r/AskReddit 1d ago

What’s a skill almost everyone thinks they’re good at until they meet someone who’s actually great at it?

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u/samtresler 1d ago

And when you do, somehow you have no clear shot at all. What absolute luck the other person has ! /s

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u/swole_ninja 1d ago

Ha. This was one of my roommates in college. When we “played pool” it was basically me drinking beer and him practicing against himself. There were plenty of games where he broke and I never shot.

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u/samtresler 1d ago

I got schooled by an elderly drunk in a small town bar. He was clearly a local novelty.

He played with the mop they kept in the corner. Mop head hanging behind him and the handle was just your standard 3/4"-1" dowel mop handle. He chalked it with no cue pad or anything.

I never got to the table. He broke and ran with a mop.

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u/Geminii27 16h ago

Should have listened when they said he'd mop the floor with ya.

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u/Open-Dish-5153 8h ago

I used to work at a pool hall when I was in college. I could break and run with a broom handle. Not that difficult once you get in the mindset of playing center ball just need to make your shot selection favoring natural positioning.

I am by no means good at pool. I have several friends who are pro or former pro players and some who are former world champions. I know that I am completely horrible compared to them but compared to the average player I am way better.

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u/lilbigwill204 7h ago

If you can break and run, let alone with a broomstick, then you're good at pool. Your friends are just excellent.

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u/Open-Dish-5153 6h ago

Yes but there are levels that the normal people who who don’t know just will never comprehend. Even on the pro level there is a big difference between a entry level pro who tours on the circuit and the top level players who will win 90% of the time.

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u/lilbigwill204 6h ago

Very true. Especially because they make it look so easy !

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u/Sarsmi 19h ago

Good pool players know how to leave the cue ball in case they don't make their shot. They also know how to shoot to leave the pool ball in a bad position regardless, and ahead of that, what their opponent is likely to do, and what they will do in response to that. Etc.

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u/Lv_InSaNe_vL 14h ago

I play in dart tournaments and regularly go to dart league in my city so sometimes I'll play 501 or 701 against my friends playing 301 so it's a more fair competition haha

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u/PrincessTusi 1d ago

This is hubby and me.... until a more experienced player showed me a different way to line up the shots and now we're pretty even!

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u/flammablelemon 1d ago

A lot of guys will accuse you of playing shape or being a shark when they're losing and don't have "clear" shots. Have to be careful playing with strangers, idiots will start bar fights over stuff like that.

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u/DrNuclearSlav 23h ago

I was an accidental pool shark during my university days. I'd play a terrible game then an absolute blinder of a rematch, every single time without fail. There was zero skill involved, just luck every time.

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u/kimmy_kimika 19h ago

In golf, there's a saying that it's your skill versus the other player's luck. The other player is somehow always luckier than your skill. 🤔

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u/imaguitarhero24 17h ago

Yeah once you start to really figure out the "game" it's not just about making balls

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u/Shazam1269 8h ago

LOL, reminds me when I played my supervisor's husband in snooker on his table at a work party. I beat him while I was fairly drunk. I found out the next day that he was really pissed off as he is very competitive, and I beat him on HIS OWN TABLE.