Match Dispute... How would you call it?

ShanksMcShankly

ShanksMcShankly

Grid Lock
Silver Member
So this situation involves girls and timing...

The Pretext: I got a text asking to play a race to 3 for $10 bucks to start. We were both kind of pressed for time. I was busy and had to hang out with this chick but saw a good hour or so we could play our match. My opponent had to hang out with his girlfriend at 630. I rearranged things so my friend just comes with me to the match so my time restraints are gone. We agreed to meet at the bar at 440 to play a race to 5 for $25. I get there on time to see him already there playing with some other girl he picked up at the bar. So I give him time to finish and he plays another game with her trying to get her number. 20 minutes later he's finally ready to start.

The Match: We both start off pretty slow, and the first game was pretty close but I get the win. There was a slight delay of 4-5 minutes as I dealt with the bar tender. The next game was starting to pick up but it was still close and I get the win again. The third game was good and I picked up number 3. By this point he's starting to get text messages and is looking at the clock like he needed to go. He goes outside to make a call and have a smoke. Then he comes in and said he can play. I mentioned that we could cut it to a race to 4 for $20 just to be able to accommodate his timing issues. We proceeded to play the fourth rack without coming to an agreement on cutting it short. I played the fourth game thinking he had time to play to rest of the match. The fourth game went pretty smoothly and I picked up number 4.

The Dispute: After I win the fourth game, my opponent begins to break down his cue. He says he's got to take off and we will pick up the match later. I told him no. I said that if he can't finish the match now then he forfeits and owes me the $25. We shoot all the time any ways but I believe picking it up another day would be a whole different match. We would be playing in completely different forms on another day. I told him I made it possible for me to play a whole match and it's not my fault he can't. He got upset I wouldn't pick it up later but I told him I'll give him a re-match when we have the time and at the same stakes. He was still looking at me all funny so I gave him the deal to cut it down to $20 for the 4 games. So he took the deal and we'll play again soon. I feel like he's still upset with me but I think I'm within my rights...

Now I want to know what AZB thinks about this situation. I know we're not talking about a lot of money here. I'm just concerned about being fair. I wouldn't want to be cheated so I never cheat anybody myself.

Should I have agreed to continue the match another day?
Would you have given him the deal to cut the stakes for a shorter race?
Am I out of line??? :scratchhead:
 
Last edited:
ShanksMcShankly said:
So this situation involves girls and timing...

The Pretext: I got a text asking to play a race to 3 for $10 bucks to start. We were both kind of pressed for time. I was busy and had to hang out with this chick but saw a good hour or so we could play our match. My opponent had to hang out with his girlfriend at 630. I rearranged things so my friend just comes with me to the match so my time restraints are gone. We agreed to meet at the bar at 440 to play a race to 5 for $25. I get there on time to see him already there playing with some other girl he picked up at the bar. So I give him time to finish and he plays another game with her trying to get her number. 20 minutes later he's finally ready to start.

The Match: We both start off pretty slow, and the first game was pretty close but I get the win. There was a slight delay of 4-5 minutes as I dealt with the bar tender. The next game was starting to pick up but it was still close and I get the win again. The third game was good and I picked up number 3. By this point he's starting to get text messages and is looking at the clock like he needed to go. He goes outside to make a call and have a smoke. Then he comes in and said he can play. I mentioned that we could cut it to a race to 4 for $20 just to be able to accommodate his timing issues. We proceeded to play the fourth rack without coming to an agreement on cutting it short. I played the fourth game thinking he had time to play to rest of the match. The fourth game went pretty smoothly and I picked up number 4.

The Dispute: After I win the fourth game, my opponent begins to break down his cue. He says he's got to take off and we will pick up the match later. I told him no. I said that if he can't finish the match now then he forfeits and owes me the $25. We shoot all the time any ways but I believe picking it up another day would be a whole different match. We would be playing in completely different forms on another day. I told him I made it possible for me to play a whole match and it's not my fault he can't. He got upset I wouldn't pick it up later but I told him I'll give him a re-match when we have the time and at the same stakes. He was still looking at me all funny so I gave him the deal to cut it down to $20 for the 4 games. So he took the deal and we'll play again soon. I feel like he's still upset with me but I think I'm within my rights...

Now I want to know what AZB thinks about this situation.

Should I have agreed to continue the match another day?
Would you have given him the deal to cut the stakes for a shorter race?
Am I out of line??? :scratchhead:
Click to expand...

Sounds like a serious case of PGDS (Pool Gamblers Drama Syndrome) :grin:.

Just me, but for a mere $20 or $25, I wouldn't lose any sleep over never seein' any of that money. If he picks up the match later, you should beat him with the lead you have. If you never play again, no big money lost.

FTR though, I think you were in the right here and he should have just tossed you a twenty and been done with it.

Maniac
 
Last edited:
Lotta drama over $25:grin: (ever hear the saying, "I've paid more than that to watch monkeys f#@k."?)

Looks like he's more interested in Pussy than pool.

what Maniac said:thumbup:
 
If this is all you have to worry about in life, you are a lucky man.:smile:
 
I would agree, a tiny amount to have to continue to play later over....

That being said next time just PLAY 5 A GAME and he can quit whenever he wants (or so could you) for that matter. This will avoid the cliffhanger situation outright.
 
I think it boils down to the nature of your friendship. If this is just a guy you shoot pool with ocassionally for a few bucks, then your request was not unreasonable.

On the other hand, if this is someone that you consider a close friend and you spend time doing things other than pool....then your insistance of payment may have conveyed the message that money was more important than the trust of a good friendship.

He may have thought you were questioning his integrity.
 
Edit

I totally understand this is a small stakes game. I just wanted to give you guys the numbers and be honest about it. It really isn't even about the money. If we were playing for a thousand bucks I'd still just be worried about being fair about the match. I'm the kind of guy who gives up his inning even when I have benefit of the doubt because I know I fouled. I want to admit when I'm wrong but sometimes that can be subjective...
 
rrick33 said:
I think it boils down to the nature of your friendship. If this is just a guy you shoot pool with ocassionally for a few bucks, then your request was not unreasonable.

On the other hand, if this is someone that you consider a close friend and you spend time doing things other than pool....then your insistance of payment may have conveyed the message that money was more important than the trust of a good friendship.

He may have thought you were questioning his integrity.
Click to expand...

You bring up a good point Rick. Thank you.

I shoot with this guy pretty regularly. We will get together to play at different bars and halls around town. I have come through to bail him out of other random situations at times. He's owed me money for weeks over lost matches and I've even loaned him cash for matches versus other opponents as well. So I would say he knows I trust him to a certain extent.

The main thing is the fact that I don't think continuing the match a different day would be proper. Everyday is a different day and I don't think finishing some other time is fair overall.
 
Its usually rare when gambling to have to continue a match, but it does happen at times. Its happened to me just a handful of times over the years, usually due to the place closing. If our set was close, sometimes we would just call it off. If one guy had a big lead, it was usually picked back up at the same score.

In your case, it seems you were both preoccupied with the ladies, and the game was pretty casual. I personally would have said ok with the continue. It also makes good business sense to me... you keep him happy, and the next time you play, continuing the race to 5, you are almost certain to win that set. So you will in affect have a 1 set head start for the next session.

Lots of possibilities. I think the worst thing that can happen though with a guy you play regularly (and possibly beat regularly), is for them to get mad at you. Lots of people don't mind giving you their money every week, but they do mind if you cause them anger, doubt, etc. That might be a reason for them to quit you for life.
 
Since you both had time constraints going in, there should have been a contingency plan beforehand to deal with this scenario. Somebody should have said "Ok, what if we have to quit before the set is over?" Without that, it's impossible to make a call on who is right or wrong, since prorating and picking up the set at a later date are both acceptable solutions. It's nice to learn these lessons in cheap games, though, and you will know how to handle it next time. I personally don't like to play sets when time is an issue. Clock-watching is going to put everyone off their game, and most people are just as happy playing $5/game as 5 for $25.

Aaron
 
I think you are in your rights to ask him to forfeit the match. I've had to do that before. Truth is, he should have just offered the $25, or asked you if you minded continuing at a later time (preferably same table.) Now if there was some sort of emergency he had to leave for, that might change things.

That being said, I think once it took the turn, you should have said fine to continue. You have to keep him happy to keep him coming back. You may have won the battle but lost the war. Better money management.

Now, going forward, you should bring this up first thing when you see him and clear the air. (Even though you were right, don't say so.) Just say, you felt kinda funny about how things ended last time, let's make a contingency plan.
 
I would call it pretty silly to argue over $25. I would have just said "OK it's 4 to 0 see ya next time". Sometimes you have to let the other guy win these types of disagreements so they don't spit the hook out.
 
ShanksMcShankly said:
So this situation involves girls and timing...

The Pretext: I got a text asking to play a race to 3 for $10 bucks to start. We were both kind of pressed for time. I was busy and had to hang out with this chick but saw a good hour or so we could play our match. My opponent had to hang out with his girlfriend at 630. I rearranged things so my friend just comes with me to the match so my time restraints are gone. We agreed to meet at the bar at 440 to play a race to 5 for $25. I get there on time to see him already there playing with some other girl he picked up at the bar. So I give him time to finish and he plays another game with her trying to get her number. 20 minutes later he's finally ready to start.

The Match: We both start off pretty slow, and the first game was pretty close but I get the win. There was a slight delay of 4-5 minutes as I dealt with the bar tender. The next game was starting to pick up but it was still close and I get the win again. The third game was good and I picked up number 3. By this point he's starting to get text messages and is looking at the clock like he needed to go. He goes outside to make a call and have a smoke. Then he comes in and said he can play. I mentioned that we could cut it to a race to 4 for $20 just to be able to accommodate his timing issues. We proceeded to play the fourth rack without coming to an agreement on cutting it short. I played the fourth game thinking he had time to play to rest of the match. The fourth game went pretty smoothly and I picked up number 4.

The Dispute: After I win the fourth game, my opponent begins to break down his cue. He says he's got to take off and we will pick up the match later. I told him no. I said that if he can't finish the match now then he forfeits and owes me the $25. We shoot all the time any ways but I believe picking it up another day would be a whole different match. We would be playing in completely different forms on another day. I told him I made it possible for me to play a whole match and it's not my fault he can't. He got upset I wouldn't pick it up later but I told him I'll give him a re-match when we have the time and at the same stakes. He was still looking at me all funny so I gave him the deal to cut it down to $20 for the 4 games. So he took the deal and we'll play again soon. I feel like he's still upset with me but I think I'm within my rights...

Now I want to know what AZB thinks about this situation. I know we're not talking about a lot of money here. I'm just concerned about being fair. I wouldn't want to be cheated so I never cheat anybody myself.

Should I have agreed to continue the match another day?
Would you have given him the deal to cut the stakes for a shorter race?
Am I out of line??? :scratchhead:
Click to expand...


I have not read the thread so I haven't seen any replies. My take is that you should have talked about this before the race started. If it was my friend I would give him the benefit of the doubt and schedule to finish later. With that said I would also make a rule that if the set couldn't be finished than the person ahead wins. That way somebody cant quit if things aren't rolling their way.
 
put the money on the light, its over when the pre-set games are finished, he wants to go get some trim, thats on him............tell him to forfiet and take the money off the light, or he can finish the set..........when money is involved its buisness not for fun anymore....my 2cents.
 
thommy said:
Back in the olden times there were places and 8 mm movies:grin: and donkeys and . . .
Click to expand...

What, you guys haven't ever been to a zoo??? Seen monkeys in various forms of foreplay and copulation many times (well okay, not many times, but some). The grossest thing I ever witnessed in my lifetime happened at the Fort Worth Zoo inside of the baboon enclosure. I could only describe it in the presence of men, and then only after I've gotten a few Crown & Cokes down. It was THAT gross!!!

Maniac
 
set

I think what you did was right. He doesn't really sound like a friend, but just someone you are friendly with. Money is business, if a set is interrupted, the set should be pro-rated, which 4-0 would be $20, which is what you did.

I find it odd that he can not play one more game to see if it was 4-1 or 5-0, in which case the set would be over. One game does not take that long.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top