Betting Obsession
- Thread starter Halter
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SS, in how many days will it reach that count? I would take the under but I'm already making it longer by posting.
Here's my personal take on it. When I was coming up I had to play the better players if I wanted to improve my game. The stronger players didn't play for free so I gambled with them and basically paid for the long slow lesson that lasted many years. Once I got to where I could complete I wanted a shot at winning my money back from them, so I gambled some more. Because I had to come up the hard way I don't feel I should play the new eggs for free either. They will be getting free lessons that I didn't get, and not paying their dues like many of us had to pay.
Many players can't focus without something on the line. Leagues certainly don't cut it for
me. The only time I seem to play my best in leagues is during higher level play.
I also feel winning money helps relieve the regrets I have over having wasted thousands of hours around a pool table. Sure I've had fun but I can only imagine what I could have accomplished had I done something else with my life!
Here's my personal take on it. When I was coming up I had to play the better players if I wanted to improve my game. The stronger players didn't play for free so I gambled with them and basically paid for the long slow lesson that lasted many years. Once I got to where I could complete I wanted a shot at winning my money back from them, so I gambled some more. Because I had to come up the hard way I don't feel I should play the new eggs for free either. They will be getting free lessons that I didn't get, and not paying their dues like many of us had to pay.
Many players can't focus without something on the line. Leagues certainly don't cut it for
me. The only time I seem to play my best in leagues is during higher level play.
I also feel winning money helps relieve the regrets I have over having wasted thousands of hours around a pool table. Sure I've had fun but I can only imagine what I could have accomplished had I done something else with my life!
If I play for fun, I don't feel the pressure, and I can't reach my best play.
I'm playing with a friend for who pays table time, that bet is enough for us to focus and to try hard.
If there are no bet, I feel that I'm not punished for my errors.
However I don't like big bets, and I'm not a gambler.
PS Playing for money, under pressure, helps me to handle my emotions in tournaments matches.
I'm playing with a friend for who pays table time, that bet is enough for us to focus and to try hard.
If there are no bet, I feel that I'm not punished for my errors.
However I don't like big bets, and I'm not a gambler.
PS Playing for money, under pressure, helps me to handle my emotions in tournaments matches.
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I'll bet that you weren't aware that you were in the majority when it comes to betting, eh Halter? It's true. More people don't bet than do bet.
But, of all the bettors out there who do bet, only the better bettors bet successfully. Strange, but true.
I once had a friend named Betty, who was a compulsive bettor, She'd bet on anything.
One day at the track she bet on a horse named Barney. Well, as it turns out, betting on Barney was the best bet Betty ever made because Barney came in first and paid Betty better than ten to one on her bet.
I don't know what ever became of Betty, but you can bet she's still out there betting.
I have a headache now so I'm going back to bed. :smile:
In case you hadnt noticed, people in this country like to bet and will bet on anything given a chance.
You dont want to play for the cash, dont play for it, i dont blame you, probably will save you a lot of aggravation as well as money.
I wish i would have thought of that when i was shooting craps pretty good, lol.
My thinking on this subject is why worry about the outcome of a shot if you have nothing to lose. I play mostly 1pocket and the money keeps you from shooting crazy shots that may workout or not and you sell out. Playing for money makes you focus more than just shooting for fun.--Smitty
All depends on your goal, if your ambitions is to be very skillful pool player, and be the best player in the pool hall, then that is not going to be cheap! you have to elevate your game and shoot under pressure, bet or play tournaments. If the goal, just hang out in your spare time, chat with friends, drink bear, then yes, pool is secondary and no need to bet.
ill take the under, only cause we just has the one set pull-up debate ,
bet $0.50 please confirm:thumbup:
i love pool, always have. I have a few friends who i play have a great time with and dont bet, because they are my friends and i enjoy their company. Also i play them when i see them for example in Germany I have friends here i never gamble with i come play them a couple times a year, its a good time. I play seriously because they are solid players.
Having said that, pool in periods of time in my life was a means to a end, i was to lazy to work, and could scratch up enough $$$ to sustain myself, however that got old and REALLY tool ALL the fun out of it.
So the answer lays in the middle for me, first off if its worth doing its worth doing for $$, second when you play for $$$, you play with more focus because you know making a bad decision or being sloppy can cost you $100, you tighten up real fast after you get stung by that a few times. That improves your game at any level. And lastly $$$ won is twice as sweet as $$$ earned.
Most everyone who has played for a number of years will eventually play for $$, some guys do play for high stakes then after a few years, lower their bets, but still bet they come full circle. I can see my self doing that someday. Right now i still like to press it up in the right spot, i think in 2-5 years i might bet smaller.
Action is part of pool for most people, if it never happens for you thats cool, personally i think your missing out on part of pool, but thats cool still play and bet only if you want to never let anyone pressure you.
Betting at pool is a lot like pickpocketing. The winner can usually be determined before play begins.
Betting and nagging other players into gambling is what takes money out of the pool room owner's pocket. It drives paying customers away.
If you have a big ego, like you do, you must stroke the shaft of the cue into the air before you shoot to get everybody's attention that a fantastic shot that only you and Earl Strickland can fire, is coming right up. If the entire audience is not paying attention, get off the shot and start your pre-shot routine all over again.
Gamblers do for pool, what Mike Lebron and Buddy Hall did for ESPN coverage of big tournaments.
Betting and nagging other players into gambling is what takes money out of the pool room owner's pocket. It drives paying customers away.
If you have a big ego, like you do, you must stroke the shaft of the cue into the air before you shoot to get everybody's attention that a fantastic shot that only you and Earl Strickland can fire, is coming right up. If the entire audience is not paying attention, get off the shot and start your pre-shot routine all over again.
Gamblers do for pool, what Mike Lebron and Buddy Hall did for ESPN coverage of big tournaments.
very well said,
This post is a perfect example of someone who know themself very well and makes the best of it, we should all be so wise.
My story:
Thats the early stage of playing pool for $$, i dont gamble in casino's at all period, no poker etc. but in pool i do bet and over the years as i'v became a better player i have pressed the bet's up(not all the time). i have zero urge to gamble but if i find the right 1P game i'll bet $5,000/rack. Last time i bet 4K/rack i played like a scared little kid, horrible, i came back to LA got into some $500 action and ran right thru it, like it was nothing. i'm finally almost even from the $4K/rack day-who i will play again.
thats hustling, i have played the same guy in some cases 20-30 times over a period of months or years. Thats gambling. respectfully there is a difference.
the Buddy & Mike thing I have heard both sides of that story and contrary to popular belief, I dont think we will ever know the whole truth. the only thing I know for sure that was the ugliest pool table ever they played on. My God what were they thinking when they painted it
Most people who do not bet on pool usually do not play very well which is smart for them not to bet. I personally like to have something on it even if its just $5 a game or a friendly dinner because if someone beats you with nothing on the game or just the opposite then it really has little to no meaning. I would rather practice most times play by myself then play someone for nothing, I get more out of it frankly.
you got me, i'll be in Vegas soon, in a month at the most. i need to get ready, your in stroke and i aint, i'm 50% at best right now and that aint gonna get me there.
$$$ also motivates me to practice to get ready for action, its boring as can be to shoot practice drills etc with no reason or purpose(after you been playing for years), when i need to get ready i figure out whats not right and fix it, right now i'm hitting the CB a hair to the right, i know what to look for in my game to fix(most of the time, sometimes i need help with that-why i'm not a champion)
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It is all about psychology
There are two types of gamblers out there that will not play pool with you unless there is a wager.
The smart gambler who is trying to make a living at it. Just like anyone who invests in stocks or buys and sells stuff for a proffit. That would include the majority of business owners that we all use on a daily basis. This person is what the general public calls a pool hustler. The truth is that anyone that makes a good return on any form of investment, playing pool, offering a service, buying stuff to resell is a hustler. All of the people you see on the forbes richest person list are hustlers. You don't get on that list for being lazy.
Then there is the pathological gambler who is actually a sick person. They loose most of the time, they are the ones who have ruined their lives because they want something for nothing and keep going for the magic bet that will change their lives.
I play pool to enjoy the art of making balls and floating the cue around the table for the next shot. I will gamble with people but will also play just as hard for nothing. And there are people who will concentrate harder when something is involved but still recreational gamblers.
I played an apa 5 last night who has handed over to me hundreds of dollars in the past because he felt that if you don't play for something, then you will not try as hard. He wanted to test himself against me in the past. I basically drilled the shit out of him last night for free. 12 to 1 at nine ball. Maybe he was not playing as hard because of the lack of a bet, and he has always had closer scores in the past but it did not matter to me.
You have to understand who you are up against when you get an offer to gamble.
When the hustlers hit up on me, even when I have a good chance of beating them. I tell them that I have a different reason for being in the pool hall than they do. I am interested in having fun. These are the guys that will start an argument about a call or something because it is not about having fun for them, it is about paying bills. And I really enjoy hearing them complain when we break even or they loose. Sorry, I am not going to pay this months rent for you, hahaha.
I had a very funny encounter about six months ago with a hustler. This guy comes over to my table as I am practicing and wants to play and play for money. I said lets play for free and he is saying no, lets play for cash. He is acting like he is drunk, etc. Real hustlers moves, hahaha. After about thirty minutes of badgering I agree to play for something and we start off and I get up on him and after about an hour his friend who is also a friend of mine comes in and tells him. Hey, is this the guy you called me about on your cell phone about how you have a sucker. He plays two balls better than you, your the sucker. So the guy sobered up, hahaha and quit.
Yeah, these guys that feel that they paid to get better by being raped by better players as they were learning feel that it is the way of life and now you need to bend over for them. Don't belive it. You can find good players that will play for nothing if that is what you want to do.
There are two types of gamblers out there that will not play pool with you unless there is a wager.
The smart gambler who is trying to make a living at it. Just like anyone who invests in stocks or buys and sells stuff for a proffit. That would include the majority of business owners that we all use on a daily basis. This person is what the general public calls a pool hustler. The truth is that anyone that makes a good return on any form of investment, playing pool, offering a service, buying stuff to resell is a hustler. All of the people you see on the forbes richest person list are hustlers. You don't get on that list for being lazy.
Then there is the pathological gambler who is actually a sick person. They loose most of the time, they are the ones who have ruined their lives because they want something for nothing and keep going for the magic bet that will change their lives.
I play pool to enjoy the art of making balls and floating the cue around the table for the next shot. I will gamble with people but will also play just as hard for nothing. And there are people who will concentrate harder when something is involved but still recreational gamblers.
I played an apa 5 last night who has handed over to me hundreds of dollars in the past because he felt that if you don't play for something, then you will not try as hard. He wanted to test himself against me in the past. I basically drilled the shit out of him last night for free. 12 to 1 at nine ball. Maybe he was not playing as hard because of the lack of a bet, and he has always had closer scores in the past but it did not matter to me.
You have to understand who you are up against when you get an offer to gamble.
When the hustlers hit up on me, even when I have a good chance of beating them. I tell them that I have a different reason for being in the pool hall than they do. I am interested in having fun. These are the guys that will start an argument about a call or something because it is not about having fun for them, it is about paying bills. And I really enjoy hearing them complain when we break even or they loose. Sorry, I am not going to pay this months rent for you, hahaha.
I had a very funny encounter about six months ago with a hustler. This guy comes over to my table as I am practicing and wants to play and play for money. I said lets play for free and he is saying no, lets play for cash. He is acting like he is drunk, etc. Real hustlers moves, hahaha. After about thirty minutes of badgering I agree to play for something and we start off and I get up on him and after about an hour his friend who is also a friend of mine comes in and tells him. Hey, is this the guy you called me about on your cell phone about how you have a sucker. He plays two balls better than you, your the sucker. So the guy sobered up, hahaha and quit.
Yeah, these guys that feel that they paid to get better by being raped by better players as they were learning feel that it is the way of life and now you need to bend over for them. Don't belive it. You can find good players that will play for nothing if that is what you want to do.
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I would not call it in stroke, haha, I probably hit balls once a week for an hour or two just so my arm does not get too much rust on it. It will be fun to play, maybe a little dinner challenge, I am always hungry. :smile: