Snooker Etiquette!

[inevermissblue]

Does anyone have any Snooker Etiquette issues that they would like to share with the rest of us? I will start off by mentioning a bloke when playing his "mate", never re-spots his colours for him, and only re-spots his own!!! How ridiculous!

[Looki]

I hate people who want to have a chat during a game. It's ok between the frames etc but some people just can't stop talking. They might lean to the table next to you and blabber away even if you're down on a shot. It makes me feel violent.

[lk8]

hahaha... i tell you one that i encounter ALL the time, just when you are on your final backswing potting the colours, the guy will start walking in front of your sight to "pick up" the colour for you...

or starts talking to you when you are down on your shot, in the middle of a break...

not to mention those that just walks in front of you looking when you are having a shot etc.

I think I've pretty much seen them all...

[cantpotforshíte]

Looki has reminded of my biggest bugbear when he mentioned leaning ...
If anybody leans on the table that I'm playing on as I'm playing, I feel like physically prising them off.
Talking whilst your opponent is on the shot is just ignorance.

I used to play with a guy many years ago who, whenever my break got to over 30, started tutting, tossing the balls back on the table with abandon, making hand gestures, and pretending to forget what the break was. Twice I got 70+ breaks without him keeping score. Now that is just beyond me.

And people who stand inbetween the tables when they aren't actually on the shot. Invariably, they haven't got a clue what is going on around them, and will be in your way as you are trying to walk around the table, even though it should be screamingly bloody obvious that they are in the way. These people should always get pushed out of the way, or have their foot stepped upon, or have the ball of their ankle clipped with your heel. If you tell them to move, they won't learn. Tough love.

[csmarkus]

People moving in your sight when you are down on the shot, it's against any etiquette but it's also against the written rule. The rule says that the non-striker must not stand or move in the striker's sight.

In our local club, there is a real gentleman who is really a nice guy but he *always* stands at the other end of your aiming line. I've asked him several times not to do that and it works for a while but he forgets it by the next match. I think I have given up teaching him, I'll get used to this instead...

Another issue I find "funny" is how some players have an interesting discussion about how big the break was.... "a green and a blue..., erm, no, two greens and a blue... or...." funny really. Why oh why does it hurt to say the points after each shot?

And one more... some players intentionally leave their chalk on the table. When this happens, I ask them not to do that but they usually "forget" about it soon... What I do then is take the chalk, walk with it slowly to a distant location away from the table, wipe my cue and then take the shot. It seems to work...

[Bigmeek]

I came across some really bad examples of poor etiquette relating to American pool. Rules to be followed included. No breaking wind on your opponents shot. No sitting on the table. No spitting in the chalk. There were others which I can't remember.

[pearce]

I hate people who leave their chalk on the rails when it's my shot

[Looki]

And people who stand inbetween the tables when they aren't actually on the shot.

This ****es me off too but the leaning/talking is the worst. Nowadays the people that I play with all know the etiquette, so none of what I said in my first post is an issue anymore. But seeing these things happen even on other table makes me wanna jump to their throats.

[inevermissblue]

Here are more!

I must insist on my opponent calling out my break, ball for ball. Otherwise it leaves an opportunity for errors. Which if the possibility of a high century break might is possible, the last thing you would want is a counting mistake! Also it leaves you to concentrate on the game while still getting the break counted. After all these are the same conditions as a match, which helps!

[Snookster]

Many years ago i was playing in a tournament and a guy kept leaving his chalk on the rail, just where i was taking my shot, which didnt bother me too much until he was really bugging me so picked it up and lobbed it right down the other end of the room.
What a bad boy lol

[spike]

people who decide to take a call on there mobile during a frame, without having the decency to ask them to call back later.

Nothing infuriates me more when this happens, which it has many many times.

Grrrr

[cantpotforshíte]

And one more... some players intentionally leave their chalk on the table. When this happens, I ask them not to do that but they usually "forget" about it soon... What I do then is take the chalk, walk with it slowly to a distant location away from the table, wipe my cue and then take the shot. It seems to work...

Now [I]that[I] is a good idea.

[Terry Davidson]

You guys would go NUTS playing in Canada. The normal way over here without a referee is this:

1. Spot your own balls
2. Count your own score silently to yourself.
3. Don't ask your opponent what you scored and if you miss a few points while your at the table too bad, because he won't correct you.
4. A lot of players leave one or more chalks on the table and worst of all put them there with the open end down so you can get chalk all over your trousers.
5. When spotting your own balls, if you make a mistake most players over here would call a foul, even though now by the rules whoever is spotting the balls is acting as a referee and the player isn't responsible.
6. Cell phones, never on vibrate and players will normally answer and talk without apologizing.
7. There's more but I can't remember them all

Terry

[cazmac1]

When my opponent doesn't clear the reds from the corner pockets. I play a high tempo game and I've lost count of the balls I missed due to my rhythm being interrupted while they struggle to get the black out of the pocket.

[noel]

Terry hit the head on the nail I'm afraid.
Canadians do have an genuinely lovely etiquette that expects, if you elbow check your opponent
into the boards, you will take off your gloves, carefully pick up his teeth and hand them back,
but sad to say, this civility doesn't extend to his balls when playing snooker.
In fact, "roughing up" your opponent psychologically while he's trying to score is a Happy Glimore-
esque convention in many poolrooms here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G52aaTFibHo

Cell ringing and yakking, chalk slapped on table, dust on pants, laughing when you miss, clapping sarcastically when you don't,
using the word "lucky" with it's rhyming evil twin... plus "you are such a...".
"I bet you a beer you miss that long pot" mid-backswing... you know... TAUNTS...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl8H-rm6kt4

But that's to be expected from us Colonials and the French.
Some more worldly types, like myself, take a different tactfully self-censoring approach.

"Hi... my name is "No Mercy" Noel".
"Care for a humiliating game of snooker?"
"Before "I kick your ass" we play maybe we should agree upon some rules... ?"
"Proper WPBSA rules?" "Foul and miss? (I lay snookers like a gravedigger)" etc...
"Play for money or beers or split costs?" ("I dare you!") etc...

And to avoid all of the "annoyances" referred to... "Do you know what a proper referee does?"
If not, it gives us a chance to review things like ball-spotting, counting score out quietly, standing out of the line-of-sight, calling fouls,etc.
It becomes a job to do and stay engaged in the game.
"Want to try?"

Amazingly! It works!



=o)

Noel


PS... Terry congrats on your victory yesterday over Michael Ma in the Canadian Championships... carry on young man! =o)