difference between a gambler and a money player

O

Onemoreyouth

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
so i grew up in a family where gambling was as common as playing basketball with the neighborhood boys. i was also taught very well by my father(and morally i might add) on how to gamble.

anyway, while i've always worked a job because i enjoy an honest pay, i've always managed to have a fair bit more money than my friends(my parents dont give me a dime btw) of course the money i have extra is the money i make from cards, pool, etc...

so a while back i'm playing cards at a party and this girl is watching me play... we chatting etc... i'm up quite a bit of chips and a guy on the other ends loses a big hand and i make an off comment about how he always looses at poker, when she asked me why i told her there was a difference between a money player and a gambler(its one of my phrases i guess) but this last time i wondered what you all thought the difference was.


p.s. its late and this post might need editing after i read it and i'm coherent. sorry if its jumbled now. hope somebody can make sense of it.
 
I've always felt a "gamesman" or money player in this instance, was someone who looks at the entire gambling situation, makes a plan for the best outcome, and knows when his plan needs altering along the way. Also has the ability to walk away when his goal is achieved WIN OR LOSE!

A "gambler" on the other hand is the guy who is always trying to get even. He's a terrible game maker, and is always trying to get that "hot tip" or inside info for the big score.....which never happens. He's also the guy that is always asking to borrow money from you! The shame is the guy wins just enough to keep him coming back, kind of like a slot machine.

The one I don't understand is the guy who wont quit until he's broke? on here He is touted as a "good gambler" but how can it be? There's a wierd thing with some of the gambling elite about not being good action unless you lose til your pockets are empty? How good of a gambler can you be if you play til your broke and need cab money to get home?

This is a GREAT topic, and one we used to argue over while working at the pool room.
Gerry
 
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Sure ...

They both like to play, one does it to have a good time, one does it to win money.

Same thing in Pool. Just playing well in Pool does not guarantee that you will win. The money player processes much more information about the 'money situation' than the gambler does, including actual odds, psychological makeups, current financial status of the players, personality quirks, method of play, etc.. The money player is MUCH BETTER prepared to win than the gambler, and therefore does.
 
man we have this exact same argument in our pool room all the time. Theres this one guy in particular who always says hes the "only gambler in the room". He will have a straight in shot and want to bet 100 that he makes it.........or if youre joking around and say "9 on the snap" he will try to bet you 100 that you dont do it:rolleyes: . Usually when you dont take his bet he follows up with the whole "im a gambler" crap. To that i usually respond, im not a gambler, i shoot pool for money. So in my contest a gambler is just someone whos trying to get you to gamble on anything, usually its some kind of sucker bet.........where a moneyplayer is more about making and playing in some type of serious pool matchup.
 
I know a lot of people who don't/can't play with every bit of their game unless there's money on the line...maybe that's a moneyplayer?
 
My Take

To me, a gambler is someone willing to wager on the outcome of a contest over which they have no control, they don't actually shoot the shot, play the game, hole the putt. A money player is willing to put up their own money against their opponent's as a stake or prize to see who is better.

I do a little of both so I guess that makes me a little of both. Just my 2 cents. I could be wrong! Great question, by the way.

Brian in VA
 
Kenny Rogers knows the difference

"well you got to know when to hold 'em know when to fold 'em":D :D
 
I've noticed the gamblers like to bet on a variety of activities, like cards, horses, pool, whatever. There's a certain mentality to it that's alien to me, which I've tried to understand but will never fully comprehend. To leave my income to fate is not something I would choose to do.

Pool money players on the other hand are pool players. Pool players shoot pool. That's the purpose to it. Money is just something that makes it more meaningful, win or lose. Even if you are just playing for time or dinner or a drink, you are a pool money player, like it or not.

I would like to say I think it's shallow for someone to distain or belittle someone else for the size of their betting, or for not betting. I hear these sermons all the time and usually the preachers don't have a pot to piss in. Frankly, I have no respect for people who wager larger than they can afford to lose. Often these wreckless individuals are admired, but maybe that's the point or the goal. It's a joke.

Chris
 
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i like gamblers. i am one, but not usually at pool. not that i'm a lock artist or anything, but i can't afford to lose much :) so i don't risk it. it's funny cause i'll lose every penny if you put me in a casino (don't, please!).

-s
 
Inzombiac said:
I know a lot of people who don't/can't play with every bit of their game unless there's money on the line...maybe that's a moneyplayer?
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I think I'm a moneyplayer... It doesn't have to be money though, that just happens to be the most common wagering device. I can't seem to care enough about leagues to realize something is on the line in each individual match and shot. Maybe if I put myself in something a little more aspiring than the APA? I'll have to give BCA a shot and then try some q-master house tournaments.
 
A gambler with heart

Gerry said:
The one I don't understand is the guy who wont quit until he's broke? on here He is touted as a "good gambler" but how can it be? There's a wierd thing with some of the gambling elite about not being good action unless you lose til your pockets are empty? How good of a gambler can you be if you play til your broke and need cab money to get home?

Gerry
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A "good gambler" "a gambler with heart" it all means the same thing to the serious money player. Here is a pigeon that will stay with a bad game until you bust him for his last dime. I always notice that the people who talk about how great having gamble is, don't have any in them. They are the first to bail if they aren't sure of winning.

There are three kinds of people betting: The real hustlers who never bet if they think someone else has an even break, the gamblers who will bet anything roughly even and don't worry about winning or losing, and the marks whom the hustlers prey on who will bet against the odds all of the time.

Hu
 
A money player is someone who plays better when the cash is on the line...A great money player plays even better when the cash is on the line....

When the stakes rise the money player plays better....

A Gambler likes the action on whatever it may be...Sports, Horses ,Dice , Pool....

A money player bets on his skill, A Gambler bets on perceived or not favorable match ups..
 
i think what i consider a gambler is what most people consider a money player... to me a gambler is somebody who always has a natural advantage involving any sort of 'gamble' by definition. they have that natural eye and carisma that makes them a power player in any game. i also think a gambler does it for enjoyment. i also think a gambler can make a living at it and still only be doing it for enjoyment... look at pro athletes... they didnt pick basketball when they were 5 because they wanted to be rich, they did it because they love basketball.... i think some gamblers are lucky enough to get to make a living doing what they enjoy

to me a money player is just somebody who is playing for the hopes of only winning more money, or doesnt understand that theirs more to a game than the money.




i feel a true gamble also doesnt break himself, because he's smart enough to quite while he's ahead, and i think they dont try to win money from easy marks, but they actually enjoy a good gamble. i think grady is a great example of this.
 
I disagree you used Sports as an example....So

David Ortiz, Tom Brady, Larry Bird, Derek Jeter, Jordan ....Money players, Big game playoff players they bring it to another level when the game is on the line.........Hence they are known as money players

Money player IMO plays the game/ focuses better when the money is on the line...he comes thru in the clutch

You can be a gambler and a money player....A gambler takes risk, a money player plays good under pressure..But only at a game of skill like pool...A game of chance a money player is out the Window...

Certainly a smart gambler can play percentages at a game of chance and play smart, eg...Doyle's Super system, or a good card counter at Blackjack

But no matter what you Gamble on, no matter what system you have blind luck can defeat you....Look at the last few winners of the World Series of Poker....Amateurs...No Pros

They played smart sure....But they also got great cards up the wazoo
 
robbing

One time I was hanging out at starchers in Akron and there was an old guy name don who would give me advice sometimes and I said that I thought that chicken george was the best player there but he rarely gambled.Don looked at me and said george don't gamble he robs and there ain't no fish in here I have no respect for robbers but I like gamblers even if sometimes they take my money.
 
Well, I like to wager. I like to wager where I know I have a better chance to win than the other guy. I haven't gotten to practice much in the past 5 years, so I rarely wager on pool any more.

The funny thing is, there are one or two players in the room I usually play back home in Florida that woof at me, and I want so badly to play them, but I know when my game is, and is not on. When it is not on, I play maybe the wild 7 under one guy, and the call 8 under the other. When it is on, I rob both of them even. With a month, maybe two, of solid practice, I probably rob them giving the wild 7.

Now, all this to say.. I think there are a lot of players out there looking for an easy game. Right now, they consider me an easy game. But, they don't play for the love of the game, and rarely practice outside of gambling matches. I like that they consider me an easy game, because I can always practice up, come back, and rob them getting weight.. Then playing even.. Then giving weight.. Then giving more weight.

Some would consider me a lock artist. Not really.. I will play an even match. Even as in both players have the same technical skill level. My mental game has always been what has carried the day anyways. I will not give a guy weight just because he misses shots he should be making, or because he is missing fairly routine position plays. I'll tell them, "Hey man, you should be making these simple shots, and you're not. What? You want me to give you the 8 and then watch you all of a sudden start making all the simple shots and positions plays? i don't think so."

Most of the time I play for money is for one of two reasons:

1. You are a player within or slightly beyond my skill level. Close enough where it is an even game if I try my hardest.

or

2. You are a player less skilled than me, or slightly better and you have p***ed me off by talking s**t. Talking s**t to me automatically makes me play at least a ball better. Dunno why, but my best performances have always been when somebody made me angry.

Going back to the original statement that I like to wager where I have some advantage, I also happen to be a very good poker player. I built a bankroll from $200 to $10,000 playing online over a few months, but had to quit because it was impacting work. Pre bank/gambling financing ban, I had no doubt I could earn $60,000 a year playing online. I had played through numerous bad runs, was mentally tough enough to buck it, and played on. I am smart enough to analyze what times would be best to play for the highest earn rate, etc.

I would say at least 50% of the good pool players I know are not smart enough to make a living gambling, at ANY gambling venture. Pool, dice, card, etc. They cannot sustain themselves and a family with their winnings, because it is all about the gambling for them. There are even a lot of pool players who gamble very well at pool, but automatically think they will gamble well at other avenues, such as cards. I know at least two pro pool players who I've played with at middle buy in no limit hold em games online. They were definitely considered the fish at the table. They weren't blowing it all on one hand, but they were leaking chips.

Suffice to say most "gamblers" aren't as smart as they think they are. It takes a very cerebral, intellectual person to win consistently at gambling in different gambling venues. And on top of all this, they have to pick the right things to gamble on. As soon as someone tells me they are a pro craps player, or are very good at craps, it casts doubt on their overall finances. People are very good at forgetting losses.

I don't know what his finances looked like otherwise, but Titanic Thompson is an example of a "good gambler". He was a good actor, and almost always had the game locked up in advance, even in the most crazy proposition bets. But, I believe he made the ultimate msitake and gambled outside his area of expertise. Same with Minnesota Fats. If some of these greats could have just stuck to their field of expertise, a lot of them would have retired successfully.

Russ
 
TATE said:
I've noticed the gamblers like to bet on a variety of activities, like cards, horses, pool, whatever.
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I have seen pool players bet on the color of the next gumball that will come out of a machine. :rolleyes:

Pool players shoot pool. That's the purpose to it. Money is just something that makes it more meaningful, win or lose.
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People search for meaning in everything; that's the cause of religion. :D It's a sad sack who finds meaning only in money, although money can provide some of a pool game's meaning.

I would like to say I think it's shallow for someone to distain or belittle someone else for the size of their betting, or for not betting.
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It's not only shallow, but hypocritical. Everyone has some money that he will not risk, and someone against whom he won't risk it.


I hear these sermons all the time and usually the preachers don't have a pot to piss in.
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They bore me. Those who goad people to gamble often are in desperate need of cash and denial about their limitations.

Frankly, I have no respect for people who wager larger than they can afford to lose. Often these wreckless individuals are admired, but maybe that's the point or the goal. It's a joke.
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I have pity for them. They're ill.
 
difference between a money player and a gambler.
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Gambler: A greedy, conniving, selfish person, who cares all about the money and very little about the "game of pool".

A gambler is after the money. If there isn't any money on the line it's not worth doing.

A gambler "beats his opponent", finds personal satisfaction in "robbing" his opponent. It is a boost to his ego to belittle his opponent by taking his money

Money Player: A Gentleman who is a joy to play win or lose. He cares about performing well at the table. He is confident in his game to realize if his opponent wins the match he played well and deserved to win that match.

A money player is after the game. The money is wagered to test his performance under pressure.

A money player "wins his match against his opponent". A money player has a humble attitude towards his win. He understands he played well enough to win but receives no satisfaction in belittleing his opponent. He respects his opponent, because if it was not for his opponent there would not have been a match to play.
 
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