Pool Ettiquitte

N

ndakotan

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
This last weekend I played in an 8-ball barbox tourny in town, and I beat one of the best players in the area 5-4 after he started out 4-0. I have been slowly climbing the ranks around here and getting more and more respect, but this was a shock even to me. After I sunk the 8 ball, I could tell he was severely pissed off, he even baseball-batted his cue case into the side of the pool table while walking away. Anyway, this brings up questions on ettiquitte.

1. When you beat a better player because he was a little off (as in this case), do you walk up, extend your hand, and say "good match"? You know he didn't have a good match. I just stood there, figuring he might be gracious enough to shake hands, but he wouldn't come near me. Is it the loser's responsiblity to initiate the handshake? If he does initiate the handshake, what do you say (again "good match" doesn't seem applicable).

2. In league, we shake hands after every rack. If someone runs out on me, I always congratulate them. If I run out against someone, I usually instinctively say "good game" because that is what I always say. I realize that he didn't shoot, but I don't know what else to say. Any thoughts?
 
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This subject has been ran through a bunch of times already. Best advice is if somebody isn't taking a loss well, stay away from them.

If somebody didn't get to the table and isn't acting upset I will simply shake hands and say something like "Tough break, the balls all rolled my way." Might be an exaggeration but usually if you run out there is a little luck involved or at least no bad luck.

Hu
 
Shake hands and buy him a beer.

Or punch him right in the snot locker and dump a beer on him. One or the other.

I have a short fuse, and blow my stack to easily. A weakness in my game. I still have no problem shaking hands and congratulating my opponent, no matter what happened on the table.
 
I agree with Hu.

I always make myself available for a handshake, but if they're pissed they'll probably walk away. If they do shake my hand, I simply say, "Tough break" or "Good luck in the next round" (if double elimination).
 
When I beat a top player I always try to get my
friends to start chanting " Over-rated, Over-rated."
 
hondo said:
When I beat a top player I always try to get my
friends to start chanting " Over-rated, Over-rated."
Click to expand...

I think it would be better as, "O-ver-RA-ted, O-ver-RA-ted"!
 
I don't care if it's pee wee league baseball or the World Series, shaking hands after a match is common courtesy. If he/she is so pissed as to leave you hanging, they should be called out on it. That's just a bunch of crap. Good sportsmanship goes a long way in any sport. I don't care if I won or lost. It's my responsibility to shake hands after a match. If he won't just because he lost, then I've got no problem telling him he's a fkn jerk. Can you tell I hate bad sportsmanship?
 
Most players shake hands after a match win or lose.

But there is one guy around here who is a sore loser. He will bat in the 8 if he messes up (conceding the game) and will not shake hands.

He used to shake hands with me when he usually beat me. Now that I usually beat him, he never shakes my hand. So I just nod my head at him and say good game. (Sometimes he will say nothing - sometimes he will say good game.) I don't attempt to shake his hand anymore.

But with everyone else, I smile at them, say good game, and shake their hand. If I lose and my opponent did something exceptional, I will compliment them on their shooting.

I try to treat other players like I would like to be treated. And what comes around goes around. I've noticed other players will be nasty to those who are nasty to them, and friendly to those who are friendly to them.

Also I have won matches and had players be nasty to me, but I am not nasty back. I continue to try to be friendly towards them. (Hold your friends close, hold your enemies closer!) Some of these people have later apologized to me for their bad behavior.

And as you win more and more games, people will tend to be nasty. So I try to not give them any reason to be more nasty.
 
I was thinking about this subject last weekend at a tourney. When I am the one on the losing end, I make damn sure I suck up my feelings and congratulate the winner, wishing them luck in the tourney. I might even state something about hoping to play them again if its a DE tourney.

Where I get uncomfortable is when I am the winner. I generally look towards the player and if it looks like they are gonna shake or say something, I will shake hands with a simple 'good game, good luck in rest of tourney'. If they are pissed and packing rather angerly, I just state good game and move on to report the win. You can tell by most people.

Its difficult for me when ya beat a friend or strong acquaintance in a tourney where you rode together or travelled long distances. Its all too common to travel and see your name vs a friend in the 1st or 2nd round of a tourney. Basically I try to just state good luck in the rest and move on. If they are friends they will calm down and attempt to tell you about all their shots that went bad or rolls they received. I dont even like to here about others shots anymore, and I try not to talk about mine.

Most good players dont like the term 'Good Game' if the match was super lopsided or sloppy. IMO
 
ndakotan said:
This last weekend I played in an 8-ball barbox tourny in town, and I beat one of the best players in the area 5-4 after he started out 4-0. I have been slowly climbing the ranks around here and getting more and more respect, but this was a shock even to me. After I sunk the 8 ball, I could tell he was severely pissed off, he even baseball-batted his cue case into the side of the pool table while walking away. Anyway, this brings up questions on ettiquitte.

1. When you beat a better player because he was a little off (as in this case), do you walk up, extend your hand, and say "good match"? You know he didn't have a good match. I just stood there, figuring he might be gracious enough to shake hands, but he wouldn't come near me. Is it the loser's responsiblity to initiate the handshake? If he does initiate the handshake, what do you say (again "good match" doesn't seem applicable).

2. In league, we shake hands after every rack. If someone runs out on me, I always congratulate them. If I run out against someone, I usually instinctively say "good game" because that is what I always say. I realize that he didn't shoot, but I don't know what else to say. Any thoughts?
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He was out of line. Basically he was saying that he didn't respect you or your game and he was mad to have lost to a loser like you. It shows how self-centered and conceited he is. Don't waste another second worrying about this and when you play him in the future, picture him as a baby sitting in his diapers crying because he has poopy-pants. In fact maybe your nickname for him should be poopy-pants. It will make him less intimidating to you and you'll probably beat him more often than not.

If he's not a real jerk, next time you see him he may apologize, if so, then just figure he's not quite in control of his emotions and give him another chance.

Cheers,
RC
 
ndakotan said:
I just stood there, figuring he might be gracious enough to shake hands, but he wouldn't come near me.
Click to expand...

You have broken the golden rule of etiquette. It’s up to you not him. You must always say how much you enjoyed the game, and state effusively that you can't believe you have beaten such a great player. Be gushing in praise of his superior abilities. Marvel at some of the shots he made.

Try to remember a bad miss of his that went 4 rails and fluked in-off another ball, and say how fantastic it was – that you would never have thought of it, or even dream of pulling it off. Try to remember your own best shots in the match, and apologise for potting them all. Say you weren’t even going for them, and give a totally fictional account of the pathetic choice of shot you had really tried.

Then say what a wonderful gesture it was for him to let you win, especially knowing that you’d never actually picked up a cue before in your life. That way the self-doubt will last a lifetime.

Boro Nut
 
Boro Nut said:
You have broken the golden rule of etiquette. It’s up to you not him. You must always say how much you enjoyed the game, and state effusively that you can't believe you have beaten such a great player. Be gushing in praise of his superior abilities. Marvel at some of the shots he made.

Try to remember a bad miss of his that went 4 rails and fluked in-off another ball, and say how fantastic it was – that you would never have thought of it, or even dream of pulling it off. Try to remember your own best shots in the match, and apologise for potting them all. Say you weren’t even going for them, and give a totally fictional account of the pathetic choice of shot you had really tried.

Then say what a wonderful gesture it was for him to let you win, especially knowing that you’d never actually picked up a cue before in your life. That way the self-doubt will last a lifetime.

Boro Nut
Click to expand...


You are just pure evil...LMAO!!! :D
 
I used to know a guy that had a cuetec.. When he'd lose a set or a match in a tourny (if it was a bad beat) he'd take it out to the parking lot and javeline that thing across the parking lot.. LOL

A testiment to cuetec cues here.. He would go across the parking lot and pick it up and then play with it again! I looked at it a 100 times and I'd swear there wasn't a dent or scratch in the thing..

So anyhow to finish the story up, he fired that thing and it landed on the hood of his bronco which sent him into even more of an outrage.. LOL That was the last time I saw him throw that cue. I didn't see him for years, and just lately I started running into him again. He was laughing about how he used to get so pissed, and now he just sucks it up.

Onto a new problem though.. There's a kid in the pool hall, that has no etiquette. In the middle of a game he'll hit a ball (in a tourny) and even if it goes in, but he hit it bad, got bad shape etc.. he whacks his cue across the table (and I mean hard). He's thrown his stick on the floor several times in the middle of games etc.. etc.. I'm not sure why, but it irritates me alot more now then it used too. Now don't get me wrong, I'm a big believe in it's a "pool hall" so there's always going to be distractions, but this has got to be bordering on sharking.. Scratch that, I know for a fact he's won matches becuase it threw people off so it is sharking. I'm not quite sure what to do about it, but I was half ass thinking about the next time he throws his stick on the floor, or whacking it, taking it from him and breaking it in half and throwing it in the trash can.

DJ
 
Boro Nut said:
You have broken the golden rule of etiquette. It’s up to you not him. You must always say how much you enjoyed the game, and state effusively that you can't believe you have beaten such a great player. Be gushing in praise of his superior abilities. Marvel at some of the shots he made.

Try to remember a bad miss of his that went 4 rails and fluked in-off another ball, and say how fantastic it was – that you would never have thought of it, or even dream of pulling it off. Try to remember your own best shots in the match, and apologise for potting them all. Say you weren’t even going for them, and give a totally fictional account of the pathetic choice of shot you had really tried.

Then say what a wonderful gesture it was for him to let you win, especially knowing that you’d never actually picked up a cue before in your life. That way the self-doubt will last a lifetime.

Boro Nut
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Thanks for such a great post! Made my afternoon!!
 
PlynSets said:
Scratch that, I know for a fact he's won matches becuase it threw people off so it is sharking. I'm not quite sure what to do about it, but I was half ass thinking about the next time he throws his stick on the floor, or whacking it, taking it from him and breaking it in half and throwing it in the trash can.

DJ
Click to expand...

Anybody with that kind of temper might be packing a little something else, just in case. I wouldn't touch his cue, ever.

Flex
 
PlynSets said:
Onto a new problem though.. There's a kid in the pool hall, that has no etiquette. In the middle of a game he'll hit a ball (in a tourny) and even if it goes in, but he hit it bad, got bad shape etc.. he whacks his cue across the table (and I mean hard). He's thrown his stick on the floor several times in the middle of games etc.. etc.. I'm not sure why, but it irritates me alot more now then it used too. Now don't get me wrong, I'm a big believe in it's a "pool hall" so there's always going to be distractions, but this has got to be bordering on sharking.. Scratch that, I know for a fact he's won matches becuase it threw people off so it is sharking. I'm not quite sure what to do about it, but I was half ass thinking about the next time he throws his stick on the floor, or whacking it, taking it from him and breaking it in half and throwing it in the trash can.
Click to expand...

And the tournament director does nothing?
 
Perk said:
I was thinking about this subject last weekend at a tourney. When I am the one on the losing end, I make damn sure I suck up my feelings and congratulate the winner, wishing them luck in the tourney. I might even state something about hoping to play them again if its a DE tourney.

Where I get uncomfortable is when I am the winner. I generally look towards the player and if it looks like they are gonna shake or say something, I will shake hands with a simple 'good game, good luck in rest of tourney'. If they are pissed and packing rather angerly, I just state good game and move on to report the win. You can tell by most people.

Its difficult for me when ya beat a friend or strong acquaintance in a tourney where you rode together or travelled long distances. Its all too common to travel and see your name vs a friend in the 1st or 2nd round of a tourney. Basically I try to just state good luck in the rest and move on. If they are friends they will calm down and attempt to tell you about all their shots that went bad or rolls they received. I dont even like to here about others shots anymore, and I try not to talk about mine.

Most good players dont like the term 'Good Game' if the match was super lopsided or sloppy. IMO
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I'll try to lighten this up for just a second because Perk's post made me think of a time a few months back when my best friend and I road to a tournament together. More importantly, I road with him. We ended up playing each other on the elimination side. I was playing pretty good at the moment and Kenny says to me. "JR, In three games I only got one shot. How are you planning on getting home?" I would imagine this has been said between friends many times before, but it sure did strike me funny that time.
 
This going wild after losing, or other behavior like Earl's or John McEnroe in tennis an American thing?
 
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