JAM
Verified Member
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2004
- Messages
- 1,041
I would be interested to know the opinions of others relating to gambling and pool. Most of the one-pocket games I witness are not in one-pocket tournaments.
There is one school of thought that speaks volumes about the advantages of gambling. In pool tournaments alone these days, it is darn near impossible to make a buck with the huge traveling expenditures unless, of course, you're Earl, Efren or Johnny. Sponsors do supplement a pool player's income very handsomely. So a very small percentage of existing pool players can live off their tournament-only income.
I've met some "road players" who have said they will not compete in tournaments because they don't want others to know what they look like. This would decrease their opportunities of getting games while on the road and hurt their pocket books.
Some pro players think gambling brings a stigma to the so-called "sport" and won't do it. Some pool organizations prohibit gambling in their code of conduct or "rules."
UPA Touring Pro Mike Davis attends every tournament available to him and travels every week of the year to do so. When I saw him at the Joss Tour Finale in Maine recently, he had just flown in from Reno and after the Joss tourney, he was heading back to the West Coast the next day to attend a tournament at HardTimes (I think) in California. He is very thrifty and knows how to stretch a dollar, travels in groups when possible to share expenses, stays in the least expensive hotels and always pinching pennies, et cetera. Unless he is out of town, he attends every $20 local weekly tournaments in the area. Talk about a real trooper!
A while back, I had a conversation with Mike about gambling, and at that time, he was more interested in honing his tournament skills set and exceed on the tournament trail. However, last week, I saw him throw a cheap $20 tournament by letting his opponent win because he wanted to engage in a game of stakes with a well-known action player. He now has a different opinion about gambling than before.
There is another school of thought which says that in order to get better at playing pool, one must gamble and get into battle. It is a different type of pressure than a tournament match and makes one reach inside themselves a little deeper, it has been said.
I cannot tell you how many players I've seen that just won a big chunk of cheese in a tournament IMMEDIATELY go to the nearest action spot and lose it all. We don't have too many card rooms in the D.C. area, but there is Atlantic City and the horse tracks, especially OTB facilities. I think I've been to every horse track on the East Coast (LOL).
Personally, I have no gambling problem and "know when to hold them" and "know when to fold them and walk away." Why they hold major pool tournaments in Las Vegas, the city of gambling, is a mystery to me, especially when so many industry-member organizations look down at it.
Would be interested to know how others feel about gambling and pool. One-pocket scenarios are usually games of stake. Should it be abolished, or should it continue to be done behind closed doors? Is gambling helpful to one's game, or is it a dirty little secret that will never go away?
JAM
There is one school of thought that speaks volumes about the advantages of gambling. In pool tournaments alone these days, it is darn near impossible to make a buck with the huge traveling expenditures unless, of course, you're Earl, Efren or Johnny. Sponsors do supplement a pool player's income very handsomely. So a very small percentage of existing pool players can live off their tournament-only income.
I've met some "road players" who have said they will not compete in tournaments because they don't want others to know what they look like. This would decrease their opportunities of getting games while on the road and hurt their pocket books.
Some pro players think gambling brings a stigma to the so-called "sport" and won't do it. Some pool organizations prohibit gambling in their code of conduct or "rules."
UPA Touring Pro Mike Davis attends every tournament available to him and travels every week of the year to do so. When I saw him at the Joss Tour Finale in Maine recently, he had just flown in from Reno and after the Joss tourney, he was heading back to the West Coast the next day to attend a tournament at HardTimes (I think) in California. He is very thrifty and knows how to stretch a dollar, travels in groups when possible to share expenses, stays in the least expensive hotels and always pinching pennies, et cetera. Unless he is out of town, he attends every $20 local weekly tournaments in the area. Talk about a real trooper!
A while back, I had a conversation with Mike about gambling, and at that time, he was more interested in honing his tournament skills set and exceed on the tournament trail. However, last week, I saw him throw a cheap $20 tournament by letting his opponent win because he wanted to engage in a game of stakes with a well-known action player. He now has a different opinion about gambling than before.
There is another school of thought which says that in order to get better at playing pool, one must gamble and get into battle. It is a different type of pressure than a tournament match and makes one reach inside themselves a little deeper, it has been said.
I cannot tell you how many players I've seen that just won a big chunk of cheese in a tournament IMMEDIATELY go to the nearest action spot and lose it all. We don't have too many card rooms in the D.C. area, but there is Atlantic City and the horse tracks, especially OTB facilities. I think I've been to every horse track on the East Coast (LOL).
Personally, I have no gambling problem and "know when to hold them" and "know when to fold them and walk away." Why they hold major pool tournaments in Las Vegas, the city of gambling, is a mystery to me, especially when so many industry-member organizations look down at it.
Would be interested to know how others feel about gambling and pool. One-pocket scenarios are usually games of stake. Should it be abolished, or should it continue to be done behind closed doors? Is gambling helpful to one's game, or is it a dirty little secret that will never go away?
JAM