Why it's Important to Play Stronger Players (somewhat long)

[John Barton]

Its hard to play anything when you only have 60 dollars in your pocket!!! I have donated to better players in the name of practice as much as the next guy. But now they will not play unless I give up some weight! It is all about the money ,thats my experience!! Maybe yours is different. When you lost a hundred to Buddy Hall how much money did you have left? The original poster said after the loss and pool time he was broke!! You can learn nothing like that....except how to lose, IMO!!!

Not true Kevin. I have so many personal stories on this subject that it would fill up several pages were I to type them all.

If all you have to your name is $60 then yes you are foolish to spend it on a pool lesson. If you just have $60 on you that day and you have the opportunity to spend it on a pool lesson then you would be a fool to pass it up. See the difference?

Now, I will explain the difference between matching up to make money and matching up to get lessons. I match up even with Buddy Hall, Joe Salazar, Cliff Joyner and such to get better, I donate to them so I can learn enough to get donations from others. I match up with Joe or Cliff getting weight when we play for $50 or $100 per game which is a decent bet for me. Against Cliff I used to lose getting 11:4 now I don't, but I can't win at 10:5 Joe won't give me 9:5 anymore but robs me at 9:6. The point is that I will fire my gambling money at them when I feel like I have an even chance to win but I will fire my lunch money when I feel like I have a better chance to learn.

Believe me, if it were "all about the money" then none of us would be here talking about pool. Leagues wouldn't exist and the number of pool players would be tiny.

 

[John Barton]

I think either I didnt express myself the right way or you misunderstood my point. Most better players , unless the are friends, are not interested in playing or practicing for fun. I want a fair chance whenever I match up for money is all. There comes a day , in my experience, that once you surpass the better player they are done playing !! I play pool because I love to play pool!! I too want to play the best game I can. Money is not my motivation its only a bonus! I think it is great if you have extra money and can afford to find out where you stand.Don't go broke all the time trying to play the best player around was my point!

Most better players just want to play as well. While they may not be interested in playing you for "fun" just as you aren't interested in playing "jane beginner" for fun, they are interested in you funding their practice. So if you want table time with them then it's going to cost a fee to learn what they know.

There are so many ways to approach this. I appreciate your position as well and understand where you are coming from. I have been there too. Too the point where I am not as loose with my money as I once was.

If you can find the balance that allows you to head hunt and play the better players then you ought to take that route. Me personally, I used to pump up against players my speed or lower and fire it all at people above me. Sometimes I would ask for a spot and sometimes I wouldn't. I can tell you the highest highs came from the times I won against players I wasn't "supposed" to beat playing even. No amount of money can buy that feeling. No drug comes close.

 

[kevin s]

Not true Kevin. I have so many personal stories on this subject that it would fill up several pages were I to type them all.

If all you have to your name is $60 then yes you are foolish to spend it on a pool lesson. If you just have $60 on you that day and you have the opportunity to spend it on a pool lesson then you would be a fool to pass it up. See the difference?

Now, I will explain the difference between matching up to make money and matching up to get lessons. I match up even with Buddy Hall, Joe Salazar, Cliff Joyner and such to get better, I donate to them so I can learn enough to get donations from others. I match up with Joe or Cliff getting weight when we play for $50 or $100 per game which is a decent bet for me. Against Cliff I used to lose getting 11:4 now I don't, but I can't win at 10:5 Joe won't give me 9:5 anymore but robs me at 9:6. The point is that I will fire my gambling money at them when I feel like I have an even chance to win but I will fire my lunch money when I feel like I have a better chance to learn.

Believe me, if it were "all about the money" then none of us would be here talking about pool. Leagues wouldn't exist and the number of pool players would be tiny.

It is all about the money to the better player in the game normally. The game is not just about the money to me. I have been all over the country with several pros and its the same in my local poolhall just on a different scale. Unfortunatly here the better players aren't looking to play me to practice or improve their game. They just want "MY MONEY"!! It is all about the money to them. Maybe some prefer giving their money to a teaching pro that doesn't have any other motive but their improvement. I have played better players from time to time just to see where my game was at. I have always enjoyed that!

 

[John Barton]

Well Kevin that's what we are talking about. Not how the better player feels about the deal. It's about how we feel about it. Of course the better player is interested in the money, how do you think he funds his pool existence?

In order to become the guy that fish want to donate to you need to be the fish for a while and learn the moves.

There are a lot of players in this country that aren't great but book a lot of winners because they match up well. That is to say they almost never match up without the nuts. These guys are respected for their money management acumen but almost never for their skill. For them it is all about the money.

Then there are others who get out there and mix it up, hunting heads, these guys are always aclaimed for their skills and their "heart".

Now, one of my friends thinks "heart" is just another word fo sucker. Maybe it is. But like Sarah Parker said, "You're already a winner Eddie, some men never get to feel the way you do about anything."