Advice for gambling with someone you don't know...

K

ktrepal85

Banned
So yesterday I got into some action with a random guy from out of town. He was way too talkative and seemed kind of shady/strange and definitely a bullshitter. He was immediately looking for action from anybody he could find so I figured I'd try to play him for some $20 sets. He wanted to play for more but I have no clue how he plays so I stuck with $20 sets.

I thought for sure he was trying to hustle me. He would make an incredibly difficult shot and then miss an easy shot. For example he would run a few balls and miss very easy position which just so happened to set himself up for what looked like a hail mary shot on the nine (long carom or banking into the nine) and he always hit it perfectly. I was very skeptical that he wasn't playing his hardest in an attempt to try to hook me.

I won the first set but the whole time he was stopping play to talk to me and tell me some unrelated story about god knows what. It was very difficult to get in a rhythm. I'm sure he was doing this on purpose to throw me off and make me think he was a dumbass who couldn't play or concentrate.

So I won the first set. He wanted to raise the bet which I declined. I won the second set pretty easily and he wanted weight. So I gave him some weight under the condition that he would stop talking so god damn much. I won two more close sets and his play never improved. I finally agreed to play one last set and we raised the bet. I lost the last set on the hill and he seemed to be a little more focused on that set but still to my surprise, he never played all that great.

Well, it was very surprising that apparently he wasn't hustling me, unless he was roping me in for next time we play. He did get my number and kept wanting to play more sets for more money but I had to go. Maybe he was an honest guy all along and it was just in my head? I don't know...

Anyways, how do you guys handle playing unknown opponents? What are some red flags that you look out for? What are some common hustling tricks that I should be aware of?
 
Sounds like you might have let a big fish swim right through your net.

He was never gonna rob you 20 bucks a set. Once he played the 4th 20 dollar set you should have known he wasn't hiding his speed.

You shouldn't focus n the other player so much. If you decide to play him just step up and try to be the boss. Everything else takes care of itself. You will learn pretty soon if you are outgunned.

Play him again for some real money. The guy sounds like he wants action. You never know how much a guy has to lose. I've had a few that had real deep pockets and you'd never have known it by looking at them.

So what did you play for in set #5?? You were up $80 after 4 sets.
 
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ktrepal85 said:
So yesterday I got into some action with a random guy from out of town. He was way too talkative and seemed kind of shady/strange and definitely a bullshitter. He was immediately looking for action from anybody he could find so I figured I'd try to play him for some $20 sets. He wanted to play for more but I have no clue how he plays so I stuck with $20 sets.

I thought for sure he was trying to hustle me. He would make an incredibly difficult shot and then miss an easy shot. For example he would run a few balls and miss very easy position which just so happened to set himself up for what looked like a hail mary shot on the nine (long carom or banking into the nine) and he always hit it perfectly. I was very skeptical that he wasn't playing his hardest in an attempt to try to hook me.

I won the first set but the whole time he was stopping play to talk to me and tell me some unrelated story about god knows what. It was very difficult to get in a rhythm. I'm sure he was doing this on purpose to throw me off and make me think he was a dumbass who couldn't play or concentrate.

So I won the first set. He wanted to raise the bet which I declined. I won the second set pretty easily and he wanted weight. So I gave him some weight under the condition that he would stop talking so god damn much. I won two more close sets and his play never improved. I finally agreed to play one last set and we raised the bet. I lost the last set on the hill and he seemed to be a little more focused on that set but still to my surprise, he never played all that great.

Well, it was very surprising that apparently he wasn't hustling me, unless he was roping me in for next time we play. He did get my number and kept wanting to play more sets for more money but I had to go. Maybe he was an honest guy all along and it was just in my head? I don't know...

Anyways, how do you guys handle playing unknown opponents? What are some red flags that you look out for? What are some common hustling tricks that I should be aware of?
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You think too much. Someone wants to play and you have enough game to play strangers, just play and see what happens without all this over thinking everything..

Where did you have to go that was so important you could not stay around and bust this guy? Sounds like you wanted to quit for some reason.
 
I would have raised the bet after the 3rd set. Doubled to 40. You could have lost 2 sets, given up only 20 bucks of your money and if he had another gear, you should have seen it by then.

If things continued to go good for you , raise again and try to collect a nice payout.
 
My biggest rule, when playing strangers for cash, is always post it before the first rack is even racked. Trust is earned.
 
didn't this same thing happen when color of money came out? more and more people running to hit pool halls while theyre out of town? lol
 
$20 sets? How many games in a set? Up 4 set $80, raised bet to what and lost? Sounds like there is not enough money to cover the table time...Who paid?

Once you were up $40, play for $40. You can tell by his stroke instantly what you have then.
 
2strong4u said:
Sounds like you might have let a big fish swim right through your net.

He was never gonna rob you 20 bucks a set. Once he played the 4th 20 dollar set you should have known he wasn't hiding his speed.

You shouldn't focus n the other player so much. If you decide to play him just step up and try to be the boss. Everything else takes care of itself. You will learn pretty soon if you are outgunned.

Play him again for some real money. The guy sounds like he wants action. You never know how much a guy has to lose. I've had a few that had real deep pockets and you'd never have known it by looking at them.

So what did you play for in set #5?? You were up $80 after 4 sets.
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The last set was for $30 so I ended up $50 ahead and then I payed for the table time which was about $25. I didn't make much in the end.

You're right, I totally misread the situation. I'm just kind of out of my element. I'm used to playing for free or playing my friends for $5 and $10 sets just to be competitive but now that I'm improving I'm realizing that no one wants to play for less than $20. And also that it's hard to maintain the focus to play good pool without putting some money on the line.

I have plenty of money in the bank and I'm not tight with my money when I'm out at the bars or whatever but for some reason I become a cheap ass when gambling. I guess deep down I'm worried about developing a bad habit. I need more experience gambling.
 
macguy said:
You think too much. Someone wants to play and you have enough game to play strangers, just play and see what happens without all this over thinking everything..

Where did you have to go that was so important you could not stay around and bust this guy? Sounds like you wanted to quit for some reason.
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I had to get back home before my girlfriend gets all pissy lol. Story of my life...

Truthfully, in the back of my mind, I did want to quit for some reason. I kind of let the money get to my head and was constantly thinking about how long I can keep up this winning streak rather then focusing on playing my best pool. I started gambling to bring out my best game and improve but I was too focused on the money aspect.

Once again, I need more experience gambling...
 
phil dade said:
$20 sets? How many games in a set? Up 4 set $80, raised bet to what and lost? Sounds like there is not enough money to cover the table time...Who paid?

Once you were up $40, play for $40. You can tell by his stroke instantly what you have then.
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Set 1: $20 race to 7
Set 2: $20 race to 7
Set 3: $20 race to 7, gave up 1 game on the wire and the first 2 breaks
Set 4: $20 race to 7, gave up 1 game on the wire and the first 2 breaks
Set 5: $30 race to 6, gave up 1 game

Table time: $25 (I paid)
 
ktrepal85 said:
Set 1: $20 race to 7
Set 2: $20 race to 7
Set 3: $20 race to 7, gave up 1 game on the wire and the first 2 breaks
Set 4: $20 race to 7, gave up 1 game on the wire and the first 2 breaks
Set 5: $30 race to 6, gave up 1 game

Table time: $25 (I paid)
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You shot a lot of pool and it didn't cost you anything. Not so bad, really.

I like to think I can tell a fair bit about a player's speed by their stroke. I also watch for changes in stroke, shot choices, and cue placement when I get ahead in a race.
 
ktrepal85 said:
I have plenty of money in the bank and I'm not tight with my money when I'm out at the bars or whatever but for some reason I become a cheap ass when gambling. I guess deep down I'm worried about developing a bad habit. I need more experience gambling.
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Personally you handled it correctly. Have fun with your buddies. Play cheap if anything. If you are concerned about gambling and going overboard back off. I don't gamble on anything......especially pool. I'm strictly a recreational player. Find your comfort zone and enjoy it. FWIW.... Gambling does not bring out a players best game. Enter a tournament.e
 
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Bet something

If you were up $80 why not play the next set for $80?
If you lose oh well. You "had to leave" anyways. But... You could win and double up
I take my chances in those situations.
As for the talking bs, you can always listen to someone talk. Just don't talk back to them. They'll get the point and usually shut up. 😀
 
It all depends on what you are looking for, but if I were in your shoes next time get him to agree on playing 3 sets, for at least $100 apiece. That way somebody is going to win either $100 or $300. That way you aren't wasting each other's time. Nothing sillier than playing and breaking even.

It's good you paid the table time. Gotta treat the customer's right.

Next time you play him try to start out playing even. If you gotta spot something, it appears you are gona be ok.

If you got the cash and want to learn how to hustle you have to open up the window wide just to see what's out here. If you play good and/or know how to get the weight you need, it's easy to make money shooting pool. The hardest part is finding action.
 
Gambling with someone you don't know and never saw play is a no, no IMO. Someone you don't know, but have seen play is something you should be able to figure out...or not. Johnnyt
 
Johnnyt said:
Gambling with someone you don't know and never saw play is a no, no IMO. Someone you don't know, but have seen play is something you should be able to figure out...or not. Johnnyt
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Just play the guy.

When I go places to play, I just setup shop. Let people know I'm not gonna quit them...ever. This is how to get into real action. Most times I travel I have multiple players looking to make games. They see me giving weight, adjusting and playing for decent sums.

I hear people saying they can't get played. Anybody with money can get played.

Real pool is dying because people don't have heart.
 
2strong4u said:
Just play the guy.

When I go places to play, I just setup shop. Let people know I'm not gonna quit them...ever. This is how to get into real action. Most times I travel I have multiple players looking to make games. They see me giving weight, adjusting and playing for decent sums.

I hear people saying they can't get played. Anybody with money can get played.

Real pool is dying because people don't have heart.
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The OP from the gist of his posts should not be playing strangers. That is what I am sure Johnny T is referring to, not what some world beater would do.
 
hardly gambling

No offense intended, but race to 7 for $20???

I played race to 5 for $20 over 20 years ago, and that was just friendly competition among friends.

No way I would consider race to 7 for $20, "gambling"

Oh, I guess you could call penny ante poker "gambling" too, so whatever floats your boat.
 
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