Do you gamble?

Do you gamble?

  • Yes.

    Votes: 83 83.0%

  • No.

    Votes: 17 17.0%
  • Total voters
    100
  • Poll closed .
I would definately say I am more of a tournament player now. I still like to gamble but, games are harder to find in the $50- $100 range per set. In my younger days, I played everyone who asked. Played every champion I could and I'm %100 sure that all of the beatings I took paid off in immeasurable experience down the road. I have a habit of always playing the best players but at least I am smart enough to keep the bet in my comfort zone. Took a lot of heat for not betting more, but I always felt like this was a decent bet. Been called heartless more times than I can count for not betting more! I always found it funny how you would play a REALLY good player , maybe even a champion, even, bet what they agreed to from the start, then once you fire back a little, all of a sudden your heartless for not betting more. Strange. The ironic part was that most of the time these guys were either getting staked or had pretty small bankrolls and I'm betting my own money. I used to think I was doing them a service and being a good sport by giving them a shot at their daily "road" nut playing even, but I think I may have been wrong. :confused:
 
I wonder if any of those who voted "no", meaning they don't gamble, are what we call locksmiths, people who only make games that are so easy they don't amount to a gamble.
 
christyd said:
Hey Landshark.......maybe you can be the president of my fan club. :D
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Christy, I'd like to be considered for a cabinet post.
 
Not me...

sjm said:
I wonder if any of those who voted "no", meaning they don't gamble, are what we call locksmiths, people who only make games that are so easy they don't amount to a gamble.
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I voted no, but I am actually more than willing to gamble, and have, small stakes. Or even bigger once in a while.

However, I don't gamble often because I really don't have the time to gamble much. Usually I am either practicing or playing in a tournament. If I get knocked out of the tournament I am off to spend time with the wife and kids... But I would have no problem gambling, I just don't do it often....

After reading the million threads about how pool players do, and knowing what I make, I don't feel too bad about it either...lol.
 
I voted no. Now I have played a lot of small stakes games, but I don't like playing people for money that I can beat. I don't learn anything that way. If I play someone I know I can beat I insist that we play for fun. I only bet on games that I'm pretty sure I will lose. You seem to have to do that to get a game with them. So if I'm thinking I'll probably lose, I don't think it is gambling.
 
CaptainJR said:
You seem to have to do that to get a game with them. So if I'm thinking I'll probably lose, I don't think it is gambling.
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but do you gamble with them when you get good enough to beat them?

Most of the guys I play with now are ones that beat me regular for awhile, now as the say the rabbits got the gun.
I'm playing a guy now that will end up being better than me in a few months, at least more than likely.
 
CaptainJR said:
Nope, I just up a level and try take on someone better.
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Great way to learn, wish I could do that here. No one plays much unless I drive a hour one way, and I just don't have the time with work.

Most of the better players where I live would rather play cards these days. The one guy who would play for nothing, or something died last year. Was just starting to try and get in the habit of playing him.
 
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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Gambling is a wierd subject. It's as personal as what you like to eat and what movies you like to watch. If people spend a lot of time thinking about gambling instead of playing, then I think they have a problem.

I gather you and KM do it to make a profit. It's a business. I can understand that.

I am a sportsman. I like competition and I like recreational gambling. I have a lot of fun playing for $10 and $20 a game 9 ball and $50 or $100 sets. Nobody ever gets hurt by me, because even if I'm robbing someone, they can't go off too bad at these amounts which are my strict self-imposed limits.

I will not go off. I am bad action because I am playing mostly for the competition. I don't need to win money, and I don't need the cheap thrill of betting a lot. I avoid a lot of the scummy stuff that goes on because the big gamblers know I'm not into it.

My friend, who constantly lectures me that I should be playing for a lot of money, recently "challenged himself" by betting way more than he ever had in a match. I got to watch him nearly puke his guts out on the table. Let's just say it wasn't pretty.

The reason why was simple. All he could think about was the bet. He could easily afford to lose the money but thinking about the amount just paralyzed him.

I want to have fun. I don't have to bet on pool. I do it because I enjoy playing pool.

Chris
 
There is always one winner

I have gambled on pool, among other things, for 53 years and though I think I am ahead my biggest gamble was when I bought a pool room. I have not lost on a match since. "The house always wins" lol
 
Yes

Everyday I get into some kind of action somtimes for high stakes and other times cheap so i can practice and still have to try to win. I also like to play poker, Go to the track, Bet on football and pretty much anything I can do to get some kind of action.
 
Who doesnt gamble?? I have seen post where people said they dont gamble with lesser players because they dont want to take there money or its not challenging or they can beat them too easy! All you have to do is give them a fair spot! If you dont then you are STEALING and that is not gambling. If you know you can beat someone straight up give them a couple balls I bet you will have a very hard time beating them then. I gave a guy who wasnt that good every ball in 9 ball all he had to was make a ball and he won. The good thing he never made a ball on the break. I ended up winning $5 bucks I couldnt believe I will tell you this that was a very challenging game. If you can beat someone easy give them that game! I gamble every day I play, most times the people I play with will only bet 5 or 10 a game not enough to break anyone we just gamble like that because we ENJOY gambling. People on here have written they cant concentrate when nothings on the game or they play with money because it makes it more interesting, go ahead and just say you do it cause you like to gamble. Most times you do have to put money on it when you playing someone better because you dont get thier real game when just playing. I know when I am not playing for anything I try all kinds of shots just to see if they will work I could care less about winning its more of practice than anything but when there is money on it you dont do that you try to win the only time you try a difficult shot is when your opponent left you bad or you left yourself bad.

Oh and by the way DEAD GIRLS DONT SAY NO!!! They really dont say anything which makes them the perfect woman!!! hahahaha Sorry if I OFFENDED anyone with the last sentence, I was just kidding!! I swear some people have nothing else to do except to complain about someone else they need to get a life.
 
Walter N. said:
I like to practice just for fun for made be an hour or so, but after that I need some action that is how the game should be played. I do not understand how someone could only play for fun. I think that your game never improves because you have nothing to lose. even tourney's are a form of gambling. I like the thrill of it all. I'm a good player so why not express that in some way. Just for fun all the time and nothing else is for the birds. :D
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Games improve with practice. No gambling required. Golf, pool, running, jumping - some are thrilled by getting better. Putting themselves on the line.

A friend of mine is a scratch golfer. He's never gambled. He has entered tournaments, so I can somewhat agree with your point there.

Also, I went to school with a guy who was an olympic sprinter. The action was the competition. No money involved (back then).

I've met 1 person in my life who was significantly ahead in long-term gambling. She died ahead because she won $275k in Lotto and never lost more than $50k in everything else she did. Everyone else I know is down and a few got hurt bad with the disease.

I'm sure lots of people are ahead, but it takes more than 1 loser to pay the electricity bill in Las Vegas (as my dad always says).
 
Donald A. Purdy said:
Hi JAM, it was nice seeing you in Rockville this weekend. Sorry I had to bug out so fast, my wife wanted to get together to watch the Derby...Do you think anybody who gambles on a regular basis ever comes out on top in the long run? Most of them are trying to make their nut. When crunch time comes around they will do anything to make it. You live with Keith, he once said that he has gambled more money on pool than anyone else in the world. Has he come out on top? Money wise?....
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Hi, Don! It was great seeing you, too! We watched the Derby at Champions in Rockville. I was so happy to be there, instead of my friendly neighborhood OTB. :p

About gambling, I have NEVER had the addiction. If and when I play cards, go to a casino, a horsetrack, or a pool room with gambling on my mind, I have a designated amount I am willing to wager. When it is extinguished, I quit, but that's me.

And then there's Keith. He loves games of stake, no matter what the venue. If there's any action in the house, he finds it and is the first one to step up to the plate. Harry Platis told me that years ago, Keith beat a guy in Vegas for $360,000, and the next month, Keith was busted. In my travels with Keith, we are winner in gambling, but stuck BIG TIME on the tournament trail. The expenses far outweigh the tournament payouts, even when you win a few every now and then. Gambling, though, has at times provided a supplemental income.

For some, gambling is an addiction. I only wager what I can afford to lose, and when and if we do book a winner gambling on the road, I make every effort to bring home that bacon. :)

Recently, after the conclusion of a Joss tournament in Quincy, Massachusetts, Keith was already making plans with Ryan "Genie Man" McCreesh to hit Foxwoods Casino on the way home. Even though Keith cashed in the tournament, third place I think, we were still stuck for the trip, i.e., 2 nights of lodging, gas, tolls, food, BAR TAB, and entry fee. Right before I snapped this picture, Ryan says, "We're going to stop at Foxwoods on the way home. Right?," to which I replied, "Absolutely not. We're stuck." I then snapped the picture, and the expression on Keith's face says it all. :D

JAM [Singing: "You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to WALK AWAY...."]
 

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Not often and only for small stakes (what I can afford and is commensurate with my level). The only time I've bet $100 was on the rail, and I had the nuts. Recently, I've found a practice partner who likes to add some zest to our sessions. So we always play for $20 give and take.

I would gamble much more if I had more money or skills in this game. For now, I really have no business to do with it.
 
Oh, by the way

I like Captain JR's idea. Gambling as an avenue to play better players. This is very unique to pool, and gives amateurs the opportunity to play the pros. Pool wouldn't be nearly as dynamic without the gambling culture.
 
I'm still in small-stakes $20-a-set territory ... but at least that gets me a decent game from my opponent. For me, it's always the final of the U.S. Open! :D Even if I've been throwing the same 7 balls out on the table for two hours, working on this or that, I still get annoyed when I don't get out ... but other people, they may be goofing if there's nothing on it, and that gets boring.
 
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