Lots of things come to mind when thinking about lessons learned when gambling but none like the time I played a one armed man in eight ball on a bar box in Howell, Michigan. The bar was named, "Duke's", and one could always find a game there. The standard challenge bet was $1.00 and the chalk board was always full of players eager to knock off the reigning winner. I didn't see the guy put his name on the board but when his turn came, I realized he had but one arm and a badly deformed stub where his other arm should have been. It was a deformity from birth for certain.
The guy racked the balls perfectly with one arm, and then then grabbed a cue off the rack. After rolling it across the table, he looked me in the eye and said, "You want to play for some real money?" I replied, "we are playing for real money." He then said, "you call a buck a game, real money?" With all the people in the bar now eagerly watching and listening to what is taking place, I say, "OK, what do you call "real money"?" He replied, "how about a hundred a game?" Now, I'm thinking, OK this guy must be good because he just watched me destroy the last six or so players with a couple of table runs in the process and he wants to play for a "C-Note". Not wanting to back down in front of my bud's, I say, "OK, let's play".
Funny thing I thought at the time was, I have the break here and he has not asked to flip a coin but rather, just took a seat at a nearby table with a middle aged man and woman who appeared to have been drinking for some time. I broke them good and ran down to the eight ball but left myself a tough cut to win the game. I chose to bank the ball but missed leaving him a fairly open table. After taking a drink with his two companions, he came to the table and proceeded to reach into his back pocket and pull out a long thick rubber band with two velcro straps attached. One on each end of the rubber band. After attaching one velcro strap to his withered arm, he attached the other velcro strap to the butt of the cue he had taken from the rack earlier... (to be cont'd)
The guy racked the balls perfectly with one arm, and then then grabbed a cue off the rack. After rolling it across the table, he looked me in the eye and said, "You want to play for some real money?" I replied, "we are playing for real money." He then said, "you call a buck a game, real money?" With all the people in the bar now eagerly watching and listening to what is taking place, I say, "OK, what do you call "real money"?" He replied, "how about a hundred a game?" Now, I'm thinking, OK this guy must be good because he just watched me destroy the last six or so players with a couple of table runs in the process and he wants to play for a "C-Note". Not wanting to back down in front of my bud's, I say, "OK, let's play".
Funny thing I thought at the time was, I have the break here and he has not asked to flip a coin but rather, just took a seat at a nearby table with a middle aged man and woman who appeared to have been drinking for some time. I broke them good and ran down to the eight ball but left myself a tough cut to win the game. I chose to bank the ball but missed leaving him a fairly open table. After taking a drink with his two companions, he came to the table and proceeded to reach into his back pocket and pull out a long thick rubber band with two velcro straps attached. One on each end of the rubber band. After attaching one velcro strap to his withered arm, he attached the other velcro strap to the butt of the cue he had taken from the rack earlier... (to be cont'd)
