Action Story - The Gambler vs The (well you fill in the blank)

I thought I would relay from time to time some of the gambling scenes I have witnessed over the years. Not that I am some big time gambler but have seen a lot thru the years.

Two locals, Ryan and a player from Chicago, were playing 9 ball, races to 11 for 1000 jellybeans. Both of these players have grown up gambling from the time they could count to 10. Ryan's father is a well known St Louis pool icon (for lack of a better word) and instilled just a tad bit of heart into his son. Here is the story:

The first set- nothing goes Ryan's way and he loses 11-0. It was a complete wipe out and he never had a chance. Without hesitation, Ryan pulls a quarter out of his pocket and says call it, ready to play a second set. Now this act of confidence was the first of two points that Ryan made that day which swayed the final result of this story that you will read. I need to add that Ryan was betting his own money (maybe with a small corporation involved in part of the bet) and Chicago player was getting staked. The other player's backer puts up the cabbage for the second set and they carry on.

Ryan wins the second set 11-0 equaling the blanking he had just received. I'm sure the Chicago player and his backer's head were spinning thinking they had a sure 2000 win for the day before the start of the second set. Obviously Ryan had other intentions.

They carry on to a third set, again same wager. This time it is much closer as the score remains close throughout. Ryan gets to the hill first but the other player joins him on the next game and the score is tied 10-10. The other player's backer asks Ryan if he wants to start over and double the bet or increase the bet. Ryan answers without hesitation - no I want to play one game for 1000. The other player's backer asks him again trying to convince him - don't you want to start over??, my man is breaking. Again Ryan answers - no I want to play one game for 1000.

Now we have reached the second act that Ryan took that day to get paid. His brashness and gamble was more than player and his backer wanted. The other player's backer tells Ryan - we are not going to play one game for 1000. Ryan replies - well that is what I want to do. If you don't want to play and the money is obviously posted, you can buy out for 200. The backer agreed and hands Ryan 200. :eek:

I look at this like a poker problem.
There is $2,000 in the pot.
The backer is offering $1,200 to get out of the bet.
The players are pretty evenly matched...they are 21/21 in games.
They play good enough that the break is an edge.
The backer must feel his player is worse than a 3/2 under-dog...
....even with the break advantage!
But he backed him even up.
And wanted to double the bet.

The backer is out to lunch..not a good life decision.

The backer isn't ready to play backgammon, where you should take a
cube when you're a 2/1 under-dog...the man who takes the cube
loses a lot less money in the long run.
 
Robert Newkirk from Ft Worth? He showed me a lot of gamble in the 70's the two times I played him.

Newkirk is a freind:D
He did get a lil nitty in the past couple years. He only dabbles anymore.

You do realize you are talking bout 40 yrs ago? LOL
 
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I look at this like a poker problem.
There is $2,000 in the pot.
The backer is offering $1,200 to get out of the bet.
The players are pretty evenly matched...they are 21/21 in games.
They play good enough that the break is an edge.
The backer must feel his player is worse than a 3/2 under-dog...
....even with the break advantage!
But he backed him even up.
And wanted to double the bet.

The backer is out to lunch..not a good life decision.

The backer isn't ready to play backgammon, where you should take a
cube when you're a 2/1 under-dog...the man who takes the cube
loses a lot less money in the long run.

Except if you go percentage wise....the offer is $400, not $1200.

Does this change your thinking?
 
Me and Oscar D. must have too much gamble then because when me and him played last year we were 24-24 goin to 25 for 10k and played the one game for it. :eek:
 
Except if you go percentage wise....the offer is $400, not $1200.

Does this change your thinking?

If you look at it as both players put $1000 on the light, there is $2000 in the pot.

You are getting $1200 back out of the pot to quit. Not the way I would look at it, but still one way to see it.
 
Me and Oscar D. must have too much gamble then because when me and him played last year we were 24-24 goin to 25 for 10k and played the one game for it. :eek:

Keith - the difference beyond the 1000 vs your 10000 is that Ryan was betting his own.
 
Having gamble is playing the one game for all the cheddar.

Ryan had gamble for wanting to play it out with the other guy breaking. Perhaps he had prudence to avoid an argument after the other guy's backer said they wouldn't play the last game.
 
Come on JB - you need to teach them how to play with a beer in one hand, on their knees.

And your meals are covered with or without you winning.

It's funny you say that. Table Tennis (actually really called Ping Pong in China) is a sport right?

So when I go to play now some of these guys are playing me with a cigarette and smoking between shots. It's ridiculous how much control they have running me around while they casually smoke.
 
With all due respect it doesn't matter who's money it is. One game for 10k is pretty sporty. And to b honest its probably a lil tougher with a horse in that situation considering the bet and it being staked. Because in case u dog it what kind of bs do u have to listen to??? If it's ur own money u only have to listen to ur thoughts and what went wrong
 
And I'm not sayin that it wouldn't have been tough for the dime either. I was just makin a comment about the way a set went between me and Oscar not to have a $/#@ measuring contest
 
And I'm not sayin that it wouldn't have been tough for the dime either. I was just makin a comment about the way a set went between me and Oscar not to have a $/#@ measuring contest

What if Oscar didn't want to play the last game for $10K?....would you have bought out for $2K?

Or demanded to play the game?
 
I wasn't breaking first off and at 20-20 he asked to go to 30 and I said I would play win by 2. The other side opted to keep it the same. Then @ 24-24 I asked again to win by 2 and the other side said ahh lets gamble. Sooo that's what we did. The horses on both sides were involved in the conversation not just the players. So I guess u could say we all had gamble
 
In my opion the felow Ryan let the guy off the hook because if the other guy is breaking he's got the best of it hill hill. So the guy breaking obviously was a lil shaky being as though he wanted to buy out in that spot and Ryan wanted to dance. That's just my opion
 
And I'm not sayin that it wouldn't have been tough for the dime either. I was just makin a comment about the way a set went between me and Oscar not to have a $/#@ measuring contest

My apologies too Keith - that was not my intention. And at least when you are gambling with Oscar, he has a sound reputation and there shouldn't be any bad thoughts in either stake horses head.

That's a good rule to follow for most pool players - only gamble with those that have a sound reputation. This way no one will think otherwise and the sport can be cleaned up.

I guess I don't see it as having as much gamble simply because I go to the DCC, or some tournament or hear it on the internet about some player wanting to gamble, etc etc and then after the game is made he looks to find a stake horse that was never there.

Beyond that - here is another part of the original story I didn't post. The first set that Ryan lost 11-0, his father was in with him. His dad got out the second set and Ryan bet it all on his own - winning that set. The third set, Ryan again had the entire bet himself - winning the $200 buyout. When everything was over and done, Ryan walked up and handed his dad his half that he had lost on the first set.
 
I wasn't breaking first off and at 20-20 he asked to go to 30 and I said I would play win by 2. The other side opted to keep it the same. Then @ 24-24 I asked again to win by 2 and the other side said ahh lets gamble. Sooo that's what we did. The horses on both sides were involved in the conversation not just the players. So I guess u could say we all had gamble

So, who won the game?

It sucks playing so hard for it to come down to 1 game. My line is always..."nobody deserves to lose their money this set, care to back it and jack it?" :thumbup:
 
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