Tourneys
Topic: Concessions

It seems this situation has reared it's head again and i am curious what people think!

In a match regardless of it's importance if a player stands from his chair while your on the 9 ball (Depending on the game) is that conceding?

I understand it is an innocent act a lot of the time but it does/can/will put you off! I know it does me....

My personal opinion is it should be a rule that if they stand or move while you are on the ball you win! Don't even play it just get the balls out.

Opinions please?

I agree Kev a rule should be put in place that any movement from your opponent when your down on the 9 is a sign of concession.

If the opponent does not move throughout your run out until the 9 then surely this is a sign of conceding the rack or trying to put you off, especially if they are in clear view of the shot being taken..


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Predator Roadline Sneaky Line SP8NWR
Cuetec WCT Break Cue
Predator Air II Jump Cue

The only rule around this is if a player starts to unscrew their playing cue (not break cue). Anything else comes under the category of unsportsmanlike behaviour whereby each case needs to be judged on its own merits.

If you are going to make it a hard and fast rule it needs to be black and white. Whether a player unscrews their playing cue is a matter of fact but whether someone moves while you are shooting is more of a grey area.

Whilst I hate to see any type of gamesmanship and encourage everyone to play fair my advice to players is work on your mental strength so you are able to cope with people who do this because you will never stamp it out completely and some form of gamesmanship exists in all sports.

It did happen to me back in 2008 on GB9, My opponent stood up 3 times whilst i was shooting the 9 in the view of the shot. Every other shot in the match was watched by him sat in his seat when i was at the table.

Luckily however i did not notice this as i was in 'The Zone' and dispatched him with a scoreline of 9-5

Any sort of movement when you're on the 9 should be a concession IMO, theres no reason why you should be moving about in your chair, it can only mean 1) theyre trying to put you off 2) theyre conceding IMO.

If this is referring to the situation during my game with Ian on Sunday mate all I can say is it wasn't a deliberate act.

I wasn't fully conscious of what was going on exactly as I was quite zoned in. I can say I do move a bit as I am nervous. Normally I'd sit down to prevent this but I was so knackered Id've fell asleep.

I dont know if my words came across right or not (I said I didnt want any arguments to ensue) but my intention was if I was seen to look as if I conceded then I wouldve just gave him the rack. I even asked my mrs how it looked and she declined to comment but told me afterwards it looked like a concession.

I was shocked that it was seen as a concession especially as I thought I was out of the eye line (unless you can see 90 degree angles). I go out of my way not to concede racks at tournaments.

I've always played that unless the hand is put in the pocket or you say 'thats good' or words to that effect then its not a concession.

All I can say from the mental side is that once the incident has occured either address it there and then, or play on and forget it. I was winning 8-5 as it was, Ian should have told me what I did. As it was described by Jenny I was seen to concede and I would have done the honourable thing.

Ians a great guy and a very good stick and I hope next time I see him I can buy him a beer to apologise for what is a genuine mistake by me, not deliberate gamesmanship.

I didn't mean to do anything deliberate and if an apology isnt enough then if he wants a rematch I'll play him again.

It put a right downer on my day as I thought I'd ran a great comp and played really really well in the plate final. But that unwanted incident upset me because I'd never cheat anyone out of a game ever.

Its a shame the ones who do it innocently -like the original poster says- get put in the same category as the real sharkers. The points been made and the cards are on the table. If there is a concern then the two involved should talk about it rationally and not discussed on here unless is it genuine and not snide. It should've been dealt with there and then and agreed upon before the next break was made, not taken away from the competition.
People do move its inevitable, but as pool players is is our focus and mental strength we need to improve, to counteract this. Unless someone has a general post about this I'd advise you not to comment.

Just to clear things up a little this is not an attack on you Baz, I honestly believe you wouldn't deliberately attempt to put someone off pal, your a good guy who does a lot for the game. As for running comps, I take my hat off for that, you do a great job and i always enjoy playing in them.
There was more that one example of this yesterday alone as it happened in one of my matches, i believe whole heartedly that it wasn't intentional though and i still made the ball. I only wanted to bring it up as i would like to make people aware that this is out of order, I guess those that do it don't care though.
As Lee says it would be very difficult to have a set rule and i guess could cause more problems than it would be worth.

I think if an opponent is moving in the eyeline of a player on a shot, no matter what ball it is, is gamesmanship. I must say if I'm not in the eyeline of an opponent on an easy 9, I have moved closer to the table ready to get the balls back out. Hard to make it a rule, it's just unsportsmanlike


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Matt Lester
www.matthew-lester.com

I've always liked the Texas Express rules myself...



Texas Express Official 9-Ball Rules

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6.20: Implementing the Shot Clock

If the shot clock is used, exceeding the time limit for shooting constitutes a foul. Opponent receives ball-in-hand.

6.21: Opponent or Spectator Interference

Failure to remain seated and quiet while the opponent is at the table may constitute an interference foul, with or without warning from the tournament director. Shooting out of turn, moving any ball out of turn, or interfering with the opponent in any manner constitutes a foul. Any of these infractions permit the opponent to take cueball-in-hand. If interference is caused by a spectator or others, the tournament director may have those interfering removed from the tournament premises. If the player is accidentally "bumped" by anyone other than his opponent and as a result, any balls are moved, all balls may be repositioned in their original places by the tournament director. If the balls cannot be replaced, the play er who was interfered with will rack and break and replay the game.

6.22: Marking the Table or Use of Foreign Objects

To mark the table or rail, or to place a foreign object on the table or rail (such as a cue stick, bridge, or foreign object) to provide a player an advantage in executing a shot (unless marks or objects are removed prior to the shot to the satisfaction of the opponent and/or tournament director), or to release an object onto the table constitutes a foul. A player may place a cue stick or a bridge on the playing surface at any time during his or her inning to take a break. To place an object on the surface for this purpose does not constitute a foul. A player may not use any object to determine "clearance" or "gaps" between balls or rails, unless it is with the cue ball, when the player has cue ball-in-hand, or a cue stick or bridge, provided it is being held by the player. Numbered balls that are pocketed out of play may never be used to determine angles, clearances, or gaps, or be spotted. To do so constitutes a foul, giving the opponent cue ball-in-hand.

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Source: http://www.angelofbilliards.com/resources/TexasExpress9-Ball-Rules.pdf