What's your take on people that won't gamble?

Scott Lee said:
How is that different from anytime in the last 50-60 years? Some people are just going to "sit around" in the pool room.
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
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I recall in the 1970, the late 1970 at North Hollywood Billiards, when the Ponies were running at Hollywood Park, and Santa Anita the Hustlers, and Roadies would show up.

Also an armada of rail birds would also show up nightly, the room was two or three times more smokey than normal, sale of cold drink (coke, pepsi, 7-up, etc) went up.

But another think happened many of the social players paid their tab for tables rented by the hour. They too join the rail birds to watch the gamblers.

When the ponies quit running, this for the most part return to a normal operation.
 
Interesting thread. I've been on both sides of this debate at different points in my life.

There is nothing wrong with gambling. That is, if you understand the fact that in every bet, there is a fool and there is a thief. When you know that - and you know which one you are, then it becomes a simple game of knowing who to approach and who to stay away from.

Most of the guys (not all) that I see gambling don't have a clue what they are doing. There are others that claim they don't/won't gamble- when in actuality they can't or shouldn't. The can't and shouldn't label is easily interchangeable with some of the knuckleheads I see tooting their horn the loudest.

While there are extremists on each side of this issue - most lack the experience to provide us with anything more than contempt prior to investigation when it comes to judging the other side. I know why I do or don't participate in whatever - its my life, my choice - I'll make the decisions based upon what's good for me, not you or anybody else - and I don't owe anybody an explanation. Some will respect that, and others won't. I avoid the ones that won't. They are usually cancers in every relationship they have - and chances are they don't even realize that.

If you're good at pool, know what you're capable of - and what you are not capable of - and you have the discernment to see the money as the prop that it is - go out there and have fun.

If you're one of those aggressive guys that hounds everybody constantly to gamble - and then belittles people when they choose what to do with their own money... then have a nice time being one of those old scufflers with a frown on their face that owes everybody in the room two hundred bucks. That'll be you some day, and yes I will be one of the people laughing at you.

If you love the game, and you enjoy playing it, don't let guys like that bother you. I've been around a while, and I have never seen anybody get rich by gambling money on pool. I have seen lots of guys die broke. There is no pot of gold at the end of that rainbow. Guys will tell you tall tales about that pot of gold just to try and trap you into it. In actuality, your money is their pot of gold - and they want to take that from you before you figure it out.

Not all folks that wager are bad people. It's just a few scattered dickheadds that ruin it for everybody. These dickheadds somehow have spread like weeds in every pool room I have ever been to - but they are in the minority. There are many good people out there that just want to test themselves against your best game. Just remember, in every bet there is a fool, and there is a thief.
 
Right you are John! Jack White, when decades ago, was teaching me about gambling pool, told me some of the "rules"...play for whatever they want, even if it's a quarter; let THEM raise the bet; and don't rub it in their face when you win (in other words "play nice"). They were great rules to live by, and I made a lot of money using them for many years...never once getting into any situation that could have resulted in 'damage to my health'!

Oh yeah...one more thing he always told me...you can't 'hustle' a hustler, and you can't rob a thief! :D

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

JB Cases said:
And there you go, no bet is "too small". As my good friend Gunter Hopfinger was fond of reminding me, any PROFIT is GOOD profit.
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Fobstarr said:
I personally do not order food at the local hall and I do not see a problem with that. I have many other options to spend my money on with better quality of food. For those who "avoid buying a soda", maybe they just enjoy consuming water because it is the best (healthiest) drink. Not everyone enjoys drinking soda and alcoholic beverages.

As for the gambling, that is just ridiculous. Like many others have mentioned, if you need to gamble, then play with the other gamblers.
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Not saying it is you but anyone who goes to a pool room and drinks water and doesnt leave at minimum a dollar for each glass is SURELY a skinflint! Of course there are exceptions but not many!

We had one guy who would drink water and when he got hungry, instead of buying a sandwich, would request "just a few" pieces of turkey which the bar tender would inexplicably give him free day after day.
 
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You need to buy a pool room then you do things your way


poolplayer2093 said:
i'm not a huge gambler by any means but ever since i started playing for table time i actually hate playing for anything less.

normally when i go into a room i'm looking to play 20 dollar sets. if i just got paid, or i really like the match, i'll play for a hundred or 2. i'll admit that's doesnt happen a lot but it does happen. i usually like to play for 10-50 and i get really irritated when i cant find a game that cheap. i'd understand if someone only wanted to bet more but these days people either seem to want to play for less or not at all

am i the only one that feels people should bet something, play someone, or go the f*ck home! i'm tired of walking in and seeing people that play drinking water so they can avoid buying a soda and sitting on the side lines doing nothing
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My take on my non-gambling self

I have no desire to be the fool or to learn to be the thief. I just don't want to deal with people that way. I play pool because I grew up playing it and enjoy the beauty of the game. Bringing gambling into the picture risks muddying that.
 
When we were kids living off of our parents, our friends' pockets were our own. Everybody would pile in the car and we'd count up how much money we had and figure out how much fun we could have with it. It didn't matter too much if one donated $1.50 and another gave $8. The 5 of us were thinking about how much food, drink, and table time that we could get out of our pooled $20 bucks or so.

Once we got jobs and supported ourselves, suddenly everyone had an extremely different and personal relationship with their money. Add in the addictions of cigarettes, alcohol, and whatever, plus some relationships, and suddenly some people's money not only got private, it got freaking Sacred.

Add some more years, decades, hardship, addictions, pressures of family and career, successes and failures, and finally one guy might drop a dollar and not even worry about it while another guy might very well kill for that same dollar. A dollar means something completely different from one person to the next.

(And as a sidenote: there is a period in most people's lives (and this could be the lifespan or just a few years) when they wrestle with measuring themselves and others by dollar amounts. Some people actually believe money makes a man, and will make comments to that effect. It's not true- you are not your asset value.)

I know in the poolroom we are always thinking about our own pockets and everybody else's. But I think there's a line of respect that gets crossed repeatedly. We need to respect other people's relationships with their money- whether they have any or not, and whether they want to share it, give it, wager it, or spend it.

I'm not saying don't try to get yours. I'm saying have some respect while you do what you do.
 
cleary said:
Why not checkers? Or maybe lawn darts? If your going to pick a game Chris doesn't play, at least make it comical.
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For all I know he could be a championship level lawn dart player.

I'm not mad at Chris or poolplayer2093, they both seem like good guys. My point is most of the people barking because somebody won't gamble with them figure they have an advantage. When it comes to a game where they don't think they have a chance, they don't want to gamble any more than the people they bark at for not wanting to gamble.

Gotta go now, I have some lawn dart action lined up at the senior center.
 
It sounds like to me that all you az'ers are a bunch of gambling degenerates.

Well not me.....

to prove it I'll bet $20 to anyone on here that I don't have a gambling problem






I'm not a smart man Jenny but I know what the 8 and the breaks is..Forest Gump after his APA match

Definently, definently, take the wild 7, for 7 ahead ...Rainman during BCA playoffs
 
alstl said:
For all I know he could be a championship level lawn dart player.

I'm not mad at Chris or poolplayer2093, they both seem like good guys. My point is most of the people barking because somebody won't gamble with them figure they have an advantage. When it comes to a game where they don't think they have a chance, they don't want to gamble any more than the people they bark at for not wanting to gamble.

Gotta go now, I have some lawn dart action lined up at the senior center.
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Bust 'em all!
 
I don't gamble at all at pool. It is my 'recreation' time. Don't need the stress or anxiety of worrying about money, will the guy get mad when I beat him, etc.

A fine cigar and a few nice games of pool. <--- the perfect afternoon.
 
1st I'll start off by answering the thread title....my take is that they are players who don't gamble.

Now, as for the playing and gambling debate; I really like to play, but am not all that good at it. I'm an ultra-competitive guy, so getting better is something I want to do in anything I enjoy doing. There are some folks that are fine and dandy with playing a competitive game/set or whatever without money on the line, and that's great, I'll play them. There are some who will not play, at least not give much effort, if there's no money on the line....that's fine, I'll play them too. If I think the stakes that they ask to play for are more than I'm willing to pay for a game with them, I will ask for lower stakes, or just not play them. I'm pretty easy going, but not some stupid mark who will chase after money on a pool game. If at anytime I am playing for money and feel that someone is hiding their speed to try to keep me in the game....I will find someone else to play.

Really I want good competition (hopefully someone's best game), and if I have to pay a little for it, no biggee. I got better in golf by playing with better players, and I'm sure pool works the same way. I'm not much for giving or getting weight, so I try not to play anyone that needs a spot from me (though I occasionally will give spots in 1P). There are a few guys that can rape me playing 9 or 10 ball, but can't beat me in 1P....so, I like to see some of their shot selections....

Bettors, non-bettors....all good with me, just looking for a good game that will help me improve :thumbup:
 
Geometry said:
I would guess that you would change your opinion fast if you were always playing someone that was beating you. Chances are you are a scrounger playing players who you can beat 9 times out of 10 and then expect them to pay for your table time.



Yes, people use pool as a way to relax. Go figure!

Most people don't like playing for money because they want to enjoy time with friends. They want to make some good shots, laugh when they make bad shots and just generally just enjoy themselves. There is nothing wrong with these players. These players are the foundation of pool. They are also fundamental in providing pool halls with profit.



They are still paying for table time and anyone paying money are valued customers. You don't have a divine right to play for money. Perhaps you should take up poker.
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i bet your a low life scrounger player.

you my friend are scum
 
JB Cases said:
I agree with this 100% -

I like to gamble on pool. I have played for small money and played for decent money - I have won my share and lost plenty.

But I have to say that rarely do I see pool gambling happening without conflict and negative vibes.

I have seen people start out with friendly barking and mild insults and watched it degenerate into people wanting to fight. I have been on the receiving end of threats and violence when people realized that they couldn't win. Not because I was hustling but because they thought they were hustling me.

I have been in situations gambling with dangerous people. People who weren't particularly dangerous to me but the type that could be involved in violence within seconds at any time.

I wouldn't ever call someone a nit who doesn't want to play for money or who just wants to play for small stakes.

I think that this is an appropriate time to retell Allen Hopkins' story about playing for $5 a game.

-----------------------------------------

As told to me by Allen;

Allen and a greenhorn backer went on the road together. One night Allen got into a game with someone for $5 a game. Allen kept winning and the bet kept increasing until they had won around $5000.

The next night they went to a different pool room and Allen once again got into a low stakes $5 a game match.

In between one of the games the backer asks Allen why he is playing for such low stakes when they won $5000 the night before.

Allen replies, "We haven't made the room rent today." :-)


And there you go, no bet is "too small". As my good friend Gunter Hopfinger was fond of reminding me, any PROFIT is GOOD profit.
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To some thismay be true, but many low stakes games hav cost p;ayers ot's of money!

take off on the road thse days with say a $3000 bankroll and seaech each day for $20-$50 sets, win each day for 2 weeks. Loseone day and by the 3rd week you will beheadedhome and much lighter. It does not work!

By the end of the 3rd week the player of the two wil be so out of stroke and sick of playing!
 
From what I have seen, the people who dont gamble are THE FIRST in line to grab a chair and WATCH the guys who are matching up for the dough. Deep down most people love the action. Most just dont have the heart or skills to gamble, but You have no idea how many times they want to side bet on somebody else. Some guys have the heart for it and some dont.
 
I will play for small money with family or very close friends. Sometimes, it is the only way I can get my son to play. Makes the game more interesting, sharpens my focus, like a bet on a football game. And, if I am winning, which I usually am, I give up tremendous weight to keep things balanced. My family and friends are beginner players... I don't want to discourage their playing.

But I will not play strangers for money. I make a good salary, but I have one kid in college and one in private high school. I can't blow $100 playing pool. Too much hassle. Too much BS. That's my business, nobody else's.
 
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