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.