Finding a lil action

BeeMan

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Round where I play people are extrememly tentative to gamble when playin pool...
I'm not looking for any high stakes games whatsoever, only $5 or $10 a pop. But when I ask to play for something, no one even wants to play for a drink.
I don't want to bark at people or hustle. I just would like help in knowing how to approach someone, what to say. etc etc

I by no means want to hustle someone out of their money... just a small amount on the game for fun..

I play with one guy just for $1 or $2 a game,,and that is completely fine with me..It is for fun, and it gets me a couple drinks is all, nothin major..

So any help on this matter is appreciated
 
Just ask! Don't be over bearing and just ask if they wanna play some for 5 or 10 what ever ya feel good with. All they can say is no. lol

I remember the so called hustlers askin over and over......till eventually they wouldn't play if they begged! Meanwhile I just let them know, if ya wanna play some, I will play. And leave it at that. Some guys think if ya badger long enough they will get up and play. I figure if they wanna play they will. No reason to ask twice, unless you know the guy.......then badger away! lol

And I remember askin a guy to play some for 5, and it turned into 60 a game before he gave up!
 
I do just ask, if they say no, i might ask nicely again.. if they refuse again i'll leave it at that..
I have no problem in asking..I ask almost everytime i play

Just askin for a particular way to ask or way to approach, so that there is more chance of them saying yes
 
I use to just ask..........Hey ya wanna play some cheap? 5 a game? 10?

Or......Hey Muther ******* you got any gamble?

Your asking for the secret of life......or the secret of hustlin....lol. You gotta just keep tryin till ya find out what works. I would try to be as unbearing as possiple and as friendly as I could be. I saw a guy complain about a foul that was obviously bad.....but instead of letting it go and bust the idiot.......he argued till the guy quit!

I guess asking them to play when you have a house cue in your hand.......and some really thick glasses would help! lol
 
Or try askin them to play cheap sets. Races to 5 or 7 for $20. Maybe they will feel more comfortable that way then by the game. When we could never get a game you could always find somebody to play some cheap sets.
 
Yeah i guess its just hte person you meet
Most people round where I play, play 8-ball.. traditional bar rules
So races or giving spots is completely new concept, and people don't feel comfortable with new concepts, hehe.
People are extremely wary, hehe
Thanks for help anyways PoolTableMech
 
Been there! When you have to explain what the last 3 is, it's tough to get them to bet 5 bucks on anything.....lol. I use to play a weekly 8 ball house rule tourny. Nobody in the joint knew the exact rules to 9 ball....much less the 8 ball they played. To get any action it that place you had to get them to play 3 ball! Not sure if ya ever played 3 ball but it is hard to run over a 8 handed game of 3 ball with a buncha drunks!
 
BeeMan said:
Yeah i guess its just hte person you meet
Most people round where I play, play 8-ball.. traditional bar rules
So races or giving spots is completely new concept, and people don't feel comfortable with new concepts, hehe.
People are extremely wary, hehe
Thanks for help anyways PoolTableMech
You can try spotting them in 8 ball by taking some of their balls off the table after the break. Let them pick them at first, and if they get to smart on picking which balls.....tell them you have to pick them. You can give up 2 or 3 balls without that being too big a spot....especially if you pick them, that might be a spot in your favor...lol!
 
pooltablemech said:
You can try spotting them in 8 ball by taking some of their balls off the table after the break.

hmm, might try it next time I play...Lets just hope they haven't seen Poolhall Junkies, hehe
 
Most players won't gamble with you if they feel they have no chance to win even for $3 a set which barely covers table time. Maybe, you are to good for the place you play at. Even cheap sets plus table time can quickly add up to $30 plus a night and most guys play more than one night a week and don't want to throw away their money.
 
efirkey said:
Most players won't gamble with you if they feel they have no chance to win even for $3 a set which barely covers table time. Maybe, you are to good for the place you play at. Even cheap sets plus table time can quickly add up to $30 plus a night and most guys play more than one night a week and don't want to throw away their money.

Yes this is true..but I'm not goin to halls to play people for their money, if i go to a hall its mainly for practice alone or with a friend.

I'm talkin bout in a bar where everyone plays pool, and i'm not talkin all night, just one or two games with them would make me happy.

I play pool for fun and enjoyment, and I don't need the money thrown in...just maybe a little would spice it up a little
I'm not out to beat them outta their pay packet....just spare change, hehe

Like I said before, each to their own.....just seems everone chooses not to play for anything at all, even a measly drink
 
BeeMan said:
Yes this is true..but I'm not goin to halls to play people for their money, if i go to a hall its mainly for practice alone or with a friend.

I'm talkin bout in a bar where everyone plays pool, and i'm not talkin all night, just one or two games with them would make me happy.

I play pool for fun and enjoyment, and I don't need the money thrown in...just maybe a little would spice it up a little
I'm not out to beat them outta their pay packet....just spare change, hehe

Like I said before, each to their own.....just seems everone chooses not to play for anything at all, even a measly drink

It use to be soooooo easy. All you had to do was walk into a bar. They were always playing for $5-$20 a game and tell them they were lucky, if they had a snooker table in here you would play them some call 8 snooker for $100 a game.
 
I find the best way to get games for money/drinks in bars is the following. Around here, money breaks, so when I come to the table, I simply say "Playing for anything"? This opens the doors. If the person plays for drinks, he/she will let you know, or maybe 5/10. Just dont hassle them. Most likely, they will think they got the nuts and play ya the first time for something. Then once I have the table, and its different players, I just ask while racking (to give them time to think about it), "Playing for anything"?

I feel with this approach, you can find out alot about the players your playing. If you ask for 5/10 or any other money games, you might intimidate them in the bar, and they will say no. But if you ask for "anything", they might play to their comfort level, and it actually can be exciting when their response is: "Whatever you want?" :)

If I come to the table and its a player that I know gambles, I just ask: "How much is this gonna cost me?" Then go from there.

It doesnt really matter though, cause some nights everyone wants to play for something, and others you couldnt squeeze a dime or a drop of beer from someone. Good Luck!
 
You may not be able to get away with this (it's a 'personality' thing), but I used to always get action by licking the tips of my fingers, touchhing them to my forehead and then smacking a $100 bill to my forehead, where it would 'stick'. (You may use a $5 or $10 bill). It didn't take long, after chumming the waters, for an opponent to rise from the murky depths of the lake.
I no longer have to resort to this tactic, as my game has gone so far downhill that people line up according to age & height and wait for my arrival. I was last beaten soundly by an 8 year old and then a 10 year old (I 'think' one bought a gas operated scooter and the other a new set of gold clubs, with their winnings)....
I once won a green stuffed shark from one of those 'claw machines' that was in a local bar. I attached it to the little 'button' on the top of my hat with a rubber band and when I leaned over to shoot, it bobbed up & down. That attracted a LOT of action ( I still have this rigged hat after 20 years and 'might' loan it to you).
It's not hard to find action if you're not overbearing.... imo
 
I just ask, if they say no I just ask someone else. If they ask me to play for fun I just say "Look you nit, I don't come to your job and ask you to work for free!" ;)
 
I find the easiest way to get a game going is to go where I know there are more serious players, and just start shooting by myself. They usually come to me. Then, you'll start to know the people who play for money, and then you'll talk to them and find more people who play for money. Just be careful, and keep it cheap, unless you like paying alot for lessons.

If you go to bars, or places where people are more interested in drinking than shooting, I don't think you'll find many who will want to play for money. Or if you do, they probably suck, and you might find yourself in some awkward situations. You want to play other players, not some bar hack who'll be all pissed off if you run a rack or two.

Or, you could go to places where you know for a fact that there are money games, and just step up to some of the money players and play. Lots of really good players will happily play for small stakes, and give you a spot. Cheap lessons for you, and lunch money for them. Unless you manage to win of course.
 
Chokeinator said:
I just ask, if they say no I just ask someone else. If they ask me to play for fun I just say "Look you nit, I don't come to your job and ask you to work for free!" ;)

Hehe, I like this one..Wouldn't use it in the bar I frequent, but it's still funny :p
 
BeeMan said:
Round where I play people are extrememly tentative to gamble when playin pool...
I'm not looking for any high stakes games whatsoever, only $5 or $10 a pop. But when I ask to play for something, no one even wants to play for a drink.
I don't want to bark at people or hustle. I just would like help in knowing how to approach someone, what to say. etc etc

I by no means want to hustle someone out of their money... just a small amount on the game for fun..

I play with one guy just for $1 or $2 a game,,and that is completely fine with me..It is for fun, and it gets me a couple drinks is all, nothin major..

So any help on this matter is appreciated

A friend of mine told me about a (sort of nite club) in "The Rocks"..I don't remember the name but they were playing for $5>10>20 per game and nobody cared much about losing...but I think because I am "Yank" it made it easier for me to pick up about $200 in a couple of hours....

I will check my Sydney list to get you some addresses...
There is a room in the middle of downtown, on George St (I think), where the guys like to gamble a little and I think a couple of them played in the State or national 8 ball tourneys...
 
"Playing for anything?" is a great statement...if they then say how much would YOU like to play for ...answer "Whatever is comfortable!"
...it has worked well for years...
OR...if your're playing really good and you know everyone in the room likes to gamble..."Anyone in here wannna play some cheap racks for $20 or $30 ?"
 
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