Back in the day when I frequented the taverns on a regular basis I often played a game within the game.
I had a habit of playing the balls in in order such as 1 through 8, or 9 through 15 then the 8 ball when I played against someone on a lower level than I was.
It would be more of a challenge for me while giving them a better chance to win a game. When hustling I wouldn't do that, but would sometimes intentionally miss shots while leaving them in a difficult situation. Back in those days we never heard of playing safe, and one rule during league or tournaments was that you were required to make an honest attempt to pocket your ball. I did learn how to play defense while making it appear that I was making an attempt to pocket my object ball. One habit that sometimes resulted in heated situations was when I would play someone up all night until I was fifty or a hundred up at closing time, then ask if they wanted to play double or nothing the last game. Most times I would break and run the table which resulted in tempers flaring when they realized I had been playing them along all night.
