Like in every other human interaction consideration should be key. Consideration means taking into account what they likely want or don't want also, such as how much you think they want to meet you, how much they want to spend time with you, how much they want to play a game with you, how much they want to give up that time they could be doing whatever else to spend it with you instead, etc.
Yes, we want that learning experience. Or those bragging rights. Or just the opportunity of spending some one on one time with someone great. Or whatever else needs or desires we are being motivated by. But what about them? What do they want? I think the truth is they mostly want to be left alone by random strangers, just like you or I mostly want to be left alone by random strangers. Would you like being put on the spot and feeling obligated to have to chat with some random stranger or to do something like playing games with them that you had no desire to do? Of course not, none of us like to be in the position (and if you think it is no big deal I think most would quickly change their mind after they actually had to deal with it). So why would we put others into that position if we don't like being put in that position ourselves? Sometimes I think we fool ourselves into thinking the pros want to interact with the fans more than they really do. You are just some random stranger. Would you like being forced into conversations or games with random strangers all the time?
If you were the only guy in the world they had to sit around and chat with or play games with it wouldn't be the end of the world. But there are hundreds or thousands more random strangers just like you that also try to get a piece of their time for chatting, or playing pool, or for some pool tips, or to get their thoughts about that one shot from that one tournament five years ago, etc. Must get frickin old on their end. Like really old. For the most part they handle it with grace, but truth be told it must wear on them and be a real pain in the a$$ at times. While the pro may be important to you, you are just another random stranger to them. No, of course they don't want to play games with you (for "funsies"). Especially if you don't even play very near their level so they at least get a good and challenging pool workout out of it.
Obviously this all varies a bit by player, as some are more receptive and social than others. But just try to put yourself in their specific shoes and ask yourself if you were them, would you really want whatever interaction the random stranger (you in this case) had in mind, or would you prefer that interaction not happen so that you could have spent your time another way? In their shoes we would all probably usually prefer the interaction not happen. Casual greetings are obviously acceptable, maybe a brief casual conversation if they are doing nothing and have nothing on their mind (such as a recent loss or an upcoming match), and an autograph request would be in line as long as it was not between matches and the pro didn't seem to be busy or occupied in thought. But anything more than those brief and casual interactions should be at the pro's suggestion or them making it very obvious they are open to it, not because they were put on the spot for it by one of the hundreds or thousands of the random strangers who do that to them. Just my opinion.
Yes, we want that learning experience. Or those bragging rights. Or just the opportunity of spending some one on one time with someone great. Or whatever else needs or desires we are being motivated by. But what about them? What do they want? I think the truth is they mostly want to be left alone by random strangers, just like you or I mostly want to be left alone by random strangers. Would you like being put on the spot and feeling obligated to have to chat with some random stranger or to do something like playing games with them that you had no desire to do? Of course not, none of us like to be in the position (and if you think it is no big deal I think most would quickly change their mind after they actually had to deal with it). So why would we put others into that position if we don't like being put in that position ourselves? Sometimes I think we fool ourselves into thinking the pros want to interact with the fans more than they really do. You are just some random stranger. Would you like being forced into conversations or games with random strangers all the time?
If you were the only guy in the world they had to sit around and chat with or play games with it wouldn't be the end of the world. But there are hundreds or thousands more random strangers just like you that also try to get a piece of their time for chatting, or playing pool, or for some pool tips, or to get their thoughts about that one shot from that one tournament five years ago, etc. Must get frickin old on their end. Like really old. For the most part they handle it with grace, but truth be told it must wear on them and be a real pain in the a$$ at times. While the pro may be important to you, you are just another random stranger to them. No, of course they don't want to play games with you (for "funsies"). Especially if you don't even play very near their level so they at least get a good and challenging pool workout out of it.
Obviously this all varies a bit by player, as some are more receptive and social than others. But just try to put yourself in their specific shoes and ask yourself if you were them, would you really want whatever interaction the random stranger (you in this case) had in mind, or would you prefer that interaction not happen so that you could have spent your time another way? In their shoes we would all probably usually prefer the interaction not happen. Casual greetings are obviously acceptable, maybe a brief casual conversation if they are doing nothing and have nothing on their mind (such as a recent loss or an upcoming match), and an autograph request would be in line as long as it was not between matches and the pro didn't seem to be busy or occupied in thought. But anything more than those brief and casual interactions should be at the pro's suggestion or them making it very obvious they are open to it, not because they were put on the spot for it by one of the hundreds or thousands of the random strangers who do that to them. Just my opinion.