TheThaiger
Banned
Good one - me too!
Does gambling improve your game?
- Thread starter Sw10balltour
- Start date
Good one - me too!
TheThaiger
Banned
Such as????
some people are SO competitively driven that they thrive on ANY kind of pressure....let's take Michael Jordan (sure he's a notorious gambler, but hang with me here). He ALWAYS wanted the ball in his hands when the game was on the line. Tiger Woods has the same mentality as Jordan. They just want to CRUSH the competition. They both want to beat everyone, at everything they do. That hyper-competitiveness spills over into EVERYTHING they do.
Now, Jordan and gambling....since Jordan isn't the BEST at everything he does (like golf), the way he was in basketball....I think betting someone like Barkley $10,000 on a single shot in golf may kind of compensate where his skills can't match his competitive expectations. Hard to explain...he can't dominate someone (hell, everyone) they way he did on the court, but the cash on the line might hurt you the way his jumper over the Jazz in the Finals hurt them. That's what he wants....to dishearten his competition, if that makes any sense.
Those type of competitors deal with pressure by using it to their advantage....ADRENALINE! When something gets their blood pumping, they hit another gear.
Such as giving a situation less importance in our minds. That takes practice to do. If you go into an even thinking, "OK this is it....I have to perform now...everyone will be watching....my team needs me... I can't let anyone down, or the money is on the line now.... etc. ---- You are giving a situation great importance. That's a lot of pressure.
You can also go into a situation saying to yourself, OK this is my chance to excel, to show my stuff! I can't wait to get to the table to play! I feel like a winner!
Or..... I'm really looking forward to this event to learn and experience it so I can go back to the practice tables with some really constructive ideas on how to improve my game.
The first example makes the situation more important than you. The second and third examples place you above the situation.
Players who think gambling helps them compete better are faced with the same situation. If they place the money aspect higher than themeslves, they will continually be in trouble. Strong money players don't focus on the money while they're playing. They just get down to the business of playing pool, and loving it.
Keep it coming Fran. You're winning me over.
By any chance, have you ever gambled? If not, you must read a lot. :smile:
Thanks Joey! Sure I've gambled, and I noticed that when I'd focused on the money, I wouldn't perform as well. Also, over the years I sat in several players' corner with them while they were in the heat of gambling. The losers were all about the money. The winners were all about the game.
ha ha I played him the other day..I believe him..
Originally Posted by Tristan
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...
I used to gamble at pool all the time. It seemed to give me self gratitude to beat someone out of there money but on the other hand there have been a lot of times that I got stiffed. I was to trusting in not making my opponent post his money before we played.
Like many people, I got married and had a family, so pool got put on the back burner, well the gambling for the most part. I still played local tournaments and then got into shooting league.
I believe that since I havent gambled in a while that I've lost my edge. Everyone around here that plays pool are league players and don't play pool at all except for league nights.
To me league sucks. Especially APA. There's no payback to speak off locally so I don't really play up to my potential. I'm a 9 in 9 ball and a 7 in 8 ball but I don't try. Everyone close to my skill level are friends so I tend to just jack around with them. No one here plays one pocket. Only two 9 ft tables in the hole town. I suck at it anyways but can't get good with out practice.
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...
I used to gamble at pool all the time. It seemed to give me self gratitude to beat someone out of there money but on the other hand there have been a lot of times that I got stiffed. I was to trusting in not making my opponent post his money before we played.
Like many people, I got married and had a family, so pool got put on the back burner, well the gambling for the most part. I still played local tournaments and then got into shooting league.
I believe that since I havent gambled in a while that I've lost my edge. Everyone around here that plays pool are league players and don't play pool at all except for league nights.
To me league sucks. Especially APA. There's no payback to speak off locally so I don't really play up to my potential. I'm a 9 in 9 ball and a 7 in 8 ball but I don't try. Everyone close to my skill level are friends so I tend to just jack around with them. No one here plays one pocket. Only two 9 ft tables in the hole town. I suck at it anyways but can't get good with out practice.
social gear
I had a "social gear" when I gambled constantly. In social gear I just banged balls around with friends. I could get into a gambling match and kick it up a couple gears and go right back to social gear afterwards almost every time. Sounds like your real issue isn't that you aren't gambling but that you are loafing along in social gear in league. Set goals for each evening's play before you begin and I suspect your play will jump quite a bit if you are goal oriented. Right now I suspect that you are achieving your current goals of hitting a few balls and having fun. Nothing wrong with that but you can't play with those goals and expect the results you get from a more serious effort.
Hu
I had a "social gear" when I gambled constantly. In social gear I just banged balls around with friends. I could get into a gambling match and kick it up a couple gears and go right back to social gear afterwards almost every time. Sounds like your real issue isn't that you aren't gambling but that you are loafing along in social gear in league. Set goals for each evening's play before you begin and I suspect your play will jump quite a bit if you are goal oriented. Right now I suspect that you are achieving your current goals of hitting a few balls and having fun. Nothing wrong with that but you can't play with those goals and expect the results you get from a more serious effort.
Hu
Fran,
I agree wholeheartedly with the above statement! As Island Drive stated, it gives you a reason not to miss. Focusing on the money itself will be so distracting as to ruin your stroke and I do speak from experience. Though I've played, as I'm sure many of us have from time to time, to win money as the goal, most of the time it just gives me a reason to focus. I made a post some time ago about why we play for money. I know JoeyA remembers it
I have it saved on my computer and will look at it and maybe post it again.I really think that way too many people look at the playing for money to win money and don't think of it in any other way.
I posted this in another thread some time ago.
I'm speaking for myself only here, winning the money was/is seldom the goal for me. Playing for money is a means to an end, not the end in itself. Yes, I've enjoyed taking money from some people. In particular, someone who thought their skill level was way over mine and they had bragged about how bad they could beat me, spotting me quite a bit in Straight pool. I've liked coming out on the winning end of a ring game after four or five hours. I like taking someone's money whose intent is just to win mine. Hustle in reverse, so to speak.
I've said this before, playing for money gives me a reason not to miss. It sharpens my concentration. Keeps me down on the shot 'till the ball goes in the pocket. I admit that there have been times when I've played for money and this didn't happen, but more often than not, it did. It's kind of like risking something in hopes of some reward. I've never been able to play real well in tournaments and I've hated playing for nothing and losing to people well, well below my own skill level just because they wouldn't bet two dollars that fat meat was greasy, to quote the fat man. I've said this before also, it's the way some of us learned to play! And George Fels said in his book "By all means, play for a little something. It will help to learn to handle the unique pressures of the game a bit better", or words to that effect. I just don't like people making an agenda against gambling just because they know somebody with a gambling problem and talking like the rest of us who play for money are dirt bags and that all gambling is wrong. Sorry for the rant. And for softshot, I always tell people that playing for money will help them get better faster. It's not the only way, sure, but it's a lot faster than trying to learn to play for pride, for most people, at least in my experience.
I'm speaking for myself only here, winning the money was/is seldom the goal for me. Playing for money is a means to an end, not the end in itself. Yes, I've enjoyed taking money from some people. In particular, someone who thought their skill level was way over mine and they had bragged about how bad they could beat me, spotting me quite a bit in Straight pool. I've liked coming out on the winning end of a ring game after four or five hours. I like taking someone's money whose intent is just to win mine. Hustle in reverse, so to speak.
I've said this before, playing for money gives me a reason not to miss. It sharpens my concentration. Keeps me down on the shot 'till the ball goes in the pocket. I admit that there have been times when I've played for money and this didn't happen, but more often than not, it did. It's kind of like risking something in hopes of some reward. I've never been able to play real well in tournaments and I've hated playing for nothing and losing to people well, well below my own skill level just because they wouldn't bet two dollars that fat meat was greasy, to quote the fat man. I've said this before also, it's the way some of us learned to play! And George Fels said in his book "By all means, play for a little something. It will help to learn to handle the unique pressures of the game a bit better", or words to that effect. I just don't like people making an agenda against gambling just because they know somebody with a gambling problem and talking like the rest of us who play for money are dirt bags and that all gambling is wrong. Sorry for the rant. And for softshot, I always tell people that playing for money will help them get better faster. It's not the only way, sure, but it's a lot faster than trying to learn to play for pride, for most people, at least in my experience.
Broke/On Empty
One VERY motivating factor (and improves your play) for many that gamble is when they are playing with their last dollars. These players most often have an air barrell planned JIC (so post up), but these guys can be very difficult to beat, and take NO chances, this style of play was common during the depression era and produced some of the greatest players of all time. If your playing for your next meal, you play allot different.
One VERY motivating factor (and improves your play) for many that gamble is when they are playing with their last dollars. These players most often have an air barrell planned JIC (so post up), but these guys can be very difficult to beat, and take NO chances, this style of play was common during the depression era and produced some of the greatest players of all time. If your playing for your next meal, you play allot different.
Not that I have any real "words of wisdom" to add to this thread, but for me personally, I play way better with something on the line.
I'm an EXTREMELY competitive person. Most people who know me know that...what they don't realize is that I really couldn't care less about competing with them...it's about competing to my highest level of ability - essentially competing against what I know I'm capable of doing.
I've taught myself golf - never had a lesson - single digit handicap. I've taught myself pool - never had a lesson - I'm a strong "6" in APA (could be a "7" with a little motivation). Whether it's $0.25 a hole in golf or $20 a rack in pool...the amount doesn't matter...when there's money on the line (or any semblence of a wager) I tend to "step up".
Mind you, I've spent HOURS and HOURS reading books, magazines, posts on AZ, watching videos, watching the Golf Channel, playing golf/pool with individuals who were WAY better at them than me...so those are essentially "lessons" to me...but I've never had a "one-on-one" lesson specifically designed to improve my game...I consider the "wagers" I make in golf & pool the costs of those "lessons"...
Jason
I'm an EXTREMELY competitive person. Most people who know me know that...what they don't realize is that I really couldn't care less about competing with them...it's about competing to my highest level of ability - essentially competing against what I know I'm capable of doing.
I've taught myself golf - never had a lesson - single digit handicap. I've taught myself pool - never had a lesson - I'm a strong "6" in APA (could be a "7" with a little motivation). Whether it's $0.25 a hole in golf or $20 a rack in pool...the amount doesn't matter...when there's money on the line (or any semblence of a wager) I tend to "step up".
Mind you, I've spent HOURS and HOURS reading books, magazines, posts on AZ, watching videos, watching the Golf Channel, playing golf/pool with individuals who were WAY better at them than me...so those are essentially "lessons" to me...but I've never had a "one-on-one" lesson specifically designed to improve my game...I consider the "wagers" I make in golf & pool the costs of those "lessons"...
Jason