whats worse????

whats the wosrt person can be in pool?

  • Nit

    Votes: 11 8.9%

  • Knocker

    Votes: 91 73.4%

  • neither

    Votes: 10 8.1%

  • i dont know

    Votes: 12 9.7%
  • Total voters
    124
JoeyInCali said:
There's only one problem.
All nits I know are also knockers ( slightly not as bad ).
And all knockers I know are nits.
K, I still say knockers b/c they're snakes too.
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i agree, most are an entry. (nits and knockers)
in times past it was dagerous to be a knocker, today it's fairly well accepted. many players go to the local coat-tail puller and ask who's this guy and how does he play ?. some knockers excuse is, he's a friend of mine, others just want everyone to think they're in the know. most strange players have a line on who they're trying to play as well.
 
Maybe where you play it is 'fairly well accepted' but not where I've played.

Maybe that is why Texas has become a popular place for the road players to go. The games have already been made for them.

androd said:
in times past it was dagerous to be a knocker, today it's fairly well accepted.
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Hi could someone please be kindly explaining what type of action/people these two terms refer to in the world of pool? Thanks to everyone.
 
Tom In Cincy said:
Maybe where you play it is 'fairly well accepted' but not where I've played.

Maybe that is why Texas has become a popular place for the road players to go. The games have already been made for them.
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i've hated em all my life and never particapated.(i played a lot of strangers,even beat a few) but i see threads here often "who is this guy". people have cameras in their cell phones and send pics to people they know to get the lowdown. it's just a different time
PS; yes the road players usually have a line on us suckers.
 
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Knocking

androd said:
i agree, most are an entry. (nits and knockers)
in times past it was dagerous to be a knocker, today it's fairly well accepted. many players go to the local coat-tail puller and ask who's this guy and how does he play ?. some knockers excuse is, he's a friend of mine, others just want everyone to think they're in the know. most strange players have a line on who they're trying to play as well.
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I run a mid-level tournament here in Texas and have to rate players for them to be able to play.

People call me all the time to get a line on someone. If I know the players current ranking, I will share it, but I will add that players rankings go up and down with circumstances. If you're calling to see if you should play or not, I always say, "don't play".

If you don't have the common sense to figure out someones speed by playing them, don't play.

I have never played someone if I thought I needed to get a line on them. The ONLY way you can win, if someone calls YOU for a line, is to say don't play.

I have lost to a few world beaters too! But not much. It didn't take me long to know I was in over my head.

To me, figuring out my opponents speed on the table (not with a phone call) is 1/2 the fun!

Ray
(winner of numerous weekly tournaments)
 
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gcgaryyoyo said:
Hi could someone please be kindly explaining what type of action/people these two terms refer to in the world of pool? Thanks to everyone.
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A nit is someone who talks a big game, but then turns out to not have either the goods or the guts to put their money where their mouth is. For example: you beat Joe Schmoe in the local weekly 9-ball tournament, after which Joe says something like "Oh yeah? I'll play you $100 a game right now!". You promptly produce your bankroll and say "ok, let's post up five hundred", at which point Joe begins to stammer and stutter, eventually muttering something about some $10 sets. Joe is clearly a nit.

A knocker is someone who kills player A's action by making damaging statements (usually about player A's speed) to player B while player A is either in a game with or is trying to negotiate a game with player B. In mild cases, it could be a friend of B's simply protecting B by telling him that it's not a good game for him, and that he should negotiate a better spot. This, IMHO, is not knocking at all, but is just keeping a friend from making a bad game.

In severe cases, the third-party (who is probably also a "nit" at this point) will intentionally make damaging statements in a malicious effort to ruin player A's action, probably because player A beat them in the local weekly 9-ball tournament and then embarrassed them by calling them out on their $100 bet. Someone who ruins action simply for the sake of ruining action, and at no benefit to themselves or their friends, is generally considered to be a knocker of the worst kind.

My personal least favorite knocker is the pool room proprietor knocker. This is the guy that owns the local pool room, where times are so tough that you often find yourself giving up the snaps and the last 4 just to scrape up a $5 game of 9-ball. The knock happens when an out-of-towner walks in. You immediately dump a shot of gin down your shirt (so you smell and look like a drunk who's p*ssed his pants), put your eye patch on, and start playing opposite-handed... just like you were taught. The out-of-towner seems to be taking the bait, and he eventually tells the owner "I like to gamble a little... how's that one-eyed guy over there play?" Now, any upstanding and respectable pool room owner in this spot would use the standard line of "don't know... never seen him before". This guy, though, blurts out "SH*T, he's the best 'round here... hell, he ain't even left-handed, dunno where that eye patch and spasmodic stroke came from." There's nothing worse than being knocked by your own people. :frown: :grin: :grin: :grin:

Hope that helps,

Aaron
 
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gcgaryyoyo said:
Hi could someone please be kindly explaining what type of action/people these two terms refer to in the world of pool? Thanks to everyone.
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A "nit" ranges from someone who won't play unless the "lock" is in their favor and will not gamble for much or lose much $...... to someone who is just very careful with their money, doesn't like to lose it and perhaps only gambles a little just to play a better player who won't play unless they gamble. As the question is posed....I assume FB is referring to the former.

A "knocker" ranges from someone who goes around telling anyone that is gambling who they (the knocker) percieve as getting the best of the bet.....to someone that when asked by a person (may be a friend) if a certain game is a good bet (game, terms, spot) for them and will give them an honest opinion. Again I assume this post refers to the former.

Quite often people who call themselves 'gamblers' are in reality only 'lock artists' or hustlers and they will only bet when the bet heavily favors them.
They don't like for anyone who knows each players true abilities to let the lesser player know that he/she is getting into a bad bet. Gambling pool players have an unwritten code that if one of them is in a game and they are the sure win....that no one who knows this is to let the lesser player know. There are many stories of the con and the hustle that are a great part of the history of the game. Read some books or explore this site, they are everywhere.

I personallly am not a gambler and only did small time decades ago. I can appreciate watching a good matchup where each player knows the others speed and they each feel that they are better. I wouldn't care to 'knock' anyones action unless a friend was really getting taken advantage of or perhaps if someone was dramatically outgunned in the brains department. A fool and his money are parted easily.

Hope that answers your question....sorry a bit long.

td
 
Somebody who is a nit and a knocker is what I call a Pool Detective. Are there any detectives on here? I know there are nits and knockers, but what about Detectives? That should be an option in this poll!!:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :D
 
Knocking is bad biz and aint accepted anywhere outside a arcade or something, if a real game is knocked it can be real bad,

about 20 years ago i was in a bad spot-real bad. I moved to a town 500 miles away, a friend saved me from getting shot by vouching for me, that friend who has since came up on murder charges came to town and was known for playing big $$$, he asked me about a local guy in my new town. now If I double steer the guy who vouched for me-i was dead, if I knock the local players big potential score-i'm in deep shit. There was no out for me, the guy who asked me knew if I said "i dont know" I was lieing, same as double steering him, it was bad for me. I wish he didnt put me there, but he did, and he vouched for me so I owed him.

"How good does ***** play?" Was the question. The truth is the guy who vouched for me wasnt looking for a game, he did tell me that, too. I said "well then whats it matter?" hopeing to hell that was enough info to get out of the bad spot I was in. It wasnt. So I replied "He can play". Three little words, enough to satify the guy who vouched for me and piss off the local guys. That was the worst spot I have ever been in a poolroom, it all stemmed back to a argument 5 or 6 years before 500 miles away over nothing-stupid. Stupid ego driven kid shit-and that did lead to a serious problem.

When the local guys thought I knocked their action, wow did I catch heat, I handled it and took responsibility, truth be told there wasnt going to be a game, I wont say who would have won, it would have been close. Everything was settled within a week, I was pissed at the local player who had his muscle come talk to me, but I understand his position too. I was pissed until I saw him last week, I hadnt seen him in years-he knows he is weak-he cant look me in the eye.

The guy who wanted to shoot me in the first place is a friend nowdays, the guy who vouched for me is up, the local player is still playing, the muscle is MIA and I'm still here. It was a drug filled rage thing in the begginning-another reason I have never done drugs ever, but I put myself in the spot in the first place.

All this went down almost 20 years ago so I can talk about it, as its long gone history.

So yeah knocking is serious biz among serious pool players. I have had my action knocked many times-but I didnt have muscle handle the problem I did, and will again if necessary.
 
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A "Nit" is an opinion, A "Knocker" is a action(in most cases) like my story above, they thought I knocked their game, that was enough. I'm glad they didnt play. You awalys got make sure you pick your spots right-even then things can get bad.
 
If it's a good friend or relative, i got no problem with the classic knock....but some local stool pigeon wanting to put his/her 2 cents into none of thier biz......VERY BAD!
 
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