Gambling Set Lengths
- Thread starter LHP5
- Start date
People used to play games for cash all the time. Now most people want to play a race.
Personally, I like playing by the game, pay after every game, winner cannot quit winner UNLESS, the other guy quits or their is some kind of agreement on time to quit.
Paying by the game and paying after each game adds pressure for many players, because they have to get into their cash.
Playing a race is much like a tournament.
I have never liked playing a race and losing $100 when the other guy only is 1 game ahead.
By playing per game, someone is going to have to get in stroke to win usually or it may go back and forth for a while.
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Gambling set lengths
Playing tournaments will help you improve also. If you get an opportunity to play in a tournament/tournaments that bring in the heavy hitters, that will give you a good idea of where you are on the totem pole.
Eddie
Playing tournaments will help you improve also. If you get an opportunity to play in a tournament/tournaments that bring in the heavy hitters, that will give you a good idea of where you are on the totem pole.
Eddie
This depends on a bunch of stuff, if the player did not know or did not like you, the money would be higher even on a short race. I have seen good players play for $10 race to 7 with one guy, then play for $500 with another. If you have the time, a race to 7 is pretty good, I don't think anyone would really play anything under 7 if the matchup was pretty even. If I knew the player was worse than me by a level or more, I'd play a race to 5. Anything under 4-5 is just about random unless you are 2 levels over someone, an A playing a C for example. Even a race to 3 would be very very hard for a C to win that one.
Yeah I see what you mean about losing sets hill-hill and being out of the cash. Granted I've only been playing cheap sets but it still sucks. Also, I never thought of the added pressure of actually physically handing over cash after each game instead of after each set. Guess it's like paying with cash instead of the credit card type thing. Thanks for the info and for your other posts on set lengths.
Unskilled players have asked me to play for a drink, but in short races. One of them asked me how long the race should be. I said 3. Why? Well, basically anything below 3 is not good... Even a noob can win 2 sets somehow. We were playing 8 ball and anything can happen in 2 sets. You could pot the black and there you go, you lost! Other drink matches they asked a race to 2. Those weren't matches against good players, so it wasn't risky at all. But even against the worst player ever, I'd never play a race to 2 or 3 for big money...
At another place I've played for about 5$ and it was a race to 3.
The most I have played for is 100 euros, 2 on 2, so 50 euros for each. That's about 67$ for both. I played with an amazing player and against 2 jokers. This is surprising, but we played a race to 2! But yeah, we are way better than those players so it wasn't so risky... In the end though, they just didn't pay up and stepped away. Oh well.
As to answer your question, against any good player, I'd always play a race to at least 5. And the bets you've mentioned:
$5 - only per frame, or a race to 3/5.
$10 - race to 5-7
$20 - race to 5-7
$50 - race to at least 7.
At another place I've played for about 5$ and it was a race to 3.
The most I have played for is 100 euros, 2 on 2, so 50 euros for each. That's about 67$ for both. I played with an amazing player and against 2 jokers. This is surprising, but we played a race to 2! But yeah, we are way better than those players so it wasn't so risky... In the end though, they just didn't pay up and stepped away. Oh well.
As to answer your question, against any good player, I'd always play a race to at least 5. And the bets you've mentioned:
$5 - only per frame, or a race to 3/5.
$10 - race to 5-7
$20 - race to 5-7
$50 - race to at least 7.
To me the money doesn't determine the length of the set. If I feel like I'm the stronger player and giving up weight I like a longer one in case you've run into somebody that gets on a lucky streak. If I'm getting weight and the guy is not known to run several racks off, I like a Shorter race.
If you are looking to check out the totem pole then try tournaments. Around here I pay $10 to get into most weekly tournaments and have beaten some of the best money players in town. And I win money in about half of the tournaments I get into so I am up. Don't think you are going to learn anything by getting into pro level tournaments. I see guys doing that so they can brag that they played in this or that tournament, but going 2 down is not smart or anything to brag about.
If you are approached by a better player, then play them out. They say, hey, lets play for $100, race to 5. I come back with lets play a race to 100 for $5. Then add something like, hey it only takes some heart if you have any, and then work on a better deal. Race to 7 for $20 and give you a spot.
As I was working my way up the totem pole I would sometimes hit on better players when I was shooting dead stroke. Ask for a spot. I got the 8 in a match against a local shortstop player and after two hours we were even. Wow, was he pissed and the next day he was back in the pool room looking for me.
If you are approached by a better player, then play them out. They say, hey, lets play for $100, race to 5. I come back with lets play a race to 100 for $5. Then add something like, hey it only takes some heart if you have any, and then work on a better deal. Race to 7 for $20 and give you a spot.
As I was working my way up the totem pole I would sometimes hit on better players when I was shooting dead stroke. Ask for a spot. I got the 8 in a match against a local shortstop player and after two hours we were even. Wow, was he pissed and the next day he was back in the pool room looking for me.