Underage pool gambling

Andrew Manning

Andrew Manning

Aspiring know-it-all
Silver Member
So I played a guy a couple weeks ago some cheap 9-ball and 8-ball. We're on a tight table, he's a better shot-maker than me, but I'm holding on and keeping the sets close. I'm 26, I'm guessing he's 19 or 20. Neither of us stood to go up or down more than $20 at any time. At the end of 3 sets, 2 of which he won, he has to leave, and I pay him his $15 winnings. No sweat, I easily had $15 worth of enjoyable competition.

On his way out, I ask him how old he actually is. He says 15.

So here's my question: what would I have done if I had won $50 off him, and then found out he was 15? He had some cash in his pocket that I could have won if I'd beaten him, and it was straight-up fair dealings the whole way, but I don't know if I could have collected gambling winnings from a 15-year-old. I might have had to tell him keep his money or else risk feeling like a bully, taking money from a high school sophomore.

So if that's the case, was I really giving him 1:0 on his money? Just an interesting situation that I thought I'd post and see what comments you all had.

-Andrew
 
To the best of my knowledge, gambling money on pool games is illegal at any age.

So is speeding, but that doesn't stop many of us!:)
 
Gambling is illegal in most states anyway so the age factor doesnt really matter in that aspect. But if he is willing to gamble, he has to be prepared to pay if he loses....15 yrs old or not. JMO.

Southpaw
 
I lost money when i was 15. If he starts betting it up than I would be careful........I hate getting yelled at by other people's moms!
 
I know a few, and know of quite a few young men under the age of 18 that are winning and have won several thousands of dollars, and would probably give weight to most posters on the board and win. You have to remember that while they are young, they still learn the game much much faster than those of us who have passed the "sponge" years. If he's willing to gamble with you, if nothing else when you win it might teach him a valuable lesson about losing money he has no business losing. Or it might give him the drive to continue to improve into the next Efren. Help him when you can, but don't put yourself out. And treat him like any other pool player.
 
Andrew Manning said:
... On his way out, I ask him how old he actually is. He says 15. ...
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My own feeling is that at 15 he is old enough to make that kind of decision for himself. That may or may not be what the law in your state says. But here is a move you can put on him: the next time he asks to play, say that you need to see a note from his mom first. This may or may not work, since my mom was one of my first backers. Really.

Bob
 
i agree with shakes. i was playing dollar on the 5-9 the second time i stepped into a pool hall. i think people should have common sense when gambling. regardless of age. i've seen old timers pay off 15 year olds and the other way around. the only thing that would worry me about a kid's age is whether or not he'll have the cash to back the game. in that case i would tell him/her to put it up.

oh, and regards to gambling being illegal. i believe that it only counts as gambling if there was a 3rd party regulating the money and taking a cut of it. like sports gambling where the house makes a profit or poker rooms where there is a rake. otherwise, i believe it's just a business transaction between people.
 
gambling with Juniors

No win situation if their parents are not standing close byand approving or making the bets for them in my opinion. I know plenty that do, plenty I would lose to, and some I would beat. Either way, if any discussion arises, you're wrong because of their age.
 
Pay the kid or take his money I see no problem with it. I have seen some strong kids or kids who want to get strong and I think gambing with them is no problem. Imagine you are a kid, you want to move up and you got some cash and step up to the table you want to get played. However do not steal candy from kids.

Here are a couple of examples of kids and adults

Every aspiring kid in the pool room in Indy played bank pool with an older black man by the name of Do-Funny or some nickname like that. He turned out some excellent bankers but the admission was 2 or 3 dollars a game. Brian Gregg took those lessons and won the bank ring game at DCC years later. We all (kids) knew we were paying but it was good lessons for the price. Some strong bakers came out of that program and it helped DoFunny out. These lessons were not of the Scott Lee variety, they were more of the pay and try to figure out your mistakes.

I saw Shannon Daulton play Keith some $50 bank 6-4 when Shannon was about 15 this was in Bowling Green KY at Hodges place. Gambling when young can help make you better.

I have played in rings games with adults various places in Ky when I was learning to play. I paid at first but eventually I learned how to collect. They had no problem with paying with a 14 or 15 year old kid.

On the other hand, I also have seen some idiot adults who should not gamble. They would go off for the grocery money 1 or 2 times a month.Taking advantage of an addicted gambler is worse. That being said I have collected from a few go offs myself in the past. :( Luckily I do not need to do that anymore.
 
Andrew Manning said:
So I played a guy a couple weeks ago some cheap 9-ball and 8-ball. We're on a tight table, he's a better shot-maker than me, but I'm holding on and keeping the sets close. I'm 26, I'm guessing he's 19 or 20. Neither of us stood to go up or down more than $20 at any time. At the end of 3 sets, 2 of which he won, he has to leave, and I pay him his $15 winnings. No sweat, I easily had $15 worth of enjoyable competition.

On his way out, I ask him how old he actually is. He says 15.

So here's my question: what would I have done if I had won $50 off him, and then found out he was 15? He had some cash in his pocket that I could have won if I'd beaten him, and it was straight-up fair dealings the whole way, but I don't know if I could have collected gambling winnings from a 15-year-old. I might have had to tell him keep his money or else risk feeling like a bully, taking money from a high school sophomore.

So if that's the case, was I really giving him 1:0 on his money? Just an interesting situation that I thought I'd post and see what comments you all had.

-Andrew
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When I was 15, no one had any problems taking my $$ if they won:mad: And a lot of players like Keith McCready, Mike Zimmerman and Cole Dickson were driving all over the country when they were 15, 16, 17 years old playing anyone they could match up with:) . So, I wouldn't feel bad about it if I were you. He is just learning to match up and play better - cost of a pool lesson.
 
If I knew his age before hand I wouldn't play him. It's a lose lose deal. If his mom or dad called the law I'd be in trouble. But the real reason I wouldn't play him is I would feel like a fool if he was one of these up and coming pros that has been playing for 10 years and he beat my ass for money. I can take get hustled by a woman but NOT a 15 year old. Johnnyt.
 
I'm curious to hear your view of the matter, Andrew. If you run into this kid again, and he asks to play for similar stakes, will you refuse? If so, why?
 
Johnnyt said:
If I knew his age before hand I wouldn't play him. It's a lose lose deal. If his mom or dad called the law I'd be in trouble. But the real reason I wouldn't play him is I would feel like a fool if he was one of these up and coming pros that has been playing for 10 years and he beat my ass for money. I can take get hustled by a woman but NOT a 15 year old. Johnnyt.
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I am the opposite:D
 
9ballprodigy said:
[...]
oh, and regards to gambling being illegal. i believe that it only counts as gambling if there was a 3rd party regulating the money and taking a cut of it. like sports gambling where the house makes a profit or poker rooms where there is a rake. otherwise, i believe it's just a business transaction between people.
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As others have said it depends on the state. In ND--and I believe this is the situation in at least some other states--it is not illegal for two people to wager on their own performance in a contest of skill.

So wagering on a coin flip is illegal here, but the players wagering on a pool game is not. Wagering on your friend's pool game is illegal.
 
9ballprodigy said:
oh, and regards to gambling being illegal. i believe that it only counts as gambling if there was a 3rd party regulating the money and taking a cut of it. like sports gambling where the house makes a profit or poker rooms where there is a rake. otherwise, i believe it's just a business transaction between people.
Click to expand...

I would check your sources on this one.

Even office NCAA Basketball brackets are, technically, illegal. But, like I said about speeding...:)

But what the heck, who cares about details that nobody cares about, least of all me.
 
nola22 said:
I'm curious to hear your view of the matter, Andrew. If you run into this kid again, and he asks to play for similar stakes, will you refuse? If so, why?
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For similar stakes I'd gladly play him again. He was a challenging opponent and a friendly conversationalist. He also seemed like a VERY smart kid at 15 (I couldn't tell by talking to him that he wasn't 20). But knowing he's 15, I definitely wouldn't allow the bet to escalate at all, because I wouldn't feel right at all winning a significant amount of money from a kid with college still in front of him, and I don't want to be in a game if I don't want to win.

-Andrew
 
Landon Shuffett I heard is matching up and playing people. Im sure his Dad is involved so its probably a great way to improve for Landon. I still remember Tony Watson at 14 in Chicago with a 15-20k bankroll woofing at everyone. He beat Dennis hatch with the 8. He also got a gun stuck in his mouth later after he left Chicago and they took all his money.
 
uwate said:
Landon Shuffett I heard is matching up and playing people. Im sure his Dad is involved so its probably a great way to improve for Landon. I still remember Tony Watson at 14 in Chicago with a 15-20k bankroll woofing at everyone. He beat Dennis hatch with the 8. He also got a gun stuck in his mouth later after he left Chicago and they took all his money.
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poor kid... but then again, walking around with a 15-20k wad of cash probably isn't the smartest thing to do.
 
Bob Jewett said:
My own feeling is that at 15 he is old enough to make that kind of decision for himself. That may or may not be what the law in your state says. But here is a move you can put on him: the next time he asks to play, say that you need to see a note from his mom first. This may or may not work, since my mom was one of my first backers. Really.

Bob
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They couldn't keep me out of the local room when I was 13, so they made me get a note from my mother that they kept in the cash register in case there ever was a proble. I didn't start gambling until I was 14. John
 
Pool and Poker. I do gamble, I'm not proud to say it but I do. I do so to gain nerve. To me, Money is Money. Money won is Money Lost.
 
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