You called it right,no doubt.
I think to 'take back' the foul or penalize the guy calling the foul is unfair to that player, he paid his entry fee with the understanding that everyone would have to live with BCA rules, not "some people have to live with it but others get a mulligan".
With that being said it's shitty that he didn't stop the guy. The point of the small local tournaments isn't so much the prize money or prestige, it's just to provide a fun a competitive event that maybe makes the house a few bucks and turns people on to pool. The guy calling the foul sort of worked against that goal a little bit, though it's not his job to make sure the tournament is fun for the noobs. Hopefully the other player didn't get turned off by the experience. I'd have let it stand but tried to explain to the foul caller that a little sportsmanship goes a long way, and maybe went out of my way to make sure the other guy was clear that he's got to watch out for himself, but that you personally would have given him a chance to avoid fouling.
With that being said it's shitty that he didn't stop the guy. The point of the small local tournaments isn't so much the prize money or prestige, it's just to provide a fun a competitive event that maybe makes the house a few bucks and turns people on to pool. The guy calling the foul sort of worked against that goal a little bit, though it's not his job to make sure the tournament is fun for the noobs. Hopefully the other player didn't get turned off by the experience. I'd have let it stand but tried to explain to the foul caller that a little sportsmanship goes a long way, and maybe went out of my way to make sure the other guy was clear that he's got to watch out for himself, but that you personally would have given him a chance to avoid fouling.
How do we know that the fouler hadn't already been told the rule before but simply forgot? I can understand telling him under certain circumstances, for example, if one of them is helpless and the other is a lot better than helpless.
However, the OP told us that the fouler wasn't a helpless player, and we know that the score was at hill-hill. Basically, that foul may have very well decided the match. Yes, this was just an amateur tournament, but many amateurs like the idea of having a tournament where the game is taken seriously.
Although telling the guy would have been a fine display of "good sportsmanship", not telling him does not mean that it was "bad sportsmanship", IMO.
I wonder, how would the opponent feel if he offered unsolicited advice which resulted in the shooter running out on him? He would probably think, "great, I just coached my opponent into beating me because everyone would think I'm a bad sportsman, dishonest and no class if I don't coach my opponent who is highly capable of beating me."
Maybe he would be the one soured on pool and the one who decides to quit coming to tournaments for being put in such a no-win situation.
In any case, I think the lesson that the fouler learned here was worth the price he had to pay to learn it. The lesson being that you can always call the TD over before a shot, but afterwards there's usually nothing you can do about it.
JMHO.
However, the OP told us that the fouler wasn't a helpless player, and we know that the score was at hill-hill. Basically, that foul may have very well decided the match. Yes, this was just an amateur tournament, but many amateurs like the idea of having a tournament where the game is taken seriously.
Although telling the guy would have been a fine display of "good sportsmanship", not telling him does not mean that it was "bad sportsmanship", IMO.
I wonder, how would the opponent feel if he offered unsolicited advice which resulted in the shooter running out on him? He would probably think, "great, I just coached my opponent into beating me because everyone would think I'm a bad sportsman, dishonest and no class if I don't coach my opponent who is highly capable of beating me."
Maybe he would be the one soured on pool and the one who decides to quit coming to tournaments for being put in such a no-win situation.
In any case, I think the lesson that the fouler learned here was worth the price he had to pay to learn it. The lesson being that you can always call the TD over before a shot, but afterwards there's usually nothing you can do about it.
JMHO.
I agree with everything that has been said so far, and I think you handled it correctly.
I see the same thing regarding people's knowledge of the rules on almost a weekly basis. I play in a weekly bar table tourny at a place that a friend owns. We try to get new people to play when ever we can, but it seems like every week my friend is having to deal with a situation that shouldn't be an issue since he makes it very clear about the rules being used.
Just remember to stick to your guns and not let others try to sway your decisions in the heat of the moment.
I see the same thing regarding people's knowledge of the rules on almost a weekly basis. I play in a weekly bar table tourny at a place that a friend owns. We try to get new people to play when ever we can, but it seems like every week my friend is having to deal with a situation that shouldn't be an issue since he makes it very clear about the rules being used.
Just remember to stick to your guns and not let others try to sway your decisions in the heat of the moment.
IMHO, good sportsmanship is a fine thing - but in this case, I can see why the one player let the other player foul and then called him on it. It was a hill-hill situation - the one player fouled somehow (scratched, I assume) on the break, giving his opponent BIH in the kitchen. With a half-decent player - and since they were hill-hill, I would assume he's at least half-decent - the second guy had a good chance of getting a run-out and the win.
If the guy is that good of a shot, then chances are pretty high that he knows his way around, knows your basic BCA rules, knows you can't put the cue in the kitchen and shoot on a ball also in the kitchen.
The first player had the choice of being a good sport and letting his opponent know what he was about to do, and risk losing the match - or to let the guy foul and flip the odds of winning the match in his favor. And that assumes the shooter gave him time to realize what was going on and say something - I've been in that same situation, where I would have told my opponent he was about to goof but the guy shot so quick, there was no time, or it simply didn't click in my head that what the guy was lining up to do would be a foul until too late to say anything.
Frankly, I'm betting that the player who fouled and ended up losing learned a valuable lesson, and won't ever make that mistake again. Such a lesson probably would not have as much weight in his head if his opponent had stopped him from fouling in the first place.
If the guy is that good of a shot, then chances are pretty high that he knows his way around, knows your basic BCA rules, knows you can't put the cue in the kitchen and shoot on a ball also in the kitchen.
The first player had the choice of being a good sport and letting his opponent know what he was about to do, and risk losing the match - or to let the guy foul and flip the odds of winning the match in his favor. And that assumes the shooter gave him time to realize what was going on and say something - I've been in that same situation, where I would have told my opponent he was about to goof but the guy shot so quick, there was no time, or it simply didn't click in my head that what the guy was lining up to do would be a foul until too late to say anything.
Frankly, I'm betting that the player who fouled and ended up losing learned a valuable lesson, and won't ever make that mistake again. Such a lesson probably would not have as much weight in his head if his opponent had stopped him from fouling in the first place.
I've given advice that's lost me games before, including in tournaments. I don't sweat it. What's on the line? 50 bucks? I have trouble finding good competition and I don't mind doing something that nets me a grateful friend and sparring partner in the future. Anyway he may just be a better player. He got to hill-hill without the benefit of your wisdom, so it's no guarantee that letting him foul means he automatically lost.
I do feel it's bad sportsmanship to just let a guy foul. I'd rather win on my own skills than on his minor rules misunderstanding. Yeah, he should know the rule, but pool has this stupid issue where the rules are not locked down and standardized, and they vary from room to room, league to league, and even between generations. Assuming that a break foul is the same as any other foul is pretty logical...it's not completely unforgivable that this rule has eluded someone who doesn't regularly go by BCA.
Maybe I'd be tempted by some real money to let him screw up and give me BIH, but for the stakes in question, probably not.
I do feel it's bad sportsmanship to just let a guy foul. I'd rather win on my own skills than on his minor rules misunderstanding. Yeah, he should know the rule, but pool has this stupid issue where the rules are not locked down and standardized, and they vary from room to room, league to league, and even between generations. Assuming that a break foul is the same as any other foul is pretty logical...it's not completely unforgivable that this rule has eluded someone who doesn't regularly go by BCA.
Maybe I'd be tempted by some real money to let him screw up and give me BIH, but for the stakes in question, probably not.
Everytime I have seen a player start to shoot at the wrong ball or something like that I have said something to the player. I realize not all players do this and not all players HAVE to. I just choose to because I think it is the right thing to do and would like someone to do that for me ( not that I would shoot the wrong ball 
) I do not hold it against someone if they don't say something but I remember. Whenever I play someone - win or lose - I want their best game. I have never played for huge money so in that situation it might be different - I can't answer that one yet.
BVal
) I do not hold it against someone if they don't say something but I remember. Whenever I play someone - win or lose - I want their best game. I have never played for huge money so in that situation it might be different - I can't answer that one yet. BVal
BVal said:Everytime I have seen a player start to shoot at the wrong ball or something like that I have said something to the player. I realize not all players do this and not all players HAVE to. I just choose to because I think it is the right thing to do and would like someone to do that for me ( not that I would shoot the wrong ball
BVal
Maybe the that's why I favor not telling the person (the part I put in bold). Mental errors are part of the game too, and if I'm about to make a mental error at the table, I'd prefer my opponent to just let me do it. On the other hand, if I'm about to step off the curb and get hit by a bus, or about to forget my cue at the pool hall, please please tell me.
That said, thinking back about my past games where someone is about to make a kitchen-related foul, or when they're about to foul by shooting the wrong ball, I believe I have usually given them the heads-up about it. I can also remember at least one time where I let the person foul (shooting out of sequence in 9-ball). I think that getting upset at someone for not saying something will make it less special when someone does say something.
If it were to turn out that most people think the opponent should speak up, then the rule should be changed, IMO.
