In the small midwest town where I grew up in the 50s (10,000 population) there were 5 poolrooms. In the two or three with better equipment, there was always a continuous ring game going on (dimes or quarters)...after all, that’s why they called it ‘POOL’. The ‘gambling’ aspect is why I still can’t always control the cueball! I was conditioned when young to turn whitey loose, just to see where he would end up, much like how roulette players stare at the wheel to see where that little ball will land. I HAVE gotten smarter over the years, and can usually resist the the inclination under pressure to revert to my childhood instincts.
But (go figure), I now find myself residing in a ‘bible belt’ geographic location where absolutely NO ONE is interested in gambling on pool games! The ‘sportsman’ class of ‘game’ individuals who were always ready for action has apparently died out. I (luckily) was never an inveterate gambler who played for high stakes, but Jeez, WTF, why is nobody willing to risk even chicken feed to make the game more interesting?
The world certainly has changed.
But (go figure), I now find myself residing in a ‘bible belt’ geographic location where absolutely NO ONE is interested in gambling on pool games! The ‘sportsman’ class of ‘game’ individuals who were always ready for action has apparently died out. I (luckily) was never an inveterate gambler who played for high stakes, but Jeez, WTF, why is nobody willing to risk even chicken feed to make the game more interesting?
The world certainly has changed.
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