Regarding the q & a on daf 34, your answer 2a, that a person should first
refuse, then hesitate, then go to the Amud follows Rashi, in d.h. y'sarav;
Rashi seems to say that he should be humble and pretend that he's not qualified,
etc. How is a person humble by "pretending" to do anything.
I was formerly a gabbai and often encountered men who, following the suggestion of this gemara, would first refuse my invitation twice, and then
accept. However, I knew at the time (often by the way they refused, or by the look on their face) that it was just a game, and I often wondered how this could be the "humility" suggested by Rashi.Rashi does not say that one should pretend to be humble. He says, "Ya'aseh Atsmo," which, understood literally, means to make oneself as if he does not want to Daven for the Tzibur. That is, he should actually teach himself to act humbly so that he should become humble. (See Shulchan Aruch OC 53:16).
You are correct that if one follows the advice of the Gemara as if it was a game, without understanding the point of refusing twice to Daven for the Tzibur (that is, to cultivate the trait of humility in oneself), then it would probably be best to just accept on the first request, since refusing is not a Halachic obligation but merely a recommended practice.