The way I played the hustle was just the early dance. Lifetime, both times when I was very young, early teens, I have hustled two people that were not trying to hustle me. Of the thousands who tried to hustle me, firetruck them!
Two players both think they are hustling in the early dance but the time comes when you both have to play pool and see who is best. As for the con's that were considerably different than hustles, I didn't get into that kind of stuff. I had a handful of opponents who wanted to dump their backer. Figured they were playing both ends against the middle, also figured they couldn't beat me or they wouldn't be trying to play both ends of things.
I was a hardcore fisherman for decades. When I laid a spread on a pool table I was just doing a little more fishing, nobody had to bite. When I laid a spread I laid it in front of the entire pool room or bar. Typically a dozen or two to one, me.
When on the road there is a room full of strangers. You know before you leave they are going to try to get the best around to play you. The hustle is one thing, the skill on the table another.
The cons where the players knew each other and the one with the money bet right on the rail always won was a different story and a dangerous one on the road.
When I first started playing there were a lot of con men around. They usually ended up shot or cut up bad. I settled for letting people come to me and let skill on the table settle things. Nobody had to play me but the points were my best friend and all of those near misses tempted people. Since I let them raise the bet nobody had to get bit.
A little risky but I used to buy my first beer or drink with a hundred dollar bill and stick the change in my t-shirt pocket, dripping out a bit! Many a nice barmaid warned me that such activity wasn't smart in the place and I did step careful when leaving but around town the money in my shirt pocket was pretty much my trademark for years. A friend I hadn't seen in a couple years sixty feet across a dark bar couldn't tell if it was me until he saw me doing my banking from a black t-shirt pocket.
People that hustled themselves usually couldn't get too mad at me! They got mad but usually at themselves or the situation more than getting mad enough to want to fight or cut on me.
Hu
Well, including the ice-back from Moscow. And somebody here should adopt Wictor, since he is no longer representing Poland.
