Outed By The Internet
- Thread starter ghost ball
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Tal...Ruth's Chris? I wish! LOL You can't even get OUT of Ruth's Chris for under $100 a head (if you eat there, that is)!
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
One man's McDonalds is another man's Ruth Chris's.
question for you Scott
What percentage of the old time road players, say from before 1990, before internet and cell phones, lived on the road as well as you do now?
If somebody lived in their car half the time or crashed with whomever would have them stay a night, ate when they had money to and cut another notch in their belt when they didn't, occasionally had to work a day or two or pull some moves well outside the bounds of pool hustles, really think they wouldn't be getting by today as well as the vast majority of road players did 30-40 years ago?
Always fun to talk about "the good old days" with folks that were there but a little on the outside, even many on the inside. The big scores and the good times are remembered. Trying to sleep in your vehicle when you just slumped there and shook buried under all the clothes you had with you is forgotten. Having to choose between eating a cheap meal or hang on to a little more of a starting stake, forgotten. That first gulp of beer you had to buy to project the right image when you haven't eaten in a day or more, forgotten.
The day that people today are willing to live like the vast majority of road players lived, the highs and the lows, there can be plenty of people on the road again. If they have any smarts at all we will never hear of them in AZB land.
Hu
What percentage of the old time road players, say from before 1990, before internet and cell phones, lived on the road as well as you do now?
If somebody lived in their car half the time or crashed with whomever would have them stay a night, ate when they had money to and cut another notch in their belt when they didn't, occasionally had to work a day or two or pull some moves well outside the bounds of pool hustles, really think they wouldn't be getting by today as well as the vast majority of road players did 30-40 years ago?
Always fun to talk about "the good old days" with folks that were there but a little on the outside, even many on the inside. The big scores and the good times are remembered. Trying to sleep in your vehicle when you just slumped there and shook buried under all the clothes you had with you is forgotten. Having to choose between eating a cheap meal or hang on to a little more of a starting stake, forgotten. That first gulp of beer you had to buy to project the right image when you haven't eaten in a day or more, forgotten.
The day that people today are willing to live like the vast majority of road players lived, the highs and the lows, there can be plenty of people on the road again. If they have any smarts at all we will never hear of them in AZB land.
Hu
Meh, their were pool detectives back in the 80's, even before the internet.....and there are plenty of good pool players these days that have never been on AZ, probably only hearing about it in passing....
IMHO, it's probably good for the hustler.....as Hu eloquently pointed out, it ain't all paydays and elegance on the road.....some road dogs also had to take a physical beating every now and then, and I'm guessing a few hustlers even got shot......there are a few old school cowboys that don't take very well to being cheated....
No offense, but I have zero love for a hustler.....
Nor do I appreciate a mechanic trying to charge $500 to charge a battery, or a plumber charging $300 an hour, or a AC guy charging $200 for a service call......most people don't mind losing, but they damn sure get angry when they feel like they are getting bent over....
IMHO, it's probably good for the hustler.....as Hu eloquently pointed out, it ain't all paydays and elegance on the road.....some road dogs also had to take a physical beating every now and then, and I'm guessing a few hustlers even got shot......there are a few old school cowboys that don't take very well to being cheated....
No offense, but I have zero love for a hustler.....
Nor do I appreciate a mechanic trying to charge $500 to charge a battery, or a plumber charging $300 an hour, or a AC guy charging $200 for a service call......most people don't mind losing, but they damn sure get angry when they feel like they are getting bent over....
It's not just the internet...
It's the modern communicative age. It's the ease of communication. I was up in Washington state playing and chuckie holyoke's dad was taking my picture on his cell phone and sending it around to find out who I was, good luck with that, too few people know me, but the point is that it's just not possible to truly stay under the radar without waaaaayyyy down playing your game and looking like your getting lucky.
I don't play for money and people don't believe me or still try to find out about me to make sure I"m not a hustler, that should tell you something about the current state of affairs.
The hustler's are checking the internet before they try to take down a mark it almost seems like.
Jaden
It's the modern communicative age. It's the ease of communication. I was up in Washington state playing and chuckie holyoke's dad was taking my picture on his cell phone and sending it around to find out who I was, good luck with that, too few people know me, but the point is that it's just not possible to truly stay under the radar without waaaaayyyy down playing your game and looking like your getting lucky.
I don't play for money and people don't believe me or still try to find out about me to make sure I"m not a hustler, that should tell you something about the current state of affairs.
The hustler's are checking the internet before they try to take down a mark it almost seems like.
Jaden
no pool players that play for anything avoid total contact...
someone, somewhere knows people, and there's someone out there that has connection through the internet or one of the other mediums of communication that it WILL get around. no one can stay under the radar for long these days.
Jaden
someone, somewhere knows people, and there's someone out there that has connection through the internet or one of the other mediums of communication that it WILL get around. no one can stay under the radar for long these days.
Jaden
Scott , you and I seem to bump heads a lot concerning my experiences , with you making assumptions without the knowledge of my circumstance to base them on .
First , yes , I appreciate that you spend 200 days a year on the road . On the expense account of the Fortune 500 company you are employed by , yes ? I assume they don't put you up at Motel 6 often , do they ? You'd certainly want to have words with them if they suggested Earl's Motor Court , wouldn't you ?
Nothing wrong with the dollar menu - whether it's Ronald's , Wendy's , or the King's - in fact , Micheal Moore tells me if you eat it everyday , you'll gain weight . Those are called calories . You can also find calories in a can at any supermarket for about $.50
Twenty dollars worth of gas a day in a 4 cylinder station wagon can take you far from your last strike - and sleeping in the back of a station wagon really isn't that uncomfortable if you don't have the scratch for Motel 6!
Scott , maybe you're out of touch , but $100 a day is $36,500/yr - and this is double what a lot of families of 4 are living on nowadays.
Roadplayers don't have a 401K . Many don't have a 'back home' to pay bills at anymore .
Your definition of comfortable living and someone else's might not be the same.
Your continuing to jump me and questioning my experiences reminds me of another poster who once questioned someones else's experience and knowledge on the forums - that someone only has about 75 total posts on here now- yet has more pool knowledge than anyone else I've ever met .
That man posts as Ghostball - but I've always called him Coolcat . . .
Oh , and the road player doesn't have to be the best player in the room - just the best handicapper in the room- pick your marks & your matches - maybe even churn some of the money back to the rooms BigDog , keeps the locals happy to see you lose
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Know what you mean,except I won't play em to lose at all. They always want to play for money for some reason. Only person that has a standing offer from me to play for money is a certain female pro....but it's contingent on me having the money to lose. That ain't happening (yeah...the money part I mean). lol :grin-square:
As far as the plumber....when the $hitter goes whatcha going to do,either get real stinky or bend over.:kma::rotflmao1:
EASY there Big!
.......now I don't charge $300 but I do make a good living being a plumbing contractor. I know the stories about contractors gouging people, but there are good guys out here too. Also...it takes many years to build a good business, and get a faithful following.It takes a minimum of 6 years to get a Master Plumbers license here in PA.....most guys take about 10. Then you have EVERY municipality, State, County, City with their hand out for every tax, license, insurance,......we pay on average $8k a years in fees and insurances. PA added 2 new requirements this year alone totaling $700 annualy.
Anyway, no hard feelings my good man! FWIW if you all ever need to find a plumber try this link www.findaplumber.com or angies list is good too.
It's nuts nowadays. I'm nobody and just play OK, and am usually just looking for inexpensive action for a few hours. And yet, in my travels across the country, I have had my photo taken by cell phone in Florida and some video shot in California.
People are so paranoid -- they try and get the line on everybody.
Lou Figueroa
Can't we just contact you and get free information on how to fix that plumbing problem? :rotflmao1:
yes you can!.....I'll give free info on the understanding I get 2 to 1 odds on the money on our next set we play for every problem I help fix!
EASY there Big!
.
Agreed wholehartedly.....having friends in industries and people you can trust is worth it's weight in gold.....my mechanic said it best when I first met him - "I'll charge you exactly what it cost to fix it and my fair wage - I ain't cheap, but I'll never pad your bill nor will I fix something that doesn't need it"......simple, honest....he had been recommended by about 10 people in my circle of friends.....and I'd pass his name out to anyone...
But as far as the internet age outing people, it's a good thing.....if you are looking for a fair game with someone of equal skill, that is exactly what you should get.....on more than one occasion, we've joked around here about having a pool gambling contract to avoid nits and the like.....
I just get a little frustrated when someone has the gall to complain about getting overcharged on their taxes, or getting shortchanged their commission at work, or being taken by a grifter.....yet all the while, they feel like hustlers are being cheated out of their rightful disguise.....methinks if they were the one on the short end of the hustle, the tune might change a bit....
(Hu, this isn't pointed at you, I originally alluded to your post because you made a good point that it ain't all glory)
Speaking of someone shooting video of you, me, Bartram and Keith Bennett were at White Diamonds in Lafayette and Keith was playing Chris Miller (the owner) after hours. We see a woman in the shadows behind the bar setting up a video camera. Chris and I don't want in the video so we move.... A few minutes later she moves the camera to get us in the picture. We move, and she moves, a couple more times. Finally Chris says that if they can't get me and Chris on the video he's done..... LOL
That sucks.... but ahhhhh, ahhhhh, well ahhh, what kind of weight were you giving Chris Miller?
The Posts counts are shown under everyone's name on every post. Ray has over 200.
Scott is an instructor not a Fortune 500 guy.
Eating beans from a can while sweating or freezing in the back of a 72 VW Station Wagon with no "back home" (homeless) is sure some comfy living aint it?
Did you see the special on the guy who ate McDonalds for a month and what it did to his health?
no problem
It is a two way street, one that used to be one way. The road players talked, swapped lists, and often had a read on the local guys back in the old days, the local guys didn't have anything on most of the road players. Even if the road players get outed now it is just leveling the playing field. I did a little traveling but I was far more of a local guy, plying my trade from usually just outside New Orleans to the Texas state line and mostly south of I-12. I made the occasional venture further but not on a regular basis.
Hu
It is a two way street, one that used to be one way. The road players talked, swapped lists, and often had a read on the local guys back in the old days, the local guys didn't have anything on most of the road players. Even if the road players get outed now it is just leveling the playing field. I did a little traveling but I was far more of a local guy, plying my trade from usually just outside New Orleans to the Texas state line and mostly south of I-12. I made the occasional venture further but not on a regular basis.
Hu
I don't remember the exact year. It was probably around 2002. Chris was kind of well known back then but the TD had never heard. Of course who is rated a pro is up to the TD. There are a couple of players in this area who are considered pro who don't compete nationaly very often, ie Lee Heuwagen and Jimmy Wetch.
Anonymous tournament player
Ghost ball, (Not Ray M),
I've had some fun reading this thread and it got me to thinking about how much fun it would be to have one of those tournaments similar to the one in Lafayette, LA where they have those HUGE Calcuttas ($30,000.00) and the tournament only lasts TWO DAYS.
White Diamonds has one coming up next month and it will be a monster since they skipped the summer tournament which has always been good.
Gary Aboud and the ski mask thing tickled my funny bone. Anyway, I was thinking about how much fun it would be if every player could come in as an anonymous player, using any fictious name they desire and the bidders in the Calcutta would have to make a serious effort to identify the players as they were promenaded before the bidders.
The players of course, could shave their head, dye their hair, add Henna Tattoos which last for a couple of months, wear clothing that is not typical for them and such. If they wore a hat, it would have to be worn the same way during the tournament etc.... Not many would escape detection but it could be a lot of fun.
Ghost ball, (Not Ray M),
I've had some fun reading this thread and it got me to thinking about how much fun it would be to have one of those tournaments similar to the one in Lafayette, LA where they have those HUGE Calcuttas ($30,000.00) and the tournament only lasts TWO DAYS.
White Diamonds has one coming up next month and it will be a monster since they skipped the summer tournament which has always been good.
Gary Aboud and the ski mask thing tickled my funny bone. Anyway, I was thinking about how much fun it would be if every player could come in as an anonymous player, using any fictious name they desire and the bidders in the Calcutta would have to make a serious effort to identify the players as they were promenaded before the bidders.
The players of course, could shave their head, dye their hair, add Henna Tattoos which last for a couple of months, wear clothing that is not typical for them and such. If they wore a hat, it would have to be worn the same way during the tournament etc.... Not many would escape detection but it could be a lot of fun.
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