Gambling and Pool

Doesn't make a difference to me, so no big deal. Gambling takes place within every major sport. Maybe its just not as much in the open. I have a friend that lives in Antigua and works for an offshore booking agency. Baseball, football, basketball. Theres bets being made on every game in every sport, the world over.
 
You guys know I'd have to chime in here.

1. Don't take some kid's lunch or beer money without telling him you're gonna beat him in advance.

2. Don't lay down (unless there's something bigger as a result) Wait, cancel that.

3. Don't play at all unless there's something at stake. (Whether pride, and I mean extreme pride, or cash, or his girlfriend) You get the drift.

4. Don't beat balls with a "beater". Just makes you digress.

5. Match up if possible on your normal game, not your best game (you go broke that way, I know)

6. People gamble on everything. The matching up and banter is what keeps me in this crazy sub-civilization of degenerates.

7. Poolroom friends are NOT always friends. You'll get it one day when you're double-steered into a grand loss.

8. When gambling, try to get a man out of his element. Whether it's betting outta his range, or playing on a table he hates. You'll just have to trust me on this.


NO! gambling does not hurt the image. How many people would watch a ten thousand dollar match, or the semi-finals of the Viking event. Where will you be? I know which table I'll be watching.
 
They don't have a tournament every day at the local poolhall, but there is always somebody willing to rob me!
 
I prefer tournaments over gambling (far less drama).

A person always hear gambling is a bad image but is it the gambling or the prospect of "fixed" matches that deter sponsors promoting mainstream gambling match ups?
 
Gambling doesn't give pool a bad rap, "Gamblers" do ...

I've played pool for over 35 years and used to gamble quite a bit in my 20's. Every once in a while there was a problem with some asshole "rattlin' his keys" or "forgettin' to pay up", but guys like that weren't very welcome and always had to find a new place to stink it up.

I don't gamble at all anymore, except with very good friends who don't need to shark your ass for lunch money.

The reason is that in many parts of the country now, people can't even say hello without it drippin' with attitude. If I ever need the money that bad, I get a friggin' paper route ...

Guns don't kill people, people kill people with guns.

Computers haven't ruined our economy, people have ruined our economy with computers.

Unfortunately, in a free country like the US of A its perfectly legal to be an arrogant ignoramus or a incompetent asshole. In fact it is now a legitimate career path ...

Ever hear Bill O'Really?, Nancy DisGrace or Rush(ing on drugs) Limbaugh pretend to be political anal(ysts) ... ?

Don't gamble with assholes and you won't give pool a bad name. :kma:

Capn Curmudgeon :groucho:
 
I think there is a BIG difference between gambling and hustling.

I love to gamble in pool, and on pool, but I want it to be fair games.

I hate hustling, and I would never play bad on purpose just to steal money from someone etc. I think THAT is bad for pool, and I won't go into details about what I feel about players doing so.

TAR, theactionreport.com, and challenge-matches are GREAT for pool, imo.

jmizzo said:
I felt better about not gambling when I heard Ralf Souquet doesnt gamble on pool either, but I have a hard time believing that, when they are on the practice tables at big tournaments.
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I can say that Ralf Souquet does not gamble at all. Neither do Jasmin Oushcan or Thorsten Hohmann. I have tried to bet a drink, meal etc and they won't bet on anything. It's just part of their nature.

I've even tried to bet with those three on things that has nothing to do with pool at all, but with no luck. They just don't bet.
 
I don't think the problem is gambling, it is hustling. Unfortunately, it is very easy to hustle in pool. Some were arguing that football has gambling and it is ok, but imagine how bad it would look if it were discovered that the quarterback "threw" the game because of a bet. I think that it is just as bad if a pool player hides his skill in order to get more money.
 
Vinnie said:
I don't think the problem is gambling, it is hustling. Unfortunately, it is very easy to hustle in pool. Some were arguing that football has gambling and it is ok, but imagine how bad it would look if it were discovered that the quarterback "threw" the game because of a bet. I think that it is just as bad if a pool player hides his skill in order to get more money.
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You are right that any lay down or dumping in pro sports tarnishes the image, as was point shaving in college basketball. The difference though is that unlike a lot of other sports, pool is a game in which the outcome is gambled on by the participants, and usually only be the participants.

Having said that, I agree that the perception of hustling in pool is not a positive one.
 
Take it from an old timer that most times the problem with playing for money is that one is gambling and the other is not. Thank goodness.
 
It was mentioned that pool does not have the big sponsers of other sports because of gambling. Do you think BMW, Buick, Accenture ect.ect.ect would pull there name out of golf if Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson matched up and played for a million. They probably would get more sponsers and it would be broadcasted live. The more money involved in a sport the more people forget about the gambling that is involved behind the scenes. Pool needs sponsers away from the beer and cigarettes that are in most tourneys across the nation. You don't Kobe Bryant doing commercials "boy definately gets his budwieser." But I would say that if you are going to gamble make sure you can back up your losses if you are going to bet $50 make sure you have $50 to pay.
 
When I was in the corporate world We used to ask sales managers all the time, "are you the problem or the solution"? I'm reminded of that every time I see one of these threads and this about the jumpteenth thime I've seen this in my 6 tears here.
Pool is no better off and some way worse than in the early 70's. Nobody has steppeed up to the plate or hung in there very long at all. Camel hung in there for a while and then pulled up and left everyone hanging. Mackey sued em and then took off with the money, but nobody can point out one good thing that slippery pice of s___ did for the game anyhow.
It has amazed me that one guy who really impressed me with his ability to get womething going was a guy named Larry Meuth. He put on The World Series OF Tavern Pool back in the 80"s and IMO the one peice of genious this game has ever seen. It only lasted 3-4 years, but Lord what an event it was.
I went to Vegas for the 1st one way back in the early 80's and played in the 8 ball and 9 ball and the whole trip cost me $30.00. That included air, hotel, and entry. There were over 2000 entries in each event and it went on for like 10 days. I did well in both, but, was just sick of Vegas by the end.
Larry got Miller Lite behind this and it was some spctacle to see. They pulled out all stops for this. It was held at Cesars.
My point is that if he got that for pool, where did he go? I never heard of or from the guy ever again. Gambling, this whole event was gambling, 24/7 for the entire 11 days. It never stopped. Anyone who had ever in life held a cue was there. It was the graeatest homecoming of player since Johnston City.
The promoters gave up and left. The sponsors pulled up and left. Nobody within the indusrty has ever stepped up and can't afford to because they claim they can't afford it. The BCA will never step up in my lifetime or yours.
I wonder why Mark, Greg, and numerous others don't put their heads together and pool resources and put together a real tour here in the states. It is obvious that no one sponsor is ever going to again One little apple does not make a basker of apples. But if you put a lot of apples in there, pretty soon you have a basket of Apples. Then and only then, IMO will pool have achaance to come out of the cellar and have a chance to be something.
After all these years, I still wonder where Larry went? We could sure use him now.
Gambling and pool? Is gambling the problem or the soution? I think Tar would say the solution and I have to agree.
 
barber23 said:
It was mentioned that pool does not have the big sponsers of other sports because of gambling. Do you think BMW, Buick, Accenture ect.ect.ect would pull there name out of golf if Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson matched up and played for a million. They probably would get more sponsers and it would be broadcasted live. The more money involved in a sport the more people forget about the gambling that is involved behind the scenes. Pool needs sponsers away from the beer and cigarettes that are in most tourneys across the nation. You don't Kobe Bryant doing commercials "boy definately gets his budwieser." But I would say that if you are going to gamble make sure you can back up your losses if you are going to bet $50 make sure you have $50 to pay.
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That's crazy talk man. if you have the $50 you end up having to pay it. if you don't have it you don't pay anything!

everyone should take a free shot at it at least once
 
Pool players are the last of a dying breed. They are the gunslingers of old. Instead of finding out, who has the quickest draw, and killing one another. They determine the winner of their battles by who goes home with the cash. The winner gets to bask in his glory, while the loser, walks around, wishing they were dead. It's the only way to determine who has the heart of a champion. At least the loser gets to live and fight another day.
 
Frankly, I do not think that pool's reputation suffers much from it's association with gambling.

The association (real or imagined) with unemployment, drugs, and a criminal element is far more damaging.
 
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