Spectators that take a seat within shooting range of the table. RANT.

KoolKat9Lives

KoolKat9Lives

Taught 'em all I know
Silver Member
I think we'd all wish that spectators would know "spectating ettiquette". On a few occassions a playing buddy of mine (who fashions himself a chick magnet) has had his flavor of the month drop in while we're playing. And with a ton of seating options, the most recent one has taken to a seat right next to the side pocket, 3 friggin feet away. Last time she chattered like a hummingbird on speed. :angry:


Players, when in a hall where there's seating options, please have your spectating friends sit far enough away that they don't need to move when a shot is nearby and they interfere.

I know I'm a bit on the anal side about things like this, but do I have company on this?



Edit: we were gambling, albeit just cheap $1/$2 10 ball, in a 3 way ring game in a real pool hall, not a bar
 
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KK9L,
From 3 feet...?? I guess that is the distance from the BAR Table right? Not sure if a pool hall would ever have a seat between tables for spectators.

Chatting like a humming bird on SPEED.. I got to remember to use that next time.

Yes, I am on your side. She could have at the very least stopped talking when her BF was shooting. If she continued to chat away when both players were shooting, that is only fair. right?

Did she, at the very least, look good for being the 'flavor of the month'?

BTW, I enjoy those types of distractions but they are difficult to fade, but, only if there is no noise at all. In a noisy bar, she would have to have been very loud to cause a distraction.. or very pretty.

KoolKat9Lives said:
3 friggin feet away. Last time she chattered like a hummingbird on speed. :angry:
I know I'm a bit on the anal side about things like this, but do I have company on this?
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I'm with you. Last Saturday night, about 3 couples started dancing in the pool room (there is a dance floor in the other half of the building). They were banging into us while we were trying to shoot.:angry:

Your buddy should have recognized how annoying his flavor flav was and moved her himself. Educate him next time.:)
 
Tom In Cincy said:
KK9L,
From 3 feet...?? I guess that is the distance from the BAR Table right? Not sure if a pool hall would ever have a seat between tables for spectators.

Chatting like a humming bird on SPEED.. I got to remember to use that next time.

Yes, I am on your side. She could have at the very least stopped talking when her BF was shooting. If she continued to chat away when both players were shooting, that is only fair. right?

Did she, at the very least, look good for being the 'flavor of the month'?

BTW, I enjoy those types of distractions but they are difficult to fade, but, only if there is no noise at all. In a noisy bar, she would have to have been very loud to cause a distraction.. or very pretty.
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There's a single unit - double chair connected with table - that is next to the table we often play on. It is close enough that the arms on it sometimes get in the way of your stroke and you have to slide the unit a few inches sideways. It is really close by. When we play one on one, no one sits on it, we take a seat off opposing ends of the table. It's rarely super crowded, so there's usually good non-interfering options. Plus the bar is very near (that's why we like this table :)) and is raised and affords an excellent view.

Now when we play doubles partners, players will sit on the unit (:eek:). But they immediately know when the next shot may call for them to move, and they do so without asking. Non-playing spectators or chatterboxes need educating and if it's your friend, it's your responsibility IMO.


Yes, BTW, this flav o' da month is pretty easy on the eyes. :thumbup: She may be above his pay grade. ;) J/K!


Sidenote: as players we understand the dynamics of the environment. When there's hardly anyone in the hall, and there's no music, and you can hear a pin drop, different ettiquette is called for as compared to a jam packed loud rowdy night.
 
KoolKat9Lives said:
I think we'd all wish that spectators would know "spectating ettiquette". On a few occassions a playing buddy of mine (who fashions himself a chick magnet) has had his flavor of the month drop in while we're playing. And with a ton of seating options, the most recent one has taken to a seat right next to the side pocket, 3 friggin feet away. Last time she chattered like a hummingbird on speed. :angry:


Players, when in a hall where there's seating options, please have your spectating friends sit far enough away that they don't need to move when a shot is nearby and they interfere.

I know I'm a bit on the anal side about things like this, but do I have company on this?
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KoolKat:

For the most part, I am with you. We can acknowledge that the pool room and bar owners need business from people of all types coming in, but we can also see that some of this is not good for anyone, especially when it's annoying to the paying customers who are already there.

Roger
 
skiergirl55 said:
I'm with you. Last Saturday night, about 3 couples started dancing in the pool room (there is a dance floor in the other half of the building). They were banging into us while we were trying to shoot.:angry:

Your buddy should have recognized how annoying his flavor flav was and moved her himself. Educate him next time.:)
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This was the 3rd time she did this in the last 2-3 weeks. I was VERY clear with him last time that he needed to educate her. So when he didn't last night, I did. I was disturbed by his complacency and had had a few brewskies. I didn't treat her with kid gloves. I didn't berate her either, but I told her I would not play if she sat and chat. I was kinda a dick :sorry:, but hopefully my friend got the message and we'll not deal with this with next month's flav o' flav.

It takes an emotional event to change habitual behavior.
 
Hell Kat, in my 9-ball league last week the opposing Captain brought his DOG into the bar. It was a Collie/Shepard mix, not a small dog. He kept it on a leash that was about 20 feet long. All during the night this dog kept knocking over cue sticks (theirs, not ours), barking (literal woofing :grin:), and walking to the edge of the pool table while people were shooting. We put up with it 'cause nobody on my team is all that serious about it (it's APA, how can you be???).

This would have flown like a dead worm in a lot of bars/poolhalls.

Maniac
 
Black-Balled said:
I'm sorry...are you complaining about a hot chick nearby distracting you from pool?

I got your demographic pegged!:eek::D
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Woah there mister! Recall: As players we understand the dynamics of a situation. In event said hottie was available, and I was also, the dynamics change considerably!

KK9 <-- not gay, not that there's anything wrong with that :wink:
 
Our home room for pool league got way out of hand last year. Employees were bringing their kids in, and those kids were running around unsupervised and standing right next to the table. One of them grabbed a ball off a table of a live game. I'm 95% sure we're switching home locations for this coming season.

What bothers me equally as much as spectators crowding the table is when I have an opponent who is standing way too close to the table when I'm shooting. When it's not my turn, I go and sit down a respectable amount of space away from the table.

I've had opponents who remain standing - in my line of sight on occasion - during my inning(s). I'm a nice guy, but I had no problem asking them to be seated.

My rule of thumb for approaching the situation outlined by the OP is this: you will always garner more results from being polite and courteous than you will letting it build and eventually blowing up or being rude. Nicely ask the person to respect your space with something like, "Would you mind moving over a little bit please?" I'm a clutz so I can pass by saying things like, "Knowing me, I'd accidentally jab my cue into your eye or something."

My guess is that most people don't know how obnoxious they can be by crowding a table.
 
I fully understand...
You "top level" players need everything "just so..." to play the game at your peak performance level...
Puleeeze... just step back and realize who you are and what you're saying...
 
Situations like that I just tell them if they're going to socialize then take it to the bar or counter or wherever. Man up, people. I won't think twice about telling someone to move out of the way or to be quiet.
MULLY
 
KoolKat9Lives said:
I think we'd all wish that spectators would know "spectating ettiquette". On a few occassions a playing buddy of mine (who fashions himself a chick magnet) has had his flavor of the month drop in while we're playing. And with a ton of seating options, the most recent one has taken to a seat right next to the side pocket, 3 friggin feet away. Last time she chattered like a hummingbird on speed. :angry:


Players, when in a hall where there's seating options, please have your spectating friends sit far enough away that they don't need to move when a shot is nearby and they interfere.

I know I'm a bit on the anal side about things like this, but do I have company on this?



Edit: we were gambling, albeit just cheap $1/$2 10 ball, in a 3 way ring game in a real pool hall, not a bar
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I am with you, but in a low stakes game it'll never happen. Sometimes not even in a high stakes game. Gotta learn to ignore it, because distractions will always be there.

Last week a friend of mine starts telling me about this big fat guy wearing a screaming loud red shirt. This was during the last predator tournament, and the fat guy wasnt playing in the tournament. He walks around the floor, then stops to watch at my friends table with his quadruple XXXXL bright red shirt. He didnt say anything, but his presence was enough to make my friend blow the run(so he says).

Shit like that happens all the time, the real challenge is not letting it get to you. Or if the game means enough, wait for the distraction to pass.
 
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Shortside K said:
I fully understand...
You "top level" players need everything "just so..." to play the game at your peak performance level...
Puleeeze... just step back and realize who you are and what you're saying...
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I don't think anyone here is claiming to be Willie Mosconi in a world championship match. All anyone is saying is that if you're going to chatter then do it away from the table. Whether I'm concentrating or not isn't the issue. I'm paying to be there at that table and when I'm moving around for my next shot the only person that should be in my way is whoever is down on a shot at the next table. In that situation I respect their space and wait until they're finished. Some giggly girl standing around running her mouth and getting in the way though, no way. Take it somewhere else, honey.

The darts fags are the ones that get under my skin the most. At the room I play in the darts are next to where the tables are. I fully understand that they are over there trying to have a good time, and I can respect that. But there is no reason whatsoever that every single one of them needs to scream at the top of their lungs in unison when someone makes a good or bad shot. On more than one occasion I've yelled over there for them to quiet down. Pool and darts should not be in the same area, at least not in Japan.
MULLY
 
mullyman said:
I

The darts fags are the ones that get under my skin the most. At the room I play in the darts are next to where the tables are. I fully understand that they are over there trying to have a good time, and I can respect that. But there is no reason whatsoever that every single one of them needs to scream at the top of their lungs in unison when someone makes a good or bad shot. On more than one occasion I've yelled over there for them to quiet down. Pool and darts should not be in the same area, at least not in Japan.
MULLY
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you haven't been to one of these lately :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_tNgkavDkY
 
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