So, played cheap sets with a "pool buddy" a couple of weeks ago. Had a problem that night when my "buddy" accused me of moving the coin while he was in the bathroom. I was already up a set and he claimed I moved the coin from 6-5 him to 6-6 in a race to 7. I have known this guy for years and never had an issue like this any other time that we have gambled.
I know that I didn't move the coin. To be honest, there had been a time early in the match when I won a game and when I moved the coin I thought I had one game less than the coin said. I wrote it off to just bearing down and not paying attention to the score. (something that I am trying to do). But he wasn't claiming it was a mid match thing. He was claiming he checked the score and it was 6-5 when he walked into the bathroom and I had moved it to 6-6 while racking (he won the last game and moved his coin).
I was pretty pissed off and told him that I had never pulled that move on him or any other player in my life and surely wasn't going to risk my reputation for a chance to win a cheap set. I unscrewed and told him if he wanted to win that bad then he won and I was done.
So, that was a couple weeks ago. Havn't talked to the guy since. One of his buddies was sweating our match that night and he told me later that the guy was just not very trusting and to just blow it off.
Ended up playing cheap sets with the buddy last night. He clarified before we played that he didn't think he and I had any issues just because the first guy was being a jerk. I agreed with him that I didn't think we had any issue.
So he wins the first set hill-hill. I win the second set 7-2 and we agree to play one last set for almost twice the original bet. He goes up 3-1 and then I get into a little groove and take a 6-4 lead. Now he starts the b*tching. He had been b*tching a little before but it really got bad at 6-4. I was lucky because balls were hitting both tits before going in the pocket (on a Valley table), etc. I just kind of laughed it off as no big deal. Then as he was racking he commented under his breath that if he was going to get beat, he wanted to get beat by good play instead of "shitty ass play".
I tightened up and dogged out balls in the next two racks for 6-6 and watched as he ran down the an off angle 9 that he jarred. He paid quickly and was out the door.
Now I am in a position that I am uncomfortable with. After these two episodes, I am really at a point where I don't want to gamble. I don't want to even hit balls at the moment.
I know that I am never going to be a world beater. I am an average player and since everyone in Arizona is rated, I like to play cheap sets with players of the same rating to see how we play. I have told people before that I want to play for a couple bucks so we have a reason to try, but not enough money that we end up hating each other.
Now the last two gambling sessions have gone really sour and they have left me not wanting to do it anymore.
Did I just end up with two jerks in a row, or am I just kidding myself thinking that two guys can play cheap sets that they want to win and not be jerks about it if they don't?
First off, people make mistakes, you, me and the other guy. Sometimes, people see things in their mind and convince themselves that this delusion is real.
I have seen for myself how this can happen. I once witnessed TWO, HONEST good guys who were playing one another in a one pocket tournament (amateurs) and one accused the other of cheating. The accused didn't cheat. The accuser genuinely believed that the other player cheated. (ball count). It could have been explained although at the time, the accuser felt so violated, nothing that anyone could say could change his mind or appease his anger. I know both guys and they are honest. Sometimes one person makes a mistake in judgment. Sometimes the hand is quicker than the eye. Sometimes both people make mistakes.
Gambling even for measuring sticks is a tough balancing act. For most people, they want to win. They don't want to break even and they sure as hell don't want to lose. Sometimes one person's dollar value on the match doesn't equal another person's value on the match.
Gambling has done nothing for pool, except to cause injury, even for small stakes. People want to think that they don't mind losing a small amount of money but for some in pool, it is personal and they just can't take losing money. The injury to pride, the injury to a person's wallet, the injury to the loser's family, the injury to the loser's friends, is a down-hill slope unfortunately.
I have won more money than I have lost but not by a great margin. Still, winning money off of people has caused much angst. I have found that while people like to talk about how they are gamblers, the truth is most aren't good gamblers and if you win, you are a thief. If you lose, you are a loser. If you don't bet what the other guy wants, you are a nit. Yeah, injury all the way around.
I actually like playing people who can play well for the competition only, more so than actually winning someone's money. I wish more players were willing to give their all for competition's sake rather than the all mighty dollar. Still, I continue to gamble as a hobby, something to do to add another dimension to my pool game and if I am fortunate enough, to add a few dollars to my wallet.
I have to say that gambling has provided me with entertainment that I would never have gotten with just playing for competiton alone. I learned something and was entertained whether I won money or lost money.
I don't think the guys you were playing were jerks. Most people, imo, just can't take losing even small money, for one reason or another...............................
