Does anyone actually believe GAMBLING will

[Jimmy M.]

Gambling will not make you a better player but may help you learn to win under pressure.

I'd have to disagree. I could write a 1000 word essay on why I disagree, but I'll save everyone the agony of reading it.

 

[hang-the-9]

I have noticed that many B players are always telling the C and D players that the only way they will get better is if they gamble. Oddly enough, when the A players are around the B players are no where to be found.

.....ditto

 

[cleary]

All I am saying is that almost all Great players gamble or did, therefore, it must be some sort of catalyst.

Im honestly not trying to sound mean, but this sounds completely ignorant. Great players became great by PLAYING great players. Yes, they may have gambled, but it wasnt the money on the line that made them great, it was the level they had to play against a great player. Why do the great players all gamble.... because they dont work. They cannot live off of tournaments alone so they need a way of making money. What better way than playing lesser players?

Sure, a lot of players enjoy gambling. A lot of them LOVE gambling. And a lot of players wont play without it. But to think you are required to gamble to become a great pool player is silly.

 

[Snorks]

I have noticed that many B players are always telling the C and D players that the only way they will get better is if they gamble. Oddly enough, when the A players are around the B players are no where to be found.

Lots of good points in the responses. My 1000 word essay condensed... Yes. I think gambling helps me personally improve. For me the biggest reason (again for me), is that it helps improve my effort level. Terrible to say but playing for fun, I don't play as hard or concentrate as much.

Gambling helps improve my concentration and effort... I improve when doing this.

 

[BRKNRUN]

It boils down to "school smarts" vs. "street smarts"

practice, drills, reading books, etc. is "school smarts"

Getting out and playing in tournament situations where there is the possibility of loss is learning "street smarts" Getting out and gambling is learning "street smarts"...

Tournament play is actually a form of gambling...you are just including more people and your odds of winning are much longer...but the payout vs. money risked is much greater also.

Either Tournament play or Gambling will force you to learn "how to win" with you current abilities...Gambling is arguably a much faster method.

It is pretty much the same as anything in life....You go to school learn how to be an electrician, cop, fireman, computer tech, etc. .....you graduate....sign up to work with a company...and they put you with someone out in the real world to teach you how to actually do the job.

In pool there is only two people that I know of that you can go see to learn how to play in the real world...Tournament Tom and Hustler Harry......You pick which one you want to "apprentice" with.

 

[Guerra Cues]

Neither Ralf Souqet or Thorsten Hohman gamble and they are two of the best in the world.

You are right on the money. I talked to Souquet for quite a while during a couple of days in BCA/Vegas and he said the same thing.

 

[Cornerman]

Make you a better Pool Player.:sorry: I hear this song and dance all the time, and I believe the answer is NO.

If you believe differently.......JUSTIFY WHY YOU THINK NOT

My answer: yes, of course!

It's just like any other endeavor where you can perform for nothing, or perform under pressure.

Take singing (or acting, teaching, etc.). Anyone can sing in the shower. Can they sing in front of an audience? How's their performance after the first attempt? Second attempt? One hundredth attempt? I think it's fairly obvious that if you can survive after 100 attempts, you're going to be better than your first attempt by a long shot.

Fred

 

[crawfish]

Im honestly not trying to sound mean, but this sounds completely ignorant. Great players became great by PLAYING great players. Yes, they may have gambled, but it wasnt the money on the line that made them great, it was the level they had to play against a great player. Why do the great players all gamble.... because they dont work. They cannot live off of tournaments alone so they need a way of making money. What better way than playing lesser players?

Sure, a lot of players enjoy gambling. A lot of them LOVE gambling. And a lot of players wont play without it. But to think you are required to gamble to become a great pool player is silly.

If two great players play eachother and nothing is on the line, do they actually play the same way if a tourney championship or $5000 is on the line? I don't think so. The money is definitely involved in creating a great player.

 

[Cornerman]

Neither Ralf Souqet or Thorsten Hohman gamble and they are two of the best in the world.

Yeah, but that's not the question.

Fred <~~~ thinks the question isn't that tricky

 

[crawfish]

You are right on the money. I talked to Souquet for quite a while during a couple of days in BCA/Vegas and he said the same thing.

He's got sponsors. Ask them about when they first came over. Not that I have some sort of direct line for them; but, when Johnny and Coltrain were living here and talking about players their name came up in the gambling world. Ask them if they ever have gambled and how much. You might be surprised.

 

[crawfish]

My answer: yes, of course!

It's just like any other endeavor where you can perform for nothing, or perform under pressure.

Take singing (or acting, teaching, etc.). Anyone can sing in the shower. Can they sing in front of an audience? How's their performance after the first attempt? Second attempt? One hundredth attempt? I think it's fairly obvious that if you can survive after 100 attempts, you're going to be better than your first attempt by a long shot.

Fred

Exactly, stick to the thread and question.

 

[JCIN]

I think people are overlooking the fact that gambling at pool and playing tournaments are two completely different games. In gambling you are often going to play long sessions with the opposing player having ample opportunity to analyze the weakness's in your game and figure a way to capitalize on them (as long as his money lasts that is). Something you may get away with in a race to 9 will bite you on the ass in a 10 ahead or in the 4th set.

In gambling you can always flip the coin which allows a certain sense of lee way versus tournament play and it's perform right now or go out format. Their are more than few top level gamblers who do not excel at tournament play and some tournament players that do not gamble well if at all. I think it has been proven that the very best in the game can at one point or another in their careers do both.

Will gambling make you a better player? I think so. It is the easiest way to simulate the true heat of a pressure filled situation. Some say "Well I play every game that way" too which I say that you are probably going to burn up from TOO MUCH self applied pressure. IMO the secret to playing under pressure is to be able to relax. You almost have to overcome it by letting go. When Shane won the U.S. Open you heard time and again "He looks like he is practicing" I believe that is because only through getting used to pressure filled situations and being able to deal with the pressure to execute while at the same time being able to relax is key to achieving top level performance.

The age old gambler vs tournament soldier question. Which one would you pick ? Depends on which game they are playing. Pool gambling or pool tournament. Two different animals and each can be used to sharpen the skills required at the other.

 

[spoons]

...the original question was whether or not gambling makes you a better player. The answer to this is very easy. Of course it does.

Point taken. My post didn't directly address the original question. And, yes, what I posted earlier is what works for me. It will not work for everyone. So here's my second attempt to address the original question:

I don't believe gambling makes a person a better player, and I don't think any player's skill will increase simply because of gambling. I believe gambling is a way to add pressure to the game for most people, and I believe that regularly playing under pressure can improve a person's ability to handle pressure situations when the time comes.

So, in effect, I see gambling as a way to help maintain your ability, and bring more of your game from the practice table to the tournament table. There are a whole host of semantic arguments to be had about this one, and I realize that I've already sort of dipped into the semantics. But, that's my take on it.

Playing devil's advocate here (because frankly, it's just fun to do)....

I believe that there are other ways to add pressure to the game. I think there are quite a few people out there like me who are more effectively motivated by the sense of accomplishment that the game can bring than they are by the potential loss of money associated with gambling (beating the ghost for example in a tougher race than you ever have before).

Could gambling actually hold those people back from reaching their true potential?

 

[Jimmy M.]

I believe that there are other ways to add pressure to the game.

Yeah. You could go John Schmidt's route and bet a finger and "I am <insert name here>'s B!tch" tattooed across the loser's forehead.

Now THAT would be pressure.

 

[AngryPanda]

Let me ask you something Crawfish how many great players do you know?
and how many of them have actually said gambling is a requirement?

 

[PoolBum]

And Tommy is the one who told me that I was never going to really learn anything significant about this game until I stopped gambling.

What was his reasoning for that conclusion?

 

[JCIN]

Let me ask you something Crawfish how many great players do you know?
and how many of them have actually said gambling is a requirement?

I know more than a few and the majority I have spoken with about it say the same thing: Gambling makes a difference.

 

[AngryPanda]

Any Psychologists willing to stake their degrees on it?

 

[softshot]

Pool isn't professional basketball. .

100% correct the NBA is a true professional sport..

and the NBA's reputation is terrible right now just look at all the flack they are getting with regards to that referee.. and the root cause of it.... yup.. Gambling.

Why is Pete Rose banned from baseball for life?

Ever heard of the Chicago black sox?

In "Actual" professional sports getting caught gambling can destroy your career.

and yet all the forum wonders why pool is not respected like other sports...

edit: and to get back on topic I think that any pressure playing will improve your game gambling is just one way to create that pressure.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

I know of a local player.
He plays great in tournaments.
Put $20 on the table, he becomes blind.

I like Joey reply best. Wonder how the guy became great in tournaments without gambling?