What is Pool without Gambling?

Without gambling...

It's like playing poker for fun. Sure some ppl might take it seriously but mostly a bunch of wannabes talking trash. Lol jkjkjkjk

Seriously pool is a great game. Playing for something just makes it more "interesting" ;)

I used to play hard with anyone I played and I was just playing for fun. But the gambling aspect really showed me what I was made of. When I first started, no matter how hard I tried I just never played as well as when I played for fun. Even though I tried hard.

Gambling puts the fear aspect there, different from just pressure. Once you can play thru that your game can reach another level. Unfortunately once you get to that level it's hard to go back to playing for funsies. :confused:

Gambling definitely increases or highlights one's mental fortitude. Something that a short sprint or race to 7 can't do. Unfortunately
 
Johnnyt said:
Up until my stroke and heart attack over 5 years ago I never played W/O money involved for 50 years. Now I can't get out much so I play at home by myself. I'm almost use to it. LOL. Johnnyt
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Johnny, I ONLY played for money maybe my first fifteen years or so, but then I had a revelation when I realized it was okay to play for fun as well. Just to play for the game as Vincent famously said in The Color Of Money. I can play either way now and enjoy the game equally well.
 
jay helfert said:
Johnny, I ONLY played for money maybe my first fifteen years or so, but then I had a revelation when I realized it was okay to play for fun as well. Just to play for the game as Vincent famously said in The Color Of Money. I can play either way now and enjoy the game equally well.
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Oh I always loved the game but I grew up gambling playing marbles, flipping baseball cards, stickball, stoop ball, and a homemade plywood table. Johnnyt
 
i gambled sometimes during my studies and the thrill was nice... well untill half a dozen of people try to convince you that you dont "want" the money :grin:

now i play pool for 2 purposes:

-fun with friends who usely dont play pool
-competition, and whats around this. pool is imho a great sport where you can develop your skills and your mental side your entire life. its more of an art that wants to be mastered.

so, no.... i dont need the gamble... i play to do my very best... win or lose... its always a lesson
 
Johnnyt said:
Oh I always loved the game but I grew up gambling playing marbles, flipping baseball cards, stickball, stoop ball, and a homemade plywood table. Johnnyt
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Me too, I gambled at EVERYTHING from childhood on. I was the steely boulder champion of the school ground at age 12. And I could pitch pennies (nickels, dimes and quarters) with the high school seniors when I was a freshmen. Some day I'll tell you how I got barred from the country club putting green at age 15 after beating the club champion out of twenty bucks putting. :wink:
 
jay helfert said:
Me too, I gambled at EVERYTHING from childhood on. I was the steely boulder champion of the school ground at age 12. And I could pitch pennies (nickels, dimes and quarters) with the high school seniors when I was a freshmen. Some day I'll tell you how I got barred from the country club putting green at age 15 after beating the club champion out of twenty bucks putting. :wink:
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Did you lie down and use the other end of the club as a cue? I did that for money and won a bit :smile:. Johnnyt
 
Johnnyt said:
Did you lie down and use the other end of the club as a cue? I did that for money and won a bit :smile:. Johnnyt
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I wasn't good enough to do that. I did give up spots though. I used to ask suckers (weak players) what they wanted in One Pocket. They could make the game! It didn't seem to matter much if I gave them 10-6 or whatever. I could totally control the game back then, that's why I loved One Pocket.
 
jay helfert said:
I wasn't good enough to do that. I did give up spots though. I used to ask suckers (weak players) what they wanted in One Pocket. They could make the game! It didn't seem to matter much if I gave them 10-6 or whatever. I could totally control the game back then, that's why I loved One Pocket.
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As old and slow as I am I'm still too hyper for 1-hole. Johnnyt
 
Jack Burke

One of the guys i learned to play the game from back in the 80s was Jack Burke , Jack was a regular at Ralph Braswell's Corner Pocket in Beaumont Texas and owned the second incarnation of the Corner Pocket after Ralph closed his place.

Jack was a really strong shortstop speed player and what always impressed me was his consistancy. Jack played the same game for nothing as he played for Money , the amount did not matter. He would gladly beat you death practicing just as he would playing $500 dollar sets.

Jack always told me " You play like you practice "
 
this happened yesterday. i was in a pool hall, just watching a money match. there's about 30 people surrounding the table. suddenly everyone paused - lee van entered the hall. then my friend and i are already talking about adding up our money and bet for him. we asked some guy who leevan was playing with. he says, "nah, he's just here to watch. often, he'd bet on players." we went home. :grin:
 
From my perspective, funsie pool is when I try to keep the table at all costs. I generally won't play a safe.

For a dollar or in a tournament, when there is a tangible reward, I try TRY to shoot the right shots to win.
 
Johnnyt said:
As old and slow as I am I'm still too hyper for 1-hole. Johnnyt
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Johnny, you missed the greatest game in the world, and the best one to stall at !..Out of the tens of thousands of hours I spent playing pool, maybe two hours was funsies, and about 20 minutes was spent (ugh) practicing ! :cool:

RA used to say..."Practicing is for people who don't already know how to play"! ;)
 
I'm in no position financially to be betting on anything, much less my pool game, so I don't bet. Once in a while, I'll play buddies for a beer, of the occasional 3-6-9 money ball game for a dollar or two. Obviously, chump change.

I can tell the difference, however, when "playing for something" versus just playing. And to me, the "playing for something" is when I'm in a tournament, or in a league match. Those "count", and it feels much worse losing one of those then just playing. I'm certainly more into it during these types of matches.

Still, it bothers me anytime I lose. Or more accurately, when I play poorly. Even when we're "just playing" and I play poorly, it drives me nuts.
 
justadub said:
Still, it bothers me anytime I lose. Or more accurately, when I play poorly. Even when we're "just playing" and I play poorly, it drives me nuts.
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I'm the same way. Which is weird, because I used to play a lot of online poker, and would be able to keep my composure when I got a bad beat and rarely would I go on tilt. But with pool, if I miss one shot or misplay position, that could ruin the whole day for me. Even if I'm just playing for pride.
 
BeiberLvr said:
I'm the same way. Which is weird, because I used to play a lot of online poker, and would be able to keep my composure when I got a bad beat and rarely would I go on tilt. But with pool, if I miss one shot or misplay position, that could ruin the whole day for me. Even if I'm just playing for pride.
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I get annoyed if I lose $5, $50, $500, or even if it were fun. It's human nature.
 
If, by gambling, you mean pool players exchanging their own money, it is a zero sum proposition.
Players make nothing.
Gambling is moronic.
A gun fight - and there is always a faster gun.

If, by gambling, you mean the public betting on the outcome of racks, matches, scores, balls made on the break, etc, like they do on snooker in the UK, the bookies would be putting up prize money, streaming the matches, and beating the drums for the sport.
And the players would get rich.
Or at least more financially secure than they are now.
 
Might as well ask what is the point of life itself without gambling. Pool is a rich, challenging endeavor that can reward the participant far longer than any monetary reward can.

Its funny, when I first darkened the door of a pool hall, I was hooked instantly on the game. I was new and bad at it of course. It took no time at all before I was approached to gamble at the game. I thought that these guys were crazy. I thought gambling was for the race track where the normal people go to get their fix ha ha ha.

In the end, nothing wrong with a friendly wager on a game. Just been my experience that too often the bet is not so friendly. The juice is not worth the squeeze for me personally. Having said that, I'll play for cash if the situation is right. I do love a good ring game every now and then.
 
Scaramouche said:
If, by gambling, you mean pool players exchanging their own money, it is a zero sum proposition.
Players make nothing.
Gambling is moronic.
A gun fight - and there is always a faster gun.

If, by gambling, you mean the public betting on the outcome of racks, matches, scores, balls made on the break, etc, like they do on snooker in the UK, the bookies would be putting up prize money, streaming the matches, and beating the drums for the sport.
And the players would get rich.
Or at least more financially secure than they are now.
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I think that you are spot on that by far most folks would be wealthier if they did not gamble. I know that for sure. I was around nothing but gambling first as a bettor myself and then as the house. I worked as a manager in a track's parimutuel department and I saw so many problem gamblers that it was depressing. I even did a study that had a sample size of many thousands of individual horse bets involving many many millions of dollars. The result was that bettors lost on average about 20% of every $ wagered, about the average track take across all betting pools including gimmicks. Unless you know something that others don't, then that is not a great position to be betting into.

Being around the track for several years in that capacity cured me of all desire to gamble. I don't think that it is immoral or anything, just very, very depressing. I got to where I associated gambling with things that I found unpleasant in life. Kinda like a smoke out for people trying to quit smoking. In was not trying to quit gambling, but gambling sure quit me. Like BB King sang, the thrill is gone. Its just as well. I am much better off financially than I ever thought that I would be and I might even be in a position to retire early. That would have not been possible for sure if I had continued on the other path that I had been on.

Having said all of that, one guy I play with will only play if he gambles. He is a good shot and a good guy and a gentleman player, so I indulge him every now and then. One of my finest memories was running a rack of 9 ball in a ring game when we had three money balls, all worth 20 each. It was fun to win the cash, but my good play was certainly not because of it. I just don't need cash on the line to play the game. I love the game too much for that. Don't care much about pride either. I just love hittin' balls...

Having said all
 
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jalapus logan said:
Might as well ask what is the point of life itself without gambling. Pool is a rich, challenging endeavor that can reward the participant far longer than any monetary reward can.

Its funny, when I first darkened the door of a pool hall, I was hooked instantly on the game. I was new and bad at it of course. It took no time at all before I was approached to gamble at the game. I thought that these guys were crazy. I thought gambling was for the race track where the normal people go to get their fix ha ha ha.

In the end, nothing wrong with a friendly wager on a game. Just been my experience that too often the bet is not so friendly. The juice is not worth the squeeze for me personally. Having said that, I'll play for cash if the situation is right. I do love a good ring game every now and then.
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It is nice to romanticize the game a may do it myself many times. The thing is, to really play the game you have to play it for real. This can be gambling, tournaments or even league play that can often be some of the most pressure of all because others are depending on you.

To just play for fun all the time is I hate to say it, often people fooling themselves. You come in the pool room and a guy who plays straight pool tells you he had an 80 ball run. Sounds good but if you saw it you would see a couple of backwards break shot cuts, a bank or two along with a tough combo. None that he would have shot in a real game. That 80 ball run should have ended at 12 or 20 maybe. The guy is fooling himself as to how he really plays.

You see it as well in 9 ball for fun. Banking balls, playing few safeties and the biggest thing of all, missed balls that are completely forgotten because they don't mean anything.. If he had missed those balls in a real game and it cost him he would have nightmares about those shots. I remember shots I missed and things I did wrong years ago and learned from because they cost me.

Pool is a lot of fun to play and no one should gamble if they are not comfortable doing it. Tournaments though I think are different. Many players who go and only watch should really enter now and then. Put themselves to the test and see if all that practice and money spent on cues was worth the effort. They may learn something about themselves that can be valuable. Just a few thoughts.
 
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