Why are certain parts of the country better for action than others?

[mchnhed]

I'd like to see the support evidence for that "99% stuff".
Addiction is when things are taken to the extreme.
Wagering an amount of value on one's sense of judgment about the outcome of an event is not an addiction.
That kind of talk reminds me of a minister I knew when I was a youth and he always preached on the evils of gambling at poker games and betting on horses and dogs at the tracks.
Yet, he made a small fortune in the stock market. If that's not gambling, I'd like to know exactly what it is.
Keep on truckin' :thumbup:

About the 99% comment.
I said that the pool room betting conversation was spot on for 99% of people who call themselves Gamblers.
Nothing was said about those people being addicted.

The addiction point was about those people who say "I have to have it to perform".
That's the definition of an addiction.
The statement was referring to those people who say they can't play a game unless a bet of some sort is on the line.

Please do not mixup things up when reading multiple points in a discussion.

Building wealth in the stock market is no more a gamble than driving down the street.
Yes, unknown events can happen but if you know where you are going, know the rules of the road and you drive safely, you will arrive at your destination.

 

[mchnhed]

Myth: Gambling on the Stock Market

He made a small fortune in the stock market.
If that's not gambling, I'd like to know exactly what it is. Google it.

Myth: Investing in Stocks Is Just Like Gambling
This reasoning causes many people to shy away from the stock market. To understand why investing in stocks is inherently different from gambling, we need to review what it means to buy stocks. A share of common stock is ownership in a company. It entitles the holder to a claim on assets as well as a fraction of the profits that the company generates. Too often, investors think of shares as simply a trading vehicle, and they forget that stock represents the ownership of a company.

In the stock market, investors are constantly trying to assess the profit that will be left over for shareholders. This is why stock prices fluctuate. The outlook for business conditions is always changing, and so are the future earnings of a company.

Assessing the value of a company isn't an easy practice. There are so many variables involved that the short-term price movements appear to be random (academics call this the Random Walk Theory); however, over the long term, a company is supposed to be worth the present value of the profits it will make. In the short term, a company can survive without profits because of the expectations of future earnings, but no company can fool investors forever—eventually, a company's stock price can be expected to show the true value of the firm.

Gambling, on the contrary, is a zero-sum game. It merely takes money from a loser and gives it to a winner. No value is ever created. By investing, we increase the overall wealth of an economy. As companies compete, they increase productivity and develop products that can make our lives better. Don't confuse investing and creating wealth with gambling's zero-sum game.

Read more: The 5 Biggest Stock Market Myths http://www.investopedia.com/articles/02/061902.asp#ixzz4o4wv3Pod
Follow us: Investopedia on Facebook

 

[jasonlaus]

Fact is, none of the players barking about gambling want to gamble - they want the best of it. 99.9% of them anyway.
Jason

 

[justinb386]

Well gee wiz - since you have so much money shouldn't you be fawning over a Picasso, or listening to Domingo or Bartoli? Why are you in a pool hall? Go to the museum. Go to the opera. Or ... go to Vegas and hit the tables since gambling floats your boat so much. /sarcasm.

Seriously though - it would be very easy for someone to take your post as being offensive - on many levels. As has been mentioned, not everyone enjoys pool /BECAUSE/ of the gambling. Some of us enjoy it as an art form, sport, or game. I could afford to go $20 a game or so - but that's not what I enjoy doing with my money. As has also been mentioned - you could take some of that money and invest in moving somewhere that is more conducive of your preferred life style. And now that MY little rant is over - I guess I'll go huddle over a trash fire somewhere and eat a hot dog.

Yeah, I thought his post was pretty offensive. Some people play pool for the love of the game. Why does he not understand that? Skyler Woodward for example. Yeah, he gambles, and he would play you for any amount of money that you want to bet. But, he truly loves the game, and I think he plays pool mainly for the love of the game (as do many many other great players, for the same reason). I really do not like the players that only play for the gambling aspect (they only care to play if there is money on the line, to win or lose), and really have no love for the game.

 

[justinb386]

Maybe we all put a little of ourselves into these postings.
I look at pool as an 'art form' when I am doing drills over and over and rehearsing for matches. Similar to batting practice (in the stone ages) when you got a pitcher to throw you nothing but sliders low and away.
I want to be left alone in rehearsals and drills so I can enjoy the art form.
But, in a match, I see no need in wasting the enjoyment of my rehearsal time in playing for 'funsies'. Or standing there doing nothing watching while the other guy shoots. To me, that is not fun.
To me, there just has to be some kind of stakes or prize....even if it is only a crummy 5 bucks, loser pays the table time, a hug or a smooch from the pretty girl over there, lunch, a blast of Crown Royal, a car wash, whatever....but SOMETHING of value.
Just my opinion.
Keep on truckin' :thumbup:

Yeah, playing for something (anything, even if it is just for "loser pays the table time") makes playing so much more interesting. I think it makes a player better too. While playing just for fun, you might get in the bad habit of making mistakes that you normally would not make. I agree that playing for just enough, so that you feel enough pressure that you want to try, focus, and win. Tony Chohan talked about that in an interview, and I agree with what he was saying. He got really good by always playing for something. Always keeping pressure on himself, while playing. Never liking to play just for fun. I think he may have said that he never really practiced too.

 

[justinb386]

those of us that grew up here in dallas back in the 50s
seemed to play more for the action than the pool

leagues,drills,tournaments,family fun were not why we played

things are different now,some people don't gamble
including my friends,but I miss the old days

I actually would rather not play than to not gamble
unfortunately there is getting to be very little action

i still go in an practice or play cheap just so i
will be ready if the opportunity arises

there are some semi players,kinda bullies who run down those who don't gamble

these guys are jerks,usually broke and needing a stake horse
yet they demean a working man who doesn't gamble

I admire the working man,I just don't want to play pool with him



think about poker for instance,how many people would play poker
if there were no bets,we all understand that

Gamblers feel that way about pool

The guys on here are lamenting a passing culture
the action pool room is passing away in many areas

I miss it myself,but I wouldn't let my children
within a mile of the pool room or the card room

for most people it is a way to ruin their life
either losing money,missing out on the better things such as family
or friendship

I can atthe same time sympathize with my fellow losers who miss the action
All i can offer is an invitation to come to Dallas and match up
with me,offer me the nuts and play high

No family men or working stiffs need apply,hustlers,poker players,
bookies,pimps and drug dealers are welcome to bet their money

Truth be told,without these bums we never would have much action

I understand what you are saying, but poker is all about gambling, and pool is more of a past time, right? Many people play pool purely for the love of the game. It is fun, and it is a great game. Poker is much different, I think. You can't practice, and enjoy playing poker by yourself (or can you?). I may be wrong. I would never want to play poker for fun. Sounds very boring to me. I love pool though, and would play 24/7 if I could, and would never need to bet a dollar on it. I do understand that putting something on the game makes things much more interesting, and hard to get better without the pressure of gambling, and playing against stronger players (then yourself).

 

[justinb386]

Ok well you may have just stepped into a bear trap here. I'm from the south and have more gamble than you can even imagine. Here's $1000 I'll bet you on a coin flip right now. We will have Jay, blackballed or someone else reputable post a video of the flip. I call heads! Here's your action. Bet or no bet?

Lol, now that is pure gambling.

 

[justinb386]

Well you are certainly entitled to your opinion but it seems to me you dont enjoy playing pool for the pure enjoyment of challenging yourself .

Your comments regarding you just have to play for something reminds me of my younger bar hopping days.

Always the same scenario.

I win a match. The challenger comes up and says. what are you playing for ?

Me.. Nothing.
Him...how boy for a beer ?
Me...heck I will buy you a beer.
Him...lets just play for 2.00 ...i gotta pls for something to make it interesting.
Me....well ok.

After a few games here comes the obligatory
Him..lets raise it to 5.00. We aint gettin nowhere at 2.00 a game.
Me...well ok .

After a few games

Him . Lets go to 10.00....5.00 aint nothing.
Me ...sure why not ? Me thinking to myself ...i am playing with his money anyway.

Then comes the dreaded .
him...lets double it. I gotta try and get my money back.
Me....you can win I back the same way I won it.
Him. ...well I have lost 100.00 so far ...lets play double or nothing for that 100.00 I am in the hole .
Me...ok. Thinking to myself the worse I could do is break even after playing all night.

After one last match.
Him...you fvckin hustler !!! you been hustling me all night!.
Me....you are the one that insisted on playing for money from the get go. You are the one that kept raising the bet. You are the one that was trying to hustle me but couldn't get it done lays the bar cue down and walks out before shit gets deep..

Cant tell you how many times that scene played out in my younger days . It really turned me off. Stuff like that really turned me off from gambling. I never needed to try to win some one else's money and did not like giving mine away. I just want to play pool for the pure enjoyment of it.

Lol, that was a really funny story. Sounds like the guy (in that scenario) was usually drunk? I would never gamble with a person who was drinking, or getting drunk. That seems dangerous. Also best to chose your opponents wisely. Trust your gut feeling, about what type of person they are, before playing for anything. Just so the person seems cool (nice, cool, and not the violent type), then why not play for something (anything) just to make the game a little more interesting? Just so it is not blood money, or anything like that. A few bucks a game for example is not blood money. For me, it makes me try harder, and play better. Yeah, I do not mind shooting just for fun. But it is not nearly as interesting as playing for a little something.

 

[justinb386]

Always different ways at looking at things.

Call me a nit if you like, but I play for recreation. If it's action you want, look elsewhere.
I spent decades of my 73 years working, investing, saving, slowly building a modest portfolio for these, my retirement years.
I'm not about to throw that away for the non thrill of "action".

Back when I was a kid, we used to play for a signed dollar bill (we called it "bragging rights"), or just for the table time. Surely, you would not call that gambling, would you? But it is playing for something, just to make it interesting. Playing for fun, and for the pure love of the game is just fine though (and the only reason I ever played). Always loved the game.

 

[jasonlaus]

Myth: Investing in Stocks Is Just Like Gambling
This reasoning causes many people to shy away from the stock market. To understand why investing in stocks is inherently different from gambling, we need to review what it means to buy stocks. A share of common stock is ownership in a company. It entitles the holder to a claim on assets as well as a fraction of the profits that the company generates. Too often, investors think of shares as simply a trading vehicle, and they forget that stock represents the ownership of a company.

In the stock market, investors are constantly trying to assess the profit that will be left over for shareholders. This is why stock prices fluctuate. The outlook for business conditions is always changing, and so are the future earnings of a company.

Assessing the value of a company isn't an easy practice. There are so many variables involved that the short-term price movements appear to be random (academics call this the Random Walk Theory); however, over the long term, a company is supposed to be worth the present value of the profits it will make. In the short term, a company can survive without profits because of the expectations of future earnings, but no company can fool investors forever—eventually, a company's stock price can be expected to show the true value of the firm.

Gambling, on the contrary, is a zero-sum game. It merely takes money from a loser and gives it to a winner. No value is ever created. By investing, we increase the overall wealth of an economy. As companies compete, they increase productivity and develop products that can make our lives better. Don't confuse investing and creating wealth with gambling's zero-sum game.

Read more: The 5 Biggest Stock Market Myths http://www.investopedia.com/articles/02/061902.asp#ixzz4o4wv3Pod
Follow us: Investopedia on Facebook

Keep telling yourself that. Just like betting on players who will dump you, so will the people running the companys. Unless YOU are running the company, you have NO IDEA what is going on - its ok if you wanna feel smart though LOL. Do we have to post examples?
Jason

 

[justinb386]

If it really turned you off as you say it did, then why did you keep on doing it (back in your young bar hopping days)....???
Come on man, get real.. the fact of the matter is you enjoyed getting the easy money.
And there was absolutely nothing 'wrong' with getting that easy money as long as you weren't cheating and you played on the square.
Did you give any of it back with grief filled apologies for being so good at pool shooting...???
That kind of stuff reminds me of when old George Bush sent back all those checks for tax cuts and my ditzy brother-in-law whined about it 'wrecking the country's economy'.............but he didn't send the check back to the government. He spent every dime.
Sorry pardner, I'm not buying into it . (but as always, what you choose to do personally is something for me not to preach about it. Just making an opinion and nothing more)
Keep on truckin' :thumbup:

I do not think that gambling (in pool for example) with a person that is not sober is honorable. Not only is it dangerous, but it is also unfair, so in his case, he did have an unfair advantage (unless he was also not sober, which may have been the case, if he was drinking). I used to love to go to the bars and lay my quarters down, and hold the table all night. I never drank, and never gambled though (at the bars). Just loved to play pool.

 

[jasonlaus]

I do not think that gambling (in pool for example) with a person that is not sober is honorable. Not only is it dangerous, but it is also unfair, so in his case, he did have an unfair advantage (unless he was also not sober, which may have been the case, if he was drinking). I used to love to go to the bars and lay my quarters down, and hold the table all night. I never drank, and never gambled though (at the bars). Just loved to play pool.

There is nothing "unfair" about playing somebody who is drinking. Whats with all this "fair" bs in life anyway? Life isn't fair snowflake(not you). I actually could play all night without drinking too, but rarely did. Also without gambling either
Jason

 

[lorider]

If it really turned you off as you say it did, then why did you keep on doing it (back in your young bar hopping days)....???
Come on man, get real.. the fact of the matter is you enjoyed getting the easy money.
And there was absolutely nothing 'wrong' with getting that easy money as long as you weren't cheating and you played on the square.
Did you give any of it back with grief filled apologies for being so good at pool shooting...???
That kind of stuff reminds me of when old George Bush sent back all those checks for tax cuts and my ditzy brother-in-law whined about it 'wrecking the country's economy'.............but he didn't send the check back to the government. He spent every dime.
Sorry pardner, I'm not buying into it . (but as always, what you choose to do personally is something for me not to preach about it. Just making an opinion and nothing more)
Keep on truckin' :thumbup:

Let me clarify my stance for you . Back then every one gambled. You could not go in a bar and he it quarters up on a table and challenge the winner without agreeing to play for something. You were lucky if you got the guy holding the table to agree to play for just a beer. Minimum was usually 5.00.

I just liked to go have a few beers and play some pool. In order to play on a table that was being played on you more or less had to agree to play for what the person holding the table wanted to play for. A lot of times when i won the table the challenger would ask what I was playing for and I would say for the heck of it. Then I would start hearing the song and dance that we gotta play for something ....just to make it interesting. Sometimes I agreed and sometimes I stood my ground about playing for nothing since the unwritten rule was winner sets the rules .

The scenario I described in my earlier post happened numerous times ...of course the amount varied but the conversation was always along the line I described.

Below is a perfect example.

One Friday when getting off work a co worker asked for a ride home and I agreed to give him one. On the way he mentioned he did not know what to do that night cause his girlfriend was outa town I mentioned mine was also. He suggested we go out and have a few beers and I agreed. We went to his favorite hangout which was a hole in the wall bar with 2 pool tables. 2 guys were playing on one and 2 couples were playing on the other. I go up and set a couple of quarters on the table the guys are playing on. One says that they are playing for 5.00 a game. I take my quarters back off cause being the nit I am I did not want to play for 5.00 when I had not shot pool in 6 months and the one guy was beating all comers. I knew it would be a waste of time and money. So I am sitting at the bar drinking and watching the matches while my buddy is trying to score with a bar fly. After a few beers I cant stand sitting there listening to my buddy and I really want to play some pool so i said the heck with it and put quarters up a second time.

When it got my turn sure enough I lost to the guy who had been holding the table since I walked in. I put quarters up again and waited my turn . This time I won . Well I won a few more and it got back to the first guy again who had been winning all night. By this time it was his me and him as every one else had quit challenging.

While shooting I had a couple more beers and had really loosened up. My opponent had quit drinking. After a while he wanted to go to 10.00 a game and I said I was comfortable with 5.00 . He kept whining so i agreed to go to 10.00.
Sure enough ...later on he wanted to go to 20.00. We had the same conversation as before. I was happy playing for 10.00. Again after some whining I relented.

I know its hard for some to believe but I was feeling just right and almost in a trance just pocketing balls winning 3 out of 4matches it seemed like and had no idea how many we had played. The alcohol was doing its job of keeping me loose but confident.

He paid for tge match he just lost ...turned around looking at my buddy who was sitting at a table now with that barfly and yelled...joe ...wtf you bringing a hustler into my place for?. My buddy says...a hustler ? He aint no hustler...he works with me. I am feeling a bad vibe and slowly start backing for the door. This guy ..who I now realize is the BA owner says....i know a fvckin hustler when i see one and this guy is a damn hustler. He then say...i thought we were friends and you bring this damn hustler into my place. He then picks up the cue he was playing with and says...both of yall get the hell outa my bar and don't ever come back.

By that time i already had one foot out the door and looked back and saw my buddy hightailing it toward me.

Once we got in the car he asks me. Are you a hustler ? I said heck no. I told him I had not shot a ball in 6 months. He said..you must be good cause nobody around here beats him. He then said he had been going to that bar for 7 years and could not believe he was barred from ever going back.

Now like I said.. This guy had quit drinking while playing me. I was not drunk but definitely felt good.

Situations like above did not happen a whole lot but often enough to make me leery of who I played and real drunk people were a definite no .

So you see...back then you basically had to play for something if you wanted to shoot some pool.

Another thing about gambling. I know 2 guys and am pretty friendly with them and they like to gamble. Actually they both were pretty friendly with each other also and had matched up several times with no problems.

Well.the last time there was a problem and it led to a pretty rough fight between them. Gambling just leads to too much drama for me.

 

[pwd72s]

Myth: Investing in Stocks Is Just Like Gambling
This reasoning causes many people to shy away from the stock market. To understand why investing in stocks is inherently different from gambling, we need to review what it means to buy stocks. A share of common stock is ownership in a company. It entitles the holder to a claim on assets as well as a fraction of the profits that the company generates. Too often, investors think of shares as simply a trading vehicle, and they forget that stock represents the ownership of a company.

In the stock market, investors are constantly trying to assess the profit that will be left over for shareholders. This is why stock prices fluctuate. The outlook for business conditions is always changing, and so are the future earnings of a company.

Assessing the value of a company isn't an easy practice. There are so many variables involved that the short-term price movements appear to be random (academics call this the Random Walk Theory); however, over the long term, a company is supposed to be worth the present value of the profits it will make. In the short term, a company can survive without profits because of the expectations of future earnings, but no company can fool investors forever—eventually, a company's stock price can be expected to show the true value of the firm.

Gambling, on the contrary, is a zero-sum game. It merely takes money from a loser and gives it to a winner. No value is ever created. By investing, we increase the overall wealth of an economy. As companies compete, they increase productivity and develop products that can make our lives better. Don't confuse investing and creating wealth with gambling's zero-sum game.

Read more: The 5 Biggest Stock Market Myths http://www.investopedia.com/articles/02/061902.asp#ixzz4o4wv3Pod
Follow us: Investopedia on Facebook

Bingo! If any young guy would listen to this 73 year old fart, I'd advise him to begin a Roth IRA in a good no load total market mutual fund, and feed it on a monthly basis.

Unfortunately, by the time you've reached the age to know a thing or two, the young don't want to hear it.

(edit) However, I would NOT suggest day trading as the given link did.

 

[owll]

if a person wants to make 10's of dollars gambling, pool is a rather mediocre way to go about it.

if a person wants to make 100's or 1000's of dollars gambling, poker is a shitload better choice than pool is.

if you want to make more than that gambling, do your gambling on the stock market....its by far the best gambling game anywhere, ever.

(to the original poster, instead of crying about action in pool, look at the tips above and use this to figure out where you should be gambling at)

 

[rabbitt]

Keep TRYING

WOW, new SCHOOLSPEAKS up AGAIN.....traveled many places in my TIME ,AND when something didnt suit MY FANCY I moved on..NOW daysWHEN you have APPS to find GIRLS,GUYS,WHATEVER your LOOKING for,, YOU RANT and RAVE, what a HIGH BETTOR YOU ARE ON A COMPUTER???KEEP trying YOU are going to FIND WHAT YOUR LOOKING FOR...DON'T FORGET TO GET BACK TO US ALL AND SHARE THE VIDEOS OF YOU TAKING IT ALL DOWN...