Hi SoftShot!
IMO, the "pressure" to win is greater i guess
because it isn't my own money in the first place.
To be more careful. To be more decisive. To be more
perfect if you will. He put his money on the line
for me - and that is something in my book - or anyone's book.
And I would like to believe that my sponsor puts up
the bet because he feels I have a chance of winning,
and i would very much love to prove him right and all,
while simultaneously trying to prove it to myself, too.
AnitoKid
P.S.
I would like to share something that happened
a while back, btw. 'Twas quite a memorable one, buddy.
There was this time that I was absent from the pool scene
for about 3 1/2 months to attend to family matters.
When I returned to the pool club, i tried to catch up with
the latest news with old friends and all. After the hi's
and hello's etc. I began practicing at one of the tables.
After about 15 minutes, i noticed a guy came in the pool hall.
who sat near the table I was playing at.
The guy, (I later learned he just joined the club for
about 2 weeks), watched me practice for some minutes.
He then came up to me and asked if we could practice some pool.
I said, "Sure, buddy!"
He then said, "How about Php1,000 per set?"
To be honest, I was quite surprised because I thought
it was just going to be a practice - no money involved -
just the table fee.
So what I did, I excused myself and politely called one
of the money-game spotters and asked him who the guy was.
After hearing him out, I then asked the spotter to advise
my sponsor, who was then playing at another table, about
the proposed bet and match.
My sponsor, who was about 3 tables away from ours, said,
"But he (pertaining to me) hasn't been playing lately!"
The guy said, "Yeah, just a friendly practice game for Php1,000 only!
My sponsor replied, "No. He really has no play."
The guy then quipped, "Just Php1,000 - just a friendly game."
All the while, I was hand-signaling my sponsor/friend that
no high bets this time - just Php500 per set - because I really
did have no game.
Truth be told, what my sponsor said next really surprised me!
He said, "No, no, no! Champ has no play. Not 1,000!
Make it Php2,000 per set!" And he winked at me.
My sponsor knew I hadn't played for more than 3 months!
Why so? We're always together whenever we're in the pool hall.
Still, he doubled the bet! It made me kinda proud and al
to have his trust and confidence in me.
The pressure to win? Yes, it was there - and more IMO.
The guy asked with a puzzled look,
"Why did your sponsor call you Champ? Why is everyone calling you
such?"
I shrugged and just smiled.
I knew Lady Luck was smiling on me that day! How so?
I won 2 sets out of 2; (7-3 and 7-2 scores)! And I kid you not!
softshot said:
If you are not gambling with your money where exactly does the "Pressure" come from?