For all you gamblers out there...

[phil dade]

Pool or poker, I structure for 3 buy in's at the max I have set aside to play with on that particular day. If I see the game is bad, I am out. You have to play for something to make it sting to get your best game. On the other hand, I would gladly play low sets to learn. Like tennis, it is best to play someone a little better to improve and it is fun to learn that way.

 

[Badbeat13]

I bet 1/4 or 1/3 of the money that I bring to gamble with. It's usually
a few hundred up to a grand. $100 to $300 sets is usually the bet
and I prefer races to 7 or 9. I used to play only 9ball, but these days
I'd rather gamble on 10ball. If I play a long 8 ahead set, I may bet
up to 1/2, but I always plan on at least having 2 barrels in that case.

If it were by the game and I only had a C note, I'd play $5 or $10 a
game. If it's $20 a game, I should have at least a few hundred on me.

One thing that I've never got in the habit of doing, is betting money
that is beyond what I need to pay my bills. Many gamblers out there
will have a $1000 to $10,000 in their pocket today, but won't have a dime
to their name tomorrow. I've never understood it at all, but have seen
it many, many times. They end up too broke to even pay their bills. How
dumb is that? Geez!

You sound like you're fishing for sensibility in your post and don't want
to get in over your head if you do lose. On that note, I never plan on not
winning, but I know it's a possibility. I always look at the what if I lose
factor going in and then stop when/if I reach that limit. The types of guys
I mentioned above never think they'll lose and that's why they end up broke
all the time. "Bet it all, I'm going to win....no doubt" must be what goes on
in their heads and they never seam to learn that they're not going to win
every time and some of them even 1/2 of the time.

In my opinion, gambling is a lot of fun, but just don't gamble beyond your means.

Hop this helps and best of luck.

 

[xplor]

You should learn the Kelly criterion and set time limits for gambling.

 

[macguy]

If I liked the game, I always played until I ran out of money or quit, or you did. I preferred to play by the game or long races.

When I say "ran out of money", I don't mean I threw my life savings out on the table and said "go for it". I have played $2 games and $100 games. What we played for and for how much was usually determined by the setting. If I knew the players, I usually knew what the maximum amount someone was willing to lose based upon previous matches (not necessarily with me). If I played someone I didn't know, I was always good for a few hundred just to get a feel of what you had to offer.

I always preferred long sessions because I was capable of running packages fairly consistently along the way and I didn't always start out "hot". The longer I played, the better I usually got, which is the opposite for many people. I've literally played sessions that lasted for more than 24 hours without a break.

The key to winning is to play "your" game and plan. If you start all the "double up" BS every time you lose, it becomes a game of "who has the bigger bankroll" and not a game of pool skill.

I used to like to play exactly like you. I always played by the game when I could. You didn't even have to play for that much and you may bust a guy as the bet gets raised.

My main dislike for sets is it has a predetermined ending where the guy can just quit, it's over. By the game his only escape is to say "I quit". Sets, it ends and they go out the door.