Its easy to sit behind a keyboard and say we would do this or that in a particular situation . I dint think there is a right or wrong answer to this. No rules say you have to notify your opponent and I am not aware of a rule that says you cannot ....particularly in amateur leagues.
Pool players run the gamut from liars cheats and thieves to honest....high moral fiber and high integrity. I believe that has majority fall some where in the middle.
Some players such as pt apparently would never notify an opponent in any situation. Some as Jeff has alluded to would notify on some situations but not when money is on the line.
To use an analogy of how money affects your character here. Say you are walking behind some one who drops a 10 dollar bill. The vast majority will pick it up and notify the dropee... If the same person had dropped a 100 bill far fewer of those same people would notify him. The higher the dollar amount the lower the threshold of your integrity. A few will not sell their integrity for any amount and sadly many people would call them fools.
I am the type that has always notified my opponent before a foul and I am going to be honest here. I have no idea what I would have done in this situation. My integrity tells me to notify him like I have always done but the lil devil perched on my shoulder is telling me that's a lot of money on the line and it could not only cost you but your team mates that are relying on you.
I would like to think that my integrity could not be bought in this situation. I have mad respect for this guy.
It can be a tough call, for sure.
I wouldn't not tell him, "just for the money." It has as much or more to do with being on team with mates that depend on my efforts for US to win or do well. Each of those players has dedicated time, money, effort, etc. to this event and each deserves some respect, too.
Also, when playing in a high level event (State and National tourneys for us league players, for example), the player has the responsibility to know the rules, pay attention to his game, etc. In weekly league, sometimes a novice player doesn't even know the rules or what to do if a violation occurs, so some "coaching" if you will, is helpful to everyone.
I always tell someone if they dropped ANY amount of cash. Hell, I handed 20 bucks I found to a store clerk in case the guy who dropped came back in looking for it. How stupid is that?
Jeff Livingston
