Do you gamble?

Do you gamble?

  • Yes.

    Votes: 83 83.0%

  • No.

    Votes: 17 17.0%
  • Total voters
    100
  • Poll closed .
It's funny that some people on the board, liljohn for example, will play sets for over ten grand and seem comfortable with it while others get all excited when they play for 5 bucks. The five dollar players talk more smack about being gamblers than the real players do, most of the time.

Other than good players playing for at least 100 a set, most of the gambling I've seen has been with whiny locksmiths who try and get 20-40 bucks a day by beating up on people they know they can beat... two dollars at a time.

I gambled small when I first started playing pool and immediately started having incidents where people got mouthy over losing a whopping $20 and violence was in the air. I've been to court for physical disputes already (I lost too,damn it. Only had to pay medical, no punitive, though because the guy was a moron) so I pretty much decided that unless your opponent handles losing ok, you're wasting your time unless your making decent (100+) money.

I like gambling in general and will bet 25-100 a hand at blackjack, maybe $20 on a horse race when in Vegas, but don't bother trying to match up very often at pool.

If I could beat Tony Chohan for 10K in 14 games like Shane, though, I'd be looking for action. Gambling is a lot funner when you never miss...
 
Betting on My Pool Skills - "IS NOT GAMBLING"!

JAM said:
Reading a few threads as of late, it's evident that gambling is prevalent in some pockets of the country AND enjoyed by some readers of this forum. Gambling is enjoyed around the world in a variety of venues. Wagers on table games in Las Vegas is a societal norm, but two combatants betting their skills set on a field of green generates mixed feelings.

There is one school of thought that gambling, "pool's little dirty secret," should abolished in order to enhance the image of pool. Some have religious beliefs against gambling, and others have given up for personal reasons. :eek:

Some pool folk enjoy participating in games of stake, high or low, ranging from a brewskie, table time, chump change, side-betting, and all the way to five-figure amounts. ;)

This poll will be a blind vote, and there are only two choices for responders to click: yes or no.

This poll will self-destruct within one week's time, but the results will be interesting (IMO)! :)

JAM
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JAM - I don't agree at all that betting on ones skill in a pool game is - Gambling!'
I’m serious & I'm not trying to mince words.
I will & have bet on myself at Pool & Gin Rummy for over 45 years and have never considered it gambling.
When I go into a casino for an evening out with my wife, I get sick at the sight. All those people (most with government checks) blowing it on a game that is known to be stacked against them.
I want to go back to the days of Poker Games hidden away in homes & clubs, the days of when, if you wanted to gamble at a casino, you had to have or build a bankroll & fly to Vegas (this eliminates most poor people). Back to the days of action filled poolrooms because the players used their skills to get money instead of the lure of the easy money at the casinos.
People (in general) don't realize what casinos have done to our society, restaurateurs, poolrooms, nightclubs, theatres and many other recreation venues that have fallen on very hard times because the recreational dollars are going straight into the casinos and then - "Out Of Town"!
Pool Players can't or won't understand that if I beat them out of $500 today, I'll be here with the $500 tomorrow or next week for them to win it back. In other words - It Stays In Local Action - I may blow it to someone and then they might win it from them - But It Stays In Local Action.

As I have said many times before - I HATE TO GAMBLE - BUT - I LOVE TO BET!

TY & GL

Oh, I almost forgot - I also want to go back to the days of the "Queers In The Closet"!
 
OldHasBeen said:
JAM - I don't agree at all that betting on ones skill in a pool game is - Gambling!'
I’m serious & I'm not trying to mince words.
I will & have bet on myself at Pool & Gin Rummy for over 45 years and have never considered it gambling.
When I go into a casino for an evening out with my wife, I get sick at the sight. All those people (most with government checks) blowing it on a game that is known to be stacked against them.
I want to go back to the days of Poker Games hidden away in homes & clubs, the days of when, if you wanted to gamble at a casino, you had to have or build a bankroll & fly to Vegas (this eliminates most poor people). Back to the days of action filled poolrooms because the players used their skills to get money instead of the lure of the easy money at the casinos.
People (in general) don't realize what casinos have done to our society, restaurateurs, poolrooms, nightclubs, theatres and many other recreation venues that have fallen on very hard times because the recreational dollars are going straight into the casinos and then - "Out Of Town"!
Pool Players can't or won't understand that if I beat them out of $500 today, I'll be here with the $500 tomorrow or next week for them to win it back. In other words - It Stays In Local Action - I may blow it to someone and then they might win it from them - But It Stays In Local Action.

As I have said many times before - I HATE TO GAMBLE - BUT - I LOVE TO BET!

TY & GL

Oh, I almost forgot - I also want to go back to the days of the "Queers In The Closet"!
Click to expand...
Great post, OldHasBeen. There is definitely a difference between betting on your skills and betting on your luck. Your post brings up an important distinction.
 
lewdo26 said:
Great post, OldHasBeen. There is definitely a difference between betting on your skills and betting on your luck. Your post brings up an important distinction.
Click to expand...

OldHasBeen brings up some good points for sure! :)

Personally, I do consider games of stake on a pool table as gambling, though. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen a player perform excellent on a field of green, outplaying their opponent, but because of table rolls, luck of the break, balls skidding, miscues, rack-riggers, and other variables, it is never a sure thing that the best man wins.

It is, indeed, a gamble each time you step up to the plate, whether in a competition venue or action. The odds might be in your favor when it comes down to skill, but there is no guarantee that just because you are the BEST that you are going to win, especially in pool.

The same argument could apply to poker. It doesn't matter how well you play the game. You've still got to get the cards.

JMHO, FWIW!

JAM
 
No, No, No, JAM

JAM said:
OldHasBeen brings up some good points for sure! :)

Personally, I do consider games of stake on a pool table as gambling, though. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen a player perform excellent on a field of green, outplaying their opponent, but because of table rolls, luck of the break, balls skidding, miscues, rack-riggers, and other variables, it is never a sure thing that the best man wins.

It is, indeed, a gamble each time you step up to the plate, whether in a competition venue or action. The odds might be in your favor when it comes down to skill, but there is no guarantee that just because you are the BEST that you are going to win, especially in pool.

The same argument could apply to poker. It doesn't matter how well you play the game. You've still got to get the cards.


JMHO, FWIW!

JAM
Click to expand...

JAM - If a guy shits out on you in Pool, You didn't do a very good job of "Matching Up' & If you managed your money correctly, you will Win In The End.

I was once asked my opinion of the value of "The Break" in One Pocket when matching up. A lot of people got a kick out of my immediate response - I said - "If The Break makes a difference in the outcome of the game, Your Matched Up Waaaaaaaay Tooooooo Close"!

Poker, Schmoker - The best (Hold 'Em) poker players in the world will tell you that it all comes down to the "River Card". The turning over of one card to determine your fate, IS NOT SKILL!

TY & GL
 
Can't wait for the DCC !

Jam - I can't wait for next years DCC to debate the pros & cons (all puns intended) of POOL.
With Keith's and My love of AB products, I sure we will Have A Ball!

TY & GL
 
I very rarely bet on pool games, only if it is a condition of playing at a bar somewhere. I do not need the cheap thrill, I'd rather play pool. I do not need money to motivate me, I have my pride instead. Throughout my athletic career (30 years ago) the motivation to improve and compete to the best of my abilities was never money, and I do not see it being a necessity of my pool 'career' either.

The problem I have is with the better players around here who will only gamble. If I somehow talk them into a set with no wager these guys don't try and I do not like playing someone who doesn't try. This limits my competition base, which makes progress a little more difficult. All because I do not gamble and they think thay have to gamble.

I'm in the minority only due to the way pool developed in North America over the last 80 years or so imo. Do you think gambling at pool would be so prevelant if women and minors had been allowed in pool halls in the 1920s and 30s ?

Dave
 
OldHasBeen said:
I will & have bet on myself at Pool & Gin Rummy for over 45 years and have never considered it gambling.
Click to expand...

How do you reconcile the above statement with the quote in your signature line ?

Dave
 
I went to buy a loaf of bread, and.............

DaveK said:
I very rarely bet on pool games, only if it is a condition of playing at a bar somewhere. I do not need the cheap thrill, I'd rather play pool. I do not need money to motivate me, I have my pride instead. Throughout my athletic career (30 years ago) the motivation to improve and compete to the best of my abilities was never money, and I do not see it being a necessity of my pool 'career' either.

The problem I have is with the better players around here who will only gamble. If I somehow talk them into a set with no wager these guys don't try and I do not like playing someone who doesn't try. This limits my competition base, which makes progress a little more difficult. All because I do not gamble and they think thay have to gamble.

I'm in the minority only due to the way pool developed in North America over the last 80 years or so imo. Do you think gambling at pool would be so prevelant if women and minors had been allowed in pool halls in the 1920s and 30s ?

Dave
Click to expand...


I went into the local grocery store to buy a loaf of bread and when I checked out - I told them I was a pool champion. They said - GREAT - That will still be $2.49 + tax.

TY & GL
 
DaveK said:
Do you think gambling at pool would be so prevelant if women and minors had been allowed in pool halls in the 1920s and 30s ?
Dave
Click to expand...


I don't know about gambling, but I think the pregnancy rate would have been a lot higher and computerized video arcade games would have been invented a half century earlier. (Hopefully not f*#king rap music though)
 
drivermaker said:
(Hopefully not f*#king rap music though)
Click to expand...
That alone would be enough reason to drag the minors by the ears out of the poolhalls and into a large, huge vessel where they'd be shipped out to sea and left to fend for themselves...
 
I'm a lower stakes gambler, I guess.... The avg is $10-$25 a game, or a set for $50-$250 or so..... I think the most I ever played for was several sets for $300 each.

I'm no where near the caliber of some around here.... although I play 1p for more per game....
 
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I gamble on pool but only small stakes, for example I will throw about $50 down on the WPC this year but not any more. When I gamble playing poker however the stakes go up considerably.
 
JAM said:
There is one school of thought that gambling, "pool's little dirty secret," should abolished in order to enhance the image of pool. Some have religious beliefs against gambling, and others have given up for personal reasons. :eek:
JAM
Click to expand...

I just don't like to gamble much on pool and I really don't know why. I love to play the game and I guess I don't want anything like gambling to tarnish it for me. If I played against someone and lost a lot of money, I'd probably want to quit playing and I really wouldn't want that.

The funny thing is, I love to watch others gamble! I don't bet on the side or anything, I just love to watch two good players playing their best.
 
Nits...

Sounds like a bunch of old ladies sitting around argueing about how to nit a sweater. I like to play for everything I have to get that feeling that Im going to starve if I dont win. The only thing I wouldnt bet is my house (Ive seen those a-holes in San Fran lying on the streets). Of course... I dont have much money, but at least Ill put it up.

Put down the needles and tea, grab your pool cue, your wallet, go down to the nearest pool hall and find a game!
 
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