Finally Gave In and Gambled – But a Bit Uneasy (long)

Get_A_Grip

Get_A_Grip

Truth Will Set You Free
Silver Member
Background:
About ten years ago, I played in leagues for a few years...but that's about it. About 1-½ years ago I bought a 9-foot Brunswick and have just been practicing at home from about an hour every night. I occasionally go to a pool hall and shoot by myself. My only interaction is going to the bars on Saturday night where I play the average bar player. I have gradually gotten better…to the point where I have held the table from 6pm until midnight on occasion. I have decided not to gamble—mainly because I don't really need the money and prefer to just enjoy playing the game. On a rare occasion someone will push really hard to play for a drink or maybe $1-2 and I will give in with that person…but stop gambling as soon as the next person comes up. I guess that I really just want to avoid any trouble or arguments at all costs. Even when refusing to play for anything, occasionally someone calls you a hustler, because you refused to play for anything and still beat them (the opposite of a hustler, I'm thinking).

The Gamble:
This Saturday I ended up playing the same guy about 7-8 games and beating him soundly each game. The guy claimed to be the best player at that bar and said that he normally holds the table all night. All of a sudden he comes up with an idea…lets go to a different bar that I know…where people are always playing for money…we can play partners.

Since I was bored, I agreed. It was the funniest thing. We were both kind-of drunk…he was kind-of goofy…and he kept a steady stream of people coming to the table. I had a sneaky-pete in my car, but just played with a bar cue. My partner missed routinely, but I was always able to pull the game out. Eventually, I started to play singles and the other guy just kept side betting on me. Playing about $5 a game, I think I ended about $40 up by 1am, when I left. I recall only loosing three games all night, and only one of the losses was for money. My wife stopped by later in the night to join us…and she was basically my money manager.

He are my problems. Although it was kind-of fun and exciting playing for money (even though it was for relatively small amounts)…my wife and I felt guilty taking the money…so much so that my wife and I decided to buy one couple that I played and won $15 dollars from each a drink ($6 total) early in the night. This of course took almost half of what I had won from them…but the funny thing was, they didn't even say thanks. So this made me think that I may have been stupid for buying the drinks…and maybe I should have just focused on being the best gambler that I could.

Now the ethical dilemma. I found compelled to lie when people asked me about my shooting ability! I found that I just couldn't admit that I practice at home on my own table. It almost seemed at the time that it wasn't their business and I didn't want to give them an excuse for why I was better than them. I think that in the back of my mind I may have also been trying to make myself out to be something that I really wasn't…a sly hustler type…by not admitting to anyone that I was aware of my skill level.

I can tell you…that the appeal of gambling…even with average players was definitely a thrill. The whole night felt like a dream…I felt like superman…it was like I was high on some kind of drug or something (other than the alcohol…lol). People complimenting you…your making money that they don't seem to mind losing to you…the ups and down of adrenaline as you are slowly winning the close matches…the feeling of superiority when the guy sends his gal over with your winnings…that you proceed to pass along to your wife…the fact that the money you are making is based on the skill obtained from the may hours of practice… WOW what a blast!

This was my first extended gambling session…and man; I can certainly see the appeal. I think I need to work on the ego and honesty thing a little more, though…lol.

Has anyone else had a similar experience as mine when first starting to gamble…and does the thrill eventually die out?
 
Get_A_Grip said:
Background:
About ten years ago, I played in leagues for a few years...but that's about it. About 1-½ years ago I bought a 9-foot Brunswick and have just been practicing at home from about an hour every night. I occasionally go to a pool hall and shoot by myself. My only interaction is going to the bars on Saturday night where I play the average bar player. I have gradually gotten better…to the point where I have held the table from 6pm until midnight on occasion. I have decided not to gamble—mainly because I don't really need the money and prefer to just enjoy playing the game. On a rare occasion someone will push really hard to play for a drink or maybe $1-2 and I will give in with that person…but stop gambling as soon as the next person comes up. I guess that I really just want to avoid any trouble or arguments at all costs. Even when refusing to play for anything, occasionally someone calls you a hustler, because you refused to play for anything and still beat them (the opposite of a hustler, I'm thinking).

The Gamble:
This Saturday I ended up playing the same guy about 7-8 games and beating him soundly each game. The guy claimed to be the best player at that bar and said that he normally holds the table all night. All of a sudden he comes up with an idea…lets go to a different bar that I know…where people are always playing for money…we can play partners.

Since I was bored, I agreed. It was the funniest thing. We were both kind-of drunk…he was kind-of goofy…and he kept a steady stream of people coming to the table. I had a sneaky-pete in my car, but just played with a bar cue. My partner missed routinely, but I was always able to pull the game out. Eventually, I started to play singles and the other guy just kept side betting on me. Playing about $5 a game, I think I ended about $40 up by 1am, when I left. I recall only loosing three games all night, and only one of the losses was for money. My wife stopped by later in the night to join us…and she was basically my money manager.

He are my problems. Although it was kind-of fun and exciting playing for money (even though it was for relatively small amounts)…my wife and I felt guilty taking the money…so much so that my wife and I decided to buy one couple that I played and won $15 dollars from each a drink ($6 total) early in the night. This of course took almost half of what I had won from them…but the funny thing was, they didn't even say thanks. So this made me think that I may have been stupid for buying the drinks…and maybe I should have just focused on being the best gambler that I could.

Now the ethical dilemma. I found compelled to lie when people asked me about my shooting ability! I found that I just couldn't admit that I practice at home on my own table. It almost seemed at the time that it wasn't their business and I didn't want to give them an excuse for why I was better than them. I think that in the back of my mind I may have also been trying to make myself out to be something that I really wasn't…a sly hustler type…by not admitting to anyone that I was aware of my skill level.

I can tell you…that the appeal of gambling…even with average players was definitely a thrill. The whole night felt like a dream…I felt like superman…it was like I was high on some kind of drug or something (other than the alcohol…lol). People complimenting you…your making money that they don't seem to mind losing to you…the ups and down of adrenaline as you are slowly winning the close matches…the feeling of superiority when the guy sends his gal over with your winnings…that you proceed to pass along to your wife…the fact that the money you are making is based on the skill obtained from the may hours of practice… WOW what a blast!

This was my first extended gambling session…and man; I can certainly see the appeal. I think I need to work on the ego and honesty thing a little more, though…lol.

Has anyone else had a similar experience as mine when first starting to gamble…and does the thrill eventually die out?
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Great story, and for the thrill, only gets better each time when i play for money. I love the pressure, brings out the best in me. Although i love to play the game for the fun of it also. But now days all i do is play for money, if i ain't for money i don't play anyone, to the point where no one wants to play hehehe, except the practice sessions.

Get_A_Grip said:
the fact that the money you are making is based on the skill obtained from the may hours of practice… WOW what a blast!
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Now you are not going to stop gambling, you are an addict now, just playing around. Cole 'TheConArtist'
 
LastTwo said:
Playing for $5 is not gambling.
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Yeah, I know $5 is peanuts...the parnter of mine was side betting on me $20 though...regardless of the amount, it was still fun for me to win something... The partner of mine did much better than me...and he wasn't really playing much by the end of the night...I guess he's more of a gambler than me...but maybe still might not be to you (I guess? :confused: )...
 
Get_A_Grip said:
Has anyone else had a similar experience as mine when first starting to gamble…and does the thrill eventually die out?
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The thrill never goes away. Of course when you dog it and blow a few thousand it tends to become kind of elusive.
 
First off, I don't gamble, although I will play players much better than me for money, at times. Never for very much, say $5 a set - race to 7 or something like that, perhaps $10 if they insist. In my mind, $10 is not gambling, it's just something to shoot for, and usually guarantees that your opponent will at least play you hard enough to not lose the cheese. Why do I play these folks for money? Mostly because they won't play unless there is something riding on the match.

I can now tell that a match is quite different when something is riding on it, no doubt about it. However, I think that the key to it, at least for me, is that whatever is agreed upon for the stakes shouldn't be an amount that will affect your thinking or ability to play or hurt you in any way.

I have noticed a few things in my game that have improved since I started playing for small stakes. I'm more focused. I take better stock of my errors. It has helped me to realize the many areas of my game that need to improve.

When you think about it, losing $10 or $15 to a much better player over a period of 2 or more hours is pretty cheap, as far as lessons go. Provided you are learning from your mistakes, that is.

And from time to time, after having played someone for quite a while, and finding out that person is definitely better than you, asking for a spot is most reasonable. Guess what? Sometimes the mere fact that a spot is being given, say the 7 in 9 ball, will rattle your opponent...

Food for thought.

Cheers!

Flex
 
$5.00 gambling

Any amount of money put up that can be lost is gambling. It all depends on who is playing. If he played $5 a rack, and stayed all night and was up $500 dollars what would you call it? He didn't find it, it wasn't given to him.
Gambling is always at least a little rush. I don't care if it's 3-ball for $1. It's always nice to win a pool game and be handed something other than a handshake. No matter how small.
 
Now you know why we all do it.

Yes, you can lie about your skill. Take their money and don't feel guilty about it, because they wouldn't feel it taking yours.

Good luck to you!
 
It's not gambling to back yourself to beat an oponent. Gambling is horses, or dice, or roulette, - you have no control over the outcome. Playing for money at pool bears no comparison to that. By-and-large it's not gambling. In most cases it's simple delusional behaviour.

Boro Nut
 
Get_A_Grip said:
(snip)
Now the ethical dilemma. I found compelled to lie when people asked me about my shooting ability! I found that I just couldn't admit that I practice at home on my own table. It almost seemed at the time that it wasn't their business and I didn't want to give them an excuse for why I was better than them. I think that in the back of my mind I may have also been trying to make myself out to be something that I really wasn't…a sly hustler type…by not admitting to anyone that I was aware of my skill level.

(snip)
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Is it lying when you withhold information? Could be...IF you are doing it in order to trick another into doing something stupid that will hurt them and benefit you.

Yet, within a closed game environment, ethics are different than in real life situations. Poker is the best example of this, of course. Bluffing (lying) is a major part of that game. Pool has bits of this, but the final judge must be you.

This is why gambling, or betting, can have bad effects. To be really successful at it, you have to associate yourself with losers....all the time. This choice can eventually lead you to an unhappy place. So, the question you'd better integrate into your choices of whether or not to gamble, is "does this gamble lead me to happiness or block my route?" It is really that simple. The sad part of out-of-control gamblers is, they rarely ask themselves that, so reality answers it for them, win or lose.

Jeff Livingston
 
I know there are some people here that disagree with me, but gambling is probably the best thing you can do to improve your game. It has always helped me focus better and play better overall. When I first started though, I always got really nervous toward the end of a game. It's funny now that I look back at it. It's really exciting when you first begin but like anything, the more you do it it slowly starts to lose some of it's original luster. Two bits of advice: If you ever gamble and it is not exciting and feels like work then you need to take like a month or two break from it. And I also never gamble with drunk people. I think you should always gamble with "pool players" and never gamble with "people who play pool". There is a difference and gambling with the former is the only way to improve your game. JMO.
 
Opie said:
I know there are some people here that disagree with me, but gambling is probably the best thing you can do to improve your game. It has always helped me focus better and play better overall. When I first started though, I always got really nervous toward the end of a game. It's funny now that I look back at it. It's really exciting when you first begin but like anything, the more you do it it slowly starts to lose some of it's original luster. Two bits of advice: If you ever gamble and it is not exciting and feels like work then you need to take like a month or two break from it. And I also never gamble with drunk people. I think you should always gamble with "pool players" and never gamble with "people who play pool". There is a difference and gambling with the former is the only way to improve your game. JMO.
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One thing I'm curious about, you never gamble with drunks or "people who play pool". I assume the "people who play pool" rule is because you feel guilty taking their money. Is the drunk rule the same thing, or to avoid a fight?
 
alstl said:
One thing I'm curious about, you never gamble with drunks or "people who play pool". I assume the "people who play pool" rule is because you feel guilty taking their money. Is the drunk rule the same thing, or to avoid a fight?
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I don't gamble with "people who play pool" not because I feel guilty about taking there money, it's just because your game won't ever improve if you constantly play people who suck and don't know the game. If you know your gonna get 2 or 3 trips to the table per game then it just isn't worth it. I don't play drunks mainly cause alcohol seems to lead to disagreements and unpredictable behavior.
 
Opie said:
I don't gamble with "people who play pool" not because I feel guilty about taking there money, it's just because your game won't ever improve if you constantly play people who suck and don't know the game. If you know your gonna get 2 or 3 trips to the table per game then it just isn't worth it. I don't play drunks mainly cause alcohol seems to lead to disagreements and unpredictable behavior.
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Makes sense, especially with the drunks. Personally, if I was playing one of your "people who play pool" and they wanted to give me their money, I think I'd take it.
 
alstl said:
Makes sense, especially with the drunks. Personally, if I was playing one of your "people who play pool" and they wanted to give me their money, I think I'd take it.
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Alot of people would. I don't use gambling to make a living, I have a job for that. I use gambling to improve my game. It might sound messed up, but I would rather lose 100 bucks to a "pool player" and learn something to improve my game then win 50 bucks from some dumbass who can't play and actually weaken my skill level. There's a line from some movie that says something to the effect that "Sometimes when you win you actually lose and sometimes when you lose you actually win."
 
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