Non-Gambling Pool Players

MitchAlsup said:
After 3 years of probability and statistics in college, I don't gamble--maybe for a beer.
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i guess you only studied the negative EV side of the equation. there is the positive side for those that gamble on that side of it. and prosper greatly.

the easiest side to get action on, is with the worst of it and naturally so. that is why most lose gambling
 
maha said:
i guess you only studied the negative EV side of the equation. there is the positive side for those that gamble on that side of it. and prosper greatly.

the easiest side to get action on, is with the worst of it and naturally so. that is why most lose gambling
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It's not gambling if you only play people you know you can beat, don't let them use their own 'special equipment', and change the rules to your advantage. You have posted enough about your conditions for everyone to know that you con, not gamble.
 
MitchAlsup said:
Makes it hard to ever start gambling. ...
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I have gambled quite often after the divorce to make enough money to buy groceries and other necessities of life like shoes for my kids and school supplies ha ha
This was in a tournament setting at a local pool hall or the occasional bar down town .
I was also working 3 jobs part time to try and get ahead of child support after being unable to work for 6 months after a surgery and my paychecks were getting hammered by the state and after taxes I wouldn't even get half .
So in other words to quote a old joke a friend once told me a Hit man is cheaper than a divorce attorney ha ha and yes I'd be out by now !

Even my youngest daughter remembers back in those days when we're at a local bar for a meal and someone asks me to play a game of pool , she gets a silly grin on her face then asks are you sure you want to do that ?
 
I'm one of "those'...sorry. I don't have any issue with the concept of gambling or anything, I just don't have the extra money to put into play. I used to play for beers, or the occasional $5 bet, but I just can't really justify it nowadays. (I am that tight lately, sadly)

I don't play enough lately to have any faith in my game to want to play for money.

I enjoy watching folks match up with something on the line. In a different world, I'd probably play some cheap stuff. That ship has sailed for me.

*** edit*** I guess I have participated in a few cheap friendly ring games, for a few bucks, so I suppose I do "gamble', occasionally, lol
 
part of being a successful gambler is to set up the conditions so you do have the best of it. they can play/bet or not it is their choice.

you are defining gambling as just betting on things. that is also gambling. but usually stupid gambling. like the lottery where you have the worst of it by at least 50%. or 24% at the race track. or laying 11 to ten or 6 to 5 to bet on an even money bet on sports. those are all sucker bets and people that make them are the ones that have been conned by advertising.
 
I play cheap ($5-20 a game one pocket) with most people. The better players around here will only play for money, and I do like feeling accountable for my play so I don’t mind gambling. Other than that, I’m very happy to play for nothing with folks who I know aren’t gamblers. It’s never been hard to find people to gamble with where I live (NorCal), and plenty of people like to bet high. But for lifetime gamblers to say people SHOULD gamble to enjoy the game is ridiculous. It’s like a drunk telling you that you need to drink to enjoy a nice meal out.

I work hard at two jobs for my money and the cost of living here is so stupid high that I have don’t have much interest in losing even 100 bucks that I could otherwise use to buy food, a pair of shoes, whatever. Losing 20 or 40 I can manage, especially in a friendly game. But my threshold for what I’m willing to lose is and always has been low.

Opinion: most old timers who incessantly bitch and moan about how nobody plays for money anymore are just nits who are mad there’s nobody left to fleece. The ones who complain the most are the ones you’ll hear saying they won’t give someone a ball because they’re “only playing a race to 3 for 50”. Pool hustling culture ate itself and the old are no longer able to easily prey on the young, because the young don’t have any money to lose.
 
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jasonlaus said:
Used to be everybody in the bar would play for $5 to $20/game all night no matter how good the player holding the table was.

Now they quit playing for free because they don't want to put quarters in the table.

Nobody gambles anymore, not even for a cheap beer
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The same people will pour money into lottery machines next to the pool tables where there is virtually zero chance of winning and no challenge whatsoever. It's about putting your pride out there on the line, not the money. People have gotten weak.
 
maha said:
part of being a successful gambler is to set up the conditions so you do have the best of it. they can play/bet or not it is their choice.

you are defining gambling as just betting on things. that is also gambling. but usually stupid gambling. like the lottery where you have the worst of it by at least 50%. or 24% at the race track. or laying 11 to ten or 6 to 5 to bet on an even money bet on sports. those are all sucker bets and people that make them are the ones that have been conned by advertising.
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By definition gambling must involve a risk of loss. You have said you won't play if there is a chance you will lose.
 
maha said:
the younger crowd do not gamble.
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A number of the younger recreational players in here will gamble with each other, knowing their opponent is likely no better than them, and who even knows if they pay off when they’re finished. However, they are certainly not likely to gamble in here with players they don’t know.
 
chris thats another of my points thanks. they are gambling with what they think or know is the best of it and dont play when unsure.
that is the definition of a winning gambler. just on a small scale. give them time to progress.

the world needs winning gamblers. those are the ones who tend to make the best decisions. just like in war the best generals make the best risky decisions and the losing ones the worst. it applies to all walks of life.
 
dee dee ill make any bet for most any amount if i think i have the best of it by any amount even a tiny sliver of one.
and will not make any bet that is the worst of it for me, if i can help it.
and i will try to do whatever to get that percent up in my favor which gives me more chances to win at a higher return.
 
DeeDeeCues said:
By definition gambling must involve a risk of loss. You have said you won't play if there is a chance you will lose.
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i think that is part of the problem
mis -communication
people complain about players not "gambling" at pool
which is different than
people not playing pool for money
to me those 2 groups are different
those that play pool for money to win
those who just want money on the line
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gamble /găm′bəl/

intransitive verb​

  1. To bet on an uncertain outcome, as of a contest.
  2. To play a game of chance for stakes.
  3. To take a risk in the hope of gaining an advantage or a benefit
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people who play pool for money and book more winners than losers
dont book too many "bad" games
these people in general know the value of money and how to manage it
and look at playing pool as a source of income not "gambling"
these people usually dont belittle those that dont play for money
people who need money on the line to "focus" or just like to have money on the line regardless of being in control of the outcome
are gamblers and winning or losing or having money or not is not important
its the "action" they crave
these people tend to belittle those that play without something on the line
often the difference between these two different groups who play pool with money involved gets blurred in discussions
JMHO
ICBW
 
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maha said:
chris thats another of my points thanks. they are gambling with what they think or know is the best of it and dont play when unsure.
that is the definition of a winning gambler. just on a small scale. give them time to progress.

the world needs winning gamblers. those are the ones who tend to make the best decisions. just like in war the best generals make the best risky decisions and the losing ones the worst. it applies to all walks of life.
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Winners require losers.
 
The only time I play for money is with my friends. We get together once or twice a month a my friends house that has a 7ft diamond in his basement and we play cheap ring games. If you "mop up" in the ring game, you might walk out with $50-$60 max. We do it just to have fun. Occasionally we will match up for long races. The last one I did was race to 21 nine ball for $100. That was the largest I ever put on the line and its been 2 years since.

This idea that you have to gamble to get better is a myth and I think a lot of the really good junior/young adult players are proving that. As someone said above, the hustling vibe is gone. People are not going to fall prey to that anymore. My group of friends that play together are all about the same speed so we know who plays like what. No one trying to hustle anyone.

I won't play for money outside of that. I can take a game seriously without money being on it.
 
I used to like playing for $5,10 or $20/game 6-red snooker and had steady guys i played with. The only action I ever had playing 9-ball was $50/set and i quit after 3 sets. Since I started going out the past 4 Fridays to the poolhall/bar I haven't seen anybody playing for money but the gambling machines are busy and I get a chuckle watching them going to the ATM steady
 
good for you brian. i can' t take the game seriously without betting something.
i compete, i bet.

oh wait.... all the others do as well. they bet their entry fees in tournaments that they will get part of the prize pool. but they dont call that gambling because gambling is addictive or bad.
 
baron the reason you dont like to gamble is that you dont win. if you won most of the time then that 100 bucks would be 3 or more hundreds of bucks to spend on food. you simply make bad games or dont try to make good ones.

my threshold for what im willing to lose it low as well. so i make games where i tend to win and win more than i can lose if i guess wrong.

if the non gamblers won lots of money most often then their tune would change quickly i bet.
 
What I am sensing is that we have some lock artists who imagine themselves to be gamblers. A true gambler, in pool, is seldom going to profit over time because the name of his game is adjust, adjust, adjust. Around here anyone who did not adjust was viewed in a very negative light.
 
DeeDeeCues said:
By definition gambling must involve a risk of loss. You have said you won't play if there is a chance you will lose.
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At my local pool hall/Bar, I win something like 85%-90% of all games I play*.

At 85% can it be considered gambling ??

(*) it is not that I am that good, it is just that they are that bad (most don't even know how bad they are.)
 
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