Gambling question

Bohemyth

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If you're gambling with someone who you think might be better then you, and your up early and they ask to raise the stakes is it ok to walk away, or are you inclined to ride it out and give them the chance to even up or break you? I've always got the impression this behavior was frowned upon.
 

ugotactionTX

I'm in dead rack!
Silver Member
well, obviously you can quit anytime you want (and just deal with the fall out) but how do you like the game? We all know quitting ahead is frowned upon most of the time, but if he wants to change the game and you don't, you can walk anytime without a second thought.
 

easy-e

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Make him earn it back at the same rate he lost it! It's your time, and your money, so do what you like. Some people will look down on it, some people will say you did the right thing. Who's opinion do you value the most?
 

Racing-Robbie

Registered
I've always played a few sets with the right race and then if there wanting to quit I offer then a double or nothing deal.

Money always stayed the same unless the pool hall is closing relatively soon and I'm up a good bit. Always try giving them a chance back at a little money.
 

CreeDo

Fargo Rating 597
Silver Member
Which behavior? Quitting while up? Giving them a chance to break even? Asking to jack up the bet after losing?

I feel anyone has a right to quit any time they want, and if someone is mad they can't get their money back, they shouldn't have lost it in the first place.

The right to walk away is what protects you from getting conned. If someone wants to be clever and lose a set on purpose as an investment... well, now they're stuck. Guess they should have just played to win.

If he was sincerely trying and lost anyway, maybe you overestimate his skill and you should take another roll at even more money. But I wouldn't want to play with this nagging doubt in my head that I just got lucky and the other guy is better and will probably win. That kind of thinking turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy.
 

wahcheck

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
ahead

Seems this is the perennial problem with gambling........Where I used to gamble, it seemed like no one was ever happy with you leaving winners......It's like you got to lose before quitting.....My only solution was to get it all straight ahead of time....How many sets, what time I was leaving, etc. Of course, I agree with the previous answer that you make him win it back the same way you won it.....if he won't agree to playing for the original stakes, then I think you can walk....
 

alerotaz

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I say it depends..

Example I had a Frunk guy want to play for 100$ a game. We had never met it was his bar...
I kindly told him no..( I didnt know him or his level, duh! LOL) He talked me into 10 a game $..
I played both he and his buddy.. I won.. they jacked it up to 20$ I won more .. He then wanted to go for 50$..
I on a few games toward the end I shoot really strong to get them to give up
I won the first..game..
I was getting board ..and on the second game I let him win...
I was up 100$.. He still wanted to play and I told him I was done I had come to enjoy the bar and was tired of pool..
I did it to be nice...

in my younger days I would of played.. and taken the money as long as they give it to me..
If all of a sudden they are winning alot (like they are overly lucky) I quite at even.. no blood no foul..

I bet on my pool skill I dont gamble on it..

That make since? :cool:
 
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Bowmer

"Shooter"
Silver Member
:wink:Quit when you want.... I say better luck to them next time. Once the $'s hit my palm they are mine.... You don't get 'em back LMAO. Heck I'll buy ya a beer with a couple of 'em though. All part of gambling. What is the point if I'm going to let you win them back??? It's the price you pay for a leason :wink:
 

Bohemyth

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thanks for all the input, haven't really gambled much asides from drinks on a bar table or 10-20 dollar games with friends. Thinking about playing with strangers as I think this can be a growth experience for my game. If I feel im being hustled don't know if I can sit there until I give it back at same incriment, but I guess it's better then getting shanked.
 

Bowmer

"Shooter"
Silver Member
You can usually tell the types of guys that are going to shank you, or at least I can. I stay away from those types (usually) But there are nights the tequilla decides different. Those are fun nights too, usually only hurts for a few days.
 

cueporn

Banned
If you're gambling with someone who you think might be better then you, and your up early and they ask to raise the stakes is it ok to walk away, or are you inclined to ride it out and give them the chance to even up or break you? I've always got the impression this behavior was frowned upon.

To my kind you can't make money unless you are in action. You can't let a guy go double or nothing too many times in a row. There aren't too many guys who lose sets , just to get you to lose your wallet later. The ones to really beware of win by just enough, no matter how well you play, they miss just enough to keep you on the hook. I will play anybody 3 sets in row, just to see how I matchup.
 

maha

from way back when
Silver Member
its not considered good form to quit when ahead without giving a chance by raising the bet or giving a longer time frame to play.
however it is your money you won and can do what you like. but will suffer lost action in the future and only getting locked up when you play.

so just state before you start that you feel either side can quit whenever for any reason winner or loser. and you will do just that if you want. then there can be comments made but you have a deal.

but if you have the best of the game play on and break the guy. thats is gambling. most players are through tickets and lose all they got. oblige them.

when they want to raise the bet i make them show enough for at least five more games. if they dont have that much then i know where i stand.
most times if i dont know the player well he has to post and show enough for five games before we start. thats my criteria.
 

Jude Rosenstock

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Personally, the only time I ever quit ahead is if the guy offended me or if we agreed prior to the start (ie., "I can only play one set"). It's my opinion, if you are looking to build a positive rapport, there should be an open discussion prior to the session on when it should end. For me, this is pretty easy because I always have a time I need to leave by. As well, informing the player of other times you'll be available to play can also smooth things over a bit.

If you haven't had this discussion, there's typically an assumption you'll be able to play a couple of sets. You have to remember, the guy is looking to take your money. If he's the favorite, he's going to be upset if he isn't given the opportunity to at least break-even. Now, you may be okay with this but like others have stated before, there's the potential for fall-out. It doesn't matter if you get 75% of the forum to say you can quit ahead, if the guy you're quitting kills your action in the entire room, or worse, punches you in the face, the question of right or wrong really doesn't matter.

The best you can do is be upfront. Prior to agreeing to a game, ask the person how long they intend to play. You can always say, "I'll play you one set and that's it." Nobody will ever fault you for quitting then. If, during the middle of the set, you realize you have to go, simply say, "I'll be here tomorrow (or whatever day). Do you want to pick this up again then?"
 

poolguy4u

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If you're gambling with someone who you think might be better then you, and your up early and they ask to raise the stakes is it ok to walk away, or are you inclined to ride it out and give them the chance to even up or break you? I've always got the impression this behavior was frowned upon.

:scratchhead:

If you are beating the guy, why would you walk away? If you are scared, don't gamble.

I never play a race. I always play by the game and either I go broke or I always make the other guy quit.

If I'm playing good...of course I'll raise the bet or double it. If you are going to gamble, get what you can.
 

smoooothstroke

JerLaw
Silver Member
If you're gambling with someone who you think might be better then you, and your up early and they ask to raise the stakes is it ok to walk away, or are you inclined to ride it out and give them the chance to even up or break you? I've always got the impression this behavior was frowned upon.

Not OK.If you don't want to Jack the bet you should offer them a chance to get even at the same game.

You are only obligated to the origional game agreed apon.

In this situation if I think they are stalling to raise the stakes and make a big score then I renegotiate,I get a spot and give them a shot at my money but they are risking more dough.

I should add that if you don't jack the bet and they do come back and get even it is OK to quit even.If this should happen then you use it to negotiate a spot next time.
 
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gregcantrall

Center Ball
Silver Member
A couple of stories.

I was in a tavern in Sacramento. A fellow was hitting the balls on one of the tables and just shooting the lights out. Look to me to be a road player. Since he was just hitting balls, I figured I would give him a little action and see how long I could last for $40. So I step up and ask him if he would like to play some. We settled on $5 eight ball. I get $35 ahead but know he is the better player. Not sure about the stall. Now he wants to raise the bet. I told him, "Look I know you are the better player and I was just going to give you a little action. I won it at $5 a game, that is how you will get it back." Now the stall is off and he still can't get it back. He quit $35 stuck after another half dozen games.

My very first lesson in gambling:
I had played for drinks and played challenge tables for money but had never matched up with anyone. Heck I did not even know what "match up" meant. One night I went into my local tavern with my brand new Huebler to try it out. There was only one other person in the bar and as soon as he saw me with a pool case his ears perked right up. As soon as I got to the table he was all over me. We agreed on eight ball(the only game I knew at that time) for $5. So I win the game, rather than paying me, he racks the balls and says, "Double or Nothin' ". I say "sure" as I am just learning this whole pool thing. I win again and same story, no money just rack and the demand of double or nothing. I win again, now I am up $35 and he demands that we play for $40.I have no intention of playing this guy that I have never seen before for $40. So when I politely decline the $40's, he says, "well if you won't play me for $40, I won't pay you the $35."

In my best diplomatic tone I explained to him how I was a novice pool player but I did not see the logic in playing him for $40 if he already owed me $35 and refused to pay. However if he payed me the money he owed me we could then negotiate the wager for the next game. HEH!! He could not argue the logic so dug out the money, (which he had plenty of) and paid me. I took the money, put it in my pocket, unscrewed and told him to "go have fun with himself",;) not those words but the ones that go with the your number one salute.
 

BullBuchanan

Registered
As someone who has played poker long before I got into pool, I know the gambling world well. A lot of gamblers, even myself, get pissed in the moment if you hit and run on them, but that is their problem. The point of gambling is to win, and you can't win if it's not good etiquette to quit while you're ahead. It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

Pool is especially a game where you should pay not attention to this kind of social mandate as each game or race is a self contained unit. When you initiate a gamble in pool, it should be for the unit. If you want to play $20 a game, then you better win that game. It's not $20 a game for 20 games.

Likewise, if you want to make sure you get your moneys-worth than play a set to $100, or whatever. The stipulations are up to you, but don't let anybody con you into thinking you can't walk away with their money; that's hustling 101.

Keep in mind, pool is the game where players call "you double kissed the 8, you lose!", "it didn't go in clean", "you knocked my ball in before your ball", and my personal favorite "you didn't call it off the rail". Don't listen to anything a pool player says about etiquette.

Be a polite and respectful player until treated otherwise, and just win, baby.
 

Snapshot9

son of 3 leg 1 eye dog ..
Silver Member
Truth

be told, most players decide depending if they are in the driver's seat or the passenger seat, and how well their opponent plays, and how much the bet is. If we are playing cheap, less than a $100 a set, I will do things that I might not do for $100 a set or more.

Sometimes, depending on who I am playing, I will make an agreement, that we have to play 2 more sets after someone wants to quit. That way, it gives either one of us a chance to get some money back before we finally quit. If I am playing a stranger, I will start out cheap to test the water before trying to bump it up. I always watch someone shoot before playing them, so I can get a feel on their speed.

Last stranger I played was Sam Cole, a running buddy of Glenn Atwell for
$25 a set. He won the first set, and I noticed I had him 6-5, and he won the last 2 games. I won the second set, and he quit. We played pretty even.
 

Horsetrader

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
It's possible you could have missed the score of a life time. Although it's also possible you could have missed being beat physically within an inch of your life. You have to read the person when playing for money. VERY IMPORTANT to read the person. You did the safe thing, but I probably would have not said what you did. People in bars come from all walks of life. This person could have just came out of prison or had a fight with his wife, etc. Read the person.

My biggest score ever made in pool was from a person who could not play, had his own cue and talked the talked. However his personality was not threatening like the person you played. My score was over 14 thousand dollars. True story! In fact it was the biggest score I ever made in pool, and to think, I made this money from a person who could not run 3 balls. My point is, YOU NEVER KNOW whom you are playing or what they will lose.

In your situation, I would ask him to post the money. Go from there.
 
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