Your gambling mentality...

Gerry

Gerry

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was reading another post about BIG money games, and was interested in what you all think about when gambling? I rarely play for everything in my pocket, or gamble til I'm busted. Is all about who's a better player, or who wins all the money? I usually don't care so much about the amount of money I'm betting, I just want to beat everyone. I was thinking about how this ties in with great players giving up the game to play poker, so to them it's about money or action, not playing great pool I guess.......

Gerry
 
Pride, Money, or ??

It's interesting--I've talked with an ex-road player/hustler who on the one hand has a theory that the better player IS who wins the most money...period. He just says that that's the true measure of the better player in his opinion (although, when you think about it...that could purely be another type of subtle hustle that his pulling to entice everyone else into gambling with him--to try to prove themselves...).

But on the other hand, this same ex-road player will play on bar tables in any condition and prides himself on being able to adapt to the table and the environment. So he does take pride in his shooting ability and ability to adapt...but I rarely see him just practicing...he is always in action.

There are other ex-roadies that will not touch a bar table...but for the same reason. Gambling and winning is so important to them, that they don't want the bar tables to throw-off their feel for position on the 9-footers at all. Again, their ultimately goal is to keep their game as sharp as possible to win the money.

For me, I am very competitive and it doesn't matter if I'm gambling or not...I take pride in my game and will try my best to beat my opponent just for pride. But I also get a lot of satisfaction by just executing a great shot and in some ways consider each and every shot as a form of art...I personnally judge a player by the type and skill of shot that I see them executing...and not by how much money I see they winning when gambling.

A lot of typing, but now I'm not sure if I really answered your question, though...LOL
 
Get_A_Grip said:
There are other ex-roadies that will not touch a bar table...but for the same reason. Gambling and winning is so important to them, that they don't want the bar tables to throw-off their feel for position on the 9-footers at all. Again, their ultimately goal is to keep their game as sharp as possible to win the money.
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The better shooters usually will not gamble on a bar box because it is the Great Equalizer. So-so shooters will make shots with far less accuracy and still be able to move their ball around, while the more accurate shooter might split the wicket on the 9 footer and still get the same shape. Now they are both making balls and attaining shape on the bar box, so there is no longer much of an advantage except maybe tactical ones.
 
I'm mainly in it for the challenge and in hopes of improving my game. Haven't had free time to play in tournaments lately, so it's about the only way to get in a serious game.
I won't risk losing so much that I'd feel sick about it, either, lol.
 
Psssssst! Something I overheard in the pool hall;

"You don't have to be a good pool player in order gamble on pool."

You could take a guy for 100s of dollars, and not be able to on your best day run a rack.

That would not impress anybody. It's the skill that gets you noticed.
 
To me it's about winning the money! Someone wants to give me the nuts, I'm not going to argue about it. I'm going to take every oppurtunity I can to keep my money and get theirs... but that's not the case for everyone. Some would rather be pushed than enriched (monetarily). For those, it's all about the action and the rush they get from it.

I know one pro player that likes to gamble but offers UNBELIEVABLE spots to top players. For him, it's about winning against the outrageous spot, not about the money. Part of that MIGHT be the push and then again, if he loses he can always say "Well, I gave the guy 12 to 5 just to get him to play..."

Later,
Bob
 
Gerry said:
I was reading another post about BIG money games, and was interested in what you all think about when gambling? I rarely play for everything in my pocket, or gamble til I'm busted. Is all about who's a better player, or who wins all the money? I usually don't care so much about the amount of money I'm betting, I just want to beat everyone. I was thinking about how this ties in with great players giving up the game to play poker, so to them it's about money or action, not playing great pool I guess.......

Gerry
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Personally I don't gamble in pool at all. All I gamble at is poker, and only then because that's how you keep score. I suppose for some people winning and losing money is how they keep score in pool, not me, I just count the games.
I understand why people who play pool for a living gamble, but I don't understand why others give them their money. Further, I think it is a very rare pool player who makes a good living gambling, and if they do make a good living at it, other factors are more important than their pool playing.
 
I play to be the best. That has always been my driving force... Never about the cash...


However, I DO play for money but I NEVER gamble ;)
 
catscradle said:
I understand why people who play pool for a living gamble, but I don't understand why others give them their money. .
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I guess it's the action, or they think they got enough weight, or they flat out got hustled:) but is'nt poker the same thing? everyone ante's up thinking they are going to win, and usually it's an experienced player that wins IMO.

Gerry
 
I play horrible in tournaments, at first I was stalling on purpose but when I tried to put it into gear, still stalling. Luckily it has gotten me lots of action and I can get my stuff together on a long 1 on 1 match, suprises the heck out some of the people ive played one on one when they have to face me as a C player in tournyes:)
 
I don't gamble often, and when I do, it's usually for small amounts ($10 to $20 a set) with friends. I avoid more problems that way.

One thing I don't particularly care for is the etiquette of not quitting when you're ahead. I understand why it is, but when i win $20 or $40, I want to keep what I won and use it to buy lunch or some DVDs or something. Not risk losing it again.

I think it was mentioned in Playing Off the Rail that gambling between regular pool players is its own economic world. No one permanently loses their money, as it always exchanges hands. You lose some one week, win it back the next week from someone else.

There's nothing wrong with that at all, just not for me. As mentioned above I just want to keep my money and go spend it on something fun or go pay bills or something.

That's the nice thing about playing with friends: No arguments (usually) about shots and no worries if someone wants to quit when they're ahead.

One reason why I do gamble: It [usually] makes me play better. The other night, I got beat playing a couple of sets against an A player (I'm a C player). I played him because I wanted to play better, and what better way than going against a superior player?

I lost $80 gambling to him, but I also learned something after my first time playing against someone of that caliber, so it was worth it. 1) Basically, against a player of that level, don't leave him any shot since he'll typically get out (which he did 90% of the time). 2) Don't play for money if you're in a slump. With the spot he was giving me, I still couldn't run more than 4 to 6 balls, and because 3) Know the speed of the cue ball better so you don't hook yourself or come up way too short, and better calculate the path of the CB after hitting object ball, so you don't bloody scratch all of the time (ex: I'd shoot a shot, planning on the CB hitting 2 inches away from the side pocket after hit on the OB).

All of these sound obvious and all of these things I know, but it's one thing to read about on paper versus learning from experience -- having the lesson reemphasized. Which is why it was worth $80.
 
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I gamble a lot, i like playing for money and find it helps me sharpen my game.
But i think gambling is a very personal thing, and you have to respect the people who do not like it. But it's hard to escape the fact that gambling is a large part of pool playing, if it is in one on one games or in a tournament playing for the first prize.
 
> To me,betting on a pool match that I am involved in,whether playing even,giving or taking a spot,is NOT gambling,it's a calculated risk. I say that because if I agree to a game,like I said whether I am playing someone my speed even,giving or taking a spot,I know what is involved and have evaluated the monetary risk well before I post the cash. If I lose at that point,I either made a bad game myself,by trying to jump someone over my head,took a bad game that someone offered,or offered too much weight and didn't play well enough to cover it,or got outplayed even. If I win,I came up with the right shots and decisons at critical times,my opponent didn't,or someone offered too much weight and I played good behind it. I will not be badgered or pushed into a game I can't win,betting all I have with no way to eat and survive,or chase action by repeatedly trying to either step up and beat someone WAY over my head,or give up a spot I have to play inhuman pool to win with. I don't sit and make people wait on an answer either,if someone approaches me for a game,even,giving/getting,you'll have your answer pretty quick,my mind is made up by that point and whatever happens happens. No one that ever met me and played more than an occasional set with me has questioned my desire or will to win. That being said,working for a living and child support doesn't give me much choice either. I'm not borrowing gas money or money for the bills and daily meals because I went broke trying to beat the ghost. I consider things like betting serious money in matches I'm not involved in,like side-betting,pro sports,games of chance,to be closer to the true definition of gambling that betting on a pool match you knew before the balls were racked that you COULD lose at. Casinos,slot machines,scratch off lottery tickets,and crap like the shell game to me aren't really gambling either,because in my mind,only an idiot truly expects to get that money back,in my mind they might as well be burning it. On the extremely rare occasions I bet on something I have no direct control of the outcome in,I have allocated a certain amount to blow,and see how much enjoyment I can have blowing it,never expecting to see it again,but HOPING it comes back,rather than depending on it.


> In another vein,if I had the kind of "disposable" income that hard work or good fortune created for some of the people here do,or was independently wealthy away from the game,or was tapped in to the parallell economy that some road players,high powered backers/side bettors,where 1000-10000 to possibly just give away isn't hard to come by,a LOT of people would be looking for me. Either to pump up by beating me,or trying to beat me,because if the money were no object like it is for people that regularly engage in these things,I'd try ANYONE,because I like to play THAT much. I believe in myself that much,that pool skills aside I want to win worse than you,and will try harder than you. The monetary result to me is second to the challenge of the game itself,the challenge between myself and the opponent,the self-discovery and enrichment it affords,and the eventual outcome. Winning money playing pool is not as important as playing WINNING pool to me,period. Tommy D.
 
It was once said about Larry Lisciotti that he doesnt care about playing the big names, anyone he can win a quick $50 off of was his favorite opponent.
I used to gamble a fair bit, but went at it from the sure thing angle. I was never out to prove how good I was or test my skill against better players for money. I looked for guys I "knew" I could beat, and worked them into playing for cash. Not what I would call dishonest or hustling. All in all over the years, I have talked to guys about gambling, and most everyone I have talked to says the same thing..... there have been just as many losing nights as there has been winning ones. The money never really stays in anyones pocket, it just keeps changing hands over and over.
This got me to thinking..... and its true. I would say of all the money I have ever won, I have put in someone elses hands later down the road. I may even be in the hole at this point in life..... lol
Unless you like living on the edge, remember this old advice when it comes to gambling......."Its not how you play the game, its how you make the game."
Chuck
 
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ath said:
i like playing for money and find it helps me sharpen my game
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ditto, i love to play for money but the money i play for ain't no big time money except in some tournaments and the most i won was 1500 but this was in a tournament, but the money i play for is like five or ten dollars. And as i said in a different thread my first game was a money game, it was a family get together, and we started a tournament five dollars each and i thought the game would be easy and to my surprise it wasn't, and i fall in love such a artistic game. But it was every weekend we did this play in a tournment and i lost my five dollars each time, then as i progressed at the game and started to take it up and learn it then and there i started to win. Use to start little tournments at the youth center every friday. Again five dollars the youth would get involved and the staff. Now the youth there were and are good players, they have three tables all eight footers and the kids will go there after school just to play pool and be there until it closed playing. The youth center made there own team up to play in leagues at Rapid City. But it was just a fun thing to do, and the youth would look forward to playing, and each time it seemed like a different person would win the pot. So playing for money was just fun it didn't get to the point where it became an addiction as gambling can turn out to be, and noone never gambled money they didn't have or afford. The frog skins can provide that pressure but there are different ways to provide pressure situations, bragging rights for one. But i always have the time to play a five dollar game LOL, or maybe ten as the gas prices cost an arm and a leg nowadays.
 
I despise the word "Hustlin" and the mentality of a "Hustler". As long as there are players in this game that take pride in deceiving their opponent by hiding their true speed, the game will be stuck in the mud.

I dont have a problem with gambling in the pool world, just the deceit that people take pride in.

There aint nothin better than a "Hustler", getting beat by a "Humbler".
The humbler being a player that puts his best effort forward in every match with a gentleman disposition during all accounts of the match.

If the pool world had more "Humblers" the game's popularity and stereotype would change for the better.
 
I never gamble more than I can afford to loose

I never gamble with total stranger

Twenty Five Cents a Game is my Limit

Buck a Day is my limit too loose

or Race to to 3 or 7 for a Quarter is Fun
Also there are TWO kind of Gambler, losers, and liars, and if some one tell you he ALWAYS wins, he is a _ _ _ _ _, as NO WIN WINS 100% of the time.
 
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