I?m starting this thread because of the some things said in the ?Race to 5000? thread. What motivates you to play well? Do you play for money, for bragging rights, for self-satisfaction? Do you play for ?fun?, if so, what motivates you to win? When I started playing, I wanted to win because I wanted to win, I guess. It was that simple, in the beginning. But, I had a hard time winning. It takes everyone a while, figuring out how to make games based on how well you and your opponent play, what game, how long a game, and what stakes to play for. At first, I played a bunch for table time. It got me some experience, and I got to work on the basics without playing/practicing by myself. When I began to play for small money, after getting over the initial fear of losing the money, I found that I was much more focused. I concentrated more on the game than I did when not playing for money. It was never about just winning the money for me, at least, not all the time. Playing for money was a means to an end, not the end in itself. It was years before I became any good at playing in tournaments. People beat me in tournaments that I could give the 7, 8, and 9. With two dollars on the game, those same people couldn?t find the end rail. There were people who beat me who didn?t play for money who played better than I did, but they were few. I naturally gravitated toward the players who played for money. The good players, the serious players, and, of course, the hustlers, bums, and charlatans. The good players that I?ve known who didn?t gamble; I would say were less than an even dozen all these years. It?s just the way I learned to play and I make no apology for it.
I know this reads like an advocating of gambling, and maybe it is. But, I?d really like to know, if you don?t and have not played for money, what motivates you to play your best and win? I?ve never been comfortable playing with friends unless I was teaching them. I just couldn?t achieve that killer instinct when playing people I was close to. I play better in tournaments than I used to, but again, running up against a friend is a tough match for me.
To me, what acedotcom was referring to was, that it seems like pool has come to be much more of a social, friendly, pastime, rather than the serious, play to win, competitive type of game it once was. And, I know all about the rooms needing the social players to survive, etc. This is about playing motivation.
