Was I wrong?

[bkpaul]

That depends on the rules of the tournament.

[the montrealer]

was i wrong

What would you folks say to him if you were in my shoes?

HI POOLQJUNKIE I would tell him to get lost and find another player to play with. Some people are very bad losers but are good winners I once played a player and i lost the match and i shook his hand the same player i beat a week later would not shake my hand and i told him that he was a bad loser but a good winner cheers Leonard from Canada

[SebastianZ]

A real good player will not find excuses for themselves when they miss, instead they will blame themselves for not making that miss an easier shot!

[Terry Davidson]

poolqjunkie:

I think you should observe some rules of etiquette to prevent this happening in the future.

1. Always have a towel of your own and dampen one end before you start playing every time.
2. Don't leave the table when your opponent is shooting, but if you have to then let him know between shots, i.e. - don't leave without saying anything.
3. Whether in a friendly or a formal match, leaving the table without telling your opponent or the referee can be considered a forfeit.
4. With this particularly sensitive guy, if you have to leave the playing area then do what Noel suggests and work out any of these little problem areas by mutual agreement before the match.

I think in this case, depending on how far away that bar area with the towel was, I would let him know between shots and tell him to go ahead.

Even though I think he is being a little snarky, I do not play a shot if my opponent has left the playing area only because I don't want to have him feel he has to give me any benefit of the doubt and he's been a witness to every shot.

This is a bit similar to my question regarding the guy who broke and ran 62 off the resulting fluke while I was on an authorized washroom trip. I would feel very uncomfortable breaking off while my opponent was away.

Terry

[bkpaul]

My playing partners often say why didn't you carry on, I just say it wouldn't be right... (which it wouldn't!) also if I carried on I would have to spot my own balls and I do not like doing that.

You will however meet this type of player in every sport and its not unique to snooker, I wonder if he would have been so vocal had he won?.

[poolqjunkie]

Thanks for everyone's advice.

Terry,

If it was a tournament I will never leave the table when my opponent is shooting.

In this incident, it was a practice match in a veteran clubs with people walking around all the time around our table, and the bar was a few steps away, where from which I have a clear view of the table. I was away for the time it took him to make one red.

The thing is we always do this when we are playing here in this club, because it is very relaxed and informal. If someone needs to get a drink he will just go. The waiter will come and ask for drink orders sometimes when we are shooting. Some old folks may yell something out in the middle of our shots, someone may spill a drink on the table (not the snooker table), or break a glass in the middle of my shot, right next to me...etc. No one ever complains, because this is just a relaxing club for the older folks to enjoy themselves and to enforce porper rules will make you a jerk, whom no one will want to play with. we have a couple century breakers in this club, but none of us have ever complain about the others leaving the table to get a drink form the bar. We also do not stop shooting, as we are all friends here, and the bar has a clear view on the table. I am so used to this that it does not bother me at all. No one has ever have any problem. Sometimes my opponenet ever goes to the bathroom for may be 5 minutes and I will just wait after I have finisehed shooting. No one makes a big fuss about it ever. I usually ask if I need to go to the bathroom, but no one expects me to. If my opponenet sees that I am not there, he may go out and have a smoke or get himself a drink. But usually no one leaves for more than 5-7 minutes during a frame. If they want to take a 15 minutes break they will wait till the game is over.

I have once made a break of 82 when my opponent was somewhere else(I did nto know that because I was not paying attention to where he was). He came back when I was on my last red on the table, and stood right in front of me. I asked him, how many I have had, because I was thinking may be I coudl make a century, and he said, "sorry, I have no idea, I was not here." A guy was watching the match and he said to me, "you made such and such black, a couple pinks here and there and so on and I believe you made a 82." I said thank you. My opponenet said, "I have not shot yet!". I said, "go ahead." and I pushed the ball to the pocket and let him shot a few balls. That is the kind of place we were in.

If he never spots any ball for me, and stands in front of me from time to time, does he have the right to insist that I have to abide by that one rule which he deems very important?

What bothers me is that he said, "you should know better..." as if I was doing that on purpose to 'shark" him--that was an insult on my integrity. If he had said to me, "please do not leave the table when i am shooting because it really distracts me." I would have no problem with that.

[matoski]

PJ, the guy is an *******, he would probably try to get you nervous no mater if it's formal or informal game. But on the other hand, if he is a century maker, then you can't affort to lose him as a practice partner

[poolqjunkie]

PJ, the guy is an *******, he would probably try to get you nervous no mater if it's formal or informal game. But on the other hand, if he is a century maker, then you can't affort to lose him as a practice partner

I think his highest break was 139 but he does not do that all the time.

I must admit it was enjoyable playing with him until that happened, I am just so glad I remained compoased and clam and won.

There are a few others that I practice with who are also quite good, but it would be nice to have more good players to play with that is for sure.

He may not want to play with me anymore anyway.

He came with a friend and his friend said he wanted to practice with me this week, and he is not bringing this guy (the guy who complained) over. Hopefully we will have a good time practicing.