The thing about gambling is how it changes a pool player’s approach to the match.
When the stakes are meager, the outcome isn’t as seemingly important. It becomes
a more enjoyable experience mostly because something of value is at stake. It could
be for table time, a race for $5, $10, $20 bucks, it still isn’t intense yet. However, when
serious money is at stake, say $50 or $100 & more per set, the opponents play a lot
more intensely. Some players thrive on that. They relish the pressure and use it as their
motivation to dial up their performance. Some players also can’t cope with the pressure
as well and so at a certain point, the wager turns into a distraction and their game suffers.
Personally, it doesn’t matter with me. Don’t get me wrong. I am not implying, so please don’t
infer, that I have a superior game or can handle pressure better than most players. I’m not that
egotistical and the amount isn’t that important. The most I’ve played for is a $100 a set but you
see, regardless if it’s a couple of bucks, $5, $10 or just a beer, I am competing every bit as hard
as if it was a $100 bet. The wager does nor motivate not distract me because it’s not my source
of satisfaction. It is winning, beating my opponent and hopefully not due to any bad luck outcomes
they might have had during our match. The bottomline is I just hate to lose in pool or anything I play
competitively. When I played tennis in the 70’s, I adored Jimmy Connors attitude. He explained it
this way why he battled so fiercely and relentlessly on the tennis courts. He said I don’t have to win
but the problem is I hate the taste of losing. If every one of my matches resulted in a draw, I could
live with that but losing one, well, it’s just unbearable to even think about. I just hate to lose at anything.
Well, I’m the same way. We could play to just pass time or gamble but either will result in you getting my
best game and if you later want to put some money on the table, I am not changing my game. You are
getting my best because it’s a shitty taste to lose and it’s not one that I want to experience versus deliver.
Dunno how others see this but receiving a silver medal in any competition isn’t winning. It’s losing the gold.
So I try to not let my mouth, or ego, write a check my wallet can’t cover. And the wager really doesn’t matter.