Gamblers vs Players

[driven]

Very true, but in pure match play the animal is different than a gambler in the same situation. Not ALWAYS but I think they have and advantage because of how they process & manage the situation. Working out Cheap is waaaay different than high $take$ gambling. Many other issues come into play effecting the outcome. Hohmann is a fresh breath of air as is Ralph S.

It's probably true.

 

[driven]

sorry for any confusion. It wasn't my doing
steven

 

[jay helfert]

Do any of you know how much is "gambled" during practice rounds before a PGA golf tournament? I do, and a $1-5,000 Nassau is not unusual. I have heard of bets in the six figures between two prominent golfers for one round of play! If you don't think pro golfers gamble, you just don't know. Of course they are millionaires, but they're still betting high any way you look at it.

It's a not so well kept secret in PGA circles, they just don't discuss it publicly. At least not that much :wink:. I've heard a few of them slip up and talk about beating another player for a good chunk the day before. Sergio once said on the air that he won enough the day before to buy a new Mercedes.

 

[SJDinPHX]

I think to be completely honest no one gambles to "make it interesting" or to have "some skin in the game" or whatever bullshit anyone wants to call it. People gamble for money, If money is not the motivator then you're probably not much of a gambler. I gamble often at pool, cards and golf. I generally win more than I lose. Do I need it to pay my mortgage, nope, but I get jazzed to win a few bucks. hell I won $70 and lunch today playing golf. It was an honest bet and I played well but I am not going to fool anyone to think that it wasn't about the money. I am not playing anyone for any great amount. That's not why I do it. In fact I just couldn't live with myself winning more than someone could afford to lose, I am a gambler not a hustler, I think there is a big difference. A hustler is basically stealing and never plays a game in which he would likely lose. A gambler loves the action, may hate to lose but knows it's possible. Pool gets it's bad rep from the hustler, not the gambler.

ND Fan, (which I am also)..I think you said it as well as it could be said !.. ALL gambling is about the money !..There are stupid gamblers, and there are smart gamblers. The 'smarts' will almost always prevail !..I have played, and gambled at high level (and high $$$) pool all my life, but I was never very good at "hustling" !..I rarely matched up getting the 'nuts' !.. I doubt I won near the money I could have, given my skill level.. But NO ONE enjoyed getting down in the mud, and gambling any more than I did !..Plus, I always slept well at night, which some people don't even care about..

SJD

 

[CJ Wiley]

Shane, Johnny, Rodney, and Alex are the exception, certainly not the "rule".

As the years pass, it seems the players that just play/workout/travel and compete , are becoming more prevalent than those that gamble to support themselves, especially in the later rounds. I could be wrong, but it's starting to feel that way. Thorston H. is a perfect example, easily comparable to a many PGA pros. Souquet also comes to mind, I'm sure there are others from over the pond.

I personally belive it's very difficult to be both. My background and forte was always gambling and the only times I really excelled in tournaments was when I stopped gambling and focused 100% on that type of play.

Tournaments are won by making great decisions, playing consistently, and keeping in a very focused state of mind......in gambling you must be more aggressive, a better shot maker, play "safe" less and be willing to play for many, many hours.

I appreciate what it takes to do both, although I doubt if many can do both at the same time.....Shane, Johnny, Rodney, and Alex are the exception, certainly not the "rule".

'The Game is the Teacher'

 

[Dunnn51]

So that is why I lose tourney's !

Like I said I'll take SVB and Alex over those two in any pressure situation time and time again. This doesn't mean they (Ralph especially) don't handle pressure, because of course their tournament record speaks for itself. Let us not forget what it takes to win a tournament. Not only great play, but stamina and perhaps biggest of all...LUCK. Yes it takes an extreme amount of "fortunate" circumstances combined with great play to win a big tournament with say 64 or more players. <------So,....THAT'S why I keep losing these regional tourneys! I gotta find 1 with 8 players in it !! :grin:

To determine who is in the "elite" class...in my opinion there is only one way to find out. That is to have a "1 on 1" tournament.

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Isn't the longer race for the two finalists inna tourney like a mini 1 on 1 tournament ??

 

[1on1pooltournys]

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Isn't the longer race for the two finalists inna tourney like a mini 1 on 1 tournament ??

Races to 11 or even 15 about as long as they get in tournaments. Top players consider these actually "short" sets. It takes a long time for the cream to rise against the upper echelon players.

 

[ND Fan]

Your post is a little confusing. Not calling you out specifically cuz I've seen similar things said,
many times from many people.

If it's "not any great amount" and you don't bet enough to make anyone hurt,
then why were you jazzed to win $70? You don't strike me as a guy for who gets a ton of joy
from seventy bucks. If that much disappeared from your bank account, would anything really change
in your life? Would you have to cut back on something, or sell something, or skip something?

I think if the amount is "Not any great amount" then it's fair to say it really ISN'T about the money.

And plenty of people do bet just to make interesting. My buddy and I made worthless $1 and $5 side bets
on the maryland straight pool for example, silly stuff like "I bet $1 toasty is out in under 3 innings".
That absolutely is just for fun and not about the money. Or it's a weird form of competition, instead of
using beads or a scoresheet, you use dollar bills to keep score.

Good point... I have played numerous times just a for a buck. I know I have a gambling problem, so when I do gamble it's no longer for anything more than I can afford and I hate see anyone else lose more than they can afford. But winning anything over $50 gets me hyped up a bit. I am not rich nor would I say I am poor, but $50 plus is my personal number. Anything below it seems like change anything above it seems like the lottery. I am a weird dude though.

 

[ND Fan]

Do any of you know how much is "gambled" during practice rounds before a PGA golf tournament? I do, and a $1-5,000 Nassau is not unusual. I have heard of bets in the six figures between two prominent golfers for one round of play! If you don't think pro golfers gamble, you just don't know. Of course they are millionaires, but they're still betting high any way you look at it.

It's a not so well kept secret in PGA circles, they just don't discuss it publicly. At least not that much :wink:. I've heard a few of them slip up and talk about beating another player for a good chunk the day before. Sergio once said on the air that he won enough the day before to buy a new Mercedes.

When someone like Sergio make a 10K nassau, it would be like me betting $2.00. Of course golfers gamble. It's just not too many are what you would call hustlers. They exist but they rarely make a dent unless it's some wealthy guy who just likes to play with good golfers. I played in some of those game while in college. They just pay to play with better players and gladly hand over $300 for the privilege.

 

[KRJ]

I don't think any gambling should be allowed for pool to be viewed as a "real" sport either.
Gambling can only be allowed in football, baseball, hockey, boxing, tennis, golf, & racing.

Ok, that's funny... But I seriously doubt some baseball hitter standing in the box against a guy that throws 97mph, with a wicked 2 seam fastball, that moves in and down on a right handed hitter, stood there thinking "man, if only I had bet some money I could finally hit this guy

 

[Dunnn51]

Well I did say "mini"

Races to 11 or even 15 about as long as they get in tournaments. Top players consider these actually "short" sets. It takes a long time for the cream to rise against the upper echelon players.

Yeah, I know what you are saying. Like 10-ball races to 30 are nothing to PRO's.

they are the cream! (as for me: I'm the sour milk on the other end!)