10 Reasons Why Gambling is Bad for Pool
This article is part of Volume 5 of PoolSynergy, a monthly collection of the best writing on pool. After you read this, be sure to check out the rest of the March edition of PoolSynergy for other great articles over at NYC Grind. The March theme is Pool and the Mainstream.
I’m not a prude or a puritan. I think people should be allowed to gamble with their money; it’s their business and nobody else’s. That said, gambling does have ramifications, nearly all of which are negative. Pool has a very active gambling culture that harms the sport and many of its players, limits it audience and turns off potential sponsors.
You can certainly enjoy pool for the game itself, irrespective of the culture of the sport. But as you expand your interest in the game beyond your own playing you can’t escape the pervasive low class atmosphere that has surrounded and infused the game throughout its history. You often can’t get to play many good players unless you “make it interesting”. This in itself might not be too bad, but with all the hustling and trickery going on, it can take a lot of effort just to get an honest game, and you may never know if you actually did so. The most celebrated stories and movies about the game glory in how clever one guy (or a group of guys) was when he cheated his opponent.
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| The Hustler |
Pool’s reputation is so bad, in many towns it’s harder to open up a pool hall than a massage parlor or a sex video shop. I bet if you polled people on who was the most dishonest in the following list, Congressmen, used car salesmen, advertisers, lawyers and pool players, the stickmen might well come out on top, but even if they didn’t, my, what company they keep!
There are certainly many in all areas of the pool world who are fine men and women, unflinchingly honest and of the most upright character. But for each one of these there are ten others who would sell their mother for the change in your pocket. Gambling has been the central component of this, bringing with it the hustling, cheating, lying, fighting, etc. that colors so many of the stories of almost all of the game’s long list of characters.
Here’s my list of why gambling is bad for pool and for those who partake.
01 It Undermines Pool’s Great Tournaments. Many will claim, and may be right, that some of the best players in the world don’t play in tournaments because it “hurts their action”. Well, if major tournaments cannot draw the best people they won’t really be determining anything worthwhile, and sponsors won’t be interested in funding them. And people will have much less interest in watching them.
02 Gambling’s Seedy Image Limits Sponsor Money. Sponsors want to be associated with winners, but they also shy away from controversy and are averse to risk. Look at how Tiger Woods’ sponsors left him after his troubles. Pool’s sponsors are almost all from within the industry. Before pool could attract serious money from non-pool businesses it’ll have to clean up its image.
03 Gambling by Top Players Encourages Gambling by Others. The more famous the star, the more the fans want to emulate them. And they won’t just try to copy their stroke, attitude or mannerisms, they’ll copy the gambling, too. Jeanette “Black Widow” Lee just recently won the Louie Roberts Action Award at this year’s Derby City Classic, one of the most prestigious tournaments in pool. The idea that there even is such an award is a testament to the extent to which gambling is part of the sport’s lifeblood. When a major champion like Jeanette Lee, who is a spokesperson for the APA, the largest league operator in the country, and one of the most recognizable faces in the sport, is celebrated for her gambling behavior, is there any question that many of her legion of fans will want to follow her lead?
04 Gambling has Losers, Too. People often forget about the losers, but it’s often the case that they lose more than they can afford to, and that often becomes the first step on a slippery slope to hell. It may well be true that “that which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger” but why flirt with death?
05 Gambling Encourages Hustling/Sandbagging. Gambling’s a rough and tumble world and participants often are more than willing to play games with the truth to put one over on their opponent, giving themselves an all but insurmountable advantage. Rather than being rare, this highly unethical behavior is the norm in the gambling world and is celebrated in road stories, books and movies. Most moral people find this kind of behavior repugnant. Sandbagging in league play is no different, and is, if anything, more prevalent.
06 Gambling Encourages Cheating. Play a guy a friendly game and you’ll usually get just that, a friendly game. Put a measly $5 on the game, though, and the attitude change can be amazing, and it’s not focus and intensity I’m talking about. You’ll get arguments about close hits, rules you’ve never heard of, sharking and other unsportsmanlike behavior you wouldn’t have believed would ever come from your opponent. Clearly it’s true that some people can remain completely honorable with money on the line, they have integrity and character. But way too many people succumb to evil gremlins when money’s at stake.
07 Degeneracy vs. Character. Pool movies and novels are about gambling and other degenerate behavior; most other sport movies are about character. This follows from the primary culture of these sports, and is a strong indictment indeed. All sports have players they aren’t proud of, but pool seems to have them in abundance. Gambling in other sports is grounds for suspension, in pool it’s common and accepted for players to buy themselves and others in calcuttas.
08 Gambling Attracts Criminals. Just look at the mess in Snooker with a number of recent accusations of point shaving. And pool is worse than snooker, because at least in snooker the governing bodies are watching and actively trying to prevent cheating. Contrast that with accusations of cheating in a tournament in Florida last year were nothing happened, and the blame was placed on the format rather than on the cheaters. The seedier the culture and environment, the more attractive it is to the criminal element. And once they have their hooks in you, you’re theirs until they’re done with you.
09 Gambling is Illegal. It’s not a law I agree with, but it’s the law nonetheless. I dread the day some local police force chooses to make a name for itself and shows up at a TAR match and takes the players, room owner and technical staff off to jail. You might think this is silly, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
10 Gambling is about the Fast Buck. Ever heard the quote “Money won is twice as sweet as money earned” from the movie The Color of Money? It has the ring of truth to many and it draws them to high stakes gambling like crap draws flies. And for most people it’s about as rewarding. Gambling is a zero sum game, i.e., for every winner there’s a loser. Add in all the transaction costs, travel, protection, tips to get games set up, etc, and even most “winners” don’t make out in the long run. It’s like gambling in a casino, though large numbers of people will tell you they’re winners, very few people break even over the long run. Believe them at your peril.
Return to the March edition of PoolSynergy
Past Editions of PoolSynergy
Volume 1 – November 2009
Volume 2 – December 2009
Volume 3 – January 2010
Volume 4 – February 2010
My PoolSynergy Posts
Nov 2009 – Thinking Your Way to More Pool Victories
Dec 2009 – My First Big ‘Aha!’ Moment in Pool
Jan 2010 – Three Outside Influences on my Pool Education
Feb 2010 – Some of My Favorite Pool Players
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20 Responses to “10 Reasons Why Gambling is Bad for Pool”
p00lriah
- March 15th, 2010
please read my earlier analysis on this topic.
http://wp.me/pzxjZ-4h
PK
- March 15th, 2010
I agree with most of what you wrote, except the part about gambling being illegal. There is absolutely nothing illegal about engaging in a private wager with another person.
Now, if you run a gambling business (e.g. charging a house fee to play in a poker game, or taking a percentage of all action, like a bookie) *that* is illegal.
John Biddle
- March 15th, 2010
Well, PK, at least here in Florida, you are incorrect. Here’s a relevant section of the FL statute:
“849.07 Permitting gambling on billiard or pool table by holder of license.–
If any holder of a license to operate a billiard or pool table shall permit any person to play billiards or pool or any other game for money, or any other thing of value, upon such tables, she or he shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.”
I remember many articles in the local paper and on TV where some local PD busted up a local low-stakes poker game between friends. I think it’s ridiculous, but it happens. BTW, a second degree misdemeanor is punishable in FL by imprisonment for 60 days.
g2
- March 15th, 2010
“I bet if you polled people on who was the most dishonest in the following list, Congressmen, used car salesmen, advertisers, lawyers and pool players, the stickmen might well come out on top, but even if they didn’t, my, what company they keep!”
My favorite line! LOL
While I have many friends that gamble and I don’t believe anyone should be told what they can and cannot do to improve their game, I have never taken part in it as I feel it goes against the reputation and class I’d like to uphold for myself and my love of this sport. Thank you for addressing the pitfalls of the gambling world on pool’s future. Well said.
Johnny
- March 15th, 2010
I have a conflicted view of gambling… I personally don’t gamble on pool, and I don’t really encourage others to do so. However, I think there are two sides to gambling: The honest, straight-up “respectable” way to do it and “the hustler” way to do it. Unfortunately it seems that the hustler” is far more easily found than the respectable player looking for an honest game. Your points 4,5 and 6 are the biggest stains on the world of pool, in respect to gambling, in my opinion. It happens in leagues everywhere and it infuriates me every time I see it. It’s in this regard, that I agree that “pool is it’s own worst enemy”.
PK
- March 15th, 2010
John, I believe that statute is consistent with what I wrote, since the person breaking the law is not the gambler, but the owner of the business. Essentially, if you run a business that profits from gambling (even indirectly, by charging for table time, drinks, etc) *that* is what’s illegal, not the gambling itself.
As for the low stakes poker game, I’d have to see the story, but my guess is that the person running the game was either charging an entry fee, or raking a percentage from every pot.
In any case, I do agree that gambling and hustling have hurt pool’s image, making it more difficult to attract corporate sponsors. It’s incredible that APA has 2.7 million members, yet there are almost no pool events on TV. Meanwhile, golf is on the major TV networks every weekend, and the top players are making $100 million year in prize money and endorsements. What does a top pool player earn? Maybe $100,000?
John Biddle
- March 15th, 2010
PK, on the law, I see the distinction between billiard hall owner and gambling player; for FL you appear to be correct. The laws here that specifically address participation are all about games of chance, card games, lottos,kenos, etc. I only looked at FL, however, and still believe, though I could be convinced with evidence, that in many states it will be illegal for the players as well.
On the home poker games I referred to, FL has a specific exemption now for penny ante games if no more than $10 is at stake in any one hand. I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the case, and this exemption was made because of abusive prosecution by police that the public rebelled against, but my memory isn’t what it once was.
There are only 250,000 members in the APA, but that’s still a hell of a lot of folks. (link here: http://www.poolplayers.com/apa_leagues.html)
I also agree with you that the hustling part of the reputation is the worst part by far as far as sponsors are concerned.
Markus Hofstätter
- March 15th, 2010
Gambling is for sure not good for our sport. But it could bring “normal” people to pool. Just think of poker.
We have to get away from the “dirty” gambling sessions in dark rooms. Official “gambling” is the key in my point of view….check out my article
Thanks for you post !!!
Markus
Michael Reddick
- March 15th, 2010
I’m starting to come around to the opinion that “officialized” gambling might actually make the sport more popular. Imagine a series of matches between the top players in the sport, maybe like basketball has with the whole “March Madness” format. The players put up their own money (skin in the game), and TV sponsors put up the rest, winner take all for mega bucks. Have Keith McCready or Harry Platis giving color commentary on the side for the TV viewers. I would love to hear Harry’s take on the games. Wouldn’t that be a hoot?
p00lriah
- March 15th, 2010
they sort of do already, mr. reddick. TAR has been doing heads-up matches between top players for a lump sum of cash. typically race to 100 over three days for $10k or $20k, 9- or 10-ball. and they stream in live online, with commentators. if you shorten the race & put in on national tv, it’d be exactly what you’re describing.
BrooklynJay
- March 16th, 2010
Hi John,
Your post made me want to comment but what I wanted to say would take up far too much space. So instead I made an entry on my site addressing the matter.
http://brooklynjay.blogspot.com/2010/03/thats-why-they-call-it-action.html
It’s definitely an interesting topic.
Big Buddha
PoolBum
- March 16th, 2010
Gambling is not disreputable. Many offices filled with respectable people participate in gambling activities like football pools or pitching in to buy large quantities of lottery tickets. The popularity of Poker attests to the fact that gambling is not the problem. On the other hand, hustling, while many seem to think it’s part of the “game” isn’t gambling at all. It’s deception and dishonesty pure and simple. The goal being to trick someone into an un-winnable match. It’s not gambling when one of the players knows beyond doubt that the other has no chance. As it is often so aptly described: it’s robbery.
John Biddle
- March 16th, 2010
Penny ante gambling isn’t disreputable, whether in an office football pool or a $5 set at the pool hall. But there’s a lot of high stakes gambling going on that brings with it all the negatives that I outlined above. Like illegal drugs, many people handle it just fine, but many others get themselves into trouble. And the culture and environment where this occurs draws in lots of the wrong people and it all goes south.
Public gambling, via a mechanism like TAR, eliminates the negatives, hustling, debt collection, fighting, cheating, etc., but most gambling won’t be done on TAR and as TAR gets more popular it will encourage more people to gamble more than they do now.
While I believe each person should be allowed to make their own decisions and live their lives they way they see fit, that doesn’t prevent me from lamenting the results.
BrooklynJay
- March 16th, 2010
“Public gambling, via a mechanism like TAR, eliminates the negatives, hustling, debt collection, fighting, cheating, etc.,” – if all the negatives are eliminated why is it still a bad thing? i see the IPT issue challenge matches and there seems to be no problems with that. is it because the people aren’t betting their own?
“but most gambling won’t be done on TAR and as TAR gets more popular it will encourage more people to gamble more than they do now.” – this is like saying that violent video games encourages kids to go out and kill. it’s simply untrue or, at the very least, unproven.
i think the issues i have with your post is that none of it is based on any facts. it’s all stereotypes and conjectures.
John Biddle
- March 16th, 2010
I think your analogy to violent video games is silly. Gamers don’t get invested in the characters in a game the way people do with their sports heroes. I see people almost every day wearing some shirt with an athlete’s name on it, but have never seen such homage to a video game, or if those shirts are out there I don’t remember seeing one.
Surely you aren’t saying that the persistent reputation of pool being a game of lowlifes, hustling and gambling their lives away isn’t based in some measure on reality. I do not mean to say here that all players are like that, far from it, but gambling, especially high stakes gambling is a big part of the cause of this reputation, IMHO.
TAR matches are exciting, I have no problem admitting that. I myself watched and wrote about TAR17 – Donny Mills vs Shane Van Boening and loved every minute of it. I did find it ironic to see the “No Gambling” sign on the wall directly behind the table Donny and Shane were playing on.
The match didn’t make me want to gamble, I’m just not into gambling, but I bet
that the excitement of that match and others like it does raise the likelihood that audience members will participate, though maybe at smaller amounts.
If all gambling was via TAR type matches I wouldn’t have written this post because the harm to pool would be non-existent. But most gambling does not happen in environments like that, and I don’t think it ever will.
As to basing my opinions on stereotypes and conjectures, I would say guilty. I do not know most pool players and certainly don’t know most people, and cannot show you 3rd party authenticated statistics to back up my claims. But based on all I’ve seen, experienced and read about, I’m satisfied that I haven’t misrepresented pool’s poor reputation. That reputation is much better inside the community than outside it, since we have a much better idea what a small fraction of the pool playing world hustlers and their cohorts really are, but pool’s reputation outside of the pool world is important too, if pool is to grow and pro pool is to prosper.
PoolBum
- March 17th, 2010
I have been mulling over the gambling issue. It seems that each side of this debate can site empirical evidence that can be extrapolated to support their position. The reality is that gambling on pool happens every day and nothing anyone says or does will likely change that. I suggest that no matter what perspective we have individually that we work together to reduce the negatives that often but don’t necessarily come with gambling.
This may be easier then it sounds but it takes having the courage of our convictions. I call the solution: the racist joke response. Has another player ever come to you or a group you were in with a war story about how he hustled some “sucker?” How he/she was so skilled at the ploy that they actually got a weaker player to give up a handicap.
There’s a technique that I learned in a business seminar that works great in a lot of situations. You give the person a look of surprise and say, “Wow Sally, it’s not like you to take such unfair advantage of someone,” (even if it totally is). “I know you’re better than that.” (Apologizes to all the Sallys of the world.) Then just shake your head subtly with a slightly furrowed brow and wait for a reply or even walk away.
You could take a more direct approach and lecture them about your true feelings about hustling pool and how it brings dishonor to the sport. But this will often open up a debate on the topic. I prefer the first because it’s not as likely to get a defensive response because it has a compliment of their “true” character built into it. People want others to see them in a positive light. It can get that person to rethink their point of view in order to become the person you said you saw in them. Try it, I think you’ll be surprised at the results.
The incidence of mean spirited racist jokes has decreased enormously over the years because people made it known that they don’t like them or think they’re funny. The social pressure to stop was so great that only a few serious racists still insist on telling them. We can start a similar movement regarding hustling by simply letting people know what we really think about it (or that we are shocked that someone we like/respect could participate in the practice) and that it’s not just part of the sport and hence needs to be tolerated or even respected.
BrooklynJay
- March 17th, 2010
yes, there is an image of pool players who gamble being scum but it’s a carry over from the “good old days”.
the reason pool continues to have such a poor reputation is because the stereotypes of “the hustler” and gamblers in pool being low life scum are continually repeated over and over again – and a post like yours is unfortunately a great example of it.
in this day and age – with camera phones and smart phones – do you really think people can “hustle” and “go on the road” the way they use to?
it’s the information age, it’s going to be very rare indeed that a player who’s any good can indeed “hustle” someone. i know about players and their speed from all across the country and i’m just a hack.
so if you’re gambling you usually know who you’re gambling with – how good the guy you’re playing is – and what you need in weight to make it a fair game right?
Now if people are going to use TAR as an example of how gambling is DONE RIGHT then they should know the first thing TAR does is MAKE THE PLAYERS POST. wouldn’t this eliminate half the horror stories about gambling you see on azb?
it’s time to change the image of the gambler in pool. why can’t the representatives of gambling in this day and age be jeanette lee? or shane van boening? both are constantly in action and both are nothing if not professional.
poker, once thought to be full of lowlifes as well, has remade it’s image – isn’t it time for pool to do the same?
PoolBum
- March 17th, 2010
I agree that posting before a gambling match is always a good idea. Unfortunately, yes. I think that getting hustled is still possible in the electronic age. Do you think that someone has to be a known pro level player to stall and trap someone in an unfair match-up? Granted, it’s probably harder then it used to be and impossible for some. But I can’t imagine that every B player or league player would send out a photo from their iphone to find out who is asking them for a game and besides, who exactly would they send it to? Maybe when they got home they could do an internet search and discover who just took their money but then it’s too late. There are countless virtually unknown solid players out there and a small percentage still travel to find easy action or at least hustle whenever they are traveling anyway. I know a few personally. Don’t kid yourself, sadly the “I’m on vacation, visiting relatives, traveling for business” stories still work.
That being said, I do agree with your premise that the stereotype of lowlife players is overblown because people like the stories and repeat them over and over. The fact is that it is relatively rare. The point of my post was simply to help promote the idea that it’s nothing to be proud of and arm people with a method to communicate that to anyone who thinks it is.
R.A. Dyer
- March 17th, 2010
Judging from the number of comments you’ve received, John, it certainly appears as if you’ve stirred things up a bit. Your PoolSynergy submission this month and mine (http://untoldstoriesbilliardshistory.blogspot.com/)could almost be seen as book-ends on this topic. I’m glad to see the topic getting debated.
Michael Reddick
- March 19th, 2010
Poolriah, thanks for the heads up on TAR. I had heard of TAR before, but didn’t realize what they actually did. I took a look at their website…very interesting! I just ordered the Mills vs. SVB DVD set. Thanks Mr. Collett!!
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