I took on Nineball champion Jayson Shaw at pool, here is what he taught me about the sport and pranking team-mates
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JAYSON SHAW may have an fiery reputation but away from the pool table he is a fun-loving prankster.
The 2017 US Open champion met SunSport in the aftermath of his World Pool Championship defeat in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
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Jayson Shaw revealed he often plays pranks on his team-mates
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The world No.9 reached the Round of 32 at the World Pool Championship
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He shared how he copes with defeat
Shaw was knocked out by Jefrey Roda in the Round of 32, and he confessed to feeling sore after a gruelling week of competition.
But he shared tips and tricks about pool as well as some tales from his time on the Nineball Tour.
Shaw has won six ranking titles, including the 2010 World Blackball Championship and three Mosconi Cups - pool's equivalent of the Ryder Cup.
The 36-year-old is a three-time Mosconi Cup MVP winner and he admitted the team environment helps him flourish.
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Shaw told SunSport: "I grew up playing a lot of team stuff - English 8-ball there was more of a team league pool at the pub and stuff like that.
"So I think teams, I enjoy playing it. It gets me pumped up a little bit more. I like having people on the team.
"You feel like you're not just fighting for yourself...more of a team player."
Shaw enjoys the relaxed atmosphere of team pool and as well as getting the best out of him, it also brings out his fun side.
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He revealed he and his team-mates often play pranks on each other to help keep the pressure off.
The Scot continued: "It's good hanging around with the team. You have a lot of fun doing other things, playing little games here and there, playing pranks on each other, playing jokes and stuff like that.
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"We all play pranks on each other. Maybe stealing somebody's phone and taking random pictures of weird stuff. Nothing really too crazy. Just for fun.
"I feel like if you pull a bit too much of a prank on someone on your team, they might take it a little bit badly, then they might not perform well."
Shaw has earned comparisons to Conor McGregor and Jake Paul thanks to his charisma and taunting of opponents and fans, but he has previously admitted to being his own worst enemy at times.
He has spoken about "pool screwing your brain up" and the mental anguish he has been though - but these days he is much better equipped to deal with defeat.
The world No.9 explained: "Obviously I'm disappointed to lose.
But like I said, it's part of the game. I think the older you get, the more you kind of let it just go. I think when you're younger, it eats away at you a little bit more.
"When you lose, you wake up in the morning, it's not really down on yourself, it's more like you're thinking, you wish you were still in.
"You've got to come back to the venue, watch a little bit. Then you're maybe watching the guy who beat you.
"Maybe he's not performing as well. You think 'yeah, it could have been me'. So a lot of different things like that."
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