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

my 2 cents

If you want to gamble ask anyone, just remember the game doesn't need to have money on the line for a lot of ppl to be interested in the game. Since you work you obviously don't need the money it boils down to you wanting the pressure. Everyone has the right to ask, everyone has the right to say no, both deserve respect.

I think every form of playing has its appeal, leage is different than tournaments which is different than gambling. And on top of that 'gamblers' have different caps, I know a couple guys who can't play above 100 a set, others who will only play for 300+.
I am of the belief that barking or trying to get a rise out of anyone at a hall that you aren't 100% sure will play is wrong. Living in nyc I see a lot of it, when I first moved here it made me sick.

I am under the belief that anyone who considers themself a 'player' should be able to handle themselves in a respectable way. If you are driving ppl out of rooms you are taking money out of pool players pockets in one way or another. If there is no rooms there is no players.

And on a side note, to all the non gambeling players; don't throw attitude at someone who asks you to gamble, just say no and go on with your day. And if you have the money to play tournaments, but don't , if you have the money to gamble but don't, remember our sport is a broke one where most of the top players are not making a good living. so show some support for pool, donate to the local and national tours.
Don't be ignorant about it, but I believe that would help the game in america tremendously.
If I mis spelled anything, sorry. I am writing on a phone and don't have spell check.
 
Luxury said:
Here's my take: I have gambled hundereds of times on pool but the most I've gambled is $500 on a set and normally an average of 20-50 per set. My issue is that I have tons of integrity and will never deny a foul and I have found that my level of integrity is in the top 10% of my opponents. So if I'm a 54% favorite based on talent alone I'm still at a disadvantage to walk away with the cash.

I would gamble higher and more often if there were bca refs around to hold the cash and call the fouls. There are so many questionable calls in pool especially with the double hit foul that I can't blame people for not gambling. However I think the real reason they don't is that they are so scared of feeling like a sucker.
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a good friend of mine was betting 200 of his own cash and a few other people put up the rest. anyway there was a total of 500 a piece on the line and at case game my friend accidently touched the CB on a practice stroke. nobody saw it but he did, anyway, he called the foul on himself.

even at case game for my last dollar i'll call a foul on myself
 
10 reasons why gambling is bad:

1. Losing the rent money.
2. Bringing home cash you cant explain away.
3. Losing friends.
4. Breaking cues.
5. Bad for the image of the game.
6. Makes some guys take ridiculous amounts of time to shoot.
7. Your mother might find out.
8. Calling in sick the next day.
9. The house always wins.

Ok, I admit these reasons dont quite cut it. This last one does matter though, at least to me. If you gamble you will rely on shots that you execute well, and you will get better at them. The down side is that you will never improve on weak areas. Keep ducking, and you wont ever be able to run out consistently. Continue avoiding banks, and remain a crappy ass banker. Long distance draw? If you couldnt do it before the game started, you should have been practicing instead.

10. Gambling prevents you from reaching your potential.
 
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Bambu said:
10 reasons why gambling is bad:

1. Losing the rent money.
2. Bringing home cash you cant explain away.
3. Losing friends.
4. Breaking cues.
5. Bad for the image of the game.
6. Makes some guys take ridiculous amounts of time to shoot.
7. Your mother might find out.
8. Calling in sick the next day.
9. The house always wins.

Ok, I admit these reasons dont quite cut it. This last one does matter though, at least to me. If you gamble you will rely on shots that you execute well, and you will get better at them. The down side is that you will never improve on weak areas. Keep ducking, and you wont ever be able to run out consistently. Continue avoiding banks, and remain a crappy ass banker. Long distance draw? If you couldnt do it before the game started, you should have been practicing instead.

10. Gambling prevents you from reaching your potential.
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LMAO at this one. This should be on Comedy Central!!
 
i think it depends on how people learn to play and what they want out of it... i learned to play on the table in my grandparents basement. needless to say, Grammy (although a fine pool player and affectionaly known as the fireballer for her penchant for firing the balls into the pocket) wasnt playing her grandkids for $50 per set. that said, when i went off to college and started playing on bar boxes in bars, it wasnt uncommon to play for beers or $5 a game. but pool and gambling are not connected in any meaningful way for me... that said, i certainly play in some places where there is action going on, sometimes a lot of it, and if i wanted to get in on it, i know which tables to mosey toward... am i opposed to playing for some money? not really, they are just two seperate things for me (gambling and shooting pool)...

course, i dont sit around talking trash about how i could beat this guy and that guy and then turning down games either...
 
poolplayer2093 said:
most of the guys i see that won't bet anything usually won't buy anything either.

i've seen people sit around in a pool room for 5+ hours and not spend a dime. they just keep drinking free water and complaining about this that or the other.
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I don't gamble. Not that I can't afford it but because I don't want to. My grandfather was a stone cold gambler and when he died the debts started rolling in and my grandmother was fkked. I hated him for that. In my opinion gamblers are scumbags.

I also drink water at the pool hall. I have hypoglycemia and really can't drink anything other than water.

But I never just sit around doing nothing. If I'm there I'm at a table racking up my per hour charge.

There are reasons people don't gamble other than being nits. If you like to gamble then more power to ya. More often than not you're going to be out of money whereas my wallet is safe and sound. Unless you consistently make games with people you know you can beat......in which case it isn't gambling.
MULLY
 
Bambu said:
This last one does matter though, at least to me. If you gamble you will rely on shots that you execute well, and you will get better at them. The down side is that you will never improve on weak areas. Keep ducking, and you wont ever be able to run out consistently. Continue avoiding banks, and remain a crappy ass banker. Long distance draw? If you couldnt do it before the game started, you should have been practicing instead.

10. Gambling prevents you from reaching your potential.
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This really doesn't make a bit of sense. The points you make about the above shots, anyone who wants to improve works on all of these, whether they play for money or not.
 
Neil said:
I don't know you, and you may very well be very smart in many areas. But, when it comes to gambling on pool, you really don't even have a clue.
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Thats my opinion, and I'm sticking to it. I floundered around gambling in pool rooms for 20 years, thats all we did back then was gamble. I always played to win, so taking risky shots was not an option for me. That held me back, kept me from working on my weaknesses. Call me stupid all you want, but I doubt I am the only one who has done this. Maybe just the only one who would admit it. I'm still not the greatest, but I didnt learn how to play until I got my own table.
 
IMHO, it all depends on what level youre at. The majority of people who gamble are not road players, or even serious players. Only a very serious gambler would do as you said. For every one that does that, there is another that just falls into a pattern of small time, regular gambling without much practice. Not everyone is that dedicated, or has the time to be. Its easy to get into a habit of hanging out at your regular pool room, playing the same guys, and not practicing. Or worse, not really understanding what your problems are.
 
mullyman said:
I don't gamble. Not that I can't afford it but because I don't want to. My grandfather was a stone cold gambler and when he died the debts started rolling in and my grandmother was fkked. I hated him for that. In my opinion gamblers are scumbags.

I also drink water at the pool hall. I have hypoglycemia and really can't drink anything other than water.

But I never just sit around doing nothing. If I'm there I'm at a table racking up my per hour charge.

There are reasons people don't gamble other than being nits. If you like to gamble then more power to ya. More often than not you're going to be out of money whereas my wallet is safe and sound. Unless you consistently make games with people you know you can beat......in which case it isn't gambling.
MULLY
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i don't go off man. i bet what i can afford and i make sure i have enough cash left over to take care of my bills
 
Pushout said:
What a drama queen! Wrong, as usual. And it's lose, not loose.
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I think Cowboys opinion is a fairly reasonable statement. You may not agree with it but there's some truth to it. There are many players , I know of a number of them, who have the skill but lack the killer instinct.

If there is excess drama here it appears to be in your reply to Cowboy's statement. You immediately go ad hominem and declare him wrong very vociferously.

This indicates to everybody of normal intelligence that you have no real argument but simply want to bust his balls. That's not what the Forum is for. :nono:
 
12310bch said:
i think cowboys opinion is a fairly reasonable statement. You may not agree with it but there's some truth to it. There are many players , i know of a number of them, who have the skill but lack the killer instinct.

If there is excess drama here it appears to be in your reply to cowboy's statement. You immediately go ad hominem and declare him wrong very vociferously.

This indicates to everybody of normal intelligence that you have no real argument but simply want to bust his balls. That's not what the forum is for. :nono:
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omg!!!!!!!!!!
 
12310bch said:
I think Cowboys opinion is a fairly reasonable statement. You may not agree with it but there's some truth to it. There are many players , I know of a number of them, who have the skill but lack the killer instinct.

If there is excess drama here it appears to be in your reply to Cowboy's statement. You immediately go ad hominem and declare him wrong very vociferously.

This indicates to everybody of normal intelligence that you have no real argument but simply want to bust his balls. That's not what the Forum is for. :nono:
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This is the most hilarious thread since everyone jumped on Blackjack for warning about the IPT!
 
Hmm

Pushout said:
There are exceptions, it's true. But I'd say most of the top players do or have played for money over the years getting to where they are now.
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**************
Yes, possibly. But then there are many local players on this site that play for money and are not pro's !! So it kind of cuts both ways. If gambling gets you better, then why are all the "money players" looking for action in the local pool room not robbing in the money tourneys?

Bottom line some folks like the fun of a wager and some don't. Does it really matter. I play adult baseball league (over 45 age) and I don't need any money on it to break up a double play or dive for a ball. I wanna win.
So folks need the money to make them focus. Good for them. Others wanna win no matter what because they are competitive.

Personally, I don't gamble on pool unless it is with a friend and is cheap enough not to affect the friendship. $10 a game or $25 set or something or just play for beer. It's fun and competitive. But at this point in my life, I don't need some guy I don't know playing for money. Will he be pissed if he loses, we he wait for me in the parking lot, will he hit me with his cue and run away before he pays me?? Does he know the rules of the game, what argument will take place because that is not how "he" plays where he is from. The extra $100 bucks win or lose is in no way going to change my life and thus just not worth the drame for ME...I said for ME.... and maybe for others as well. But I don't see any need to insult players who want to play for money as a 'side" job for themselves, or just plain entertainment, but don't insult the non gamblers either.

But I play in pool halls, play in leagues and tourney's, buy cues, own a pool table, etc and support the pool community just not the local money players!!!
 
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