There's a difference betweem hustling and gambling, and I think many folks get them confused.
Gone are the days, I guess, when two road warriors matched up, with no questions asked. They just stepped up to the plate and played the stranger in town. The stranger in town, often called "road agent" was hoping to play an easy mark, of course, but make no mistake about it, it often backfired. The house pro would show up after being called in to play the stranger in town. Meanwhile the stranger in town sometimes shot with a metal house cue, all part of the hustle, and the house pro shot with his own custom-made cue and played on a table he knew inside and out.
Maybe I have been lucky to get to know a few action players who had a certain charm or charisma about them. The best part of the match-up was the barkfest, and everybody enjoys a good barkfest, two players trying to get the money and the game right, so they could begin the battle. Go to the Derby City Classic, at least the ones I used to attend, and see how much people enjoy a good action match.
There are those who lay down the lemon or look for somebody to drop their wallet when matching up, hoping to get a lock. This is called "stealing," not gambling. :embarrassed2:
Years ago, I ran with a road agent named Geese. He busted a man in Rome, Georgia, at a bar. When we arrived, we asked the bartender if anybody wanted to play some 9-ball. Back then, this was perfectly acceptable because action, especially down South, was rampant. The bartender called the local best player. I watched the match unfold, and within a short time, Geese busted him. When we left, I saw the local best player sitting on a curb crying his eyes out. He lost his rent money and didn't want to go home. I felt horrible. Geese, on the other hand, said to me, "Hey, if he didn't lose it to me, he would have lost it to somebody else. And he definitely would have taken my dough if I lost. You're a sucker." :frown:
Call me a sucker, but I don't like gambling with addicts who lose what they cannot afford to lose.
Anyway, I provide the above-referenced as food for thought to this thread topic. :smile: