Q: Should pro-types be allowed?

I've never had a problem playing against the champions in the small weekly tournaments. The players aren't the ones that make the tournaments anyway. In my area, the tourny's are made by the people that gamble on the calcutta. Without the calcutta players, your tournament is not going to be much anyway. Here's where the problem starts. If you get a tournament going, eventually, somebody is going to try and sneak in a champion to take off the calcutta. If that champion is allowed to play, everybody's stock goes down and the calcutta bidders are put in a bind. They can buy the champion and hope the piece of s**t doesn't dump them, or they can stay away from him and let him and his buddies take off the calcutta.

A couple of years ago, we had a race to 3 tournament. $7 entry loser breaks tournament. We averaged about 28 players. The calcutta was usually worth about $1500. The owner allowed a certain "champion"(not mentioning names) to play, and after a month of dumping matches and doing business, the tournament was having 16 players and $200 calcuttas.
The champion moved on, and the tournament will never be what it once was.

I'd say that if you run a tournament, there shouldn't be someone that's the 7 ball better than everyone else. The tournament IMO needs to have a mixture of players that are capable of winning. If you allow a champion to be a regular in your tourny, you had better cripple him somehow or he will kill your tournament. Just my experience.
 
how could you NOT want to play against a pro. I think in our sport we take for granted that professional players are so accessible. In baseball lets say if you were a junior college player how much would you pay to try and hit off of justin verlander? How much would a basketball pick up player pay to have a pro player play in their local game? We should be thanking the pros for playing in local tournaments not being angry because we don't have a chance to win the tourney. And I will say this if you can't give a pro a good run for his money, you probably have no chance to win the tournament anyway!

So the only people who complain about very good to great players playing in a tournament don't really matter anyway, because they typically have no shot against really good non-pros anyway, so don't listen to that nonsense, all pros welcome!
 
There is also something quite satisfying about changing someones perception of you. If they expect to run all over you and you catch a gear and show something, all of a sudden the A game comes out. That in itself is almost worth the price of admission.

Banger
 
Marketing 101

One thing that hasn't been said in this thread that needs to be said and I hope if there are any pros listening that they pay heed. If you know a pro and agree with my thinking, tell one.....

While I am on the side of pros being allowed to play in local tournaments, I believe that they should not be able to win EVERY WEEK. The locals should have the outside chance of whacking them on occasion whether it be because of short races, good play on the locals part or handicap.

With all of that being said, the pro-caliber players have an obligation to give back to the pool-playing community while they are at the feed trough. The pro-caliber player should be attempting to practice the teaching found in the age old book, "How to win friends and influence people" by Dale Carnegie.

If they're not inclined to read such things, the pro caliber players should be sharing pool tips with their tournament competitors. They should be engaging in conversation and practice sessions, encouraging the lesser players to access them and their data bank of pool information.

If more pro-caliber players offered the lesser players suggestions on how to improve their game, the lesser players would be more inclined to accept the spanking.

If the pro caliber playing person does not teach well, he can at least be friendly and sociable. Personally, I think even those who lack great communication skills can still show lesser players a couple of pool shots or offer advice.

My $.02.

JoeyA
 
should pro types be allowed...continued

I would like to omit all the supposed educational benefits that might be derived from allowing the pros to play in the weekly tourneys. My reasoning is that the tips and inside strategies that a pro-type may have might not be passed on.

So let?s just limit it to just the money.

Should the pros be allowed to make the weekly tournaments their own personal ?atm machines??

Popman.
 
popman said:
I would like to omit all the supposed educational benefits that might be derived from allowing the pros to play in the weekly tourneys. My reasoning is that the tips and inside strategies that a pro-type may have might not be passed on.

So let?s just limit it to just the money.

Should the pros be allowed to make the weekly tournaments their own personal ?atm machines??

Popman.
Click to expand...


I think it should be said that most pro pool players are not financially secure and that a tournament that pays a $100 or 2 could be the difference between a good week and a bad week. I will never understand people wanting to limit the competition in tournaments.. I think its a real way to get better and its not for everyone and thats why there are leagues
 
popman said:
I would like to omit all the supposed educational benefits that might be derived from allowing the pros to play in the weekly tourneys. My reasoning is that the tips and inside strategies that a pro-type may have might not be passed on.

So let?s just limit it to just the money.

Should the pros be allowed to make the weekly tournaments their own personal ?atm machines??

Popman.
Click to expand...

Come on, tell us what we should think. ;)


JoeyA ( the trouble with polls is sometimes the pool results don't agree with what you think)
 
jamesroberts said:
I think it should be said that most pro pool players are not financially secure and that a tournament that pays a $100 or 2 could be the difference between a good week and a bad week. I will never understand people wanting to limit the competition in tournaments.. I think its a real way to get better and its not for everyone and thats why there are leagues
Click to expand...

Very well said.
 
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