I've been exposed to the Poker epidemic

[StormHotRod300]

I now know why, people have been jumping on the Poker bandwagon!

So last week, I got the local bar that has a couple bar tables and one 9ft table. Well after practicing for about 20mins, I notice in the adjacent room they have some Texas hold'em going on. So I pack up my stuff and go check it out. I've played Texas hold'em off n on for the last couple of years but nothing serious.

Well, I get into a money game. nothing big, 1-2 hold'em, max beat 100$, 30$ buy in. So I buy in with 80$. I spend just under 2hrs playing and walk out with 170$

Now I've never walked outa the pool hall winning 170$ either it be a tournament or gambling. Why? because everyone who gambles wants the nuts, and if you happen to out run the nuts, they quit after a few sets. Or they want more weight.

And in tournaments the only one that pays out big, in the area I live in is in the city I usta live in, and its rigged so in favor of the house players that its stupid. Like yesterday, I see two guys I know who are an A player and a AA player get stomped on by a guy who's rated as a C player. He beat both of them 7-2 and 7-1. And then said guy ends up winning the tournament too.

Now, in pool you have if your gambling, try and find a fair game. It never happens, cuz everyone wants the Nuts. And in tournaments its such a crap-shoot that its stupid and people are beating up on each other for what? 500$, maybe 1000$???? if your lucky a good Florida tour pays out 3000$ or so.

But in Poker, you dont have to worry about not being able to run out, or play safe good enough. You just have to play your cards right. You dont have guys wanting such a crazy spot that the game isnt even win-able.

Plus the money that you have the opportunity to win in Poker is unreal compared to how hard you have to work at Pool, just to be able to break EVEN!!!!

Now while it pains me to say this but, it sucks to know that pool is going to be on the back burner now, while playing Poker is a front runner.

 

[jay helfert]

Just wait until you take a couple of bad beats and go broke a couple of times. You'll be whistling a different tune.

 

[Hail Mary Shot]

Just wait until you take a couple of bad beats and go broke a couple of times. You'll be whistling a different tune.

TRUE, it will never occur to you until you get a beating. just be careful though, since losing can be very addicting !

take this from an experienced gambler !

 

[Fast Lenny]

You can play perfect poker and lose and play crap poker and win,it is what it is,the swings are too much for me to do it seriously as i once did,now its a recreational once in awhile thing.

 

[Hail Mary Shot]

one thing more. if there is such thing as a "POOL SHARK", it has it's own counterpart in POKER. there is almost no difference between these two games, except that you will be losing more what you have playing Poker compared to playing Pool. In Pool, you have the opportunity to back out , out of logic. while in Poker, most people lose their logic due to the fact that they could win by luck alone and due to the game's addictive substance. wrong assessment, Poker does also involves skill.

 

[Nine Ball]

Just wait until you take a couple of bad beats and go broke a couple of times. You'll be whistling a different tune.

Well, If he's smart he will not go broke. But there will be a million bad beats. Some people are a little more fortunate than others though when it comes to bad beats. I've seen guys play for months and take maybe 10 bad beats where others take 10 bad beats in two games. All in all there is way more money in poker then there will ever be in pool.

 

[midnightpulp]

But in Poker, you dont have to worry about not being able to run out, or play safe good enough. You just have to play your cards right. You dont have guys wanting such a crazy spot that the game isnt even win-able.

That's why pool is the better game There's something physical to execute, and when you play well, you get rewarded. You can be playing the best poker of your life and still lose.

I've been playing poker since the Party Days to supplement my income and I find it very unfulfilling. I say this, because I seek out the weakest players and the easiest games, so it really doesn't feel like I'm accomplishing much, other than lining my pocket with a few extra bucks. Then of course is the inevitable bad run, which can last a couple of weeks online and months live.

Don't get me wrong, poker is great game at its higher levels, where it's more of an intellectual contest and you can try to out think and outplay your opponents. Problem is, a game like this won't be too profitable, no matter how well you play. You really don't want to playing with people who can think about the game beyond the first level, which is: What cards do I have? The Big Game that Brunson, Greenstein, Ivey all frequent, often has a couple stuck whales in there just giving their money away.

If you're serious about the game, make sure to buy every 2+2 book you can afford. And remember, it's not how well you play, it's how bad your opponents play

 

[AZE]

Not to be rough but..

1. If you've never walked out of a pool hall with at least 170 profit then you probably aren't that good at pool.
2. If you've never made/lost more than 170 (+the fact that you posted this) in poker then you probably don't know much about poker.

I'm sorry, but you aren't really qualified for this discussion

 

[midnightpulp]

Well, If he's smart he will not go broke. But there will be a million bad beats. Some people are a little more fortunate than others though when it comes to bad beats. I've seen guys play for months and take maybe 10 bad beats where others take 10 bad beats in two games. All in all there is way more money in poker then there will ever be in pool.

And the reason is because EVERYONE thinks they're good at poker.

I've honestly never met a losing poker player.

It's the perfect trap game. Fish run good, they think it's their skill. Reality sets in and the odds catch up with them, they blame bad luck.

In pool, or any other sport, the results can't be excused. You miss 10 layups in a row in B-ball, you just suck. Can't look to bad luck.

 

[mjantti]

And the reason is because EVERYONE thinks they're good at poker.

I've honestly never met a losing poker player.

It's the perfect trap game. Fish run good, they think it's their skill. Reality sets in and the odds catch up with them, they blame bad luck.

In pool, or any other sport, the results can't be excused. You miss 10 layups in a row in B-ball, you just suck. Can't look to bad luck.

That's why there is so much fish in poker compared to pool. Poker is much more profitable than pool if you can handle the variance and you don't tilt often. But pool is much more fun. That's what I do, poker is funding many of my pool activities

 

[Nine Ball]

And the reason is because EVERYONE thinks they're good at poker.

I've honestly never met a losing poker player.

It's the perfect trap game. Fish run good, they think it's their skill. Reality sets in and the odds catch up with them, they blame bad luck.

In pool, or any other sport, the results can't be excused. You miss 10 layups in a row in B-ball, you just suck. Can't look to bad luck.

That is true. Everyone who plays thinks they are good. Some are and some not. No matter what the reason be there's still more money in the game than pool and always will be from here on out. One definitely has better odds getting rich playin poker than pool no matter what their skill level. Perfect examples... Chris Moneymaker.. Jamie Gold.. and that guy who last won it.. Forget his name. But what total blanks and look what they did.. That's why more play poker than pool.. Anyone can win.. Not like that in pool..

 

[Johnnyt]

Just like it takes years to get good at pool it takes years of playing good people poker to get good at it. Most guys that I know that started playing a lot of it when the card boom came sit with a table of young guys like thenselves that haven't played too long either.

They win a couple bucks that way for awhile until they start playing for the kind fo money that you can bluff with and it tightens their a$$ a little before they try to bluff or high roll someone. The cream comes to the top in cards too. Johnnyt

 

[Hail Mary Shot]

That is true. Everyone who plays thinks they are good. Some are and some not. No matter what the reason be there's still more money in the game than pool and always will be from here on out. One definitely has better odds getting rich playin poker than pool no matter what their skill level. Perfect examples... Chris Moneymaker.. Jamie Gold.. and that guy who last won it.. Forget his name. But what total blanks and look what they did.. That's why more play poker than pool.. Anyone can win.. Not like that in pool..

actually it's more of a double-edge sword. it's either you can cut with it or got cut with it. lot of people got rich because of it, it also got a lot of people swim with the fishes. with this statement, I don't generally agree with you. skill level does play a major part in poker. if what I'm saying is not true, then why is it that most often that you see strong and experienced players reaching the final table rather than the lucky ones? out of the 6 or 7 finalists, you would just be happy to see 1 lucky dude made it thru that final round. unfortunely, that 1 lucky dude is more of a statistical anomaly.

of all the WSOP events in a calendar year, I only saw once, a single mediocre player made it thru the final round. I knew he's a mediocre player by the way he plays. guess what, he never attempted a single heads-up and often quit before the action even started. he was out at 4th place.

 

[Neil]

...............

 

[kevin s]

Same here.

Sometimes a smiley face just can't make up for a statement. Re-read his post. THERE'S NO REAL ACTION HERE. Get it? As for his speed, if you are ever up this way, I'm sure he would play you.

Joke or not, it takes balls to tell someone that they aren't qualified to post in their own thread!

There isn't that much real action here either except for the card games. I have found that if you walk into any poolroom and work up a game for more than $100 , you probably aren't going to like it. Lets be honest! In general the pool world is nitty. I admit I too am not going to play someone that I don't know for more than 5 or 10 a game. Nobody just wants to give their money away. That's the beauty in cards. You don't need to be the best to win. Texas hold em is a game of luck and bankroll. When the cards start running good you can make a lot of money.
I play cards every night so I may know better than most. I realize there is a certain amount of skill but without luck it's no good. Most pool players I know have either jumped on the poker band wagon or they are talking bad about it. Most realize the fish have migrated to a different game. I get woofed at from time to time. I always remind them I know a guy or two that I can call in if they really want to play some pool. Yep even those guys don't want to play some one better than them. They will however offer you a fair spot! A spot that you can never win at!!

 

[catscradle]

You can play perfect poker and lose and play crap poker and win,it is what it is,the swings are too much for me to do it seriously as i once did,now its a recreational once in awhile thing.

Of course, that is exactly why it has become more popular than pool. Any smoe off the street can convince himself he is good at it after a month playing, when in fact he sucks at cards but got lucky. Once he has convinced himself he is pretty good, it takes a much longer period of losing to make him even suspect he isn't very good at it. When he wins he thinks skill, when he loses he thinks bad luck.
In pool luck won't carry you for very long, and you have to face up to your true level of expertise. There is enough luck involved that somebody skilled at hustling can play you along, but the game itself doesn't play you, it tells you the truth. The game of poker itself, particularly hold 'em, will play you.

 

[catscradle]

...

Don't get me wrong, poker is great game at its higher levels, where it's more of an intellectual contest and you can try to out think and outplay your opponents...

I don't think it is truly an intellectual contest at a higher level, at least I don't think hold 'em is. Once you know the odds, it seems like it is just a matter of out-guessing your opponent. When the good players play each other they aren't going to out think one another, they're going to guess whether or not their opponent has what he is trying to behave like he has. Sure the pros (and sounds like you too) can figure out where a casual player is coming from, but I think when they play each other it is back to guessing. Watching those poker shows on tv the pros are bluffed as often as they know to call or laydown a hand, sometimes they guess right, sometimes they don't.
JMHO. BTW, if you couldn't tell, I won't play hold 'em or any other poker games with cards shared between opponents.

 

[ABall]

Lets be honest! In general the pool world is nitty.

Wow, you sure have a great attitude!! There are people who you aren't going to like in any activity, e.g. a pick up basketball game, a poker room, or on the golf course. Why do you feel you have to make these kind of negative "generalizations" about the pool world? If this is what you think, then to me you are the NITWIT, i.e. by definition "a slow-witted, stupid, or foolish person."

 

[kevin s]

There are people who you aren't going to like in any activity

Even on this forum!

 

[!Smorgass Bored]

Win or Lose...Deal Me IN

Well, If he's smart he will not go broke. But there will be a million bad beats. Some people are a little more fortunate than others though when it comes to bad beats. I've seen guys play for months and take maybe 10 bad beats where others take 10 bad beats in two games. All in all there is way more money in poker then there will ever be in pool.

LOL... I went to the poker room yesterday and played in the 1:00, 3:00 and 7:30p.m. tournaments. I think that I may have the highest percentage of Final table appearances & cashes of anyone that plays there, but yesterday was not a good day. I flopped a flush and lost to the board pairing on the turn and again on the river.

In the late tournament I had Big Slick and flopped an Ace and two small clubs including a 7c. One of the other two opponents flopped three 7s and the other had a gutshot straight flush draw. All the chips were in the middle and the 6c hit the straight fush draw and illuminated two of us.

All in all, my total time in all the three tournaments equalled about 40 minutes. Oy-vey !
Sometime you're the bug and sometime you're the windshield. It all balances out 'in the long run', IF you live long enough.

Doug
(fortunately, I recouped my buy-ins at the Omaha Hi-Lo cash table)