Gambling vs. playing better players vs. practice

lastminutepanic

lastminutepanic

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Curious to know where you think the improvement to a pool game comes from. I am super competitive, i don't need to gamble to have that need to play my best, but I hear, WAY too often, that gambling is how to get better... I think it's just a cheesy hustle, imo. especially since when i suggest giving me a spot, or a couple of games on the rail, suddenly it's not 'gambling' any more.

Just thought i'd ask you guys, you've been doing this way longer than me.
 
I'm not knocking gambling at all, just thinking out loud that most people don't want to actually gamble :) they'd rather pick on a high C/low B player straight up, than spot me a game or two and have to work for the cash. I'd rather not have to play unconscious to beat someone every time. But that's what i hear, at least 10 times a month, 'you don't gamble, if you bet more i'd play better against you'.
 
And i play local tournaments and play some pretty sporty people here and there, pressure isn't hard to find :) At least not for me, i hate to lose, even if it's a coin flip, i hate to lose it.
 
I have about a dozen people I play with regularly and some are way better than me, some are even, some play less than I. I don't think anyone is up more than twenty dollars over anyone else in this group after playing a few dozen matches. The better players give up real spots, we all adjust our spot if someone has been winning too much, etc. I think the key to this group is we all have good jobs and we are more interested in playing pool than making easy money.

Also you can play better players and loose to them cheaply by playing in tournaments.
 
Gambling can be a way to improve but not for all players.Yes most of the people who tell you "you have to gamble to get better" just want your $$ but for some peeps it is good for their game.I think most of us have to learn how to practice in a way that helps their game or they may get less from practice as they do from matching up.
 
It makes you take every game and every shot serious. Its tough to get in stroke during a tournament. You play a short set, then sit for an hour or so before you play again. Not a very good measure of anyone's skill. If you find a good gambling game, i.e. even game or even spot, you will find your highs and lows in your game. Keeping your concentration for hours at a time is something that is learned. One thing that I have learned is that I am an extremely slow starter. I really don't play my best until I've been in a game for two or three hours. It makes it tough to match up when guys at a tournament are trying to steal in between games. Not many people are really willing to grind anymore.
 
i can see where you're coming from

i know a guy that's a cut throat competitor, whether it's for nothing or a bet, his goal is to stick it in you, no backing off. as far as i'm concerned, this is the best mindset.

for most players though, not all of us have that cut throat nature. i think it's important to include gambling and tournament play experience, they're two different things. i've known guys that'll rob anyone for a buck but throw them under tournament pressure and they have a harder time achieving. vice versa for other guy whom play great in tournaments but fold for the cash. you'll learn how to win from losing, especially when there's something on the line.

the "i concentrate better when cash is on the line" is a lark, the same guys make excuses when they lose.

all in all to each their own, i've heard that Ralph Souquet doesn't gamble as well as many europeans. SVB got awesome playing by himself cause there was nobody to play, despite this he definitely doesn't have a problem gambling:thumbup:

just keep your head down and doing your own thing. if you're honest about your abilities, and don't think the added pressure of playing for something affects your game, then you could do without gambling.

i think there was a time when things were better, and the economy wasn't so crappy. if you lost a couple bucks, you could get it back easier. nowdays a bird in hand is worth two in the bush for lots of folks. it's bad enough losing a third of your investments in stocks and rrsp's let alone grocery and rent money.
 
I usually gamble with the same people, and we are all pretty even. That said any given night some may be hot or cold so it's always interesting, but nobody dominates for long. None of us likes to lose, and we do take every shot seriously because it is for money. We are not just banging balls around for shits & giggles, but nobody takes themselves too seriously which makes it fun.
 
I think playing players better than me makes me better and playing players not as good is fun. Getting beat all the time is not much fun. I think the guys that play for pride are the worst losers and the most fun to beat. I started out gambling 40 years ago. Its hard to even get a cheap game where I live now. They only play if they know they will win. Actually most of the players I know aren't intelligent enough to realize they can make money by matching up, and the ones that are won't take the time to learn the games and how to handicap them. They want it all right now, what took me 50 years to learn by trial and error. I am pretty disgusted with the people I have to play now. Maybe its the economy? I intend on visiting some other places to play soon. It can't happen soon enough.
 
Tramp Steamer...The upshot is that they generally only gamble with each other. Why?...because nobody else will gamble with them. They also gamble because most of them are broke, and have no other way to make $$$. I'm willing to bet that many of the pros who gamble a lot, don't really enjoy it...they do it because they HAVE to. The other side of the coin is that most of the pro poolplayers who gamble at pool, also gamble at other things...which is where their "score" on the pool table usually ends up (in the casino, at the track, or to their 'bookie')!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Tramp Steamer said:
All of the Pros gamble, what does that tell you. :)
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Scott Lee said:
Tramp Steamer...The upshot is that they generally only gamble with each other. Why?...because nobody else will gamble with them. They also gamble because most of them are broke, and have no other way to make $$$. I'm willing to bet that many of the pros who gamble a lot, don't really enjoy it...they do it because they HAVE to. The other side of the coin is that most of the pro poolplayers who gamble at pool, also gamble at other things...which is where their "score" on the pool table usually ends up (in the casino, at the track, or to their 'bookie')!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...

Scott Lee...They generally gamble with each other because at their level it's harder to get up a game, but then that doesn't necessarily hold true considering what we saw at Derby City with Gabe and Dippy, and I'm sure there was more like that. Jeremy Jones, for instance, came through my neck of the woods last summer and matched-up with a couple of our local 10 speeds. As to whether he cared for it or not, I didn't ask.
 
Tramp Steamer...I agree with you. They do have to give up huge weight sometimes, just to get a game (I watched Gabe playing Dippy 16-4 one-hole). Still, the scenario I described is pretty much like it is. They do it because they have to...not because they like it.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Tramp Steamer said:
Scott Lee...They generally gamble with each other because at their level it's harder to get up a game, but then that doesn't necessarily hold true considering what we saw at Derby City with Gabe and Dippy, and I'm sure there was more like that. Jeremy Jones, for instance, came through my neck of the woods last summer and matched-up with a couple of our local 10 speeds. As to whether he cared for it or not, I didn't ask.
Click to expand...
 
Scott Lee said:
Tramp Steamer...I agree with you. They do have to give up huge weight sometimes, just to get a game (I watched Gabe playing Dippy 16-4 one-hole). Still, the scenario I described is pretty much like it is. They do it because they have to...not because they like it.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...

Regardless of their reasoning for gambling...the correlation between good players and gambling exists. Wanna be the best? Seems you might have to gamble to get there.

Say what you will, there's no greater pressure than eating corn flakes again unless you win this game/set/match. You might not like it, but you're sure as hell going to learn how to win.
 
Drew said:
Regardless of their reasoning for gambling...the correlation between good players and gambling exists.
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Correlation does not imply causation. You may find that many of the best pool players come from the Phillipines or Canada; you may find that they all stay in hotels; that they all drink coffee in the morning; that they are all right handed...

That does not imply that to be one of the best you must move to Canada or the Phillipines...

Gambling can be a habit. Some of these people just want to gamble.

You can get plenty of mental pressure by playing tourny's and leagues.
 
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