How do you handle light sharking?

[easy-e]

My preferred method has me moving real close to the clown that is putting on a sharking act. I will very softly say, "you are going to stop this shit or I will become very loud and embarrass you." I never had to get loud.
There was no point in debating the legitimacy of their actions. They were always going to play dumb.
The threat or uh promise of escalation served to raise my adrenaline and guarantee my very beast.
So what was intended as distraction, I converted to inspiration.

Seems a bit more aggressive than I'd want to get when playing in a weekly tournament against a "buddy". Like I said, I doubt this guy was doing this to intentionally mess with me.

 

[Texas Carom Club]

ill sit and wait for them to stop till they get the point

 

[maha]

another reason i dont play leagues and tournaments and just gamble. none of these issues there.

i cant imagine getting upset with someone moving their head to see my shot from their chair. no matter what their reason for it was.

 

[gregcantrall]

Seems a bit more aggressive than I'd want to get when playing in a weekly tournament against a "buddy". Like I said, I doubt this guy was doing this to intentionally mess with me.

Well the little shark deserves the little aggressive. My presentation was always cordial, with the still waters run deep hint.
If I figured this was a "new B". My approach would be to gently explain how their behavior was at the very least rude and unacceptable. No harm no foul.

 

[DynoDan]

I often play with headphones in. Not sure if this is frowned upon or not. Don't see many others doing this. No one has ever told me it's not acceptable.

Ordinarily, I would say…’not‘ acceptable, since it annoys your opponent when he can’t communicate with you. But, like with earplugs also, the noise from a loud jukebox or a raucous crowd sometimes leaves no alternative. Do you at least remove them when not shooting if the room is quiet?

 

[MitchAlsup]

I deal with all sharking by not shooting under the rule:: "The shot timer does not start until you shut TF up and stay shut up"

 

[Mensabum]

another reason i dont play leagues and tournaments and just gamble. none of these issues there.

i cant imagine getting upset with someone moving their head to see my shot from their chair. no matter what their reason for it was.

Ahhh ... Thank you.

 

[Flakeandrun]

Ordinarily, I would say…’not‘ acceptable, since it annoys your opponent when he can’t communicate with you. But, like with earplugs also, the noise from a loud jukebox or a raucous crowd sometimes leaves no alternative. Do you at least remove them when not shooting if the room is quiet?

Playing in China, often there is an assumed language barrier (although I can communicate some subject specific things and general niceties) - I say hi, and a little fist bump before the lag, and then put them in. I do see a couple other players also do this, but not many.

I show much interest in following the game, I actually have ADHD and am conscious of how that presents itself in my behaviour, concentration etc and make an extra effort to follow games with my utmost attention. I would always remove them to communicate the necessary, or if there is something that comes up.

I did have an issue in a tournament this weekend actually, relating to a 'push out' - I was moving some stuff that I should have organised prior to the match beginning, missed that he tied up the 1-ball behind a ball at the top of the table, and ended up playing a 2-9 bank combo (by all accounts a great shot ) and thought that I won the frame...

We both laughed about it. I kicked myself inside, as normally I would have been watching. I will accept that although I was distracted with my own things, not having AirPods in would have helped me hear a call for the push.
He actually then cleaned the table, and ran out the next game causing me to lose the match. I will still blame it on being organised and ready for each rack. I should have organised my things before the rack began.

 

[justnum]

Just act like you got sharked and be patient on letting them know you were in on it the whole time. My acting skills went through the roof my first few seasons. In later seasons Id have them walk away thinking they were a lot better, but I just didnt have it that game. With pool it is so easy to hide skill against lower players.

As an educator for youth it is extremely effective everyone else thinks they are the shark. Some people actually say they feel badly after abusing the educator then saying it was all in good fun.

If someone is a shark there is no fixing or changing that attitude mid match.

I feel bad for those that try.

 

[Mustardeer]

i cant imagine getting upset with someone moving their head to see my shot from their chair. no matter what their reason for it was.

You don’t get it. He sat still for 15-20 seconds, then once I got down and right after the backswing he moves fast 2 feet with his head going sideways. This is right in front of me. And he’s talking the entire time. Like a really sharp unnaturally sudden movement.

 

[Flakeandrun]

You don’t get it. He sat still for 15-20 seconds, then once I got down and right after the backswing he moves fast 2 feet with his head going sideways. This is right in front of me. And he’s talking the entire time. Like a really sharp unnaturally sudden movement.

British people would be very condescending and sarcastic here I think... 'are you well mate? Must be awful living with Tourettes'

 

[ShootingArts]

When it comes to obnoxious behavior there is no one size fits all behavior. For awhile if my opponent was involved I would just go lean somewhere comfortable and sip on my drink. Might talk to someone handy. Eventually the biggest numbskull recognizes the game has stopped. Almost always they ask if it is their shot. "No I just didn't want to interrupt you." Even the dimmest bulb eventually figures out you aren't going to play while they are ignoring all rules of etiquette.

I haven't been and unless in a tournament ain't perfect. We are in a pool hall not a church. When the bimbo at the next table reveals her thong is inches up her ass my eyes bulge out enough to distract the other player! A little cold snap had the girls all breaking out leggings with waist length jackets. I was walking into walls and displays just trying to buy groceries. In my younger years I easily faded such things. Today, I doubt I could fade half the girls in an event looking like they were naked from the waist down.

Hu

 

[easy-e]

You don’t get it. He sat still for 15-20 seconds, then once I got down and right after the backswing he moves fast 2 feet with his head going sideways. This is right in front of me. And he’s talking the entire time. Like a really sharp unnaturally sudden movement.

Maybe he doesn't get it because that's not how you originally described it. You said he occasionally moves his head when you're shooting.

 

[ChrisSjoblom]

This sober “nice guy” talks to his buddy nonstop every time I’m at the table. Discusses the game and what he should have done. I can hear him clearly. Feels unintentional. Occasionally moves his head right before I shoot the key ball. Friend of a bud and feels unintentional, hard to tell if it’s his thing. Both him & his friend stayed in the chair. He’s 640 and this was a short race to 7. He talked the entire set almost nonstop.

Please don't take this wrong, but it appears to me that you may be sharking yourself more than your opponent is. I'm not defending your opponent in this instance - incessant talking and movement in a tournament setting is clearly not good etiquette. However, poor etiquette doesn't always mean sharking. Your original post said it "feels unintentional", but your subsequent posts sound more like you are convinced he was actually trying to shark you. Is it possible that you are being hypersensitive to what he was saying and doing? I'm not saying that you are - just suggesting that you may want to contemplate that possibility.

I'm on a bar-league team that had a player for one season that let almost anything shark him. If his opponent or any other members on the opposing team were talking, moving or laughing while he was shooting he would see it as sharking, even though it is a bar league with no real money or prestige on the line. Most of the guys on all of the teams in our division are experienced and competitive players, but they are out to have fun socializing, too.

He was the best shot on our team by a good margin, but his game fell off steeply as soon as he perceived what he felt was a shark move by his opponent. And because it happened in nearly every match, he lost probably twice as many games that season as he should have. Now, to be fair, some of the opponents in that league actually do try sharking, but it is a relatively small percentage - like 4 or 5 guys out of 60 or so. Mostly, this guy was just beating himself by getting upset with phantom shark moves.

None of us ever brought that up to him because he was also very touchy about any criticism, but I think he at some level realized it himself because he opted not to come back to the bar league the following season. Instead he joined a team in the in-house league at the local pool hall where the etiquette was more tolerable for him and he's very happy in that situation.

 

[Cue Stick]

The best response will usually depend on who you are dealing with. A few approaches that worked for me:

1. My opponent had about $2 worth of quarters in his pocket and he stuck his hand in his pocket and started rattling them when I bent over to shoot. I stood up and went and stood side-by-side with him. We were both facing the table and I was slowly chalking my cue tip until he realized that I wasn't ever going to shoot until he stopped rattling the coins.

2. Another opponent was talking during my shot. Using the name of someone we both knew, I said "Hey, have you seen Joe Blow lately. I played him about a week ago and I couldn't believe he was talking on my shots, trying to shark me. I thought he had more class than that."

3. Break and run 3 or 4 racks in a row. You might lose your player, but you won't have to listen to any more chalk talk.

 

[Cue Stick]

Please don't take this wrong, but it appears to me that you may be sharking yourself more than your opponent is. I'm not defending your opponent in this instance - incessant talking and movement in a tournament setting is clearly not good etiquette. However, poor etiquette doesn't always mean sharking. Your original post said it "feels unintentional", but your subsequent posts sound more like you are convinced he was actually trying to shark you. Is it possible that you are being hypersensitive to what he was saying and doing? I'm not saying that you are - just suggesting that you may want to contemplate that possibility.

I'm on a bar-league team that had a player for one season that let almost anything shark him. If his opponent or any other members on the opposing team were talking, moving or laughing while he was shooting he would see it as sharking, even though it is a bar league with no real money or prestige on the line. Most of the guys on all of the teams in our division are experienced and competitive players, but they are out to have fun socializing, too.

He was the best shot on our team by a good margin, but his game fell off steeply as soon as he perceived what he felt was a shark move by his opponent. And because it happened in nearly every match, he lost probably twice as many games that season as he should have. Now, to be fair, some of the opponents in that league actually do try sharking, but it is a relatively small percentage - like 4 or 5 guys out of 60 or so. Mostly, this guy was just beating himself by getting upset with phantom shark moves.

None of us ever brought that up to him because he was also very touchy about any criticism, but I think he at some level realized it himself because he opted not to come back to the bar league the following season. Instead he joined a team in the in-house league at the local pool hall where the etiquette was more tolerable for him and he's very happy in that situation.

So your boy had rabbit ears?

 

[ShootingArts]

The best response will usually depend on who you are dealing with. A few approaches that worked for me:

1. My opponent had about $2 worth of quarters in his pocket and he stuck his hand in his pocket and started rattling them when I bent over to shoot. I stood up and went and stood side-by-side with him. We were both facing the table and I was slowly chalking my cue tip until he realized that I wasn't ever going to shoot until he stopped rattling the coins.

2. Another opponent was talking during my shot. Using the name of someone we both knew, I said "Hey, have you seen Joe Blow lately. I played him about a week ago and I couldn't believe he was talking on my shots, trying to shark me. I thought he had more class than that."

3. Break and run 3 or 4 racks in a row. You might lose your player, but you won't have to listen to any more chalk talk.

A famous player of yesteryear was well known for the coin trick. I can't remember who at the moment but somebody will if they want to post it.

Hu

 

[justnum]

One time I started crying from the sharking. I still am not sure how my opponent handled it.

Not like loud sobbing, but visible tears dropping. It was my first live crying performance.

As the matches went on there were other routines I developed for my opponents sharking.

One season I developed something called the "Pretend you can't hear routines"

Anytime the mouth was moving, try to act like something else was being said.

I learned several games like this in comedy classes.

 

[sixpack]

Ignorance is bliss for me. I don’t know or care when someone is sharking me.

Many times people will come up to me after a match and say my opponent was sharking me by xyz…

Usually I didn’t even notice.

 

[ChrisSjoblom]

Ignorance is bliss for me. I don’t know or care when someone is sharking me.

Many times people will come up to me after a match and say my opponent was sharking me by xyz…

Usually I didn’t even notice.

Same for me 99% of the time. The other 1% I may say something but more likely I will just bear down harder.