opponent matters

I do
Most don’t
If it’s during tournaments or league, as long as they don’t touch the table or stand that close, I don’t mind.
If it’s just a friendly game, usually my partners know to move out of the way
 
I only gamble, and consider this part of the game negotiation. I don’t care if they go to a chair and sit, as I generally like to stand myself, but stand out of the way, and I return that courtesy in kind. It’s always best to be a gentleman in my mind. A man’s got to have a code.
 
I show emotion when I blow the table runout jawing the last ball to win the game.
It’s okay to show enthusiasm or frustration because you are emotionally vested.

Anyone that’s played a team sport knows that you get excited over what your
teammates do as much as what you do. It’s a team win or loss, not just yours.

Well, that only gets amplified when you are the solitary competitor and playing
1 on 1 rather than a team. Every mistake or great shot is your fault or your credit.

And when you marry that with what the player’s expectations are and how they
actually perform, that becomes a magnifying glass of your skills and also attitude.

Yup, I show frustration and exuberance but not to the point of overdoing it. 2 secs.
of a facial wince or imitating a short right hook even while holding a cue in my hand.

When you invest the mental effort and try your physical best to do something, then I
submit it is mentally healthy to express emotional reactions but in a low key manner.

It is normal when you care deeply about competing at your best. In those moments if
you play a shot carelessly and miss, you want to scold yourself so you avoid doing it.

Conversely, when you control the table playing masterfully but still encounter a tough
shot to play safe or go for it and you pocket the shot & get shape, you feel like cheering.

I don’t know about you but I have never seen any baseball player hit a home run, pro
or amateur, and treat that as a Ho Hum type hit. Just trying your best is worth a cheer.

p.s. I make it a point to stand during a match even if it lasted hours. Sitting makes me lazy.
 
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I only gamble, and consider this part of the game negotiation. I don’t care if they go to a chair and sit, as I generally like to stand myself, but stand out of the way, and I return that courtesy in kind. It’s always best to be a gentleman in my mind. A man’s got to have a code.
A Great player (Artie B. 1hole, straight pool & 3C) from Chicago in the 60's-70's played many 18-30 hr. sessions!

He Never sat down once or rarely went to the restroom!

Just stood there and drank coffee until it was, His turn to shoot!
 
when you play a guy:

after he misses, does he quietly go back to his chair and sit down?

do you?
I try to get to my chair and sit down, every time.

The only time I don't is when the other guy jumps up and gets into the shot so fast that crossing to my chair would require walking across his line or around behind him. Then I just step backward and stand very still.

I have a hard time wrapping my head around players from certain cultures that crowd the table and even lean on it. And these are good players! So weird to me.
 
Usually, I will go to my chair and sit still
If I see the pocket he’s shooting at is where I would be going to sit. I try to stand away from the table out of his sight
 
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Usually, I will go to my chair and sit still
If I see the pocket he’s shooting at is where I would be going to sit. I try to stand away from the table out of his site.
Larry, there was a 3C player in Chicago from the time I started playing that knew enough about the game that when he missed, he would go and stand directly in his opponents 'Line of Sight'!

When the player got down and after a stroke, in a big deep voice he'd bellow, "Let me get out of your sight"!
 
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Larry, there was a 3C player in Chicago from the time I started playing that knew enough about the game that when he missed, he would go and stand directly in his opponents 'Line of Sight'!

When the player got down and after a stroke, in a big deep voice he'd bellow, "Let me get out of your sight"!
There is someone I play with who will routinely do that except for the bellowing
Stand in my line of sight and then just as I’m about to take my backstroke move away
I’ve had to call him out on it
 
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