what do you do when you get better and your buddies quit playing?

michael4

michael4

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I mostly play against family and friends. I almost always won, but it was reasonably close. (I'm talking about people who have their own table, etc, not housewives)

Now that I graduated past banger status, ALL my friends and family will QUIT after 3 games! :mad:

(no $ involved)

I know that I have to seek out better players, thats an obvious evolution.
But I didnt expect people to flat out "quit" just because they realize they aren't going to win.

(I already give these guys a break by choosing harder patterns than necessary, but I wont sandbag beyond that)

Just a rant about people who quit if they arent winning. :mad:
 
michael4 said:
Just a rant about people who quit if they arent winning. :mad:
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Change the game. Play 8 ball and run your balls in order or play last pocket out or let them take few balls off the table. Make it harder on yourself.
 
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michael4 said:
I mostly play against family and friends. I almost always won, but it was reasonably close. (I'm talking about people who have their own table, etc, not housewives)

Now that I graduated past banger status, ALL my friends and family will QUIT after 3 games! :mad:

(no $ involved)

I know that I have to seek out better players, thats an obvious evolution.
But I didnt expect people to flat out "quit" just because they realize they aren't going to win.

(I already give these guys a break by choosing harder patterns than necessary, but I wont sandbag beyond that)

Just a rant about people who quit if they arent winning. :mad:
Click to expand...

Play the 9 and 10 ball ghost when you consistently beat him, go looking for a money game and ask for weight. I know many who can beat the 10 ball ghost that consider themselves "Bangers".

Or, you could play in non handicapped tourneys right now to see where you really stand.
 
If you want to continue improving, you simply have to find other players who are as good as you are or better.

As a alternative, you could give your opponent some kind of spot just so that you have to work harder to win.
 
Ive never had this problem but...offer some sort of spot.Maybe play last pocket or bank the 8? It could keep them interested plus offer a challenge for you.
 
One of my friends kept up for a while but then he got his arm broken in a wrestling class and then I only had people at the pool hall to play. One reasonable spot is to shoot opposite handed. You need to learn that and for a while you'll be lame, probably.
 
One reasonable spot is to shoot opposite handed. You need to learn that and for a while you'll be lame said:
Great idea^^ You could also play every shot with the bridge.
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Thanks everyone. I'm sure some of my friends would be OK with the "declared" spot. Others might have too much pride to play that way, so I wont tell them what I'm doing. (they probably wont notice).

I would be happy to find someone 1 full level above me who would play me all night, even if I almost always lost. I guess not everyone thinks like that.
 
Join a league or play weekly tournaments or make a good spot. When I play my wife, we play 8ball, I have to shoot my group in order (rotation) and when I finish, I have to shoot hers in order, then I have to bank the eight. She gets ball in hand, I'm in the kitchen, I break and spot all balls and she starts with ball in hand. If it's not fun, everybody's gonna stop at some point. Have fun!
:grin:
 
A lot of things come to mind:

1. Very few people like someone that wins all the time (for example, the NY Yankees are an often hated team because of their win-loss record).
2. I don't know you, and I'm not accusing you of it, but cocky winners are even harder to stomach.
3. When you win, do you insist on breaking every game? Consider alternate breaks. (I've never understood when a boyfriend insists on breaking EVERY game and makes his girlfriend rack. Geez, you think that makes her happy? If she's not happy, you think the boyfriend will "win" later on that night?)
4. You say you're not playing for money, just fun. It sounds like you're competitive person (you'll shoot harder outs than necessary, but you refuse to sandbag to a point that you might actually lose!), so you therefore understand how un-fun losing is.

My suggestion is stay out of the pool game with your friends, let your friends play and have fun, interact and socialize with them as a friend. Then when you want to play, go to a pool hall and play someone that's better than you for money, lose *every* game, day after day after day, and then tell me why people quit when they don't win.
 
perfectly stated...

jschelin99 said:
A lot of things come to mind:

1. Very few people like someone that wins all the time (for example, the NY Yankees are an often hated team because of their win-loss record).
2. I don't know you, and I'm not accusing you of it, but cocky winners are even harder to stomach.
3. When you win, do you insist on breaking every game? Consider alternate breaks. (I've never understood when a boyfriend insists on breaking EVERY game and makes his girlfriend rack. Geez, you think that makes her happy? If she's not happy, you think the boyfriend will "win" later on that night?)
4. You say you're not playing for money, just fun. It sounds like you're competitive person (you'll shoot harder outs than necessary, but you refuse to sandbag to a point that you might actually lose!), so you therefore understand how un-fun losing is.

My suggestion is stay out of the pool game with your friends, let your friends play and have fun, interact and socialize with them as a friend. Then when you want to play, go to a pool hall and play someone that's better than you for money, lose *every* game, day after day after day, and then tell me why people quit when they don't win.
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Beautiful! How much fun is it when the shoe is on the other foot?
 
As Bob mentioned, play with your opposite hand.....you'd be surprised how few people will actually pick it up.......used to play left handed with my non-pool playing buddies....lets them win a few games and it keeps me sharp.....also, it's a huge advantage to be confident left handed when you can use it over using the bridge.....try it, it's fun and challenging and it will improve your overall game, gives you a new perspective....
 
I think JS hit the nail on the head. I used to play with some guys from work ended up playing one handed or left handed and still beat em every time. They finally just refused to play me at all. I think looking back the spots were viewed as more of an insult than making it fair.

Probably better to either dump games to em or let them play and just enjoy the conversations. Bangers dont take the game seriously and wont enjoy playing someone who does.
 
I also like the opposite handed solution, because that will sharpen your overall game and even things out, maybe even teach you a little humility.

Something fun I play with nieces & nephews is 8-ball, but they get to choose the pocket I have to make the 8 each shot. I play normally until I get the 8 and then they pick the pocket. It's kind of fun coming up with may be impossible solutions.

Another is teams. You can still enjoy playing with your friends if winning isn't the most important thing about playing. Who cares who wins, as long as you allow yourself to play your level. It's important to enjoy yourself while playing your friends...or stop paying with them. (Oh, they must enjoy themselves too)! :wink:

Dave
 
Scotch Doubles is a good equalizer for these situations because you can only make 1 ball for each turn you get and nobody will end up sitting for an entire game.....

Brian :)
 
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