Monday Morning Biatch

JoeyA

JoeyA

Efren's Mini-Tourn BACKER
Silver Member
This past weekend, my son was persuaded to "invest" in a top player's Calcutta bid and did so for $75. He only had a VERY SMALL percentage of this player's Calcutta bid. (I think my son only had about 10% of the calcutta bid)

The player got knocked into the single elimination bracket on Saturday but was playing well and finished up playing Saturday night early, around 9-10 pm.

All tournament long, the tournament director was telling everyone to adjust their clocks for the time change on Sunday morning so that no one would be late. EVERYONE heard this message over and over.

Our Krewe had wake up calls, cell phone alarms and everything else that we could use to make sure we made it to our matches on time.

This player calls at 9:00 am Sunday morning to ask if he still had time to make his 8:00 am match. This player could have gone to bed at 10:00 pm if he wanted to but I guess hanging out at the pool room all night long was more fun and going to bed at 5:30 am caused him to sleep in late.

Is there any wonder why people turn their backs on some pool players?
 
hate to hear that joey. be glad that he only bought a small percentage.

that is why i buy no one but myself in a calcutta. i learned a long time ago that you have no control over anyones actions but your own.
 
That sucks, it sounds like someone I know.

If he was in the green room gambling all night,,maybe he won more than the tournament is worth. Not that this would help you any,,,,you will just have to lick your wounds and move on.

I would at least give him a few words,,,,let him know you lost money on him.:sorry:
 
I've had some good luck in calcuttas over the years....
..but it's like going to the race track.

Considerations are chances of winning combined with money odds.
..and the honor of the player you're buying.
 
JoeyA said:
This past weekend, my son was persuaded to "invest" in a top player's Calcutta bid and did so for $75. He only had a VERY SMALL percentage of this player's Calcutta bid. (I think my son only had about 10% of the calcutta bid)

The player got knocked into the single elimination bracket on Saturday but was playing well and finished up playing Saturday night early, around 9-10 pm.

All tournament long, the tournament director was telling everyone to adjust their clocks for the time change on Sunday morning so that no one would be late. EVERYONE heard this message over and over.

Our Krewe had wake up calls, cell phone alarms and everything else that we could use to make sure we made it to our matches on time.

This player calls at 9:00 am Sunday morning to ask if he still had time to make his 8:00 am match. This player could have gone to bed at 10:00 pm if he wanted to but I guess hanging out at the pool room all night long was more fun and going to bed at 5:30 am caused him to sleep in late.

Is there any wonder why people turn their backs on some pool players?
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same thing happened with me with the lil Arab a couple of Cuesports tournements ago...only it cost me bout $1600 ...well maybe not exactly cuz my horse wasn't only sticking around the tourney when he could have been sleeping he was drinking like there was no tomorrow...come sunday he was so wore down from the alcohol & sleep deprivation that i could have beat him & that's bad....final 16 on winners side sunday & goes 2 & out...needless to say i was none too happy.
 
houmatroy said:
same thing happened with me with the lil Arab a couple of Cuesports tournements ago...only it cost me bout $1600 ...well maybe not exactly cuz my horse wasn't only sticking around the tourney when he could have been sleeping he was drinking like there was no tomorrow...come sunday he was so wore down from the alcohol & sleep deprivation that i could have beat him & that's bad....final 16 on winners side sunday & goes 2 & out...needless to say i was none too happy.
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The guy who bought 90% of this player wasn't too happy either.
 
houmatroy said:
same thing happened with me with the lil Arab a couple of Cuesports tournements ago...only it cost me bout $1600 ...well maybe not exactly cuz my horse wasn't only sticking around the tourney when he could have been sleeping he was drinking like there was no tomorrow...come sunday he was so wore down from the alcohol & sleep deprivation that i could have beat him & that's bad....final 16 on winners side sunday & goes 2 & out...needless to say i was none too happy.
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That is one thirsty horse.

Didn't you read black beauty? You know, the one where the kid killed the horse by letting it drink too much?
 
Just curious as to what a player owes to people buying him in the calcutta. If I have half myself which is how I have seen some calcuttas run then I am putting up half the money and the other guy is putting up half, if he buys 100% of me then what does it have to do with me? I understand that they usually throw you a jelly roll when you win but they are gambling and that is why they are there.

If my friend bought me in the calcutta I would feel an obligation but if its a stranger than buyer beware because what the hell do I care. Sorry if this chaps some peoples butt, I just never understand how a player has an obligation to anyone but himself, his friends who buy him in the calcutta or bet on him. I also do not understand how someone betting on the rail on someone can get pissed either, your betting on a horse and they do not always finish first, its funny how people think they have a lock and the guy loses and all of a sudden that guy is a dump artist, bum, dog and whatever else.

When I gamble I bet my own and would rather no one bet on the side on me, first you might be winning money I can win, you might be knocking my action, etc.. I know its different at the top levels or big time gamblers but they still have no obligation to the rail or anyone besides the backers and friends who bet on them. Sorry to the strangers who bet on these guys and lose some money but it is gambling and things happen when you gamble.

If your Joe Blow in the corner and the player does not know you then why are they obligated to you. Sorry for the rant but I see this stuff posted a few times a year and in reality the player is not to blame, its the greed of the people gambling and most of them do not peel off a tenner to hand to a player they win hundreds on. How many people on here bet on players and win $500 on say a TAR match and when they see that player down the road offer to buy dinner or just hand him a $20 and say good shooting. I have done this and the player looked at me like I had 2 heads and was pleasantly surprised but I know that was not the norm by how taken aback he was.
 
Responsibility..................Obligation..... Honor.........

Fast Lenny said:
Just curious as to what a player owes to people buying him in the calcutta. If I have half myself which is how I have seen some calcuttas run then I am putting up half the money and the other guy is putting up half, if he buys 100% of me then what does it have to do with me? I understand that they usually throw you a jelly roll when you win but they are gambling and that is why they are there.

If my friend bought me in the calcutta I would feel an obligation but if its a stranger than buyer beware because what the hell do I care. Sorry if this chaps some peoples butt, I just never understand how a player has an obligation to anyone but himself, his friends who buy him in the calcutta or bet on him. I also do not understand how someone betting on the rail on someone can get pissed either, your betting on a horse and they do not always finish first, its funny how people think they have a lock and the guy loses and all of a sudden that guy is a dump artist, bum, dog and whatever else.

When I gamble I bet my own and would rather no one bet on the side on me, first you might be winning money I can win, you might be knocking my action, etc.. I know its different at the top levels or big time gamblers but they still have no obligation to the rail or anyone besides the backers and friends who bet on them. Sorry to the strangers who bet on these guys and lose some money but it is gambling and things happen when you gamble.

If your Joe Blow in the corner and the player does not know you then why are they obligated to you. Sorry for the rant but I see this stuff posted a few times a year and in reality the player is not to blame, its the greed of the people gambling and most of them do not peel off a tenner to hand to a player they win hundreds on. How many people on here bet on players and win $500 on say a TAR match and when they see that player down the road offer to buy dinner or just hand him a $20 and say good shooting. I have done this and the player looked at me like I had 2 heads and was pleasantly surprised but I know that was not the norm by how taken aback he was.
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Lenny,
Normally I don't contest other people's ideas or perspectives. I just state mine and live and let live but I think I'll make an exception this time.

While you bring up some interesting points, I think your perspective is what's wrong with pool today. Even with just a few people thinking like you do about the perspective that a player doesn't owe anything to anyone but themselves is enough to taint the general public's perspective about pool.

Pool promoters, pool directors, pool room owners and players go to great expense and great effort to promote, orgranize, direct and play in these events. This is done for the greater good of the pool enthusiasts, sometime even trying to make a buck in the process but most of the time failing in that aspect.

When players obligate themselves as participants in an event by paying an entry fee they are becoming part of the process of "gambling" that the promoters and the pool rooms do. They agree to play in an event in exchange for an entry fee. When they pull out before completing their end of the bargain, they put a black mark on the process and pool in general. Personally, I think as long as pool players think like you do, pool will continue to be looked at a second class "game" especially by those who could do the "sport" the most good.

Everyone's entitled to their opinion and so are you. I just have a completely opposite opinion. If we want pool to succeed, we should all be pulling in the same direction. It should not be just what's good for one individual. The promoters, pool room owners, directors and the other players have an investment in seeing pool succeed. Having players think that just because they got knocked over to the single elimination bracket and that they will have a hard fight from there isn't a good enough excuse to just quit but that's my opinion.

The Calcuttas in many parts of the country ARE THE REASON FOR THE SUCCESS of some of these tournaments. If players can't support the Calcuttas by keeping their end of the bargain, then they really are part of the problem that continues to plague pool and that is this one-way attitude that some of the players have simply because they paid their entry fee.
 
Joey, I know what your saying but as I said, no pool player has an obligation to the people betting on the side whether its the rail or a calcutta. Most of those people wont be giving up an jelly anyway and that is a part of what is wrong with pool too. If those players got a 10% jelly on all the side betting they would have a couple extra grand a year but most people are cheapskates and would not buy the guy a beer. How much is bet on the side on Shane when he plays a TAR match?, lets just say $20,000, he does not get any love from those people who bet on him and win some dough.

I respect backers because they are making the action happen in the first place, putting up $10,000 to win $5,000-$6,000 while people on here and elsewhere bet $500 and win $500 usually. I wish The Action Room had a 10% player jelly fund for the TAR matches, would be pretty cool to see $500 get shipped to the player with a thanks and good shooting note from x, y and z on AZ Billiards.

Imagine Oscar or someone like that receiving that money and feeling good that the guys betting on the side appreciate him playing hard and winning, being true fans. So a player wins and gets nothing from the rail but if he loses he gets degraded and called a dog or dump artist, that is just disgusting.

As for what a player should do, be honest and not cheat, dump or con. Not showing up for a match because he stayed out late is not something that I see as wrong regardless if people bet on him in the calcutta, its the players choice but with a pro player I think expectations are higher. I can understand people being upset and especially a room owner or promoter if the players in the final chop it up at a big event without playing a match and putting on a show for the spectators.

Players pay an entry to play in a tournament and try and win it, not to become part of the process of gambling and the calcutta. Calcuttas are illegal in most states so a player supporting that is not helpful for pool at all and when the calcutta is busted and its in the local paper and on the news then it gives pool a black eye and bad image and do not say it has never happened because it has. So what is really wrong with pool Joey, the illegal activity and support of it or the players not taking part of it? Personally I think gambling on pool is fun and calcuttas too but totally understand the guys walking the line and not taking part in it, its THEIR choice.

If pool had real money in it then calcuttas would not be needed, pool is a 2nd class sport because its in the game section at Barnes and Nobles. We have big sports here in the USA and pool is not one of them, its not a spectator sport so not many watch it and therefor sponsor dollars go elsewhere. Its popular in Asia because they do not have the big sports like NFL, NBA, MLB and whatnot like we do along with Nascar and a ton of other things. Pool is what is wrong with pool, its a subculture that us diehards love, it would be cool if it was on ESPN like it should, broadcast live and big sponsors behind it or would it be? Maybe the allure to us in the subculture is the fact that it is an underground game so to speak, small and tight nit community with the players accessible to the fans, we might not like it as much if it blew up and everyone was doing it.

I see many people on here who lose a bet on a guy and whine about how the guy played, like when Earl lost it when he was tied at 65 or something in a race to 75 and just gave up. I bet on Earl and was disappointed but it was his choice, I knew a meltdown was possible and he owes nothing to me or the rest of us who bet on him. I think some people do not look at pool players as human being but more as racehorses, stroke them while they are running good and when they are not so hot then they are dog food. That to me is what is wrong with pool.
 
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