What do you consider Cheap?

Buster8001

Buster8001

Did you say shrubberies?
Silver Member
First let me qualify this by saying I know everyone has different financial backgrounds.

My job takes me out on the road a good bit. while Im out, I enjoy stopping by local pool room. Most of the time I play by myself, but every now and then I like a little action. So I ask around and usually have no problem finding it. But when I mention cheap sets I usually get a sigh or mean look. I like the feeling of action and the focus it brings, but I dont run with a lot of cash when I travel for work. Most expenses go to the corporate card for reimbursement. So when I say "5 for 20" or "5 for 25" it just goes down hill. Most wanna play sets for 50 or higher, or even 10 - 20 a game. I guess Im just asking if my "5 for 20" is out of line or should I keep truck'n? Thanks guys and gals.

Josh
 
Buster8001 said:
First let me qualify this by saying I know everyone has different financial backgrounds.

My job takes me out on the road a good bit. while Im out, I enjoy stopping by local pool room. Most of the time I play by myself, but every now and then I like a little action. So I ask around and usually have no problem finding it. But when I mention cheap sets I usually get a sigh or mean look. I like the feeling of action and the focus it brings, but I dont run with a lot of cash when I travel for work. Most expenses go to the corporate card for reimbursement. So when I say "5 for 20" or "5 for 25" it just goes down hill. Most wanna play sets for 50 or higher, or even 10 - 20 a game. I guess Im just asking if my "5 for 20" is out of line or should I keep truck'n? Thanks guys and gals.

Josh
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If you walk into a pool room and ask the houseman if anyone wants to play races to 5 for 25 good for you. You put a price on what you want to bet not the other way around. I personally like to bet a little more but thats me. Never worry about what other people think. If thats your limit then its your limit.
 
The most I ever played was 30 a game in one hole. Cheap is relavant like you said. When someone asks my to play for 20 or whatever I almost always double it. I have been told people get comfortable playing for a certain amout and when you get them out of their comfort zone it messes with them. A guy I know wanted to play me for 5 a game at barbox 8. He shoots a bit stronger on a barbox so I said 20. He would not play for a while and finally decided to. I beat him 3 games and he quit. I think 10 a game(in one pocket) is enough to get you focused and keep you interested and that is what I usually play for.
 
Keep truck'n .............. if they don't like your action then they can say no thanks and walk away. Why worry about what someone else thinks?
 
Anything that averages 10-20 bucks a game is pretty cheap. Like 5 ahead for a 100 is a cheap set. Race to 7 or 9 for a 100 is a cheap set. Theyre all cheap sets under a Grand.
 
I think if you start winning or losing over a $100 is when it no longer becomes so cheap. JMO but when people start losing more than that it is when it starts not being a friendly game but a more serious one.
 
9B: $5-10 a game or 5/$20 is a typical small bet around here. Moderate money is $20-50 a game or 5/$50 - 7/$100. My last good bet was scotch-doubles 9B at 9/$1,200 ($600 a man).

1P: $10-30 a game or 3/$50 is a typical small bet around here. Moderate money is $40-100 a game. My last good bet was $50 a game (I'm convinced there are only 3 people in the world I can beat at 1P...and that was 1 of those guys).
 
I have just gotten away from sets altogether....I don't play often for money, but it's just easier to play $5 a game.....simple bet, easy to track, pay up at the end of each game.....I've seen people slide the coin an extra spot and all kinds of silly crap for a stupid, cheap set....I don't really like to gamble with friends, so the $5 a game just makes it easy....also, I don't have to remember to move the coin cause I am lazy :D
 
20 is ok with me

race to 5 for 20 is a cheap but friendly set; if you win by a couple sets, it'll pay your time, and maybe a beer for the opponent. If you win $80-100, it wouldn't be a bad idea to pay for the time and buy the guy a beer too. I always like to keep things friendly, as opposed to causing hard feelings by making things kinda cutthroat.
 
play what you want to play

As posts already show, some of the jacking the bet is purely a move and they would try to jack you up no matter what you started with. Some people don't want to play for a few dollars because it is too little, some don't want to play for a few dollars because it is too much.

Back when me and the world were both a lot younger bets started small and the game started even. Now the starting price often isn't any larger corrected for inflation and it takes two hours of negotiating to play a thirty minute cheap set. Yes, I'm an old grump but I liked things a lot better when folks were willing to stick a little out there to find out if the other person could play. I usually made at least two or three times typical blue collar wages on a pool table when I was betting small. Seemed to me that the same time on a pool table in the AC swinging a cue stick beat hell out of the deal a lot of poor bustards had out in the hot sun swinging a sledge hammer but that was just my way of thinking. I swung a sledge hammer twelve hours a day seven days a week for three weeks once, it was a long three weeks!

Hu
 
Cheap? It all depends on where you are at, and the kind of money that room has in it. Around here, race to 7 for 20 is standard and serious. Yesterday, after 2 sets I was even with a guy for 7-20. I asked him to raise it to 40, and he said he wanted the 8. I said o.k, and he said no! And, this is a guy that I have been playing for 20 years!

On the nest table were two guys playing race to 3 for 20-60. (they changed it up almost every set it seemed??) That is the biggest game I have seen around here in years.

Cheap is also relative. One guy can be betting 50 a set, and only have two barrels. He is betting everything he has. Another guy might be betting a thousand a set, but he has 100 barrels to throw. Which guy is betting cheap?? I say the guy with more money is.
 
If you can afford $100 sets or $25/game One Pocket, you might as well start off with $20 sets and $10/game One Pocket and work your way up if you want.

I wonder if those players that say it's too cheap even have enough to cover the 'cheap' bet?
And if you agree to play $100 sets... those same players will probably have to spend some time making phone calls to cover the 'post it up'
 
Back before I quit playing in 1994ish....I would play $1 games all the way up to 50.00 a game of 8 or 9 ball....I also played a guy from Wichita KS a few sets, race to 21 for 3500.00 and I usually won between me and him...I also played a guy Danny (cant remember his last name) at CJ's in Dallas a race to 17 for 2500..and I won 7500 off him over about a 18hr period...

Now, I havnt gambled much, Im mainly practicing as much as I can...I would say 5-20.00 games or sets of 25-500 or 100 wouldnt bother me too much...I did have a guy from Mcalester Ok come in to play me at my pool hall and he was kinda being smart and said he would play me for whatever I wanted....well, I threw down 4500 and said race to 21...he looked at me like i was crazy...so we didnt end up playing....he was supposed to be alot better player than me though. i wasnt being a smart az....he asked...and I told him....:confused:

Anyways...id keep doing what your doing....your not doing anything wrong....money is money....if u can win 5 here and there....thats 5 more than you had before you played:thumbup:
 
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Buster8001 said:
First let me qualify this by saying I know everyone has different financial backgrounds.

My job takes me out on the road a good bit. while Im out, I enjoy stopping by local pool room. Most of the time I play by myself, but every now and then I like a little action. So I ask around and usually have no problem finding it. But when I mention cheap sets I usually get a sigh or mean look. I like the feeling of action and the focus it brings, but I dont run with a lot of cash when I travel for work. Most expenses go to the corporate card for reimbursement. So when I say "5 for 20" or "5 for 25" it just goes down hill. Most wanna play sets for 50 or higher, or even 10 - 20 a game. I guess Im just asking if my "5 for 20" is out of line or should I keep truck'n? Thanks guys and gals.

Josh
Click to expand...


This is a interesting question, I never priced a pool game based on what $$$ I had/have. So when I was broke $50 9ball was $50 9ball-now that I have some $$ its still $50 9ball(same game), some guys who are flush with $$$ might not pick up a cue for $50 9ball, short stacks might think its alot, If its the rent $$$ then yes its alot. But if your paying $50 for rent you should re-think your life a bit and take up something new,


another interesting thing is when I started in 85 $100 sets got peoples attention, gas was 55 cents a gallon and cars were $7,000 back then. Szamboti cues were $1200. Today I would guess it would take $300 to be equal to $100 from 1985. My point is that the price of pool(betting) hasnt adjusted for inflation, we paid $1.90/hr pool time at night and half that during the day. At real fancy joints $5/hr was alot for pool time, we often played for $20 and time race to 11 9 ball, and would re-start the time each set.


For me It got serious at $50/set and above back then and it still does now, I havent adjusted for inflation in my pool pricing. I have alot more $$$ than back then but for some strange reason (I have thought about posting this many times and never did) when I go over $50, everything changes, I'm serious about what I'm doing. And $50 isnt going to effect me on bit. Funny how that works. Even if I could find action big enough to make a difference in my life It would still be pool, cause your just playing pool. I wouldnt change anything.


I'm in $10-$20 game action 5-6 days a week and once in a while more., I played some $5000 races to 6 this year. When you play the balls dont know about the $$$, so the bet is won or lost when you make the game not play the game, So when I play no matterthe bet I just play pool and let what happens happen.


So th answere the question, whats cheap? anything below $5/game has awalys been my thought. But its up to you, there is no right or wrong answere. my advice is dont be cheap. bet what you like and have fun, make $$$.

08 was my only losing year in pool and 09 is the same(so far), but there is time left.
 
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Fatboy said:
This is a interesting question, I never priced a pool game based on what $$$ I had/have. So when I was broke $50 9ball was $50 9ball-now that I have some $$ its still $50 9ball(same game), some guys who are flush with $$$ might not pick up a cue for $50 9ball, short stacks might think its alot, If its the rent $$$ then yes its alot. But if your paying $50 for rent you should re-think your life a bit and take up something new,


another interesting thing is when I started in 85 $100 sets got peoples attention, gas was 55 cents a gallon and cars were $7,000 back then. Szamboti cues were $1200. Today I would guess it would take $300 to be equal to $100 from 1985. My point is that the price of pool(betting) hasnt adjusted for inflation, we paid $1.90/hr pool time at night and half that during the day. At real fancy joints $5/hr was alot for pool time, we often played for $20 and time race to 11 9 ball, and would re-start the time each set.


For me It got serious at $50/set and above back then and it still does now, I havent adjusted for inflation in my pool pricing. I have alot more $$$ than back then but for some strange reason (I have thought about posting this many times and never did) when I go over $50, everything changes, I'm serious about what I'm doing. And $50 isnt going to effect me on bit. Funny how that works. Even if I could find action big enough to make a difference in my life It would still be pool, cause your just playing pool. I wouldnt change anything.


I'm in $10-$20 game action 5-6 days a week and once in a while more., I played some $5000 races to 6 this year. When you play the balls dont know about the $$$, so the bet is won or lost when you make the game not play the game, So when I play no matterthe bet I just play pool and let what happens happen.


So th answere the question, whats cheap? anything below $5/game has awalys been my thought. But its up to you, there is no right or wrong answere. my advice is dont be cheap. bet what you like and have fun, make $$$.

08 was my only losing year in pool and 09 is the same(so far), but there is time left.
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A very interesting perspective. I figured low stakes would be too boring for a high roller.

Betting amounts not adjusting to inflation is dead on too. 15 years ago, I'd play $100 sets of 9-ball and still see it now as the same bet today.
 
I play for love, not MONEY, and $1.00/Set, or $.25/Game is my limit. My buddy and I play all the time for the BREAK.

If I want to gamble I go to Vegas, or Laughlin, and i know the house will pay off if I win a lot.
 
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