Finally Lost Playing for Money...

Get_A_Grip

Truth Will Set You Free
Silver Member
Well, it was bound to happen. I've been on a streak in the bars playing for money and not losing.

My current strategy is to not ask anyone to play for money, but if anyone asks, I will play. This is mainly to prevent any problems or hard feelings.

This night wasn't a random person. I was being set up by someone to play the top player in the league (per league averages).

I was asked what I wanted to play for by the guy setting this up. I said $100 per game. He then responded with, how about $20 a game. I said fine.

Then when the player stepped up, I told him that I heard he wanted to play for $20 a game, and he said, how about $10 a game. When I asked his name, he obviously confirmed my suspicion that he was the top player.

Now, I only did this in this manner, because I haven't yet lost to any player in a bar for money. My general theory is that someone's league average over a whole season quite actually describes their level of play. This guy is a 15.8 average, while I'm a 10.6, but I wanted to judge my play against him nonetheless, even though I was a huge underdog.

We played for a few hours. It went like this. I started out up 3 games. He then was up 6 games. I won 5 in a row and then I got even. He indicated that he needed to leave due to his wife, but I asked him to keep playing (it was getting late).

His consistency took hold and I missed 2-3 run outs in a row when I was down to my last ball, thus he surged ahead to up 7 games right before bar close. I paid him off, but I was happy with my play. It was a very enjoyable night. He even commented that his wife may not mind when he tells her that he was playing a really good player.

In conclusion, I generally gamble with players very close to my average or below -- but in this case, it was a fun night and I had a good showing. In fact, this match motivated me to work even harder on my game.

I'm not foolish enough to play him for money again though. I'm not stupid. I have the firepower to string a few racks and to beat him in a shorter race, but I definitely realize that his high average resulted in consistency that I just could not match.

I just thought that I would post this, instead of only posting the times where I win. Does anyone have any similar stories?
 
Well considering your opening offer of a Cecil a rack turned into $10 a rack, the guy you said was setting you up saved you $630. Moral of the story, it could have been worse.
 
The question is why are you gambling? To make money, to test your game under pressure, to exploit the weak, addiction, etc?

When I gamble I usually do it for the competition against people I enjoy playing with. Sometimes they are better or the same speed as me. Sometimes they are weaker but doing it to get better. I always enjoy competing with respectful like minded folks.
 
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The question is why are you gambling? To make money, to test your game under pressure, to exploit the weak, addiction, etc?

good question... it's bad business to put in the work only to give the profits to a guy you know is a better player.

make the better players have to sneak-up on you or sweat it till they give-up the nuts.

good thing the guys setting you up were on your side.
 
I very rarely play for money. But the other night I went down for the local weekly tournament playing 8-Ball on the bar box. I end up playing a guy on my team and he is rated an A and I am rated a B so he has to spot me a game. I win the first one and then I just got tight. Couldnt run out. Couldnt make a ball. Just pathetic and he ends up stomping me.

Now I am just hanging out watching a few guys play and next round he gets beat and asks if I want to play a little 9 ball on the big tables. I agree. He wants to go race to 7 for 10 and since I was playing terrible I said nah lets just do race to 5 for 5. Yeah I know it is cheap, but like I said I very rarely play for money. I get on the big table and just cant miss. I played free and loose. I did slop in one 9 ball but even on that shot I think I made the ball I intended to. I ended up winning 5-1 I think.

With as bad as I was playing I think he thought he would be stealing and I really thought the same which caused me to just lighten up and free stroke. That is probably the best I have played on the big tables in a long time.
 
First for me

B player asks A player to play for $100 a rack on a barbox, either someone's sandbagging or someone has too much money, where is this bar? you might have some company soon.
 
Well, it was bound to happen. I've been on a streak in the bars playing for money and not losing.

My current strategy is to not ask anyone to play for money, but if anyone asks, I will play. This is mainly to prevent any problems or hard feelings.

This night wasn't a random person. I was being set up by someone to play the top player in the league (per league averages).

I was asked what I wanted to play for by the guy setting this up. I said $100 per game. He then responded with, how about $20 a game. I said fine.

Then when the player stepped up, I told him that I heard he wanted to play for $20 a game, and he said, how about $10 a game. When I asked his name, he obviously confirmed my suspicion that he was the top player.

Now, I only did this in this manner, because I haven't yet lost to any player in a bar for money. My general theory is that someone's league average over a whole season quite actually describes their level of play. This guy is a 15.8 average, while I'm a 10.6, but I wanted to judge my play against him nonetheless, even though I was a huge underdog.

We played for a few hours. It went like this. I started out up 3 games. He then was up 6 games. I won 5 in a row and then I got even. He indicated that he needed to leave due to his wife, but I asked him to keep playing (it was getting late).

His consistency took hold and I missed 2-3 run outs in a row when I was down to my last ball, thus he surged ahead to up 7 games right before bar close. I paid him off, but I was happy with my play. It was a very enjoyable night. He even commented that his wife may not mind when he tells her that he was playing a really good player.

In conclusion, I generally gamble with players very close to my average or below -- but in this case, it was a fun night and I had a good showing. In fact, this match motivated me to work even harder on my game.

I'm not foolish enough to play him for money again though. I'm not stupid. I have the firepower to string a few racks and to beat him in a shorter race, but I definitely realize that his high average resulted in consistency that I just could not match.

I just thought that I would post this, instead of only posting the times where I win. Does anyone have any similar stories?

Interesting story. Where are you located and do you match up with people who you aren't familiar with from your local league?
 
The question is why are you gambling? To make money, to test your game under pressure, to exploit the weak, addiction, etc?

When I gamble I usually do it for the competition against people I enjoy playing with. Sometimes they are better or the same speed as me. Sometimes they are weaker but doing it to get better. I always enjoy competing with respectful like minded folks.
I don't do it "for" the money. It adds extra pressure and makes the game more fun for me and more of a challenge.
 
What are these numbers? What ranking system is it?

JC
It's the player's average for 3 games.

Scoring is 1 point for each opponent's ball is left on the table plus 2 points for the 8-ball, for a maximum per game of 9 points.
 
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Interesting story. Where are you located and do you match up with people who you aren't familiar with from your local league?
Over the last few years, I've matched up with anyone and everyone that I run across in the bars. This guy that I played I had never seen before. This is my first time playing in this league and I don't know anyone that plays in it.

I'm not necessarily looking to play strangers that play as good as this guy or better. Although, if I did happen to run into a stranger in the bar that I'm in, I would certainly play. Last night I played a guy that I've never seen before. He asked to play for money, but when I said "yes", he then changed his tune and said that he didn't have much money on him. I guess that he was just "testing" me.
 
he set you up and then wanted to play for the price of a hamburger.
Money is relative. The guy I was playing was currently unemployed. So yeah, he could have won a lot more, but he didn't have enough cash on him.
 
B player asks A player to play for $100 a rack on a barbox, either someone's sandbagging or someone has too much money, where is this bar? you might have some company soon.
I can string racks together, so on a barbox, I figure on any given night that I can beat anyone in a short race. In fact, I beat the guy 5 games in a row at one point. I would rate myself at a A- probably. But if a 10.6 average is a "B", then that is fine.

I've played for a few years in a different town with ~300 players and have had the high division average twice with as high as a 11.5 average one year.
 
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