When somebody offers you a game that you just can't refuse

Drop The Rock

Drop The Rock

1652nd on AZ Money List
Silver Member
This guy (we'll call him Jim) was woofin at very weak player last night offering the 6 out on a diamond bar table. I told the weaker player the he almost had to play with that spot. Jim isn't a champion by any means. I told Jim I'd love to play him that way and he said I could have the call 7 out on the bar table races to 5 for $50.

Mind you I haven't been gambling that much lately because my son is due to be here soon and Its not worth it. On this occasion one of my buddies was in.

We played the first set and I was cold and he got some rolls and lost hill hill. I won the second set 5-2. We then decided to play one more set, race to 7 to $100.I was up 6-2 and let the rack go and he ran 3 on me. He made 3-4 on the break and the table dressed up for him perfect. I think that was probably the best 9 ball he has ever played. Anyways he broke when we were hill hill and flew the cueball off table and the 1-9 combo layed perfect for me.

The reality was that over time I really would have had to dog my brains on not to win. I don't gamble much at all playing rotation because I caught the one pocket bug early on and am starting to play 9/10 ball now to make up for lost time.

I ended up being out a little later than I wanted but in the end it was good practice and after I got in stroke had fun. I won the last set close and I still think I was only playing at 75% so I might play him that way again if he asks.

Guess he thought he had a real tuna. Giving up a spot you can't or don't know how to give up is something I noticed that the more "go off" players do. I am not a "go off" player.
 
Giving up spots can actually benefit the stronger player, despite the fact that you have to run 2,3 more balls. A good player should run out the last 3 balls, otherwise he shouldn't be giving spots.

Mentally, the player giving the spot basically is saying "I am a stronger player than you, that's why I gave you spot", he has no fear of losing because it's justified, i.e. the other player has ball advantage over him.

Additionally, the pressure is on the player who receives the spot. He probably feel like an inferior player off the bat. Now his thought process is that "I will look really bad if I lose with this spot", and that certainly can negatively affect his game. Even if at a score of 2-2 or 3-3, the weaker player will
feel a lot of pressure.

It certainly creates an interesting dynamic, and it's more than just giving up a spot.
 
It's important to practice spotting, so you know how they work and how you need to play to win. Sometimes you're playing well and they almost don't mean a thing. I've given up some big spots and got away with it, but also tried giving up spots when it seems i would've lost playing even anyways.

The downside is you can screw up the balance if you're caught winning giving up too much or getting too little. You're then expected to play like that or to adjust even more.

There's also a huge difference in an A spotting a B and a C spotting a D. The A is going to run out a lot, so the 6 may not matter at all. The C will miss a lot, so there's a big chance the D will shoot at or very close to the money ball in most racks.
 
I've had people approach me and offer me the world because they know I don't gamble with my own money and rarely gamble at all anyway. I live by the edict that if an offer seems too good to be true it probably is.
 
Drop The Rock said:
This guy (we'll call him Jim) was woofin at very weak player last night offering the 6 out on a diamond bar table. I told the weaker player the he almost had to play with that spot. Jim isn't a champion by any means. I told Jim I'd love to play him that way and he said I could have the call 7 out on the bar table races to 5 for $50.

Mind you I haven't been gambling that much lately because my son is due to be here soon and Its not worth it. On this occasion one of my buddies was in.

We played the first set and I was cold and he got some rolls and lost hill hill. I won the second set 5-2. We then decided to play one more set, race to 7 to $100.I was up 6-2 and let the rack go and he ran 3 on me. He made 3-4 on the break and the table dressed up for him perfect. I think that was probably the best 9 ball he has ever played. Anyways he broke when we were hill hill and flew the cueball off table and the 1-9 combo layed perfect for me.

The reality was that over time I really would have had to dog my brains on not to win. I don't gamble much at all playing rotation because I caught the one pocket bug early on and am starting to play 9/10 ball now to make up for lost time.

I ended up being out a little later than I wanted but in the end it was good practice and after I got in stroke had fun. I won the last set close and I still think I was only playing at 75% so I might play him that way again if he asks.

Guess he thought he had a real tuna. Giving up a spot you can't or don't know how to give up is something I noticed that the more "go off" players do. I am not a "go off" player.
Click to expand...

Great story. You're right that you would have to dog it to lose. People often overestimate their ability and give up too much weight.

On the other hand getting a spot can be a burden when you are expecting to win. You still have to bear down and get the cash.
 
Drop The Rock said:
This guy (we'll call him Jim) was woofin at very weak player last night offering the 6 out on a diamond bar table. I told the weaker player the he almost had to play with that spot. Jim isn't a champion by any means. I told Jim I'd love to play him that way and he said I could have the call 7 out on the bar table races to 5 for $50.

Mind you I haven't been gambling that much lately because my son is due to be here soon and Its not worth it. On this occasion one of my buddies was in.

We played the first set and I was cold and he got some rolls and lost hill hill. I won the second set 5-2. We then decided to play one more set, race to 7 to $100.I was up 6-2 and let the rack go and he ran 3 on me. He made 3-4 on the break and the table dressed up for him perfect. I think that was probably the best 9 ball he has ever played. Anyways he broke when we were hill hill and flew the cueball off table and the 1-9 combo layed perfect for me.

The reality was that over time I really would have had to dog my brains on not to win. I don't gamble much at all playing rotation because I caught the one pocket bug early on and am starting to play 9/10 ball now to make up for lost time.

I ended up being out a little later than I wanted but in the end it was good practice and after I got in stroke had fun. I won the last set close and I still think I was only playing at 75% so I might play him that way again if he asks.

Guess he thought he had a real tuna. Giving up a spot you can't or don't know how to give up is something I noticed that the more "go off" players do. I am not a "go off" player.
Click to expand...

Haha
Who's the sucker you got, and where did you play.
I have to know him.
Maybe I'll go try him some the same way, lol.
 
When somebody offers you a game that you just can't refuse, you ask for more weight. <-- true story.
 
I agree with ghost ball. It would've been nice to let him beat you out of a couple of hundred and then come back and get a bigger spot and up the bet. Since your games were close going to the hill you should be able to get more games. He might want to take a ball away from you next time though.
 
Allen Brown said:
I agree with ghost ball. It would've been nice to let him beat you out of a couple of hundred and then come back and get a bigger spot and up the bet. Since your games were close going to the hill you should be able to get more games. He might want to take a ball away from you next time though.
Click to expand...

The real goal is blow $100 playing one pocket and getting a spot. Or haut playing him even. Guy can't move a lick.
 
Allen Brown said:
He gave you the six out and y'all went to the hill twice. He has to be able to move a little bit. :confused:
Click to expand...

Call 7. Short races on a bar table. When I refer to moving I'm not talking about cue ball patterns for running. I'm referring to "moves" in one pocket.

He was playing some of his best pool and I was playing okay. The most he is supposed to give me is the call 8. I'm willing to bet if we were racing to 7 that I'd have won all of em.
 
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