What is Pool without Gambling?

I'm interested in what people really think about this subject.

It is a very socialable sport!

But for me, pool is all about gambling, i never could or still cant just play for the fun of it, i can not stand to practice.!

Not that iam a great player or anything, but when ever i do play an associated i can not make 2 balls in a row, i guess i just cant concentrate not playing for money.

When i do bet something my game goes to the top for me, probably a b+ player in 9ball.

But like i said about pool being very social, i seen lots of people have very good times playing pool for the fun of it!
 
I could play it either way......but amongst friends, our thing was always 9-ball race to 5 for $25
 
I play to win. Makes no difference if money is involved or not (although the most I've ever played for is $25). Everything I do, I do to win. I don't always succeed but it's never because of lack of effort.

It's costs me a couple of friendships but it's not something I can change.
 
Pool without gambling is an enjoyable way to meet new people or hang out with friends and have some fun at the same time. On the other hand gambling and pool have always had a strong association mostly on the shady side. That being not showing your real speed and hustling all the money you can from your opponent. This is where it gets somewhat dicey as far as it being honest or ethical to do that. I did play for money in the past and only play for money in a controlled environment now, like a non handicapped tournament. Just the way I see it...
 
I agree

It is a very socialable sport!

But for me, pool is all about gambling, i never could or still cant just play for the fun of it, i can not stand to practice.!

Not that iam a great player or anything, but when ever i do play an associated i can not make 2 balls in a row, i guess i just cant concentrate not playing for money.

When i do bet something my game goes to the top for me, probably a b+ player in 9ball.

But like i said about pool being very social, i seen lots of people have very good times playing pool for the fun of it!

The gambling is part of the allure for me

I play play much better when gambling , its a like turning on switch between the way i play for money and the way i play for nothing
 
I'm interested in what people really think about this subject.

Regardless what someone may say, unless there is something on the line, it isn't real. In fact people always rationalize poor play when playing for nothing with they were not really trying. Implying there was nothing to lose. It is a defense mechanisms and trust me, everybody uses it.

So, in the words of Big Bob after losing a match in a tournament, "Would you like to play some more for real"? If it is for nothing it is not real. Unless you can do it when it counts and tournament play falls in this category, it's not real. It doesn't have to be gambling it just has to matter.

You will find players who will not enter tournaments just as you find players who will not gamble. For some reason they won't put themselves on the line. They practice and have their nice cues and so on but there is something they are just afraid to face. I used to see it in my pool room. Some guy would get challenged and I like the game and even offer to back him but he still won't play.

They are just afraid. Not because of the money, we are not talking about a lot of money, they just will not play and that is perfectly OK, but it is curious.
 
I am afraid to gamble. I tend to overdo anything that gives me a thrill/buzz/rush/ what ever you want to call it. I loved gambling as a kid playing pool. I just starting playing again after 40 years. I might not have enough (data) to prove this for sure. I have been visiting a few different pool rooms and it looks like it may be hard to find a game with strangers unless you want to gamble. Most of the time, people that are not gambling have a friend with them to play or they are practicing and they want to play alone. I also may be full of baloney and not know what I am talking about.
On a side note, I visited a poolroom in Louisville Ky called Bankshot Billards. It was a really cool place and I got lucky and found a guy that just wanted to play. He taught me how to play "one pocket" and I had a great time. He beat me bad playing 8 ball and 9 ball but I actually beat won as many games of "one pocket" as he did.
 
Funny thing is i see a lot of people that love to do nothing but gamble, but can't even really play. i have absolutely no interest in gambling. i play for the next opportunity and enjoyment of running out. that's all. and when you do it exceptionally well, and someone happens to see it (and understand what you did), and compliments you on it, then so the better.
 
Pool without gambling is just a game...but...It can still be an enjoyable game. I like to shoot around with friends but a lot of my friends dont/wont gamble. When playing for fun its just that "fun" but there is no excitement. Gambling (to me) adds the element of pressure and excitement and thats the really fun part!. It feels good to run out even when you're just playing for fun but it feels 10 times better to run out or win a set under pressure when there is a reward at the end of the tunnel...on the flip side of that when you loose playing for fun it still sucks and you may try/focus a little harder the next game but loosing the cheese sucks 10 times worse and you HAVE to try/focus harder...
 
I guess I just can't relate to playing for FUN !..To me, if there is nothing riding on the outcome of a contest, then why bother ? You might as well just play with yourself...It is one thing, if a person cannot afford it, or if it is against their religion, but what is wrong with betting a few bucks (or a lot of bucks) on a game of skill ? ..I see where Olympian's, have a lifetime of training, and a ton of $$$$$$ invested in perfecting their skills...If they are good enough, do you not think they will reap the financial rewards ?

I don't see it as a 'macho' thing, I see it as a way to determine who is the best at playing, when there is more than pride at stake !.. I'm not talking about 'hustling' someone, and stealing their money..I am talking about a fair match-up, where the one who wins, deserves to be rewarded for their effort, with more than 'bragging' rights !..(which may get you a cup of coffee :sorry:)

To me, playing pool or golf, without a wager involved, is very much like kissing your sister ! It ain't bad...but you know nothing exciting is going to happen ! ..Loosen up, you funsy guy's..Theres a whole other world out there !..:wink:
 
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The best game ever invented... Gamblers will bet on anything.. Some of them made it profitable for pool players to ply their trade over the years and the lure of the easy money supplanted the innocent love for the beauty of the game but I would hazard a guess that most of the best players would play the game for the sake of the game if no one bet another nickle on it...

There will always be exceptions but it's all about what gets your motor running... The game and everything about it keeps me coming back... I am getting older exponentially it seems but I am always trying to be a better player... Not so I can rob someone.. Simply because that is what I think the game requires of us..

I'd rather help players coming up than try and get over on them and make an easy score.. I will always prefer tournaments to gambling. Have I gambled? Sure... Almost always out of town with known players just so I can have a trial by fire... Was the same reason I chased the bigger tournaments more than a decade ago that were within range....

Locally I am and will always be a nit... I am good for a hunert or 2 every once in awhile but I've been around the game too long to not know that usually the same hunert is simply passed around the pool room for months on end and if you sail off for more than that you might have been shootin at a fitty and busted the dude if you had won the first set.....

I understand that for some guys the score is all that matters but the score isn't about the game.. It's about feeding some hole inside that just never seems to fill up no matter what you are able to stick into it. I have more than enough character flaws within myself to want another one that says I can't get up for the game unless their is skin involved... Can't stand losing... Not for a dollar, not for a beer, not even for free.......

Chris
 
The gambling is part of the allure for me

I play play much better when gambling , its a like turning on switch between the way i play for money and the way i play for nothing

Now that i have some time i can expound a little bit on my comment

I play my best when gambling, wheather its for $10 or $100 its a contest between two players with something at the end for the winner.

I enjoy an honest gamble , which is dirrent from hustling.

Hustling is a a way for guy to relieve the lesser player of his money , he hides his speed, stacks every odd he can in his favor , its not about winning the contest its about taking as much cash as you can by hook or crook

An honest Money Game is two players locking up even or with an agreed spot and seeing who is the better player it adds a pressure factor to the game that brings out he better performance in some people and beaks others who cant take the pressure.

I have never been a fan of hustling but it is what it is and there are thousands of stories out there of the reat road players and taking down the cash. Just as thr are hundreds of stories of low down pices of trash who would notmatchup with a player of comparable speed if you stuck a gun to thier head.

These are the POSs who prey on weaker players and wont play unless they are 100% sure of winning ,

These are the guys who give pool a bad name , not the two players who match up for 500 dolars on a set to see who is the best man or woman for that matter
 
I'm interested in what people really think about this subject.

Without gambling it's just a great game to play. Some of my favorite moments in pool have been when a good players gather around a table and show each other shots. Underneath it all, we are kindred spirits in pool and enjoy the challenge of the game. There doesn't always have to be a bet, even among good players. I've seen the other side of this, and it's cool too.
 
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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
 
This is an interesting subject, for one reason, because, in my experience, there is not near as much gambling on pool these days as there was 20 or 30 years ago. I'm not in the poolhalls as much as I was back then, but today, it seems there are less money games than there used to be. Leagues are very popular, and rooms are doing a pretty good business, there's just less gambling now days on pool.

I'm not saying it's good or bad. I used to play in some bars where everyone who played (challenge table) understood you were playing for $5 or $10 or whatever. Even in the places where there's some top local talent at, say, a weekly tournament, I see less matching up afterwards. I'm not sure of the reasons, one may be there is so much other types of gambling readily available to most people these days.

Personally, I don't have to gamble to enjoy the competition, but prefer to play for a little something. It's just more interesting.
 
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