1andDone
Verified Member
I've had several experiences when my opponent's demeanor affected my play tremendously. One time in particular my opponent started crying and whining, out of the blue, about rolls, temperature, atmosphere, getting sharked, etc. It seemed the more he cried, the worse I played.
Another time, another opponent, we had been playing for a few hours and the coin was wearing a trench in the cloth between 0 and 1 on both sides. Then, a guy comes in, sits down to watch, and he is a friend of my opponent. As soon as this guy comes in, my opponent's demeanor changed. Suddenly, this game became a "waste of his time." He started hammering every shot, missing badly, and singing loudly, "I just don't give a sh*t!" or, "no one will bet any real f--king money on this bitch!" I suppose I should mention that he called me to play and we always played for the same wager. Now, when all this started happening, again my play declined. I found myself not giving a sh*t. It kinda pissed me off because we had both been focused and playing well until this guy came in who, evidently, made my opponent embarrassed to betting so small.
I'm curious to know how some things affect others. How do you handle a hostile opponent? How do you get your nerves and focus after a grueling match up of barking back and forth? How do you handle a whiner without being a complete a-hole? The perfect match is in a library setting, with soft ambient music, and neither player speaks. That never happens so what do y'all do to stay focused in different conditions?
Another time, another opponent, we had been playing for a few hours and the coin was wearing a trench in the cloth between 0 and 1 on both sides. Then, a guy comes in, sits down to watch, and he is a friend of my opponent. As soon as this guy comes in, my opponent's demeanor changed. Suddenly, this game became a "waste of his time." He started hammering every shot, missing badly, and singing loudly, "I just don't give a sh*t!" or, "no one will bet any real f--king money on this bitch!" I suppose I should mention that he called me to play and we always played for the same wager. Now, when all this started happening, again my play declined. I found myself not giving a sh*t. It kinda pissed me off because we had both been focused and playing well until this guy came in who, evidently, made my opponent embarrassed to betting so small.
I'm curious to know how some things affect others. How do you handle a hostile opponent? How do you get your nerves and focus after a grueling match up of barking back and forth? How do you handle a whiner without being a complete a-hole? The perfect match is in a library setting, with soft ambient music, and neither player speaks. That never happens so what do y'all do to stay focused in different conditions?
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