. If you run out, the opponent in the chair will lose whether he's Efren Reyes or some chump that doesn't know how to make a proper bridge.

-Andrew
Click to expand...

Thanks Andrew, great stuff.
 
Cdryden said:
"When you have had to play a game that means more than money you will get it. If loosing means you don't eat, or when your rent money is on the line you will understand that every game is important."
Click to expand...

Every SHOT is important, important to the point where you cannot afford to let your gard dwon at any time.

OR as <someone on the NG states> "There are NO easy shots in pool"
 
MitchAlsup said:
Every SHOT is important, important to the point where you cannot afford to let your gard dwon at any time.

OR as <someone on the NG states> "There are NO easy shots in pool"
Click to expand...

*I disagree.

I think you'd be suprised at how easily I am able to hook myself on a ball that "isn't there".

:mad:
 
naji said:
Hello All,
When we play players that we do not know, we tend to play hard and as if they are really great players; but once you beat them once or twice our play level somewhat drops a notch or two, and safe play seem to not exists.

What is your advice, what have you done to maintain the same level no matter who you are playing? We are talking money games here.

Is giving a spot helps in this situation, to force you to play hard?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

By 'we', you mean other people...don't you?

We both know you have never beaten anybody. I'll require outside documentation on the matter.

:D
 
naji said:
Hello All,
When we play players that we do not know, we tend to play hard and as if they are really great players; but once you beat them once or twice our play level somewhat drops a notch or two, and safe play seem to not exists.

What is your advice, what have you done to maintain the same level no matter who you are playing? We are talking money games here.

Is giving a spot helps in this situation, to force you to play hard?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I do this all the time, no clue why. Even if it's a new room or a new table, I play really well at first then when an actual match starts, I can't get out worth a damn.

This Sunday I played in a tournament in a new room, very nice tables. I started practicing with a guy I never seen before, on a brand new table to me, in a new room. He broke, made nothing, I ran out the rack and broke and ran the next one. Then went on to win most of the other games.

Soon as tournament started, I did not break and run a single rack and got knocked out with only one match win. No clue why, I "seemed" to focus the same way, but just missed more.
 
I do get lazy vs. weaker player, but mostly my mindset is to focus on running out.
That's a specific goal in 8b, 9b, and 10b. I consider it my main goal. If I screw up the runout, I'm mad.

If you want to really beat someone badly with no concern for their skill level, try your best to run 2 or 3+ racks in a row on them. That will probably be what you need to do to beat a superior player anyway.
 
hang-the-9 said:
I do this all the time, no clue why. Even if it's a new room or a new table, I play really well at first then when an actual match starts, I can't get out worth a damn.

This Sunday I played in a tournament in a new room, very nice tables. I started practicing with a guy I never seen before, on a brand new table to me, in a new room. He broke, made nothing, I ran out the rack and broke and ran the next one. Then went on to win most of the other games.

Soon as tournament started, I did not break and run a single rack and got knocked out with only one match win. No clue why, I "seemed" to focus the same way, but just missed more.
Click to expand...
It happens...once I warmed up for a tourney with a good bud ( ) and we played for about an hour, a lotta games that split roughly 1/1 overall...

HEre comes the tourney draw, guess who is playing who? Yep, me and same dude. I whupped his ahss, 9-1 or 2.

All you can do it to try your best everytime you get up to bat. so easy...to say.
 
CreeDo said:
I do get lazy vs. weaker player, but mostly my mindset is to focus on running out.
That's a specific goal in 8b, 9b, and 10b. I consider it my main goal. If I screw up the runout, I'm mad.

If you want to really beat someone badly with no concern for their skill level, try your best to run 2 or 3+ racks in a row on them. That will probably be what you need to do to beat a superior player anyway.
Click to expand...

Good advice for 8,9, and 10b games, what you saying is play great to satisfy self 1st, screw how others play..blank them off. For one pocket, it seems at times either patience runs out if your opponent is extremely defensive, or the urge to shoot at hole so bad you tend to attempt low % and give the game away.
 
hang-the-9 said:
I do this all the time, no clue why. Even if it's a new room or a new table, I play really well at first then when an actual match starts, I can't get out worth a damn.

This Sunday I played in a tournament in a new room, very nice tables. I started practicing with a guy I never seen before, on a brand new table to me, in a new room. He broke, made nothing, I ran out the rack and broke and ran the next one. Then went on to win most of the other games.

Soon as tournament started, I did not break and run a single rack and got knocked out with only one match win. No clue why, I "seemed" to focus the same way, but just missed more.
Click to expand...

9 or 10 ball games does it to you, you get confronted with so many varieties of shots in every game, some you know and will make, some you have never seen and attempt but fail and give the game on white platter to your opponent, this type of shots lead to loss of confidence, and eventually cause you to think and change how you shoot across the board, when in fact it could be as simple as slight aim adjustment. This is the one thing i argue with CJ all the time, you got to know how to shoot the 4000 shots possibilities before you graduate to 9 or 10 ball game, he says TOI is the answer? i tell him, but what if the situation requires something else, or soft hit, or or or or.. The 4000 shots not only teach you pocketing but will enable you to learn why you missed. IMO.
 
naji said:
Hello All,
When we play players that we do not know, we tend to play hard and as if they are really great players; but once you beat them once or twice our play level somewhat drops a notch or two, and safe play seem to not exists.

What is your advice, what have you done to maintain the same level no matter who you are playing? We are talking money games here.

Is giving a spot helps in this situation, to force you to play hard?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Raise the bet!
 
naji said:
Maybe i agree, gambling is like drugs, the more you do it the larger the dose needed?

Or maybe i should only play players better than myself? like a more pure stuff?
Click to expand...

I find that if I play for an amount that I wouldn't want to tell my wife I lost then I tend to focus pretty well. That doesn't really go up over time, though. For me $40 or $50 1P does the trick, while $20 is more social. Your numbers may differ.

If you can't find anyone better than you to play, I'd be willing, for your sake, to accept 10-8 from you in order to provide you a challenge and help you work on your focus.

Cory
 
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