Does gambling improve your game?

I have some questions for the OP:

If most people who respond say yes, gambling does improve your game, are you going to start gambling?

If most people say no, it does not improve your game, are you going to stop?

Or, as I suspect, are you simply going to pick out the responses that confirm what you already believe and continue behaving the same way as before? And if so, why ask at all?

These questions haunt me regarding all threads like these...
 
FranCrimi said:
It took me a long time to figure this out.

People who say that they need to play for something in order to try harder or to stay focused don't really love playing pool. They're looking for a way to help them enjoy the game.

I don't mean that anyone who gambles doesn't love the game. That's not true.

People who truly love to play are the ones who are really good at it. Gambling will not make you love to play pool. Therefore, gambling will not make you play better.

Ever watch great players? They can't be near a pool table without picking up a cue and hitting balls. That's someone who loves to play. They don't even need gambling to do that.
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It's ironic but I know plenty of people that love pool that have no heart and I can't think of very many great players that never gambled.
 
Maniac said:
Fran,

That statement is also true of players that are not great. I cannot be in the presence of a pool table and not have the desire to find a cue and hit some balls either, and I am far, FAR from being a great player. It doesn't take any amount of talent to have desires!!!

Maniac
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Exactly. Love of the game has to start somewhere. I'm sure those great players loved the game before they became great. It's love of the game that makes a person keep at it to improve. It's then up to that person as to how far they want to take it.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
It's really simple. If you want to improve, you need to be punished for losing and rewarded for winning. I'm not saying gambling necessarily does this for you. You can play in leagues or tournaments and get results. You can have a rivalry with your best friend that pushes you. The bottom line is, the loss needs to sting.

The great advantage to gambling is that it makes you focus. Nobody f*cks around when there's money on the line. You miss, it stings and you remember it. When you go into your wallet to pay the guy off, every mistake you made is freshly carved into your memory and you take it with you to the practice table. When you play well and win, it can put you firmly on a winning track that can last for weeks or months. Too often, I see friends playing hee-haw over beers and they wonder why they never get any better. They've simply provided themselves too many excuses for making mistakes.

Honestly, I don't have a reputation for gambling. When I have the time, the opportunity, and the amount is reasonable, I do. I think anyone who has devoted themselves to improving their pool game should, at the very least, occasionally gamble. Dismissing it entirely is silly since you can always control how much you bet. If you have a gambling problem, then perhaps you should ignore my advice but assuming you don't, you should give it a try. Set a denomination and a structure that allows for multiple sets over a long duration. Personally, anything less than 4 sets is a short session in my book.
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Rep to you my friend. You nailed it.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
It's ironic but I know plenty of people that love pool that have no heart and I can't think of very many great players that never gambled.
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True, Jude. People can still love the game and not be great. But you can't be great without loving the game. Jean Balukas is an example of someone who became great without gambling. She had the heart of a lion and it was never about the money for her because back then, there was no money in pool.
 
Maybe I suck cause I quit gambling years ago. J/K. I never enjoyed playing for $$$. Taking money from people never made my day. If I lost I'm sorry I didn't go out and spend it on myself...( hobby/car...whatever)
 
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FranCrimi said:
Exactly. Love of the game has to start somewhere. I'm sure those great players loved the game before they became great. It's love of the game that makes a person keep at it to improve. It's then up to that person as to how far they want to take it.
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Right on the money.

Going by some comments in this thread Olympics are for suckers and pool is not worth the time unless there is money involved.
 
there's the answer, I believe

FranCrimi said:
True, Jude. People can still love the game and not be great. But you can't be great without loving the game. Jean Balukas is an example of someone who became great without gambling. She had the heart of a lion and it was never about the money for her because back then, there was no money in pool.
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Ma'am,

I think you just said what needed to be said. Nothing wrong with gambling on pool but the people that are playing pool to gamble are the ones that have left the pool halls now for easier ways to gamble. When you love the game first and everything related to it second you have at least a chance of being great. I don't think anyone gets great at something they don't really like to do. Too easy to find reasons and excuses to do other things if you aren't enjoying your time on the table, even the time you spend alone. For some the time spent alone is the favorite time.

Hu
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
It's really simple. If you want to improve, you need to be punished for losing and rewarded for winning. I'm not saying gambling necessarily does this for you. You can play in leagues or tournaments and get results. You can have a rivalry with your best friend that pushes you. The bottom line is, the loss needs to sting.

The great advantage to gambling is that it makes you focus. Nobody f*cks around when there's money on the line. You miss, it stings and you remember it. When you go into your wallet to pay the guy off, every mistake you made is freshly carved into your memory and you take it with you to the practice table. When you play well and win, it can put you firmly on a winning track that can last for weeks or months. Too often, I see friends playing hee-haw over beers and they wonder why they never get any better. They've simply provided themselves too many excuses for making mistakes.

Honestly, I don't have a reputation for gambling. When I have the time, the opportunity, and the amount is reasonable, I do. I think anyone who has devoted themselves to improving their pool game should, at the very least, occasionally gamble. Dismissing it entirely is silly since you can always control how much you bet. If you have a gambling problem, then perhaps you should ignore my advice but assuming you don't, you should give it a try. Set a denomination and a structure that allows for multiple sets over a long duration. Personally, anything less than 4 sets is a short session in my book.
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Well said as usual, Jude! I concur, and I think the point that all the proponents are making is that it's one thing to play well, and another thing to play well under pressure. It's axiomatic that in practically any sport, no one plays the same under the gun as they do in practice. The pressure will induce you to either play worse, or to play better. For the most part, in my experience and from what I've seen, playing better under the gun is a learned skill that can only be acquired by doing it. So whether it's through gambling or through frequent tournament play, it's critically important to put yourself in situations where it really matters if you want to maximize your potential.
 
Gambling

does make your game better, IMHO. Players that gamble and players that don't both love the game, but gambling test your reserve, pushes you to be better, helps you reach deep down in yourself to give your best performance.

Something else to ponder also, you gamble when you play in tournaments too. You are gambling that you will get into the payback money, it is just a different form of gambling. I seriously doubt that many players would regularly play tournaments if there was no payback.

People have been betting since there were first competitions, in any sport or game.
 
It doesnt improve your SKILLS at pool, only learning new things can do that. What it DOES improve is playing at your skill level under pressure. I love playing some cheap sets with one of the top players in the house before a tournament or leagues start, then im comfortable playing with the pressure and I can just let go and play the game I know how to play and not get into my own head. It also will help me to remember to play safe safe safe safe! and on another note, there are several top pros who dont gamble. I honestly dont know all of them that dont but Thorsten Hohman(spell check) told me that he refuses to gamble.
 
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Snapshot9 said:
does make your game better, IMHO. Players that gamble and players that don't both love the game, but gambling test your reserve, pushes you to be better, helps you reach deep down in yourself to give your best performance.

Something else to ponder also, you gamble when you play in tournaments too. You are gambling that you will get into the payback money, it is just a different form of gambling. I seriously doubt that many players would regularly play tournaments if there was no payback.

People have been betting since there were first competitions, in any sport or game.
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I agree but I think it should also be noted that there is one great advantage to gambling over organized competition - you and you alone get to decide when you're "knocked out". You can start off a touranment playing bad and you're done before you know it and then no more pool. When you're gambling and you start off bad, you can give yourself the liberty of trying to play out of the slump.
 
FranCrimi said:
True, Jude. People can still love the game and not be great. But you can't be great without loving the game. Jean Balukas is an example of someone who became great without gambling. She had the heart of a lion and it was never about the money for her because back then, there was no money in pool.
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If Jean loved the game she would have never quit.
 
I've also found that gambling just helps me keep focus for longer periods. Often the truest test for me is keeping focus for long periods of time. It's easy to make balls, with concentration I can make most shots. Where it gets difficult is when the mind relaxes. When something gives way and my concentration is broken or there was even a momentary lapse in focus.

Gambling helps with that aspect of the game for me. It helps me to "stretch" my focus muscle. It helps me to be mindful for hours on end about the focus.
 
Would gambling make anyone a better athlete. A better craftsman. A better Chess, Checker or TiddlyWink Player.
 
Do we really need to practice pressure ?

Buddhist monks don't practice performing under pressure, yet you wouldn't want to enter an archery contest against them.

I think of the story of Annie Oakley who honed her craft away from civilization and when she entered a tournament, she excelled without any previous practice of performing under pressure. I'd bet she didn't even know the meaning of the word.

Pressure is a limitation we place upon ourselves. Do we really have to keep thrusting ourselves into self-inflicted pressure situations in order to overcome it or are there better ways? I think there are better ways.
 
FranCrimi said:
Do we really need to practice pressure ?

Buddhist monks don't practice performing under pressure, yet you wouldn't want to enter an archery contest against them.

I think of the story of Annie Oakley who honed her craft away from civilization and when she entered a tournament, she excelled without any previous practice of performing under pressure. I'd bet she didn't even know the meaning of the word.

Pressure is a limitation we place upon ourselves. Do we really have to keep thrusting ourselves into self-inflicted pressure situations in order to overcome it or are there better ways? I think there are better ways.
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There are MANY who have a lack of motivation competitively....BUT, when money is placed on the outcome they do actually (as many have confirmed here) try harder.

I have competed in a number of things in life, and money was NEVER the motivator for excelling. I doubt I would have had any more focus at the plate (baseball) in college if someone offered X amount of dollars if I hit .400 for the season. FOCUS, or determination, drive, heart, whatever you want to call it, comes from wanting something....for some it's $$$$, or not losing their $$$$ (lol), but there are still some where just WINNING/EXCELLING is enough.

No problem at all putting a little something on a match or whatever (which I consider FUNSIES - where others think funsies is not betting), but the monetary reward (or loss) is secondary to the thrill of victory (or even just playing/competing really well and losing) to me. BTW, many times betting is the ONLY way to get any REAL competition out of some folks (reread the posts in this thread - they TRY HARDER)...so, if you want someone to give their all...BET.

The only downfall to the whole betting aspect is sometimes taking someone's money takes a little away from the win. Beating someone gives you that momentary high, but then seeing them bum money from friends is kind of a buzz kill....
 
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