Masayoshi said it best.
You can stretch apples and oranges analogies until you convince yourself it's right.
But at the end of the day we're talking about tricking someone to take their money.
I guess Fast Eddie should have used a basketball or poker analogy when those guys
wanted to break his thumbs. I'm sure they would have seen things in a whole new light
and let him keep all the money.
Creedo
As I mentioned previously, I am a person with a good moral compass. I'm honest. I must have evolved. :wink:
I did a little low dollar hustling in my youth because that's how the people I ran with did and, frankly, it was fun. Did I steal the lunch money off a special Olympian as masayoshi analogized? Nope. And it wasn't the old widow's rent money either.
Pool has a very long history of gambling and hustling and people seem to be smitten with it.. Look up at the poll results and you will see there are quite a few who think hustling, as defined in the op, is
*both* sleazy and clever. I fall squarely in that group.
But, if. for instance, the "hustlers" were, in fact, going after a widow's rent or a special needs kid's lunch money, then I would vote
sleazy without hesitation.
I find myself intrigued by what I feel were the clever means employed by some of the great hustlers in their pursuits.
And of major relevance to me on the subject is this:
I like accountability and intelligence. If you are in a position to play pool for money with someone whom you don't know, then you had better tread carefully. When you are matching up, if someone says they're an apa 4 and haven't played much in the last 6 months, do you take them at their word because people are supposed to tell the truth?
If I'm not smart enough to consider my unknown opponent may be bullshitting me about his ability, or that he's really not a full time house painter even though he said he was and is wearing painter's coveralls, then maybe, just maybe, I deserve to donate a little to him. To me, that's a penalty I should pay for my lack of alertness.
Does this mean that the guy who lied, the "hustler", is a fine upstanding citizen who should go to heaven?
Perhaps not.
But also please keep in mind that these "hustlers" really aren't taking off widows and Special Olympians. They're playing people who gamble who think
they have the best of it. And unfortunately for them, they aren't quite smart enough to know they don't.
It's a tough world, creedo. Birds aren't always singing and people don't always tell the truth.
Having a little street smarts can go a long way. I feel we have an obligation, that if we have some, to protect ourselves with it.
best,
brian kc