Sharking ???
Talking to opponents, joking with opponents while they are playing or in between their shots and your shot, some are mere friendly suggestions, friendly talk - when does it get to be devious? (This is an experience that happened to me.) I was participating in a Saturday tournament, when I beat a particular player, during that match I had not noticed his presence or the presence of one of his close friends, his buddy, comrade, cohort. It was in the second match when he came back through the losers bracket to play me that I noticed this cohort once again hanging around the table. I noticed when I was down stroking on a long shot and I was up against the rail, this person walked in front of my view, stopped, turned around and left the picture. If I was playing intelligent or even smart pool I would have gotten up, chalked my cue, re-aimed, did all the things that I had to do to get into position, but I didn't. That's my fault!
Yet again, sharking - does it come in pairs? Do people work with somebody else to perhaps win a match or help their friend. An interesting question. I pondered this on the way home and have been thinking about it ever since. Believe me, no excuse, it was my fault that I didn't get up and start again. Yet it made me think, how many other times, did they work together? Actually do they team up? So it got me thinking about different tournaments that I've seen both of them in. Mind you, the talent of either one of them is excellent, but that is not the point. It did get me thinking though, do they team up? Maybe, but I did go back over in my mind, different tournaments that they played in and being friends you don't really notice an irregularity with the fact that they are usually always together, when one is playing a match and the other isn't. So it would for an untrained eye perhaps go by the wayside.
Yeah, maybe so, maybe this is a vague attempt to justify my losing when he came back and met me in the losers bracket. Perhaps, but it does raise a curious question. Do good players team up to try to shark other players that their friends are playing in a match? I've also noticed the other going to his friends match and talking, joking, having a conversation or trying to with the opponent of his friend. Perhaps a more subtle sharking because if you're involved in a conversation or even thinking about a conversation, you are not concentrating on the game and concentration is the most important part of your game.
What gives me further credence to this theory on these two particular pool players is that when they have met each other in a final of tournaments, whether coming out of the losers bracket or through the winners, they really don't play each other. They split the pot. If the pot is $300 to the winner and $200 to the second place, they will split the $500. I have also seen them shoot in the finals one handed, bank eight when it wasn't or double bank as you would be goofing around with your friend on a practice day.
Curious, if nothing else, it does make you wonder. You be the judge. All I know is I'm going to watch a little closer, observe and see if it does seem to work that way. All this could be part of my fertile imagination or maybe not.
Talking to opponents, joking with opponents while they are playing or in between their shots and your shot, some are mere friendly suggestions, friendly talk - when does it get to be devious? (This is an experience that happened to me.) I was participating in a Saturday tournament, when I beat a particular player, during that match I had not noticed his presence or the presence of one of his close friends, his buddy, comrade, cohort. It was in the second match when he came back through the losers bracket to play me that I noticed this cohort once again hanging around the table. I noticed when I was down stroking on a long shot and I was up against the rail, this person walked in front of my view, stopped, turned around and left the picture. If I was playing intelligent or even smart pool I would have gotten up, chalked my cue, re-aimed, did all the things that I had to do to get into position, but I didn't. That's my fault!
Yet again, sharking - does it come in pairs? Do people work with somebody else to perhaps win a match or help their friend. An interesting question. I pondered this on the way home and have been thinking about it ever since. Believe me, no excuse, it was my fault that I didn't get up and start again. Yet it made me think, how many other times, did they work together? Actually do they team up? So it got me thinking about different tournaments that I've seen both of them in. Mind you, the talent of either one of them is excellent, but that is not the point. It did get me thinking though, do they team up? Maybe, but I did go back over in my mind, different tournaments that they played in and being friends you don't really notice an irregularity with the fact that they are usually always together, when one is playing a match and the other isn't. So it would for an untrained eye perhaps go by the wayside.
Yeah, maybe so, maybe this is a vague attempt to justify my losing when he came back and met me in the losers bracket. Perhaps, but it does raise a curious question. Do good players team up to try to shark other players that their friends are playing in a match? I've also noticed the other going to his friends match and talking, joking, having a conversation or trying to with the opponent of his friend. Perhaps a more subtle sharking because if you're involved in a conversation or even thinking about a conversation, you are not concentrating on the game and concentration is the most important part of your game.
What gives me further credence to this theory on these two particular pool players is that when they have met each other in a final of tournaments, whether coming out of the losers bracket or through the winners, they really don't play each other. They split the pot. If the pot is $300 to the winner and $200 to the second place, they will split the $500. I have also seen them shoot in the finals one handed, bank eight when it wasn't or double bank as you would be goofing around with your friend on a practice day.
Curious, if nothing else, it does make you wonder. You be the judge. All I know is I'm going to watch a little closer, observe and see if it does seem to work that way. All this could be part of my fertile imagination or maybe not.