Gambling casts a very wide net. By that I mean, people from all walks of life have been known to gamble. Gambling can be done and is done on just about anything under the sun.
Toncam's reply to my post about my dad's penchant for betting on the horses prompted me to start this thread. Who knows, maybe in your stories or mine, someone who is getting ready to go down that road, might see themselves and make a different decision.
While my story about my dad's gambling on the horses seems almost tragic, it isn't and it wasn't, well at least it doesn't have that perspective to me. While we grew up so poor, my dad didn't always bet the ponies.
For many years we lived in "the country" and they didn't have any tracks there and everyone else that lived there wasn't too well off either.
I've enjoyed gambling all of my life. I may have won a little more than I lost but I book losers just like anyone else. If you aren't booking losers occasionally you're not gambling.
I guess I've been lucky most of my life. In fact, I know I have been fortunate to escape paying a heavy price for walking so close to the edge of many things.
It's not always the loss of money that sometimes accompanies gambling that hurts a person. Sometimes the bigger losses occurs in other areas like self esteem, family arguments, loss of time with family, friend arguments/loss of friends and sometimes just a bad reputation.
Last night I was playing some forty dollar 9 ball and played extremely well against another good, local player. It was fun and I haven't played that well in a long time. I seldom ever gamble at 9 ball but before I started I knew I had a few hundred dollars that was burning a hole in my pocket. I figured that I had a dozen barrels and that would last me the night. If I lost that I would simply quit. Fortunately, I started out super strong. As the night wore on I played progressively worse and my opponent played better. It was a fun night because I played so well and I didn't lose any money as I actually won a little in the process.
For me gambling at pool is just another dimension of pool. I don't currently gamble at sports betting, although I participate in some golf and football pools. Louisiana is known for gambling and you can bet on just about anything your heart desires. I tried the ponies for a little while but saw that I had no control over those things. Every now and then I would read the forms and get lucky or one of the seasoned veterans of the track would put a good tip on me but I could see that if I continued betting on the horses, I would just be paying for their room and board. Really, its been that way for me with just about everything. I've tried betting the sports but the vigorish eats a hole in your pocket in the long run.
I've always set a limit as to what I might be able to justify losing and I have never gone beyond that number. In other words, I don't borrow money from my friends to continue gambling and I don't bet more than what I can afford to lose.
I tell people that I gamble at pool because I enjoy it but if it disappeared overnight for the betterment of the sport I wouldn't miss it for a minute. I know that when I beat a good player, a bad player, or someone who just doesn't match up well, it's still a loss and losses don't feel good.
If you gamble ONLY what you can genuinely justify losing, then you should be OK but this thread is more about my personal experiences and I know others have had different experiences. So let's hear yours. Maybe you'll save a life or help someone manage their money.
JoeyA
Toncam's reply to my post about my dad's penchant for betting on the horses prompted me to start this thread. Who knows, maybe in your stories or mine, someone who is getting ready to go down that road, might see themselves and make a different decision.
While my story about my dad's gambling on the horses seems almost tragic, it isn't and it wasn't, well at least it doesn't have that perspective to me. While we grew up so poor, my dad didn't always bet the ponies.
For many years we lived in "the country" and they didn't have any tracks there and everyone else that lived there wasn't too well off either.
I've enjoyed gambling all of my life. I may have won a little more than I lost but I book losers just like anyone else. If you aren't booking losers occasionally you're not gambling.
I guess I've been lucky most of my life. In fact, I know I have been fortunate to escape paying a heavy price for walking so close to the edge of many things.
It's not always the loss of money that sometimes accompanies gambling that hurts a person. Sometimes the bigger losses occurs in other areas like self esteem, family arguments, loss of time with family, friend arguments/loss of friends and sometimes just a bad reputation.
Last night I was playing some forty dollar 9 ball and played extremely well against another good, local player. It was fun and I haven't played that well in a long time. I seldom ever gamble at 9 ball but before I started I knew I had a few hundred dollars that was burning a hole in my pocket. I figured that I had a dozen barrels and that would last me the night. If I lost that I would simply quit. Fortunately, I started out super strong. As the night wore on I played progressively worse and my opponent played better. It was a fun night because I played so well and I didn't lose any money as I actually won a little in the process.
For me gambling at pool is just another dimension of pool. I don't currently gamble at sports betting, although I participate in some golf and football pools. Louisiana is known for gambling and you can bet on just about anything your heart desires. I tried the ponies for a little while but saw that I had no control over those things. Every now and then I would read the forms and get lucky or one of the seasoned veterans of the track would put a good tip on me but I could see that if I continued betting on the horses, I would just be paying for their room and board. Really, its been that way for me with just about everything. I've tried betting the sports but the vigorish eats a hole in your pocket in the long run.
I've always set a limit as to what I might be able to justify losing and I have never gone beyond that number. In other words, I don't borrow money from my friends to continue gambling and I don't bet more than what I can afford to lose.
I tell people that I gamble at pool because I enjoy it but if it disappeared overnight for the betterment of the sport I wouldn't miss it for a minute. I know that when I beat a good player, a bad player, or someone who just doesn't match up well, it's still a loss and losses don't feel good.
If you gamble ONLY what you can genuinely justify losing, then you should be OK but this thread is more about my personal experiences and I know others have had different experiences. So let's hear yours. Maybe you'll save a life or help someone manage their money.
JoeyA