League: Play to keep rating low or go all out every game?

LOL pool leagues. How do you do?


  • Total voters
    116
I'm not bored enough to spend an evening in a pool hall or bar deliberately missing shots.
 
I wonder if this was not a public poll if it would make a difference in the answers. People are less likely to speak the truth when they know others can tell what they said.

just curious.

Leagueguy
 
Sam you were out of line and YOU look like the fool at the moment.
Bagging is a huge problem in leagues for more than the obvious reasons. I was on a team with a woman who was a 4 who won a little over half the time. She was not hiding anything and we almost qualified for Vegas. The next year on a different team, they made it to the show. She played the best two days of pool in her life and was kicked out of the tourney along with her team and got a two year (i think 2) ban from apa play. She's not a bagger, she just caught fire and was penalized to the fullest extent of the law. The apa was so (angry at/scared of) baggers they took it out on her. I feel bad for her because if she plays after the ban she will be a weak 5, probably forever.
I used to hide my speed but I'm too old for that stuff now. This will be my last session due to everyone being raised enough that we can't field a team of friends anymore. Oh well, it's acs only from now on and that's fine.
 
There's no point to sandbag.

I also involve in APA. This past summer I joined a new team because we only had high ranked players in my regular team. Played there for one week and left. The captain told me they sandbag to qualify for Vegas. He went, "everyone does this, so we do it too." He put a SL5 against a SL4 (the SL5 can easily compete even at 7). The match went on, and the SL5 now needed one point to win the match. His opponent scratched, and he intentionally missed the ball in hand. The opponent's team knew exactly what was going on. I stood up and said, "if you want to sandbag, at least do it smart." I disassembled my cues and walked away.
 
Your game won't improve as fast while sandbagging. Learn how to beat opponents badly. Would you rather be known as the guy that can't be beat because you sandbag or the guy that can't be beat because you're a Super 7 monster?

chevybob hit the nail on the head. It's much better to crush everyone because that's what you've practiced than to squeak by unnoticed and do it by the skin of your teeth. Your game will improve that way and you'll push yourself to do stuff you previously would never even see.
 
can't lose if you always win.

I didn't get here by sandbagging:

Season High Points

1 ROUTLEDGE, James 880
2 Piche, Chris 830
3 Bradko, Dean 814
4 Johannesson, Clinton 805
5 Turner, Bryan 792
6 Maurer, Kris 777
7 Hardin, Dennis 766
8 Parsons, Dave 760
9 Lee, Jonathan 754
10 Strickland, Rick 743
 
I wonder if this was not a public poll if it would make a difference in the answers. People are less likely to speak the truth when they know others can tell what they said.

just curious.

Leagueguy

I hadn't thought of that when I voted. I guess I'm either nieve or don't care what others think of me.
 
Can anyone else tell me how to be competitive when the system is so ripe to be manipulated that 1/2 the players there cant resist it?

Justadub.....1/2?...You obviously have no idea what you are talking about. Post something that is worth reading and closer to the truth. Please! If what you say is true we wouldn't be growing as fast as we are. Come on man....Please don't insult AZB readers intelligence because it only shows the lack of yours.

Sam - I am the one who said that.

WHat percentage of players are "Managing their rating" then?
 
So, James, lets say there is another player of equal skill and he managed to coast through as a 4 or 5. Your going to "CRUSH" him at the tournament right? Giving up 2-3 games?

If so, you are sandbagging.

IF not, you are getting cheated.



I didn't get here by sandbagging:

Season High Points

1 ROUTLEDGE, James 880
2 Piche, Chris 830
3 Bradko, Dean 814
4 Johannesson, Clinton 805
5 Turner, Bryan 792
6 Maurer, Kris 777
7 Hardin, Dennis 766
8 Parsons, Dave 760
9 Lee, Jonathan 754
10 Strickland, Rick 743
 
So, James, lets say there is another player of equal skill and he managed to coast through as a 4 or 5. Your going to "CRUSH" him at the tournament right? Giving up 2-3 games?

If so, you are sandbagging.

IF not, you are getting cheated.

I may or may not beat him, however I will be able to sleep at night knowing I gave my best.

In the end I look at pool the same way I look at golf. The only person I have to outshine is myself.
 
I used vBulletin for years and years and I never realized I could click on the numbers in the pool to see who voted that option till after reading this thread...

Now that've pointed it out, I'm in the know, too...

Funny. You really can learn something new every day.
 
I play tap and apa and believe that all to often what is considered sandbagging is often lazy and inattentive scorekeeping. I played a match last week against a low hc player and sold out with a freek scratch on the 8 ball i made due to a miscue. during the rest of the match i played about 15 safes as the other player was on the hill. The next week my skill level was dropped even though i have only lost one match and won this one. I asked the scorekeeper for that match how many safes they had for me and was told one. I called all the safes but at least 14 were marked as missed shots. I told the league manager and played this week at my proper skill level.
 
Pretty impressed only 1 of 70 was an admitted sandbagger.

Add myself. I rarely play true speed in 8 ball except on an out run.

I play smart, play defense, hang back and when the opportunities are there, I'm out. 8-ball for example, is not about dropping balls on every shot, its about playing smarter than your opponent. It is pointless to drop balls, if there are no real out opportunities at the table. If that is the case, I'm coasting by opening up shots instead of dropping balls.

I avoid one-ball-hell (a term from The 8-Ball Bible) by not giving my opponent a table without obsticals and opportunities to defend me, if needed. Knowing that, I intentionally try to reverse this role. You can win ever single game, but your opponent still thinks they had a legitimate chance. They do, but would have to break open the table on their way out.
 
Add myself. I rarely play true speed in 8 ball except on an out run.

I play smart, play defense, hang back and when the opportunities are there, I'm out. 8-ball for example, is not about dropping balls on every shot, its about playing smarter than your opponent. It is pointless to drop balls, if there are no real out opportunities at the table. If that is the case, I'm coasting by opening up shots instead of dropping balls.

I avoid one-ball-hell (a term from The 8-Ball Bible) by not giving my opponent a table without obsticals and opportunities to defend me, if needed. Knowing that, I intentionally try to reverse this role. You can win ever single game, but your opponent still thinks they had a legitimate chance. They do, but would have to break open the table on their way out.

Dude this is legitimate play not sandbagging. You're playing to win, not playing to influence handicaps for an advantage.

Huge difference.
 
Add myself. I rarely play true speed in 8 ball except on an out run.

I play smart, play defense, hang back and when the opportunities are there, I'm out. 8-ball for example, is not about dropping balls on every shot, its about playing smarter than your opponent. It is pointless to drop balls, if there are no real out opportunities at the table. If that is the case, I'm coasting by opening up shots instead of dropping balls.

I avoid one-ball-hell (a term from The 8-Ball Bible) by not giving my opponent a table without obsticals and opportunities to defend me, if needed. Knowing that, I intentionally try to reverse this role. You can win ever single game, but your opponent still thinks they had a legitimate chance. They do, but would have to break open the table on their way out.

There is a difference between playing a defensive game and being a sandbagger.

Playing a defensive game is smart (or can be) but isn't cheating. As long as whoever is keeping score is doing so correctly, it is truly a part of the game.

Sandbagging is intentionally losing or inflating your innings count (or other handicap determining criteria) to give you an advantage.
 
There is a difference between playing a defensive game and being a sandbagger.

Playing a defensive game is smart (or can be) but isn't cheating. As long as whoever is keeping score is doing so correctly, it is truly a part of the game.

Sandbagging is intentionally losing or inflating your innings count (or other handicap determining criteria) to give you an advantage.

I figured it was both. I am intentionally inflating my innings to win. The results seem mostly the same because many opponents don't mark defense correctly.
 
I figured it was both. I am intentionally inflating my innings to win. The results seem mostly the same because many opponents don't mark defense correctly.

You are correct, that defensive shots aren't marked correctly far too often.

I think you'll find that most people here will define sandbagging as trying to keep your handicap lower than it should be, by intentionally losing, or by missing shots intentionally in order to pad your inning count. I also think that most everyone here will say that making a good defensive shot, for the sake of making a good defensive shot (meaning to leave your opponent in a bad position to shoot from) is just playing good pool.
 
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