Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Help During Matches with Paper

There was recently an article on poker about a player that pulled out instructions on what to do during certain situations.



It kind of reminds me of when you're at a blackjack table at a casino, you're allowed to pull out the little card that tells you what you should do in certain situations (take a card, split, double down, etc.).

However, this was at a table full of poker players for a lot more money at stake than just playing a couple hands of blackjack.

A lot of people have pool mantra's or a pool prayer that they read before matches.  I actually have a list of tips I've written down on a piece of paper and I read them before a match because I needed to remind myself of things and maybe calm myself down.  

We aren't allowed to use cell phones during matches because you can technically text for someone for advice or get some comfort which is considered cheating and illegal, but what about pieces of paper during a pool match?  What is the rule on that?  I guess it's considered getting advice/help.

And how would you feel if you saw your opponent sitting next to you at the poker table pulling out sheets of paper or your pool opponent pulling out a sheet of paper to pump himself up or calm himself down?

2 comments:

Babylon Brother said...

The rules are clear.

Under BCA Rules 2006, Supplemental Rules 1.4 it states:

EQUIPMENT RESTRICTIONS
The following is a list of acceptable equipment items a player may bring to the table to use in a World Pool-Billiard Association sanctioned event:

(a) Cue Stick - Each player is permitted to use one or more cue sticks that meet the specifications listed in the equipment specifications section. He may use either a built-in extender or an add-on extender to increase the length of the stick.

(b) Chalk - The player may apply chalk to his tip to prevent miscues, and may use his own chalk, provided its color is compatible with the cloth.

(c) Talcum Powder

(d) Mechanical Bridges - The player may use up to two mechanical bridges to support the cue stick during the shot. He may use his own bridge if it is similar to standard commercial bridges.

(e) Gloves - The player may use gloves to improve the grip and/or bridge hand function.

From this, one might conclude that not only are cheat sheets, pool instruction books and the like prohibited, but also using MP3 players and cell phones (with earphones) to play whatever it is the player wishes to have in his or her ear. Simply not part of the game.

Melinda said...

Thank you, Babylon!