Playing against ridiculously flukey players?

[Giggity1984]

Maybe once every 10 matches or so you could try a little role reversal....... Instead of being methodical and calculated and concentrating so hard on playing the right shot at the right time etc etc etc...... just smash them off the break. if/when your let in, take nothing but "wing shots" with no thought for position and maybe even no thought for which pocket your aiming for!!!!!! Never apologise for your flukes and get down for your next "wing shot" like the last one was planned!

Just a thought!!!!! See what it's like to be one of the flukey ones for a change!

[Stick]

Happens to me a lot.

We have a lot of pool players also playing snooker and they love their doubles - a shot I tend to treat with snobbish contempt as "hit and hope" efforts.

You can thus appreciate my frustration on losing a tight game as a result of a double

What I have learn is that flukey players feed off self -onfidence. I never applaud a flukeish shot, or even a good one for that matter, in a tight tournament game.

Why help lift the opponents confidence?

[cantpotforshíte]

It can't be summed up any better than this:

Concentrate on what you can control accept that which you can't.

On a personal note, I've been playing the game for more than ten years now, and I've never lost a game (match or practice) that wasn't my own fault. OK, in one frame scenarios, of course a player can get more running than me, but I've never lost without making some sort of mistake.

Every time I've heard somebody bemoaning their luck in a game that I have watched, it is never nearly as bad as they say it is. 'Self pitiers' are incredibly efficient at forgetting just how many chances they had in a frame, and how many chances they missed. They also employ (subconsciously) several tricks to turn positives into negatives.

And one other thing: if you DO feel sorry for yourself half way through a match, you'll probably play badly from that point on. Snooker is all about visualizing the positive outcome of a shot, and if you're feeling sorry for yourself, this is a lot harder to do.

So change the record.

Oh, and good luck with it!

[sh1234]

On a personal note, I've been playing the game for more than ten years now, and I've never lost a game (match or practice) that wasn't my own fault. OK, in one frame scenarios, of course a player can get more running than me, but I've never lost without making some sort of mistake.

Every time I've heard somebody bemoaning their luck in a game that I have watched, it is never nearly as bad as they say it is. 'Self pitiers' are incredibly efficient at forgetting just how many chances they had in a frame, and how many chances they missed. They also employ (subconsciously) several tricks to turn positives into negatives.

And one other thing: if you DO feel sorry for yourself half way through a match, you'll probably play badly from that point on. Snooker is all about visualizing the positive outcome of a shot, and if you're feeling sorry for yourself, this is a lot harder to do.

So change the record.

Oh, and good luck with it!

Couldn't have put it any better.

[northerner]

At the pro level, they should have a prize for the best fluke of the tournament, a bit like the high break prize.

[philip in china]

Was it Henry Ford who said "The harder I work, the luckier I get"? Work harder at your game.

ALso life isn't fair. Some people do seem to get more than their share of luck. That is life!

[marriott]

In my experience it tends to be players of limited ability that are more likely to complain about bad running, flukes, etc. In fact, whenever I see someone in a club/tournament bemoan an opponent's fluke my instant natural reaction is 'I bet this guy is useless at snooker!' (sorry,lol).

The truth is, if you're good enough, you should simply be waiting for your chance to do some damage, whenever that be - and should take solace in the fact that if your opponent has fluked a ball after missing intended pot then their timing isn't quite there. If your opponent has smashed into the reds, left you nothing then presumably you're not tight on the baulk cushion. So, walk around the table, decide on where the worst position on the table is to play from and proceed to put your 'lucky' opponent in an evil safety.

I'm 25 and into double figures now re: competitive century breaks and always feel confident of making a meaningful contribution when given the chance. Blaming someone for luck/running is like accusing them of causing the recession as it's nothing they can dictate (hence why it's called luck).

[Steve748]

Was it Henry Ford who said "The harder I work, the luckier I get"? Work harder at your game.

ALso life isn't fair. Some people do seem to get more than their share of luck. That is life!

I think it was Gary Player that replied to a shout from the crowd about a putt being 'lucky' ....... "The more I practice the luckier I get!"

I think everyone makes their own luck in one way or another

[marriott]

I think everyone makes their own luck in one way or another

Sorry to be very pedantic, and I know it's a phrase used a lot in sport (incorrectly) but it is actually 100% impossible to 'make your own luck' at anything - otherwise it wouldn't be luck! - as luck is caused by accident or chance, beyond a human's control.

...which is why I guess I never get angry at an opponent after a fluke against me, as it's not their fault at all, just good fortune.

[Steve748]

Sorry to be very pedantic, and I know it's a phrase used a lot in sport (incorrectly) but it is actually 100% impossible to 'make your own luck' at anything - otherwise it wouldn't be luck! - as luck is caused by accident or chance, beyond a human's control.

...which is why I guess I never get angry at an opponent after a fluke against me, as it's not their fault at all, just good fortune.

In making your own luck I mean that all the time you are faced with a choice and depending on the path you choose to take this will determine whether you have made the right decision and in a lot of cases the outcome is pure luck.

[marriott]

In making your own luck I mean that all the time you are faced with a choice and depending on the path you choose to take this will determine whether you have made the right decision and in a lot of cases the outcome is pure luck.

I totally agree. I myself play positively/aggressively and always look for the opportunity to win a frame at the current visit - therefore I feel I almost deserve the good fortune I sometimes get due to my positive shot choices. I have no problem with a positive player deserving a slice of fortune - just the phrase 'make your own luck' always annoys me as it's pure chance either way. Forgive me, just being very pedantic here, I totally agree with your sentiment

[firefrets]

How to deal with flukey players?

A goose neck, a tube of cue lube, and a strong follow through often helps.

[nrage]

Sorry to be very pedantic, and I know it's a phrase used a lot in sport (incorrectly) but it is actually 100% impossible to 'make your own luck' at anything - otherwise it wouldn't be luck! - as luck is caused by accident or chance, beyond a human's control.

This is why I reckon there is (technically) no such thing as luck in snooker. Sure, you cannot always know/guess the exact outcome of a shot, but the outcome relies entirely on your action, there isn't anything truly 'random' in it, it's all predictable .. tho perhaps only by a supercomputer.

It's not like rolling a dice, where you start with an unknown (the orientation of the dice in your hand) and then throw it, getting a 'random' result. It's more like holding a dice in your hand, with a known orientation, and attempting to throw it in exactly the same way, to get the same result every time. It's incredibly hard, but it's entirely within your control, if you have the skill.

So, when I hear 'making your own luck' I ignore the word luck and think of it as playing the foresight and skill to more consistently get a 'good' outcome.

[Welshsteve]

Have to admit, there are certain players who just attract luck. They are usually players who take a lot of risks. Players I don't like playing are ones who just hit everything plain ball, and don't have a clue about position. Most of the time you have to take a risk and make a chance for yourself because their positional play means when they miss, 9 times out of 10 they leave you nothing, particularly if it's a colour they missed. This s fine when you're playing well, but if you're struggling, it can be quite frustrating

[damienlch]

...Players I don't like playing are ones who just hit everything plain ball, and don't have a clue about position... it can be quite frustrating

i totally get what you mean, steve... i've met players like that, making sure of every pot, displaying no ambition whatsoever with their positional play and then try to leave you near the baulk cushion when they run out of "position".... now is that any fun?? grrrr