Race to 5 or 5 ahead?
- Thread starter Michael Andros
- Start date
I prefer playing ahead, instead of sets.
Playing by the game is fine, also.
Short sets are crap shoots.
Playing by the game is fine, also.
Short sets are crap shoots.
:yeah: :yeah: :yeah:
This is why you should bet more and play ahead sets.
dabarbr
Quote:
Originally Posted by zeeder View Post
I can see how it’s easier to give back a game or two to keep them on the hook without risking them getting lucky and winning a race as well.
This is why you should bet more and play ahead sets.
One of the many reasons.
Quote:
Originally Posted by zeeder View Post
I can see how it’s easier to give back a game or two to keep them on the hook without risking them getting lucky and winning a race as well.
This is why you should bet more and play ahead sets.
One of the many reasons.
I don't play enough these days to get out of the gate very quickly. Races are fine for cheap, but if real money is at stake I'd rather it be an ahead set. At some point I'll catch a gear and have a shot.
I think it's a much more fair assessment of a person's speed. Or at least, in most cases.
For cheap sets I prefer short sets.
For more expensive sets I prefer to play "x" ahead sets.
To some, a race to 7 for ~$50 is cheap to others it may not be but to me, anything less than $50 or so the set should not take all day/night.
On the other hand, to me, if the wager is say ~$500 and up well, at that point I believe the better player has the advantage with 5 ahead vs. race to 7.
Rake
For more expensive sets I prefer to play "x" ahead sets.
To some, a race to 7 for ~$50 is cheap to others it may not be but to me, anything less than $50 or so the set should not take all day/night.
On the other hand, to me, if the wager is say ~$500 and up well, at that point I believe the better player has the advantage with 5 ahead vs. race to 7.
Rake
Couldn't agree more on all counts.
Races to 5, which in 9-ball even if the set goes hill/hill would generally take less than an hour. It is most likely the case that the players have agreed there will be multiple sets involved in the session, so losing any one set may not be as critical. I prefer to play races like this, as there is opportunity to get your game together even if you start out slow and get down one or two sets. On the flip side if you can get up a 2-3 sets, then you can try to go in for the knockout punch.
Playing ahead sets, at least in 9-ball, it is more likely the ahead set will be a 7-ahead or 9-ahead set. In the case of two fairly even matched players or if the spot involved equalizes the players, it may a very long set/session. It will likely be for a more considerable $ stake, and the session may consist of only one set, or the players may re-negotiate if they decide to play another set.
If one player clearly feels they have an advantage, it really doesn't matter which format is chosen, they figure to win either way over the long run. However, if the match-up is just going to consist of one single set, the better player should always opt for the longer set, which is going to be the ahead set. That is precisely why, whenever you play a road player in a race and he thinks he's the better player, anytime the race gets to hill/hill, they are likely to offer you the opportunity to start the set over and double the stakes. They know anything can happen in one single game.
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Most of the big "ahead" sets around here were in the "chemical warfare" days. I remember one 7-ahead set lasting over 3 days. Those two guys damn near wore-out the hinges on the bathroom door!!
Trust me, "chemical warfare" is still alive and well in pool.
Sure the chemicals are different but still just as effective. I play a fellow ever now and then (member on here) that goes to the damn bathroom at least 4 times a hour while we are playing. Why, I have no idea because his is pill form. I know it, he knows it, everyone knows it.
He plays very strong for about 15 to 20 minutes at a time.
He always loses to me though. Why? Well, as soon as he takes his chemical break, I take a break but don't leave the table area and give his weapons time wear off.....then he is dead meat.
We play once every few months.
BTW, we will play $200 sets while he uses $200 worth of chemicals. Lol....even if he won he would just be even.
Don't make sense to me.
Rake
I've always found ( and seen ) that in ahead sets, more $$$ is bet, by and large. Of course I've seen races for tons and ahead sets for cheap but, mostly, it's the opposite. The better player always has the edge in ahead sets as well as long races. But, for whatever reason, ahead sets seem to be pretty much passe'. And that's too bad.
"Better living ( and losing ) through chemistry."
if the man i am playing has a lot of money
and gamble,i prefer playing short races so i can win several
if my opponent only has a limited budget,or pulls up soon as he loses a game or two
if i play him i want to freeze up his entire stack on an ahead
it is usually not good to last type of guy,but i have found it best to freeze up on an ahead with him
and gamble,i prefer playing short races so i can win several
if my opponent only has a limited budget,or pulls up soon as he loses a game or two
if i play him i want to freeze up his entire stack on an ahead
it is usually not good to last type of guy,but i have found it best to freeze up on an ahead with him
Very good plan to post as much as possible on the ahead set, *if* you can get the "lose a game or two and pull up" player ( read: nit ) to post up anything really worth playing a long set for. As was posted earlier, it always seemed much easier to get the gun-shy type to play another set if the set took longer. If they get beat quickly ( short races ), they seem to pull up that much faster.
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This is how I always won the real money. You gotta get up 3 or more sets, give a little more weight and let them bet higher. The pressure is all on them and most guys fold.
If you want to see who the better player is and get a rail bet , ahead sets are good. Course you see a lot of dog and pony shows in ahead sets just to dump the rail. Easy to do.
The grind of an ahead match under pressure throws the average player/gambler under the bus and they know it so they either play by the game, do short races or do not play at all.
Rake
True dat. I always preferred by the game, actually. Then ahead sets. Races came in dead last.
True dat. I always preferred by the game, actually. Then ahead sets. Races came in dead last.
My exact sentiments. Burns my ass to lose it all 7-6 or 9-8. Yes, you can go back for more sets but the outcome can still be a 1 game loss.
Hill - hill for the cheese is a sweater's delight. For betters? Not so much. At least not for me.