For those that are always hoping to compare Poker to Pool

watchez said:
http://regressing.deadspin.com/why-its-hard-for-poker-pros-to-make-a-living-playing-l-1526098295

Kind of a long article but it spells it out why You'll Never Make A Living Playing Live Poker Tournaments
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At least there "IS" a possible pot at the end of the rainbow, with pool there is a guaranteed black hole.
If you like to play poker small you can make a decent living grinding. One poker player I knew made this analogy for me.

"Imagine you can walk into any pool room and they have ring games on every table and you can take your pick just say, I'm in".

There are "WAY" more suckers in poker rooms then there will ever be in a pool room. They lose their money and love every minute of it.
 
Yeah, it's been common knowledge in the poker world that it's very difficult to make a living just playing tournaments.

They're fun, but cash games are the way to go. And unlike pool, you can get action in poker any day of the week, and the fish will gladly play you even :)
 
BeiberLvr said:
Yeah, it's been common knowledge in the poker world that it's very difficult to make a living just playing tournaments.

They're fun, but cash games are the way to go. And unlike pool, you can get action in poker any day of the week, and the fish will gladly play you even :)
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And just like there are rack riggers in pool, there are card mechanics in poker, especially in those house games. Player beware! :o
 
I lived this life for a few years when poker was available. I think it's really difficult to compare this to pool. Online sit-n-gos and multi-table tournaments are aplenty. To get right to the point, finding action is simply never a problem. It's 24/7 and you can sit at a table with anyone in the world. What's more, the expenses are next to nothing. Yes, people talk about ROI but they fail to mention that the online ROIs are not only cheaper, they also don't have to include travel expenses. Pool ALWAYS involves travel which ALWAYS impacts a player's ROI. That's not to mention the fact that there are simply fewer pool players than poker players and greater acknowledgement of skill level. No C-player signs up for the US Open expecting to take it down but you can be certain there are hundreds of accountants dreaming of a world series bracelet.
 
Spimp13 said:
There was a movie that talked about this recently that was showing on HBO/Showtime. Without endorsements/other income even the so called pros would not make it live....not all of them, but a big % of them.
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Although I agree with you in part, there's a huge segment of pro poker you simply don't see. When it's acknowledged that you're great at this game, the money just follows you around. There are billionaires that want to play you or stake you. It's just a whole different level that you'll never see in pool. Seriously, we sweat 10k action when poker players consider that a friendly bet.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
Although I agree with you in part, there's a huge segment of pro poker you simply don't see. When it's acknowledged that you're great at this game, the money just follows you around. There are billionaires that want to play you or stake you. It's just a whole different level that you'll never see in pool. Seriously, we sweat 10k action when poker players consider that a friendly bet.
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Yeah, I didn't get too in depth of it and I know there are games like that out there with the big money makers wanting to take shots at these pros with high stakes cash games (some televised some not)....just in general. The term "poker pro" is used very loosely in the poker world. On 2+2 I see it all the time and some of these so called pros have mediocre ROIs. Poker has a lot more tournaments/games where you can buy in low with a shot for huge dollars...pool does not. I remember reading multiple stories where someone sattys in the sunday million with either FTP points or small buy in tournaments and ship a 10kish+ score....you can't really get that chance with pool.
 
I think the biggest difference between pool and poker is the luck factor and variance. On any given day a complete amateur can beat the top pro. That's clearly not true with pool. Look at a pool tournament like DCC and see how many amateurs make it to the final 32. Compare that to the world series of poker.
 
nobcitypool said:
I think the biggest difference between pool and poker is the luck factor and variance. On any given day a complete amateur can beat the top pro. That's clearly not true with pool. Look at a pool tournament like DCC and see how many amateurs make it to the final 32. Compare that to the world series of poker.
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You CAN have a larger luck factor in pool. The problem is, pool doesn't want that. We're constantly moving toward rule-sets that allow for dominance. Players want longer sets, they even want 9-ball to be played with 10 balls! Pool players are more concerned about crowning a recognized champion than creating larger fields.
 
Spimp13 said:
Yeah, I didn't get too in depth of it and I know there are games like that out there with the big money makers wanting to take shots at these pros with high stakes cash games (some televised some not)....just in general. The term "poker pro" is used very loosely in the poker world. On 2+2 I see it all the time and some of these so called pros have mediocre ROIs. Poker has a lot more tournaments/games where you can buy in low with a shot for huge dollars...pool does not. I remember reading multiple stories where someone sattys in the sunday million with either FTP points or small buy in tournaments and ship a 10kish+ score....you can't really get that chance with pool.
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Satellites would be good stuff for pool. Imagine one to the US Open. 32 players ($50 entry + $10 green fees)

Full field would be $1,600, and payouts could be

4th - $100
3rd - $200
2nd - $300
1st - Entry to the US Open ($500) + $500 cash.
 
BeiberLvr said:
Satellites would be good stuff for pool. Imagine one to the US Open. 32 players ($50 entry + $10 green fees)

Full field would be $1,600, and payouts could be

4th - $100
3rd - $200
2nd - $300
1st - Entry to the US Open ($500) + $500 cash.
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It is definitely rare here in Des Moines (as in almost nonexistent) for satellite pool tournaments to happen. Most of the buyins are low enough that there isn't a reason for a satty tournament but yeah if you could put together a low buyin tournament for a shot at a big tournament, why not? As long as you can sell the experience...as in a soso player may be hesitant to play the satty because they know if they win they will probably go 2 and out....sell it to say "you got to play in the US open vs X pro, how cool is that?"
 
JAM said:
And just like there are rack riggers in pool, there are card mechanics in poker, especially in those house games. Player beware! :o
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I might not be the best pool player around, but I know poker. When was the last time you saw a mechainic working in a casino dealing? Auto-shuflers and house dealers greatly reduced them. I am not saying they are not around and still dealing, but you just have to avoid the games known mechanics are working or even the casinos that hire them. For the average player that not playing higher than 5-10 anti you will never have to worry about a mechanic. Cheats, teams and other crooks yes, but rarely a mechanic.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
You CAN have a larger luck factor in pool. The problem is, pool doesn't want that. We're constantly moving toward rule-sets that allow for dominance. Players want longer sets, they even want 9-ball to be played with 10 balls! Pool players are more concerned about crowning a recognized champion than creating larger fields.
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That may be but it isn't the point. Even with a luck factor, the odds of a C player beating a pro player at 9 ball in a race to 7 is astronomical. Conversely, you can't take the luck factor out of poker. Can you imagine a poker match where, after an all in, the dealer announces "I'm not dealing out the cards, player A wins this hand because they're an 87.6% statistical favorite at this point"? That is part of the allure, I think, to poker which I don't think would sell with pool.

The other HUGE difference is it takes a multi thousand dollar table to play pool. For poker, you need a $1 deck of playing cards and a kitchen table.
 
Many facets to this topic, but here's one:

The perceptions most players have of the possibility of success in pool and poker are way different.

Poker - most everyone thinks they are good, and even if they don't can convince themselves that luck can overcome it.

Pool - Pretty hard to deny the truth of whether or not you have a chance.
 
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DogsPlayingPool said:
The perceptions most players have of the possibility of success in pool and poker are way different.

Poker - most everyone thinks they are good, and even if they don't can convince themselves that luck can overcome it.

Pool - Pretty hard to deny the truth of whether or not you have a chance.
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That ^^ And one is a sport and one is a game. Big difference. There little old ladies I know that will take down the cash in a poker game.. not so much in pool :)
 
Learning Question on Poker

This is a loaded question, I'm sure; But is there any structured or semi-structured path to learning poker? How does one gauge their speed and improve?


Sheldon Adelson aside, I just don't think you stop online gaming forever.
 
DogsPlayingPool said:
Poker - most everyone thinks they are good, and even if they don't can convince themselves that luck can overcome it.
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^^ oh so true..."but but I won my home $10 game, time to hit the WSOP!!"...on a funny side note I am playing in a couple of WSOP events for the first time this June lol...however I am NOT going into it all cocky (be humble)...and any cash I may get will just be icing on the cake for the experience in general.
 
Nearly all games involve an element of luck.

In poker you might get a good draw.

In golf you might sink a 60-yard chip shot.

In pool you might get a lucky roll.

But luck won't make you a winner in any of these games because each game has 100s of "events" (strokes, hands, shots) . Getting lucky in 3 or 4 events won't alter the outcome. That's the reason why the same individuals are the winners.

If you think you can "luck" your way to poker winnings, I've got some friends who would like to invite you to a game.
 
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