Have You, Do You, Will You, Hustle?

[ScottyDzntKnow]

I don't think anybody pulls the two men and a woman move anymore but I don't think a road player is obligated to tell someone that doesn't know him how he plays. If you don't know me and I think you will lose something I'm not gona show all my speed if I don't have to.

 

[CreeDo]

No, I enjoy playing good pool.
Playing bad pool holds no joy for me.
Ditto beating someone who was never a threat.

 

[1 Lone Wolf]

A Big No !

I can only tell my opponent my true speed, and continue to tell him how well he plays. If he elects to agree to the game. Then we will post the money and play to the agreed race. We will finish the set and who ever wins, gets the posted money. If I win, Great, If I lose I must have been hustled. Gary

 

[pwd72s]

Mosconi bristled at being called a Hustler. Evidently, he played for money but never hustled?

Me, hustle? Nope...another who isn't good enough. Funny story from a couple of weeks ago. Walking into a bar (for the food) that caters to pool players with my wife & a 'car guy' friend who doesn't play. A local guy who does hustle asked me
if I was ready to race. My 'car guy' buddy thought I was being asked to street race..cars. Anyway, my 'honorary nephew' is a BCA Grand Master, so I told the hustler I could call him. The hustler told his buddies; "His horse is ____ ______. He'd beat anybody here."

I had to chuckle at that...My 'honorary nephew' is just that...his deceased dad and I were best buddies from our late teens until he died in an industrial accident when he was in his mid 40's. I've never backed ____ ______ in a money game and he never asked me to.

 

[JoseV]

I don't see my self hustling I could not deal with the stress. I also agree hustling and gambling are not the same.


Reading my posts means you consent to my incorrect spelling and poor typing skills.

 

[Maniac]

There is a difference between gambling and hustling. :wink:

True, but there IS a connection. How ya gonna hustle someone if there isn't money (or some other form of asset) involved?

Secondly, over my years here on AZB, I've seen many a decent thread morph so far off of the original content that it is no longer recognizable to the reading membership (does a recent "engorged nipples" thread de-railing come to mind? ).

Maniac (good poll though!!!)

 

[vagabond]

Does the Bear answer the Nature`s calls in the Woods?

 

[wahcheck]

guilty as charged

When I used to play for money (small time) at my local pool hall, there was almost always a negotiation beforehand with each of us trying to praise each other's game and belittle our own......obviously we were both trying to get the "best of it"......so yes, I have been dishonest......and that reminds me of what a friend said to me once, when I got a present of a coleman lantern for my birthday......he said, "are you going to look for an honest man in the woods with it?"

LOL "and let the one among you who is without sin cast the first stone..."

 

[rjb1168]

Ill play for a beer, but only if you request it.

 

[Ken_4fun]

When I lived in Indiana I knew two shortstop level players. I watched them at the old Executive West when the DCC was there.

IMO they played about even, one was an old road dog (around the Indy area), and one was a youngster (who might have been a tad better player, but less "seasoned").

They both were in action, but I did notice this.

The older one, was in action almost the entire time. I watched him for hours, and he barely won each set, and they guys he played stayed with him and gambled forever, seldom winning a set, and often insisted on raising the bet. The old dog, never, and I do mean never suggested raising the bet, but never refused when they insisted.... I might mention this old dog looked like he just finished painting a ceiling...

The young gun, on the other hand, as I watched him play, approached it differently. For example, I saw him play a race to 10, and beat the guy 10-0. Got the money, the guy shook his hand, shook his head, and quit. He played seldom, but when he played he freakin steam rolled.

It was such a perfect example of the "young bull" and the "old bull" I had to smile.

If you are from the Indianapolis area, I am sure you can guess both of these players...I admit I think about both of them often and smile. :smile:

Ken

 

[JAM]

True, but there IS a connection. How ya gonna hustle someone if there isn't money (or some other form of asset) involved?

Secondly, over my years here on AZB, I've seen many a decent thread morph so far off of the original content that it is no longer recognizable to the reading membership (does a recent "engorged nipples" thread de-railing come to mind? ).

Maniac (good poll though!!!)

Gee willikers, I have posted on topic to this thread, and you say I'm not?

What on earth does derailing a thread, which you are doing now with your second sentence, have to do with this subject matter?

Good poll, though.

 

[pt109]

I gamble by the rules of poker.
...if I can make a royal flush look like a pair of deuces, I will.

If someone makes a 'fair' game with me, or one where I am the under-dog, good luck
to him....I'm trying to do the same thing.

Some people equate hustling to cheating, dumping, jarring, etc.....
...in that case, I'm not a hustler.
But if hustling is trying to make a game with an edge, I'm a hustler.

 

[Tramp Steamer]

Brian, I'm just a good old boy from the Ozark hills (actually we live on a plateau here, but I digress) who doesn't even know how to spell hussell, much less do it.
How about some of the good folks here providing a few tips, and suggestions? :smile:

 

[eastcoast_chris]

Some people equate hustling to cheating, dumping, jarring, etc.....
...in that case, I'm not a hustler.
But if hustling is trying to make a game with an edge, I'm a hustler.

Ditto... I gamble for sure, but around here (medium size city), most people know my speed well enough. I rarely ask for or give a spot, but I'll play lesser players even if there are silly enought to try.

 

[Pushout]

First, you do not have to play great to hustle pool. It helps but it's not a prerequisite. To hustle pool you need to be part salesman, part actor, and have a huge desire to win the cash, for whatever reason. It's more about making a game that you can't lose rather than a gambling proposition. Yes, I've hustled on a very minor scale and I've been hustled. You can't spend the amount of time I have in commercial billiard rooms and not have had it happen to you a few times, probably more than you know. After all, the best hustle is when the mark never realizes he's been hustled. And, the old saying is, "If you look around the room and can't tell who the mark is, it's you." There are some members here like that I played a guy for years that I never lost to, offered weight that he would not take, but the only way I could lose to him was if I was hit with a bat and was unconscious. And, he always asked me to play, not the other way around. When we saw him coming, it was actually a race to the door to see who he would ask to play first. Was that hustling?
JAM's quote from Minnesota Fats was pretty spot on, if you ask me.

 

[Maniac]

Gee willikers, I have posted on topic to this thread, and you say I'm not?

What on earth does derailing a thread, which you are doing now with your second sentence, have to do with this subject matter?

Good poll, though.

No, no, no, no, no, Jen. I was making a tongue-in-cheek remark about another thread. I guess I should have used the "big grin" emoticon instead of the "rolleyes" one so everyone, especially you, would know that I was just making a not-so-serious comment. I have always considered you as a friend, and I would not be one to argue your points or belittle you here on AZB, or anywhere else for that matter.

I am sorry for not being a bit more detailed in my post to show it to be taken more lightly.

FTR, about 9 out of 10 posts I make on here is an attempt at humor, lighthearted to say the least. This forum is nothing more than a source of information and entertainment to me. I know that we do not see eye-to-eye on matters concerning professional pool, but we are usually on or near the same page pertaining to many other matters concerning life and pool. So, let's not let one post that was not representative of what I meant it to be get in the way of a good friendship. Deal?

Maniac

 

[JAM]

No, no, no, no, no, Jen. I was making a tongue-in-cheek remark about another thread. I guess I should have used the "big grin" emoticon instead of the "rolleyes" one so everyone, especially you, would know that I was just making a not-so-serious comment. I have always considered you as a friend, and I would not be one to argue your points or belittle you here on AZB, or anywhere else for that matter.

I am sorry for not being a bit more detailed in my post to show it to be taken more lightly.

FTR, about 9 out of 10 posts I make on here is an attempt at humor, lighthearted to say the least. This forum is nothing more than a source of information and entertainment to me. I know that we do not see eye-to-eye on matters concerning professional pool, but we are usually on or near the same page pertaining to many other matters concerning life and pool. So, let's not let one post that was not representative of what I meant it to be get in the way of a good friendship. Deal?

Maniac

Oh, whew! I was about to say, "Et tu, Brute?"

All is well again in the Land of AzBilliards. :happydance::happydance::happydance:

I am so glad you posted this. It made my day! :canoodle:

 

[Diamond69]

Oh, whew! I was about to say, "Et tu, Brute?"

All is well again in the Land of AzBilliards. :happydance::happydance::happydance:

I am so glad you posted this. It made my day! :canoodle:

All is well in the world.
:barf:

:grin-square:

 

[ridinda9]

there's great satisfaction to be had in taking off some cocky young kid

Almost all my leaves and liberties in the Corps were spent "supplementing" my pay.
Squids and flyboys were my preferred marks back then.

Later, when the economy was rough, I plyed my trade all throughout the southeast, making wide loops from my daughter's North Carolina home to my home in Florida.
Keep the stakes relatively low, stay off the radar, and you can covet expenses daily.
Food, fuel, lodging. . . Cover that, and be happy.
Find 5 guys a day, and beat them out of $20 each after a lot of back and forth.
They'll be smiling at the end of the night, cuz that's peanuts to most shooters. . . and you're making $36500/tax free.
Construction picked up in Florida. and I'm back to working steady again, but it's comforting to know I can still work the hustle when I need to.

 

[RunoutJJ]

I did a few times when I was either desperate or wanted to take off the cocky college guy.


I use to shoot pool at the Bus Stop Bar on Union Street in San Francisco a bunch. They had 2 nice 8 foot bar tables and I always played for fun and laid down most of the time to get free drinks and very cheap action from time to time. Well one day I lost my job (down the street) and I knew the owner of this Italian place liked to bet with me was at the ol Bus stop doing his thing. I came in and asked if he wanted to play. He smiled his crooked smile and says "Sure 5 bucks a game.."

I told him, "NO... I want to play best out of 5 (like most nits say instead of race to X) 8 ball for $50. "Im in the mood to gamble and I know you like to bet it up so...."

He looked at me with a sharp glare for about a solid 5 to 7 second and then said, "Sure!! Why not?? Im a rich guy and Its lika the black jack eh??"

I only had $40 bucks in my pocket and I knew I had to win so I held nothing back and smoked him 3 straight with him getting 4 turns at best. Afterwards he looked at me with some pretty very heavy distain because I was playing on the lemon with him for months!!! He knew he was scammed and when I asked him to play again he put his cue on the rack and walked out without saying a word.

I never did go back there after that. For one I didn't work down the street anymore and for two It was his watering hole and I felt pretty bad about hustling him and didnt want to see him again. If I wasn't so desperate for money I would have never done it. Luigi was a pretty cool guy and always offered me a warm friendly game. I did forget to mention that he could play a little but he was nowhere near my top gear.


Pic of the place:

Last hustle I ever pulled was, again, On Union Street in San Francisco at the Mauna Loa bar next to my old work. lol

Went in one night after work to have a beer or two and heard a racket of noise coming from the pool table. The bartender knew how good I was and told me this guy is gambling with people and was pissing people off. I told her not to say anything about my skill set and if I win some ill tip her out a percentage. She smiled and let out a little giggle that got me amped up.

When he called my quarter he asked me to play for $20 bucks... I smiled and said.. "I usually play for $50 a game not $20.."

At first I thought for sure he wouldn't bite and then he said... "Well if you are willing to play for $50 why not make it a $100 a game??"

I was so excited I was jumping out of my skin because ive been watching this guy play for about an hour and he couldn't hold a candle to a B player!!

I then said "Standard Bar rules but the 8 ball doesnt have to go in clean ok?"

"Why not??" He asked..

"Well this table is filthy and the balls slide on some shots. Also its not exactly level in certain spots so the ball can drift at the end of your roll."

"Do you think that you should lose because of the table and its bad conditions??"

He answered, "No..."

"Well good then put your hundred on top of mine..."

He posts his hundred and he breaks dry. I play soft on him and let him make a few shots as he is high fiving his drinking buds and winks at the chicks in skirts. I just laugh on the inside as I cooly slides the last 3 balls of my set and pocket the 8 ball clean in the corner.

He smiled and said good game you wanna make it double or nothing?? Why not right??

I break and make a few solids and dog a 4 ball in the side and do this ----> LOL

He steps up makes 2 great shots and looks good for the rack and then... Thump... Dunks whitey in the side off the bottom rail. I held in my smile and smoothly ran the rest of the rack to up my winnings to $300!!

Now he was a little hot but the games where very close and I was still no where near my speed. So to him I was playing good bar pool and not hustling him :lol:

He then offered to play me one more for $300 and it would be our last game of the night. I said sure no problem at all. I will let you try to get even and I have no problem with that.

He racks and I noticed the head ball was very loose in the front. I didnt demand a re-rack due to the situation I was in like gambling HUGE in a bar and playing a guy stuck 300 and going for it so I broke. BAM!!!!!! I smashed the second ball in and the 8 ball came flying out and went in the corner pocket and the cueball stopped on the rail next to the side!!! The place went NUTS!!! My friend that was with me had his jaw on the ground as I gave him a huge bear paw hug and shook him back and forth laughing!! My opponent handed me the $300 out of his grapefruit sized roll of cash and smiled.

"Nice shooting tex!! You got luck but you aint too bad either..."

I smiled and shook my head and said.. "Better to be lucky then good!!" Ive always wanted to say that to somebody :lol:

I bought him and his buddies a round on me and tip the bartender $200. She came around the bar, grabbed me and laid a big wet kiss on me and grabbed my ass. :lol: She smiled at me and said to stop back by soon to see her. No diggity... No doubt..


Turned out the guy was a high end attorney that just loved to gamble and I was in the right place at the right time so $600 to him was no big deal so there wasn't any hard feelings or a sense of impending doom that can happen in bar room sessions. Would I do that nowadays?? HELL NO!!! The payoffs are too small to end up in the hospital or dead.

Here's a pic of the place:

I do miss laying low and putting on the show by being slick but I was younger and didnt know any better. It's like what others have said in this thread. I rather jump in the box with a world champion and try my best to smoke em. Testing myself against the best is where its at and I dont care if I lose. As long as I go down swinging he or she will remember me and my game and to me that's where its at