Winning Ugly

[nibrobus]

Played a cheap set with a buddy from the poolhall tonight and won hill-hill. The thing about it is that I played horrible; I could barely control the cueball (which was scratching left and right). I even lost a game on 3 fouls when the cue ball managed to scratch 3 consecutive times, 2 of which were off the foot or head rail and scratching in the side. Other times the cueball would hit a stray ball in the middle of the table and somehow carom into a pocket. This was very frustrating and the heat made me miss some balls I should have made.

My buddy played very well, for the most part getting out when he was supposed to and not make too many mistakes. I missed probably twice as many balls as he did. The only thing that kept me in the race was a few runouts with ball in hand and some timely safeties. The only reason why I even won is because he hung the case ball at hill-hill. I feel that I had no business winning that match, and I don't feel real great about winning either. I let my buddy keep the cash (since we only played one race) and told him we'd just match up again next time.

How do you guys feel when you win a match ugly? Do you feel just as good as when you win shooting lights out? Thanks for your responses.

 

[selftaut]

we have all been there , it happens , but this happens in 9 ball , straight pool or one pocket you probably would have been toast, you should have taken the money anyway as he didn't win.

 

[Andrew Manning]

How do you guys feel when you win a match ugly? Do you feel just as good as when you win shooting lights out? Thanks for your responses.

No, not nearly as good. I hate feeling like I only won because of lucky rolls or my opponent's unforced errors, as opposed to feeling like I won because I was in control and playing right.

Winning because I played well is what I'm always hoping for at the table. A very distant second is losing even though I played well, followed by winning even though I played poorly, and lastly losing because I played poorly.

But, as selftaut says, it happens to everyone. Just look on the "at least I didn't lose" bright side, and play better next time.

-Andrew

 

[ShootingArts]

goes both ways

Be disappointed in your performance and try to avoid it happening again but over time I have learned that a win is a win, ugly or beautiful. I have occasionally given the money back after an ugly win but it was for me, not the other person. I felt that being rewarded for such a lousy performance was bad for me mentally.

The other side of the coin is that you did win despite all of the obstacles so that should help you when you are not playing as well as you should on another day.

Hu

 

[jsp]

How do you guys feel when you win a match ugly? Do you feel just as good as when you win shooting lights out?

I think that question is a no-brainer.

The real question is...does it feel better to win a match ugly or to lose a match playing lights out?

The answer probably depends on the significance of the match.

 

[VIProfessor]

Nobody likes to win ugly, but its part of competing in any sport. Usually, when you win in such a fashion, the match hinged on mental toughness at certain key points in the match. Most likely, although your opponent may have sank more balls and performed better overall, there were key points at which your opponent failed to execute or made a bad decision, and you were present enough in the match to capitalize. Be proud of that, and accept that its part of the game.

BTW, if you ever again get the urge to donate your winnings after winning ugly, please feel free to PM me so I can give you a paypal address.

 

[jsp]

Nobody likes to lose ugly...

That's a no-brainer too.

 

[Tokyo-dave]

Winning ugly sucks, but as everyone else has stated, it happens. But winning ugly also means that you've somehow managed to grind out a win with something close to your worst game, and I've also considered that to be very important. When evaluating your own speed, it's pretty easy to consider yourself a run out player, a 6-baller, or whatever, but never forget to take into consideration your worst game speed. And always ask yourself "yeah, but can I still beat him with my worst game?" Bringing your worst game up instead of bringing your best game up is what will make you a better player.
And, you should have kept the money. I'm sure you were thinking that giving it back was your way of respecting your friend, but keeping it and giving him a chance to win it back is the best way to show your respect. After all, as poorly as you played, he still wasn't good enough to beat you.
dave

 

[VIProfessor]

That's a no-brainer too.

Thanks for pointing out the error. The post has been edited.

 

[nibrobus]

Thanks to everybody for the responses - I didn't actually let my buddy "keep" the money per se, just told him to keep it for now. I'm still one set up. If he loses the next set next time we match up he owes me for 2 sets.

In regards to playing your best but still losing, I actually don't mind losing too much as long as I gave it my best shot and played as well as I know I can. If I'm running out whenever I get an opening but still couldn't win, it just means it wasn't my turn to win that day. I don't mind getting outclassed by a superior opponent if I play my best; it just means I'm not at that speed yet.