Ever have a hustle backfire .........

T

tim913

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've heard a lot of hustle stories, but have you ever been duped yourself? Here's how I almost got taken:

When I was younger one of my setups was an older league shirt, a vinyl wrapped box case, and a crappy looking sneaky. This setup was a magnet for a game, I didn't have to approach they always came to me. So one day I'm in 'costume' and banging balls, and then take a break for the restroom. I come back to the table and my cue is gone! I look a couple of tables down where 'it looks like' a couple of construction workers(they even had dirt on their clothes) just got off work and stopped by for a beer, and one of them had my cue! I went to the table and asked for my cue, and the guy said that it was a house stick that nobody was using. I told him that it was my personal cue, and he told me to get another cue and get away from their table. I called the bartender over and he explained to the guys that it was my cue, and then broke it down to show them. They're like OMG the sticks are so bad in here that you have to bring your own house stick! The bartender once again explained that it wasn't a house stick and once again explained what a sneaky was, I'm thinking, "super dumb!". They then continued to bang balls every once in a while asking for advice, and maybe would I like to join them just to show them a few things and have a beer.. I thought what the hell, I'll contribute to charity.

I needed another break before joining but just before I left I caught the eye contact between the two and it just didn't seem right, something was wrong. I came out of the restroom feeling like a fool walked up and said, "let's cut the BS, you like bar box or 9 footer? He replied 9, and went outside to get his real cue. The irony in it all? His cue was a sneaky! I played him straight up for nearly 4 hours and after table time walked out with a little over $120(not much for 4 hours!), and what was left of my pride. On the way out the bartender said, "I've never seen that one before."

Found out that the guy I played, he just called himself Davis, and his partner were from around the St Louis area and each year or two they would try to make a road trip by starting in the Chicago area and then hitting different towns on the way back down to St Louis.
 
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Many years ago in N.J. there was a Billiards supply salesman on a sales call at a room.
He was talking to the owner about old time pool players.
The local loud mouth told him he didn't know what he was talking about and did he want to play some.
The salesmen destroyed the loud mouth and took his cash.
The salesman was Jimmy Caras.
 
Mary Kenniston recalled a story to Billiard Digest about being on a road trip with Buddy Hall. Buddy played the part of backer and Mary did the shooting. They went from town to town and Mary was handily beating the men out of their cash, when one of them said "I don't want to play you any more. I want to play your loud mouthed backer."
 
Buckzapper said:
Mary Kenniston recalled a story to Billiard Digest about being on a road trip with Buddy Hall. Buddy played the part of backer and Mary did the shooting. They went from town to town and Mary was handily beating the men out of their cash, when one of them said "I don't want to play you any more. I want to play your loud mouthed backer."
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I can just imagine what a slaughter that was! Might be a bit different after the ladies got TV time but there used to be at least one or two men everywhere you went that were sure there wasn't a woman alive that could beat them. Mary wouldn't even have had to come off the stall to beat about 90% of them. Fortunately for me, I knew a couple of pretty tough playing ladies early on in my pool playing days and never took them lightly. I always gave them respect. Buddy Hall too. First few times I saw him were in Greenway and the local hot dogs were gathered around his feet waiting to be thrown a few crumbs of wisdom. None even trying to make a game. All I needed to see.

Hu
 
ShootingArts said:
I can just imagine what a slaughter that was! Might be a bit different after the ladies got TV time but there used to be at least one or two men everywhere you went that were sure there wasn't a woman alive that could beat them. Mary wouldn't even have had to come off the stall to beat about 90% of them. Fortunately for me, I knew a couple of pretty tough playing ladies early on in my pool playing days and never took them lightly. I always gave them respect. Buddy Hall too. First few times I saw him were in Greenway and the local hot dogs were gathered around his feet waiting to be thrown a few crumbs of wisdom. None even trying to make a game. All I needed to see.

Hu
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I used to frequent Greenway. I knew who Buddy Hall was having seen him in Shreveport in the mid seventies, at Guys & Dolls I think, he was already legendary.
 
so almost 60 years ago i was in seaside heights new jersey at the beach. there was an open air pool table at some place. people mostly young were playing for quarters or such. i was beating them all and feeling good. finally one guys turn came up and challenged the table/me, and i asked what he wanted to play for. he said whatever you want. i dont remember exactly what but probably about ten bucks. i said how about 50 points straight pool. sure he said. great as i havent as yet met someone my age that could beat me so i thought an easy ten bucks. alot for a teenager in high school back then..
after the first rack or two i knew i was getting slaughtered. after i lost i paid and asked him his name. he said pat fleming.
 
CLAUD said:
I used to frequent Greenway. I knew who Buddy Hall was having seen him in Shreveport in the mid seventies, at Guys & Dolls I think, he was already legendary.
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I did my tuning at Lambert's old place, Shoppers on Plank. Then relieved a few pockets mostly west and southwest. I was young and single and the partying around Acadiana was as important as the pool! Coast to coast never say girls as pretty as the cajun babes. Had to go to Hawaii to admit the girls could hang with the cajuns. When I didn't leave town I mostly prowled Plank and Airline to let hustlers take advantage of me and my fondness for beer. Played Mike Massey a little in The Brown Derby by the Charity Hospital on Airline. Later I opened a body shop in that big commercial building in back of that area. I had only been gone from the area a few years, didn't realize how badly it had went down! My time was from about 1970 to mid-eighties, got one of those wife thingies, kinda cooled my jets. Greenway was still a nice place, or nice enough to go in with a pretty blond. I did in the early eighties. Should have married that one, the other one didn't take!

It was a rare night when I didn't stop in the Rac-it-Bac in Brownsfield coming or going to town, or both. That built into a pretty good little action place and somebody was steering road players at me to make life more interesting too!


maha said:
so almost 60 years ago i was in seaside heights new jersey at the beach. there was an open air pool table at some place. people mostly young were playing for quarters or such. i was beating them all and feeling good. finally one guys turn came up and challenged the table/me, and i asked what he wanted to play for. he said whatever you want. i dont remember exactly what but probably about ten bucks. i said how about 50 points straight pool. sure he said. great as i havent as yet met someone my age that could beat me so i thought an easy ten bucks. alot for a teenager in high school back then..
after the first rack or two i knew i was getting slaughtered. after i lost i paid and asked him his name. he said pat fleming.
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I ran into a few that used their own names I still remember. Mike Massey as mentioned above, Johnny Archer, Danny Medina, Scotty Townsend. I think Tom Ferry scouted me a few nights and then we talked awhile. He decided whatever else I was, it wasn't easy pickings on a bar table. I booked some wins, some losses. Bad thing is that when I was playing near my best I ran into some total unknowns in small towns that knew some old table in terrible shape and cleaned my clock on it!

Hu
 
ShootingArts said:
I did my tuning at Lambert's old place, Shoppers on Plank. Then relieved a few pockets mostly west and southwest. I was young and single and the partying around Acadiana was as important as the pool! Coast to coast never say girls as pretty as the cajun babes. Had to go to Hawaii to admit the girls could hang with the cajuns. When I didn't leave town I mostly prowled Plank and Airline to let hustlers take advantage of me and my fondness for beer. Played Mike Massey a little in The Brown Derby by the Charity Hospital on Airline. Later I opened a body shop in that big commercial building in back of that area. I had only been gone from the area a few years, didn't realize how badly it had went down! My time was from about 1970 to mid-eighties, got one of those wife thingies, kinda cooled my jets. Greenway was still a nice place, or nice enough to go in with a pretty blond. I did in the early eighties. Should have married that one, the other one didn't take!

It was a rare night when I didn't stop in the Rac-it-Bac in Brownsfield coming or going to town, or both. That built into a pretty good little action place and somebody was steering road players at me to make life more interesting too!





I ran into a few that used their own names I still remember. Mike Massey as mentioned above, Johnny Archer, Danny Medina, Scotty Townsend. I think Tom Ferry scouted me a few nights and then we talked awhile. He decided whatever else I was, it wasn't easy pickings on a bar table. I booked some wins, some losses. Bad thing is that when I was playing near my best I ran into some total unknowns in small towns that knew some old table in terrible shape and cleaned my clock on it!

Hu
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We my have crossed paths or just missed each other. Sounds like I probably couldn't tangle with you without a huge spot. I worked on Airline very near Plank from '83 until '97 when I moved my business over to Old Hammond near Millerville. Lost it in the 2016 flood. When I moved from Airline it had become a real sh*thole. Always had a pistol in my pocket if I had to leave after dark. Speaking of Brownfields, I lived on Blount by the airport for two and a half years, '83 - 86, I would eat lunch in Brownfields a couple times a week. Never played there though, always in BR.
 
CLAUD said:
We my have crossed paths or just missed each other. Sounds like I probably couldn't tangle with you without a huge spot. I worked on Airline very near Plank from '83 until '97 when I moved my business over to Old Hammond near Millerville. Lost it in the 2016 flood. When I moved from Airline it had become a real sh*thole. Always had a pistol in my pocket if I had to leave after dark. Speaking of Brownfields, I lived on Blount by the airport for two and a half years, '83 - 86, I would eat lunch in Brownfields a couple times a week. Never played there though, always in BR.
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My first job was working on the corner of Old Hammond and Airline. Pumping gas for Mobil Oil. Can't do that at the ripe ol' age of twelve anymore! Later I ran the second self-service station in Baton Rouge, I forget what gas it was. Just South of the intersection, about a half mile from the corner of plank and airline. Was partners in the Spur across from Woolco later. Pumped a lot of gas on three corners of that intersection counting the Mobil on the other side of the bowling alley. In my youth I lived not far from there.

I had friends on Blount. Two that come to mind are Burly Latilios who owned his place and Chris and Debi Breaux, rented that old shingle frame house near the corner. I lived in Brownsfield for years then back and forth between Baker and Brownsfield. Met him through other connections but Mr Burly ran the fruit stand near the old food town after he was injured, I believe in a wreck.

Lots of memories and I'm sure if we talked we would find we connected a few different ways. A friend's mom owned McGrew's Drive Inn. Clarence Leger that had the Wrecker Service was/is a good friend I need to check on. Ate many a plate lunch from the supermarket, seafood boxes from the white drive inn I can't name at the moment.

If you played pool in North Baton Rouge it is about 99% certain we at least rubbed shoulders sometimes. One of my favorite spots for awhile were the tables next to a topless joint on Plank and Hollywood. For a year or two it was easy to get in $20-$50 a game action in there most nights. Every once in awhile a dancer would come over very pissed at me. "I am working my ass off and you are taking all of my money!" True enough but their boyfriends came to me, I didn't go to them! I didn't consider laying a spread hustling and I laid many a spread back then. I was fond of beer, lots of beer, so that helped make things believable.

My avatar picture is from the eighties. As you can see I was a clean cut citizen back then! That is from my parimutual horse owner's license. I wasn't usually quite that hairy, must have been end of winter or been on a turnaround.

Hu
 
I'm sure that others can tell a lot of stories about the other guy, always easier to remember our wins! Memories flowing at the moment though and it reminded me of a favorite move. I was in the place mentioned in the last post I made in this thread, drinking beer, dinking around at three or five a game waiting on somebody to come along that wanted to bump the bet up some on the challenge table. Three and five weren't that bad considering union construction wages were just nine and a nickel but I was always looking for twenty a game action and happy with anything up to a hundred.

I was drinking beer and banging balls when a guy came up to play. We started at the usual three or five but I went along with all of his early raises. From the first he was openly sneering at me thinking I was too drunk to notice. Naah, I had noticed from the first, and I had a plan. This place had a side door right by that table that was left unlocked due to fire codes. There was a wall rack for cues conveniently by the door. He had been on the stall from the beginning and unusually, stayed on the stall at twenty a game. By now I had between $100-$150 of his money in my pocket with both of us still on the stall.

Not until we bumped things to fifty a game did I see the change in his body language and the way he moved, he was ready to play! "I walked over to him and put my hand on his shoulder: "I have had too much to drink, you have had too much to drink(ignoring the fact he wasn't drinking) let's finish this another night. I don't want to take any more of your money." With a well planned move I slapped the house cue in the rack and was out the side door before he could figure out a response for me being too nice to be hustled! I probably could have beaten him when we both got ready to play but I figured it would gall him more to think about giving me over a hundred dollars then me slipping the hook.

Hu
 
Years ago I was playing straight pool to 100 for $20 Call all pockets. The guy makes a long rail into the side without calling it. I get up to shoot and he starts a ruckus how he called it. BS I says plus it was a lucky shot. He bets me $100 he could make it again in two shots. Sure as hell he nails it in one. Saw him practicing the same shot weeks later at another place. Probably built his house with that shot.
 
SomeDeadGuy said:
Years ago I was playing straight pool to 100 for $20 Call all pockets. The guy makes a long rail into the side without calling it. I get up to shoot and he starts a ruckus how he called it. BS I says plus it was a lucky shot. He bets me $100 he could make it again in two shots. Sure as hell he nails it in one. Saw him practicing the same shot weeks later at another place. Probably built his house with that shot.
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Can you diagram this?
 
I don’t hustle. I’m not eager to play big money in general. So cheap sets, I’ll play almost anyone even. I’ve learned the hard way that a good player can milk you fast for big money in a game that feels like chump change. But for small rolls, I’ll play anyone even for a short minute before bailing. I once went to JOB Billiards in Nashville and played Josh O’Neal even. I never won a set loved every minute of the competition. My favorite part of playing 9-ball with better players is escaping their safeties and getting them locked up... and seeing them escape it in turn. There is beauty in this game even when it doesn’t go your way.
 
I can't find the story in the archives but Tom Ferry told a story about hustling a guy who he discovered the hard way was the owner of a karate school. That's an example of a hustle going wrong.
 
Cuebuddy said:
This thread sorta reminds me of this old classic.

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Seems like Dave musta been in a pool hall before!

I laughed listening to UJ Puckett talking to Harry Reasoner. "They had never in their lives shot so many times and still lost!" Makes it very very hard to put the stick back in the rack.

Hu
 
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