Problem with non-players in the pool room

[Island Drive]

I've moved on from many jobs....because the feeling you've expressed about your situation, parallel many business owners I've worked for. When you add in alcohol and newbies tho, it's what I've learned to expect. It's just the way it is nowadays. Years ago tho, those type of people NEVER just strolled in to a pool room, its the liquor and music and all else that gets em there, and pays for the bills to keep the room open so you can come back and play.

 

[Blue Hog ridr]

I fully understand the part of bringing the kids to the hall for BCA night.

Its not the kids fault as they are left to their own devices re making entertainment.

The parents sit there, oblivious that the kids are running rampant and bothering other league players.

I once got an earful from an opponent by talking in a low voice to another player that came over to chat with me for a moment. What was I supposed to do, ignore the person and be ignorant to him.

However, it was always a different story when my opponent brought 2 Grand Kids with him to rip up the place on league night or Sat 9 Ball Tourney.
And ya better not say anything about it either. Funny how dat stuff works eh.

 

[Dead Money]

The problem with saying much of anything to people that clueless as to permastand right up around your table is they will often become even more obnoxious with their behavior than they already were! I'll never understand why folks not even playing pool at all plant themselves around someone's table when there and plenty of other places in the pool hall to make their own! Sadly that is just life in the public pool hall.

 

[Bank it]

League players are some of the worst offenders of this standing in the way,
what makes it worse is when asked politely to excuse me please, they have
the nerve to get an attitude like they own the place. It's a joke !

I just don't even bother if it's a league nite any more, LOL

I agree with this, league players are seldom serious players, it's a night out drinking and socializing for the better majority of them. They have leagues 3 nights a week in the hall I play in and they do serious damage to the equipment, spilling drinks, plopping their fat asses up on the rails, it's a real annoyance.

 

[Fenwick]

Common sense isn't common. Should have asked if your playing pool was interfering with their standing and or talking.

Someone taught me to point to a chair and tell them to go plant their butts in one of them. You know him. In his 70's, black and was a road player starting back in the 60's.
He's funny BTW. He tells people it's me that's upset.

Get a rep for being Abby Normal and you'll be pleased at the distance people well give you.

 

[smoooothstroke]

Where I play we have the same sort of set up.The 7 foot coin-ops are in the front near the bar and the 9 ft GC rentals are in he back.It is a bar and a pool hall in 1 place of business

It seams that the leagues are becoming more and more popular while the "pool room" crowd is shrinking.I think that people who do not play pool regularly may see a pool table as a coffee table or other piece of furniture,they will lean on it,stand next to it,brush their fingers across the rail as they walk by...even though there is a game being played on it...But even the "pool crowd" seams to be changing.

On some nights where I play I am the only person on a 9 footer while the 7s are all packed.needing more room they spill out into the Pool hall area and drag tables and chairs around,this is not a problem since it only encroaches on 1 of the 9 foot tables.However the more this goes on the more the league players will roam thru the pool hall area,circling a table that has a money match to avoid walking near a bar table.

Another thing you see is some1 from the bar or a bar table will roam thru the pool hall area to talk on their cell phone,as if they are outside in the parking lot,they seam to be oblivious of the 1 pocket games going on 2 feet away and may get offended if you ask them to wander in another direction.

Maybe we should require people to download and watch a YouTube video on pool etiquette on their smart phone before entering a pool establishment.:smile:

 

[miscrewed89]

Can always jump the ball at them

I have used this method countless times!
This scenario has and still happens to me so much that I have zero tolerance for it anymore. Now I'm immediately angry!
It's not a simple matter of someone being unaware of pool etiquette. It's a matter of someone not having enough common sense or just being too stupid to realize they are in someone else's space. You just can't fix STUPID, so you have to whatever it takes to make STUPID go away!

 

[cardiac kid]

This just happened to me again last night. I had just rented the "players" table. A 9 foot gold crown that has autographs from professional players all around the sides of it. It is setup tight and it rolls perfect. When the pros are in town, this is the table they match up on.

The 9 foot side of the room is half empty but the bar table side is full with some event they are having. I had just gotten on the table and was taking some warm up shots when a couple comes over and parks right off the head of my table. Then they have a friend come over and join them. They are not players. They are just standing there. I can't even walk around the table. I literally have someone breathing down my neck when I am trying to shoot. There were empty tables on all sides of me but these non-playing morons wanted to hang out in my playing area. I finally got fed up and asked them why are you here. Of course they came back with a smartass reply. I packed up and left. The owner was there and I told him about it on the way out the door.

I can't even go in there on league night because the league players show up with their family, friends, kids and whoever. They know to stay clear of their own table so they pile up on mine. I have had people sit down on the table I am shooting on, while I am down on a shot. Hey!! Get off the table!!!

I know that the ball bangers in league pay the bills in the pool room now days but something has to be done about their manners. The is the first rule of pool etiquette. This has happened to me in other pool rooms as well. Back in the day, this would absolutely not be tolerated in any pool room. When this pool room opened there was a sign on the floor when you came in the door. Players only on the floor with the tables. All non-players must remain behind the counters. There are counters all the way around the area where the tables are.

Their attitude is if I don't like being next to them, I should move. Why should I move? I am paying for the use of that space. They are not.

Chops,

Not sure if this is equivalent or not but .... Many years ago one of my friends bought a new, very expensive car. Parked it as far from other cars as possible at work. Came out after his shift and found another car (a beater of course) pulled up so close to him, he first thought the cars bumpers were locked together. He has somewhat of a short fuse so here is how he solved the problem. Backed his new car up. Opened the trunk. Took his tire iron out (remember them?) and smashed every window in the other car. Put the iron away and drove off. What do you think of his solution? Think cracktherack is on to something.

Lyn

 

[Quesports]

Can always jump the ball at them

Back in the 60's when I first began playing pool this is exactly how we handled the problem. Of course we did not have jump cues in those days, so we just shot really low on the cue ball air mailing it in the direction of the idiots. After the second or third one of those they would get the message. Nick Denikas the guy running the place used to holler at us but we were kids and it was all good. Fun memories at Nicks Pool Hall in Gloucester, Mass!!

 

[Neil]

Don't think for a minute that all league players are the same. I am a league player and I try to show other players respect. When I walk by a table and someone is down on a shot, I stop and wait for them to finish the shot. Then continue walking. And don't think that league players are not serious pool players. I take the game very seriously. I know it wasn't intentional, but I'm a little offended by your "blanket" statement. I too will choose a table at least 1 away from someone else when possible. There is no reason to be getting in each others way. Or I will ask to play with you. Better practice that way anyway.

Not all league players are inconsiderate of others, as you have proved here. But, far too many think that their league match is all that matters in the entire room.

Here's what happened to me a while back- I go in the room, see an open table at the end of the row. I ask the counter guy if I can rent that table, or if the leaguers have it. He says I can rent it. As soon as a friend and I get the balls on the table, the leaguers pull up some chairs right next to it!

I politely asked them to move the chairs and stand behind the counter where the observers are supposed to be. The two girls do that. Then, their captain tells two others girls to put the chairs back there! I again politely asked them to move. They both just gave me a smirk like "what are you going to do about it"? My friend was getting quite perturbed, so I told him to watch this. I purposely left the cueball up at that end of the table, then looked at the girl sitting there, asked her again to move, got another smirk, and then I just straddled her chair with her in it, bent over, and took my shot.

Right away her captain says he's going to kick my ass and wants to take me outside. So... I unscrewed, put my cue back in the case, put my jacket on. Then I walked right over to him, told him "come on outside, I'm ready. By the way, I fight better than I play pool." Poor guy almost wet his pants.

I then told the counter man what just happened, and he told me "no charge". He also told me that he was sick of the leagues there. They don't spend anything, won't ever pay for any table time, and drive everyone else off. He told me to come back in a week or two and I would see some changes in there. They took half the tables out of the room because of the leagues ruining the room.

 

[FranCrimi]

When I first started going to pool rooms back in the 70's, a house man was a real house man. He took care of the room and the customers. People standing around in someone's table space ---- well, they wouldn't last two minutes. The house man would be all over it.

I don't know what the problem is today. House men/women don't care, or maybe they're not being trained properly. People keep talking about how upscale the pool rooms have become compared to the old days. Maybe so, but in many instances, the standards have gotten much lower than what they used to be.

 

[justadub]

If I was playing in the same room as you, you wouldn't have an issue with me. Or my friends. We understand basic human etiquette, much less "pool room etiquette".

Yet we are all league players.

Is it too much to ask that you folks use the words "most" or "many" or even "some" in front of the phrase "league players" when you all start describing us as being beneath all of you "real" pool players?

Oh, by the way, you're welcome. We'll continue to keep the places you get to play in open for business.

 

[owll]

Oh, by the way, you're welcome. We'll continue to keep the places you get to play in open for business.

My best friend sold his pool hall in chicago because he was tired of dealing with league players.

Here maybe this will help. Next time you are at league night....look around....take a close critical look....and try and figure out how many people you would like to go up to and smack in the head HARD......if you notice, that 'boy, there sure are alot of league players in that group' then all the previous statements you read should make more sense to you.

If you look around and you dont see alot of people that you think deserve a smack in the head....well you should consider that CLUE NUMBER ONE.

To me, league night looks like the local trailer park emptied out into the pool hall.

And yes, I agree, leagues do help keep pool halls afloat. They also run off ALL the 'a' player business (and probably 'b' player business too). If there was another place in jaxsonville with diamond tables, i would run to it like my butt was on fire and it would be a rare day that i set foot in the place i currently play at. Putting 9' tables next to league tables really was not well thought out.

 

[buckshotshoey]

Not all league players are inconsiderate of others, as you have proved here. But, far too many think that their league match is all that matters in the entire room.

Here's what happened to me a while back- I go in the room, see an open table at the end of the row. I ask the counter guy if I can rent that table, or if the leaguers have it. He says I can rent it. As soon as a friend and I get the balls on the table, the leaguers pull up some chairs right next to it!

I politely asked them to move the chairs and stand behind the counter where the observers are supposed to be. The two girls do that. Then, their captain tells two others girls to put the chairs back there! I again politely asked them to move. They both just gave me a smirk like "what are you going to do about it"? My friend was getting quite perturbed, so I told him to watch this. I purposely left the cueball up at that end of the table, then looked at the girl sitting there, asked her again to move, got another smirk, and then I just straddled her chair with her in it, bent over, and took my shot.

Right away her captain says he's going to kick my ass and wants to take me outside. So... I unscrewed, put my cue back in the case, put my jacket on. Then I walked right over to him, told him "come on outside, I'm ready. By the way, I fight better than I play pool." Poor guy almost wet his pants.

I then told the counter man what just happened, and he told me "no charge". He also told me that he was sick of the leagues there. They don't spend anything, won't ever pay for any table time, and drive everyone else off. He told me to come back in a week or two and I would see some changes in there. They took half the tables out of the room because of the leagues ruining the room.

The solution is what is common in Europe. Private billiard clubs. It could be done here. In all the major big cities anyway. There is already many private clubs....Elks, Moose, Eagles, etc. I would pay a dues to join one. Couldn't afford a lot but 50 bucks a year plus pay for table time wouldn't be too bad. If your conditions suck, make your own.

 

[justadub]

My best friend sold his pool hall in chicago because he was tired of dealing with league players.

Here maybe this will help. Next time you are at league night....look around....take a close critical look....and try and figure out how many people you would like to go up to and smack in the head HARD......if you notice, that 'boy, there sure are alot of league players in that group' then all the previous statements you read should make more sense to you.

If you look around and you dont see alot of people that you think deserve a smack in the head....well you should consider that CLUE NUMBER ONE.

To me, league night looks like the local trailer park emptied out into the pool hall.

And yes, I agree, leagues do help keep pool halls afloat. They also run off ALL the 'a' player business (and probably 'b' player business too). If there was another place in jaxsonville with diamond tables, i would run to it like my butt was on fire and it would be a rare day that i set foot in the place i currently play at. Putting 9' tables next to league tables really was not well thought out.

Hows the view up there in your ivory tower?

I don't see anyone that I'd like to smack. That thought makes you sound worse than the awful league people you have to endure.

There are a couple of folks in our league that I don't care for. Another one or two that border on that. Guess I'm lucky.

Or I'm just more of your trailer park trash.

Painting with a broad brush....

By the way, how much money do your A and B players spend where you play? More than the league folks? Cuz over here, us awful league players buy food and drinks. The handful of "serious" players, not so much.

 

[buckshotshoey]

Hows the view up there in your ivory tower?

I don't see anyone that I'd like to smack. That thought makes you sound worse than the awful league people you have to endure.

There are a couple of folks in our league that I don't care for. Another one or two that border on that. Guess I'm lucky.

Or I'm just more of your trailer park trash.

Painting with a broad brush....

By the way, how much money do your A and B players spend where you play? More than the league folks? Cuz over here, us awful league players buy food and drinks. The handful of "serious" players, not so much.

Don't be too hard on him. You are in Maine...and it looks like he's from Chicago. Completely different classes of people. Chicago is a garbage pit and the people generally act like it. And its the same in most big cities. No offense to you Owll, but it just isnt a problem in the smaller towns and rural areas. Think of moving. You couldn't pay me enough to live in a big city. It really is every man for himself.

Now before I get grilled for the above, I know everyone in big cities are not the same. It is the crowding of people into tight quarters that makes them self absorbed. Not saying that there are no a**holes where I live. Just not in the percentages of larger cities.

 

[abs]

It seems like the original post and half the responses here are yet another reason why pool players are viewed in such negative light, which helps diminish the sport.

Who wants to go play in a pool room where some guy is going to out of nowhere freak out on you, legit or not, rather than talk to you like a human being... Or where some business customer takes it upon himself to fling pool balls at you because they feel some sense of entitlement that really only the owner and employees should have.

1) People will do stupid things, players do it, bangers do it, and it happens in and out of the pool room... If you can't accept this, life is going to be long and miserable.

Yes it's rude to stand in a spot that others need to occupy, but it's also rude and a bit nuts to just yell at them without so much as trying an "excuse me" or two. Something more effective might be actually explaining etiquette to the offender because it's likely they are not aware of their behavior (as was pointed out)... And if they fail at that point, then get the room manager.

It's not your room, you rented the table, not the entire room, and not the right to try to scare customers off.

2) A couple of people promoted the idea of jumping a ball at the offender. If I was the owner and caught that happening, I'd be glad to help the police have battery charges pressed against the offender. This behavior is actually psychopathic.

3) It's easy to blame league players for bad behavior, but it's not just league players who cause issues, any unknowing person can, any moron can. It's often that I see the best players in the room blocking their neighbors from stepping in to shoot, rushing ahead of their neighbor to shoot when it's obvious the other guy was already getting down for their shot, sticking their backsides in a the next-door shooters face because they don't want to wait 5 seconds for the guy to finish his shot, and throwing tantrums after missing a shot while other players trying to shoot, and so-on... It's as common as air.

Normally I wouldn't bother posting in a thread like this, people are allowed to vent over whatever, but as someone who wants pool to be taken seriously I felt it was worthwhile to point out what a detriment this behavior is.

 

[KRJ]

Chop,

Next time just put a buck in the jukebox and select Werewolves of London, and then start your best Vincent impersonation while shooting.

They are going to absolutely love it, and back up a bit, or they will assume you're nuts and go someplace else, either way you win :thumbup:

 

[chefjeff]

I don't understand the problem?


I thought more people in the halls was good for the game, good for the hall, good for everyone.


Jeff Livingston

 

[chefjeff]

I usually avoid the pool hall where i like to play, whenever they have the league nights. The league players are like cockroaches, they are all over the place, and make the room unplayable for anyone who doesnt want to play in a zoo like atmosphere.

Quit going into room on league nights.

At some point, the management may do something to make it so you can play on league nights. If they dont, it'll probably look like where i play....9 footers mostly empty on league nights.

Seriously? You don't play because of that?

Jeff Livingston