Tournaments or Gambling...Which makes you a stronger player?

jtompilot said:
Funny you should talk about trophy’s vs cash. I used to race mountain bikes, we only got trophies. One day at a pool tournament, one of the guys there was asking how much it cost to enter the MTB race's and how much money you win. I just laughed, $30 and it’s only trophy’s you win. He said screw that🤣 the only trophy I kept is the one at the end of the year when I won the race series in my category. I do prefer cash🤣🎱
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That belt only holds up your pants.
 
Tobermory said:
I don’t have anything on topic to contribute. I did, however, want to congratulate the person who raised the question. For the last week or so the other topics on the Forum have seemed less than interesting. I was worried at first that this string might be just a mirage in the desert for a man dying of thirst, but it has turned into a mini-oasis.
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At any point you're bored you could find one of the many times most questions were discussed before up in hrrre!
 
gregcantrall said:
Another reply was, "gambling is against the law." To which I would say, "pool tournaments are legal. We can play a single game single elimination tournament for 5. Just you and me. When that tournament is complete we will play another." 🤷‍♂️
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Actually if it came down to a court, pool tournaments are not legal in many states. If the players are putting up their own money in a pot and playing for it it is illegal. If they are playing for a prize put up by a promoter then it is not.

I was at a tournament in Florida that was raided for that very reason. It was at Pete Omans room in Melbourne. Don't remember the final outcome but we all went home happy we weren't arrested.
 
middleofnowhere said:
Actually if it came down to a court, pool tournaments are not legal in many states. If the players are putting up their own money in a pot and playing for it it is illegal. If they are playing for a prize put up by a promoter then it is not.

I was at a tournament in Florida that was raided for that very reason. It was at Pete Omans room in Melbourne. Don't remember the final outcome but we all went home happy we weren't arrested.
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I was familiar with a court case in Washington state, between 2 two man teams from Seattle/Tacoma and Portland. At the conclusion of the match they refused to pay. Claimed a gambling debt was not enforce able. Harry Platis took them to court and prevailed on......"It's Not gambling. It's a contest of skill." The judge agreed and they paid up. 🤷‍♂️
Laws and the enforcement of varying wildly.
I flashback to Cole's confessed to asking, "how about I give you your money back and leave?".........."Okay how about all of my money too?"
Okay was the reply. Ya gotta know when to hold 'em. And when to walk away. Hopefully not Run!!!
 
jlrowe said:
Kind of been thinking about this. Do you think that Gambling or Tournaments make you a stronger player. Personally, I think that Gambling made me a stronger player than tournaments. I really never liked tournaments that well. I would rather gamble. I get in more table time and i can hit the gear that i rarely catch in a tournament. I dont like sitting around waiting. I think if i only played tournaments I would not have had the drive to put in the time to improve. I guess there are certain people that are wired different. I always had the mentality that hey ive only got 20 to say 100 bucks invested in this tournament so if i go out it is no big deal. But if i am playing for money it a whole other ball game. Seems like most of the greatest players were gamblers also or is that not true? Are there pro players that do not or have never gambled? If so, i bet it is a very small percentage like 10 percent or something. Are European players, UK snooker players big gamblers?
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Gambling makes you a stronger gambler, tournaments make you a stronger tournament player,
 
gregcantrall said:
I was familiar with a court case in Washington state, between 2 two man teams from Seattle/Tacoma and Portland. At the conclusion of the match they refused to pay. Claimed a gambling debt was not enforce able. Harry Platis took them to court and prevailed on......"It's Not gambling. It's a contest of skill." The judge agreed and they paid up. 🤷‍♂️
Laws and the enforcement of varying wildly.
I flashback to Cole's confessed to asking, "how about I give you your money back and leave?".........."Okay how about all of my money too?"
Okay was the reply. Ya gotta know when to hold 'em. And when to walk away. Hopefully not Run!!!
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Before writing that I made sure to do a little research cuz I wanted to be sure. Even though I was involved in the incident that I mentioned as a player I wanted to see what current laws were.

Florida actually specifically mentioned even games of skill it's gambling. It's got the penny anti law where home card games can get busted if the pots exceed a certain amount.

The real offense is by the person putting on the tournament. If they advertise the tournament advertise prize funds charge admission even selling refreshments and stuff during the play. Pretty much any way shape or form that they profit by it it can be defined as operating an illegal gambling enterprise if the players entry fees make up the price fund.

In most counties you would actually have to apply for a separate license to put on an event like a pool tournament. I guess similar to when a carnival comes to town or a circus, or rodeo. Nobody ever gets charged with any of this stuff usually, but the laws are still floating around on the books when you look.
 
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Thread 'Better for improvement: tournaments or waging'

Thank you to everyone for past responses to my posts. I recently heard about a book, the Hustler and the Champ and the differences both players contributed to the pool world. I have yet to pick up a copy but just the title hits home with a current crossroads I am facing.

A little on my background first. I have always had a deep love for our sport from it's history, community, competitive nature, equipment, antique memoriablia and collectible items. Outside of my family, pool is my first love. I am a decent player, a strong B with the ability to play pretty sporty with A players at...

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Thread 'League, Gambling or Tournaments'

I just started playing pool again about a year or so ago after about a 10 year hiatus. I joined the APA league, got ranked and all that. But I wanna know what prepares you better as a player. I don't gamble and I only entered one tournament which I did come in third. I am kinda getting bored beating the same old comp every week and I feel like im not gonna get any better at this rate. Do you guys feel you got better from doing tourneys or gambling or both?

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Thread 'Gambling makes you a better player'

I started playing pool in the early 80s when everybody gambled,thats how we gauged your game.The pool room was shark tank and if you couldn't gamble you were eaten alive.I also believe the old timers that hung out in the pool room were valuable for knowlege.My pool room was full of people who knew alot about pool from the owner to the guy that fixed your pool cue.We played each other for money and also seen alot action from the road players.The tournaments we had brought out the best players in the world and they all gambled.These players are now Hall of Famers.My question is Does any of...

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Thread 'Higher Stakes = More Improvement or No?'

I think a significant portion of the pool playing community has long recognized that, at least for many people, engaging in “action” matches can have a positive impact on the skill level of those competing. This makes sense, as with something at stake, the participants are likely going to “try their hardest” to win, so as to not lose money.

Of course, this practice stands in contrast to playing maybe by yourself practicing or against an opponent with “nothing” on the line.

My question to the forum is this: Does anyone believe there is a benefit to developing skill level in pool where...

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Thread 'Does gambling improve your game?'

I was always told that gambling at pool helped your game more than just doing drills or banging balks around. Is this true? And why or why not?

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Thread 'Fact or Fiction: Gambling Makes You A Better Player'

I have heard ever since I started playing pool that you have to gamble to get better. I have never found this to be true and I was just thinking about it today. I have come to realize that the only way that I can get any better is by putting in the time on the practice table. This improvement can be confirmed by playing in a tournament or gambling with others, or just playing with others (oh the horror). However, I cannot recall a time when a shot that I was previously unable to make, I all of sudden was able to make simply because I had a few dollars on the line. What gambling...
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Previously discussed a few times
 
Gambling has always given me way more time on the table, which in the end is what we all need.
Tournaments are great for extra pressure, and let you work on how well you can handle it.
 
What makes you a stronger player is swallowing your ego and playing against players that are better than you.

The most American thing ever is the fact that practicing wasn't even considered as an option
 
maha said:
playing better players getting a spot and winning does make you a better player.

playing them even just gets you broke or a lighter weight wallet.
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That's funny, where I'm from the better players are pretty outspoken about the fact that handicap tournaments don't make you better.

I halfway agree with them. If you're not entering tournaments where you're an underdog to cash and won't gamble unless you've got the nuts - that's fine and a perfectly sound financial decision...just don't expect to get better at the game.
 
why its even better if you get a spot. if forces the other player to chose the right shots and not let down. plus you get to last longer and get more time in. and maybe even win sometimes if you are smart.
 
You can't just define it as tournament vs. gambling, way too many variables.

Say in a tournament you are on a small heater and have won 4 matches, each a race to 11. Played a minimum of 44 games max of what 84 games?
There is a very very strong possibility that you never have to play that many game gambling, unless maybe you play an ahead set, then probably not gonna happen.

You could be playing races to 7 or by the game and only end up playing a few games.

Just a lot that can happen.
 
A poker player might be a great cash game player, but not a very good tournament player, or vice versa.

We always compare our sport to other sports/games and this certainly applies here.

But if I had to bet, I am taking the gambler....😏😏
 
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