I think that you just described me nowadays. Sad but true...
What's your take on people that won't gamble?
- Thread starter poolplayer2093
- Start date
I think that you just described me nowadays. Sad but true...
I don't assess an enjoyable match that way at all, not even close, but I usually just find out what my opponent wants to do and just go along with it.
When I'm in stroke and want competition, basically I want to play people who I respect and can learn something from. I want an experienced opponent who can outsmart me, out move me, and dazzle me with skill. I want to feel good if I beat them and bad if I lose. The money is totally secondary and is not much of a factor for me. I want a challenge.
The thrill of victory may be sweet, but the agony of defeat builds character. Defeat can only be a positive thing if you accept it and it motivates you to improve.
Chris
Last edited:
I think that is precisely what has happened in a lot of places. The average Joe who doesn't gamble and plays for fun doesn't exist in nearly the numbers he used to and that is why there are a lot fewer rooms around.
While I consider pool a game well suited for money play, I find no requirement to do so in order for someone to reap the enjoyment the game has to offer. In my youth it was my primary means of income (gambling, including pool) and even in young adulthood I enjoyed gambling on pool.
But somewhere along the line things changed. When I was younger money didn't mean that much since there were little if no responsibilities and there was always the next pay check to take care of the responsibilities I did have. But with age comes change. Marriage and kids means not only having responsibilities to others but for the future as well (college, retirement, yada yada).
At some point in time the utility of winning versus losing became inequitable. Say I went to Vegas and won $5 grand. Yes that would make me happy but it is not life changing money and the happiness I would get from it does not even come close to the bad vibes of losing even half that. So it just doesn't even out for me, and therefore is simply not worth it.
I still enjoy playing for money because it adds a certain element to the game that heightens the experience, but certainly it would be low stakes by many people's standards. Same as in Vegas. Yeah I gamble, but I look at it as strictly entertainment and bet accordingly.
I make a decent living so the stakes I would have to gamble for to feel like it really means something financially is way beyond being a risk I am willing to take.
I guess as I've gotten older I just have more appreciation for how difficult it is to come by money so I'm not as willing to gamble it away.
Friendly stakes suits me just right.
But somewhere along the line things changed. When I was younger money didn't mean that much since there were little if no responsibilities and there was always the next pay check to take care of the responsibilities I did have. But with age comes change. Marriage and kids means not only having responsibilities to others but for the future as well (college, retirement, yada yada).
At some point in time the utility of winning versus losing became inequitable. Say I went to Vegas and won $5 grand. Yes that would make me happy but it is not life changing money and the happiness I would get from it does not even come close to the bad vibes of losing even half that. So it just doesn't even out for me, and therefore is simply not worth it.
I still enjoy playing for money because it adds a certain element to the game that heightens the experience, but certainly it would be low stakes by many people's standards. Same as in Vegas. Yeah I gamble, but I look at it as strictly entertainment and bet accordingly.
I make a decent living so the stakes I would have to gamble for to feel like it really means something financially is way beyond being a risk I am willing to take.
I guess as I've gotten older I just have more appreciation for how difficult it is to come by money so I'm not as willing to gamble it away.
Friendly stakes suits me just right.
I have never and would never gamble. I choose not to gamble, I will not say for moral reasons, because that implies there is something morally wrong with people who choose to, but my own personal reasons are for reasons of standards mainly. I also think it's an incredibly foolish approach to money and the value thereof. I play pool and learned pool simply for unbelievable love for the game. I always think about pool, when I am not playing pool, I wish I were and I have never seen a sport more beautiful than pool. For that reason and that reason only, I play. And whereas some of you may have issues with those who refuse to gamble, I have issues with those who ONLY gamble. There are many locals around here who approach me to gamble and when I say no but offer to play them in sets just to play, I am begrudgingly turned down and that bothers me a great deal. To me, that demonstrates a flippant attitude toward the sport and I question their reasons for even playing.
But back to my original point, I think we are to be wise stewards with our money and gambling, in any sport, I don't find appealing or wise.
But back to my original point, I think we are to be wise stewards with our money and gambling, in any sport, I don't find appealing or wise.
its fine not to gamble but
dont ask a sucker to gamble
cause they are easy and not
ever play a good player.
the way I see it there are 4 types of pool players..
bangers those who play a rack or two for fun.. the largest segment of pool players a few gamble most lose
Leaugers..those who like a weekly competition that means something without breaking the bank. some gamble cheap
the gamblers.. better players but they stunt their own growth as they get good enough to win money.. then coast on that talent for life.. slot themselves into a scene give and get weight as needed.. they are after the thrill of chasing money... money is more important than the game..
and then there is my group probably the smallest segment of the pool world
the perfectionists.. those who are self motivated to take their game to the highest level they can attain..being the best is more important than anything else... some gamble but the money is not the prime motivator.
I think you would find the largest segment of world champions in this group..
gamble if you want to but don't presume to know my motivation for playing.. and don't presume that my motivation is somehow less than yours..
I think my motivation is far more powerful than yours..
if all you want out of life is money... you won't get much out of life..
have a nice day.
bangers those who play a rack or two for fun.. the largest segment of pool players a few gamble most lose
Leaugers..those who like a weekly competition that means something without breaking the bank. some gamble cheap
the gamblers.. better players but they stunt their own growth as they get good enough to win money.. then coast on that talent for life.. slot themselves into a scene give and get weight as needed.. they are after the thrill of chasing money... money is more important than the game..
and then there is my group probably the smallest segment of the pool world
the perfectionists.. those who are self motivated to take their game to the highest level they can attain..being the best is more important than anything else... some gamble but the money is not the prime motivator.
I think you would find the largest segment of world champions in this group..
gamble if you want to but don't presume to know my motivation for playing.. and don't presume that my motivation is somehow less than yours..
I think my motivation is far more powerful than yours..
if all you want out of life is money... you won't get much out of life..
have a nice day.
Heyman
Registered
Yep. Thats just the way I look at it.
This pretty much sums me up as well. When I walk in for a league night and my teammates tell me we are up against a tough team, the first thing that pops into my head is "SWEET, when do I get to play their best player?" The same thing happens when I show up for a weekly tournament that I play at and find out someone really good showed up.
Some people get really nervous when they have to play for something that matters against someone they know is probably better than they are, but I get excited. I take more time, I become more focused and I know that even if I lose, I'm playing at a higher level than I usually do. The butterflies start moving around and the only thing I want to do is prove myself to this paragon of pool greatness, even if he's just a slightly better player than I am
.
When i saw this thread Ralf came to mind instantly, how he has accomplished what he has with out being in action is amazing, I was talking to Shane recently and he spent a little time in Europe checking things out and said the action was dry over there, The times I have spent there playing I never bet a penny its a different culture, seems more social. I know Ralf very well and we have never talked about pool-funny how that works.
I was taught that you had to gamble to get better, this was told to me by most everyone. And nobody was giving up lessions unless you gave them action. So if you wanted to play better you had to bet. I liked this idea much better than work, so I signed up and started playing for $$$. At first I started small and was tight then when I got comfortable for a certain amount I'd go bet more so I could climb the ladder, problem was I had no talent for pool, so when it came to action aver $100 sets of 9 ball or $100/game 3 cherry snooker I wasnt strong enough nor could I build up a bank roll, so I stayed within my profit zone and did ok, just ok. I got board after 10 years of it. Its not possible for me to play very long and not bet-I just cant do it, unless I'm playing alone.
However I respect those who chose not to play for $$$.
here is my bet!
If there is anyone here that thinks they can break and run 1000 times without missing, then your on!! LOL
Gambling is for those individuals that needs some more excitement in a game. That is fine, some people like myself who were brought into the tournament style of play and feel that gambling is for poker and pool is pool. I have all the confidence in the world in my game, a tournament is where I show my skills, the rest of the time, pool is a game.
So everyone enjoy the game the way you like it, and everyone let others enjoy the game they want it. There will be a much happier place.
If there is anyone here that thinks they can break and run 1000 times without missing, then your on!! LOL
Gambling is for those individuals that needs some more excitement in a game. That is fine, some people like myself who were brought into the tournament style of play and feel that gambling is for poker and pool is pool. I have all the confidence in the world in my game, a tournament is where I show my skills, the rest of the time, pool is a game.
So everyone enjoy the game the way you like it, and everyone let others enjoy the game they want it. There will be a much happier place.
i would bet you on the 1000 racks but i see that you dont like to gamble so i guess we cant.
so then how are we ever going to match up??
we just might play this year in vegas.
I don't play for money at this time because I simply can't afford to. I pretty much learned to play playing for money, however. I've never been a big money player and have never pretended to be. But, playing for something gave me a reason not to miss. It didn't have anything to do with my ego or anything else. I've been told that non-gamblers don't need that, that they can concentrate for the sheer joy of the game, blah, blah, blah. Frankly, I don't believe it and it doesn't mean I don't love the game as much as anyone else including a great many on this forum. If you want to think it's pathetic to play for money as a reason not to miss, so be it, but don't preach to me about it. I don't tell other people they have to play for money to enjoy it but it may improve their concentration a bit, maybe quite a bit. To quote the distinguished author George Fels in Mastering Pool: "Pool needs the most firmest, most highfalutin' kind of concentration you can muster. It's up to you to deal with your own head." and: "I'm not so hypocritical as to suggest that I oppose playing for stakes. All I'm saying is that the stakes should be affordable as well as comfortable, in that they create no artificial pressure that will detract from your enjoyment of the game, win or lose."
For the record, I ate at the Pool room, drank gallons of coffee, started leagues and ran them, played in others and in tournaments on a regular basis. It's unfortunate that I no longer have a place to play in this area or the money to do so if there was.
For the record, I ate at the Pool room, drank gallons of coffee, started leagues and ran them, played in others and in tournaments on a regular basis. It's unfortunate that I no longer have a place to play in this area or the money to do so if there was.
I used to gamble at pool when I was younger (nothing big). The problem that I ran into was all the BS that goes along with matching up a game. The woofing, spot, etc. all got to be old. Then if you did win, the other player would want to adjust until they could win. To me, it was tiring. So, I pretty much quit gambling except for a ring game here or there.
I seem to enjoy the game much more since I quit betting on it. There is nothing wrong with gambling on pool but I find more enjoyment now that I don't. I like to play tournaments and league and don't have to fade the BS. Now, I still enjoy wagering on matches every once in awhile and watching others matchup
I understand what you are
saying but there are players
and games I'm sure you don't
want any part of.