One Of My Hustles

Johnnyt

Johnnyt

Burn all jump cues
Silver Member
Like I’ve said in the past on here, I didn’t play for the big money or the brand name players, but I did stay in action almost nightly for years. 80% or more of my money was made in bars on bar tables. Here is one of the hustles I pulled many times.

I would hit the bars around horse and dog tracks that a had racetrack clientele. I would know ahead of time what the DD, big tri’s and such paid that day or night before me and a friend went into the bar. We would first have a drink at the bar and be loud enough for most to hear that we hit a big tri or super at the track, esp the bartender and tip big. I would brag that I picked the big paying race with my system. Good racetrack betters, trainers, and jockey’s know that there are no good systems and I was a BS artist.

Then the friend and myself would get on a table and loudly bet $10 or $20 a game with me on the lemon. The friend was always about a “D” or “C” player so didn’t have to lay-down. I would brag loudly how good I was and how much I had played for and won a few nights ago. It didn’t take long for people to start challenging me. If things went perfect the easy ones would come over first and the best in the place would come last. This way I only had to show a little more speed as the better players were playing me. I always bought a drink for the loser and tipped the bartender each time I took someone off. If they’re was a bouncer I always made sure to send him a drink. We almost always left with 100’s of dollars and no problems.
Johnnyt
 
Johnnyt,

Mebbe we should get together.. I can be your C player..

I have references, if you need them.. iba will vouch for me.. :-)

Short Bus Russ
 
Can you tell us the one about hustling the UPS driver, painters and other delivery people? Please?


Eric >reads em before bedtime
 
I swear I heard this story somewhere before... maybe I saw something like this in every pool movie or book ever made.
 
Icon of Sin said:
I swear I heard this story somewhere before... maybe I saw something like this in every pool movie or book ever made.
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If you read the stories of mine that Amazon published in their short story section, it was in one of those stories. John Terrell
 
Why do people have to be dicks about it? I enjoyed the story.... If you have any more to share, please do.
 
Johnnyt said:
Like I’ve said in the past on here, I didn’t play for the big money or the brand name players, but I did stay in action almost nightly for years. 80% or more of my money was made in bars on bar tables. Here is one of the hustles I pulled many times.

I would hit the bars around horse and dog tracks that a had racetrack clientele. I would know ahead of time what the DD, big tri’s and such paid that day or night before me and a friend went into the bar. We would first have a drink at the bar and be loud enough for most to hear that we hit a big tri or super at the track, esp the bartender and tip big. I would brag that I picked the big paying race with my system. Good racetrack betters, trainers, and jockey’s know that there are no good systems and I was a BS artist.

Then the friend and myself would get on a table and loudly bet $10 or $20 a game with me on the lemon. The friend was always about a “D” or “C” player so didn’t have to lay-down. I would brag loudly how good I was and how much I had played for and won a few nights ago. It didn’t take long for people to start challenging me. If things went perfect the easy ones would come over first and the best in the place would come last. This way I only had to show a little more speed as the better players were playing me. I always bought a drink for the loser and tipped the bartender each time I took someone off. If they’re was a bouncer I always made sure to send him a drink. We almost always left with 100’s of dollars and no problems.
Johnnyt
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The big fear is, you have to look like you can play, you can't look like an idiot like Tom Cruse was doing in COM.. They may have a good player you may want to play who you can win something from. Especially if someone suggests, "I have a guy who will play you some". If you go from not being able to get out of your own way to a run out player, getting hit in the head is a real possibility.

Bars back then were pretty easy, they usually had one or two tables at the most and it was open challenge. All you had to do was put your name on the blackboard or put up your quarter on the rail and you were in business.

Pool rooms were a little tricker, they don't have to play with you. You actually have not right to walk up to a couple guys playing and ask if you can play also. They will tell you real quick where to go. It took a little more diplomacy to get a game, they were always leery of a stranger. I used to use a ploy that almost always worked on even the most careful players. I always asked for weight.

You would be surprised that a guy who if you asked him cold to play all of a sudden has some where to go. If you ask him to play with weight you end up in a conversation. It usually goes with him saying something like, "Why should I give you weight I never saw you play". At some point he will most likely say "if you want to play play even of forget it". Of course this is all you wanted to do in the first place.

Once on the table you never know what will happen, he may play a few and quit or end up asking you for weight which you give him and he goes off. It is a crap shoot but at least you are playing. Low balling about the money is also good. A guy who plays for $5 and $10 if asked to play for $2 will almost always say yes to playing and want to play for more. In his mind he has just classified you as a $2 player. Amazingly, if you asked this same guy to play for $10 right off, this very good player who should say yes, all of a sudden has somewhere to be and won't play at all.

Unlike the COM of money with Tom Cruse acting like an idiot wearing fake glasses and such, all it took was doing and saying the right things. You also don't make enemies, in fact they will steer you after losing their money. That was always the strangest thing, they would set up their own friends becoming pool detectives telling you anything you wanted to know.
 
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A lot of the things we did back in the day are no, no's now. If you flash a roll all over the place and/or shout out how much money you made at the track you will have a high % of getting robbed. Not that it didn't happen back then, but today it's a given that it will happen. Johnnyt
 
Johnnyt said:
Like I’ve said in the past on here, I didn’t play for the big money or the brand name players, but I did stay in action almost nightly for years. 80% or more of my money was made in bars on bar tables. Here is one of the hustles I pulled many times.

I would hit the bars around horse and dog tracks that a had racetrack clientele. I would know ahead of time what the DD, big tri’s and such paid that day or night before me and a friend went into the bar. We would first have a drink at the bar and be loud enough for most to hear that we hit a big tri or super at the track, esp the bartender and tip big. I would brag that I picked the big paying race with my system. Good racetrack betters, trainers, and jockey’s know that there are no good systems and I was a BS artist.

Then the friend and myself would get on a table and loudly bet $10 or $20 a game with me on the lemon. The friend was always about a “D” or “C” player so didn’t have to lay-down. I would brag loudly how good I was and how much I had played for and won a few nights ago. It didn’t take long for people to start challenging me. If things went perfect the easy ones would come over first and the best in the place would come last. This way I only had to show a little more speed as the better players were playing me. I always bought a drink for the loser and tipped the bartender each time I took someone off. If they’re was a bouncer I always made sure to send him a drink. We almost always left with 100’s of dollars and no problems.
Johnnyt
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I love guys like you. We got those over here and I take their money in a couple of games while they spent the entire night.

Not something to be bragging about. We have a names for guys like you.
 
I never had to hustle that way. I get some drinks in me, put my name on the board and proceed to kick @ss in front of everyone.

Then my mouth starts running and I just tell people that this is no longer a .50 cent a game table. They have to put $5 or buy me a beer to play.

I will straight up call people out instead of baiting them.

If they don't want to play, I will tell them that I am probably the best player they will ever play. You would be amazed how many people want to play after that. Egos get hurt and they literally throw money at you.

It's much better telling everyone you are good and take their money because it's their fault and also you are not pretending and trying to hustle. You have to play your best too and not have to dick around. It's a lot safer and people will respect you.
 
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One plays for the ego boost, the other plays for the cash boost. You can guess which is dom_poppa & which Johnnyt.
 
mosconiac said:
One plays for the ego boost, the other plays for the cash boost. You can guess which is dom_poppa & which Johnnyt.
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I know which played for the money, not sure what the other does, but I highly doubt the results are the same.. probably just likes to play pretend.
 
ChicagoRJ said:
Of course, you are assuming Dom can actually play :rolleyes: I bet he can't run three balls ;)
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No bet! May as well just give you the money.

I screwed up and replied in one of his threads the other day(to somebody else, of course). What's green, ugly and lives under a bridge?
 
mosconiac said:
One plays for the ego boost, the other plays for the cash boost. You can guess which is dom_poppa & which Johnnyt.
Click to expand...

I have heard the same story for all the years I have been around pool. The guy who says he just tells them how good he is and then beats them out of their money as they line up to play. I have to say, in like 50 years of hanging around pool rooms and bars I have never seen this.

I have of course seen top players roll in to town and make no bones how good they play and they want the best players who will bet it up. These are usually super stars who can give weight to guys who who are never offered weight. Now that is a powerful road game. The average road player/ scuffler does not play close to that. They can usually beat most of the local champs but it will not be that easy and it will kill off all the other easier action in town.

Heck you could stay in a place for days running around making a buck, but match up with their local champ and you are dead even if you lose. So lets sum up, you play the local champ, you win a little break even or may even lose, you kill all your action and have to move on.

Another thing, doing what the poster describes he is doing is with non players and winning very little. How many times can you do the same act in the same place? I think that story is in the same realm as the guy who you are watching play who can't make a ball as he tells you he paid his way through collage playing pool. I have heard that like a million times.
 
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macguy said:
I have heard the same story for all the years I have been around pool. The guy who says he just tells them how good he is and then beats them out of their money as they line up to play. I have to say, in like 50 years of hanging around pool rooms and bars I have never seen this.

I have of course seen top players roll in to town and make no bones how good they play and they want the best players who will bet it up. These are usually super stars who can give weight to guys who who are never offered weight. Now that is a powerful road game. The average road player/ scuffler does not play close to that. They can usually beat most of the local champs but it will not be that easy and it will kill off all the other easier action in town.

Heck you could stay in a place for days running around making a buck, but match up with their local champ and you are dead even if you lose. So lets sum up, you play the local champ, you win a little break even or may even lose, you kill all your action and have to move on.

Another thing, doing what the poster describes he is doing is with non players and winning very little. How many times can you do the same act in the same place? I think that story is in the same realm as the guy who you are watching play who can't make a ball as he tells you he paid his way through collage playing pool. I have heard that like a million times.
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Of coarse it can only work once in each bar, but about the same thing worked in many other bars not around racetracks. I lived on Long Island. It has about 120 towns, add Queens and you have a few years with that hustle. Johnnyt
 
Johnnyt said:
Like I’ve said in the past on here, I didn’t play for the big money or the brand name players, but I did stay in action almost nightly for years. 80% or more of my money was made in bars on bar tables. Here is one of the hustles I pulled many times.

I would hit the bars around horse and dog tracks that a had racetrack clientele. I would know ahead of time what the DD, big tri’s and such paid that day or night before me and a friend went into the bar. We would first have a drink at the bar and be loud enough for most to hear that we hit a big tri or super at the track, esp the bartender and tip big. I would brag that I picked the big paying race with my system. Good racetrack betters, trainers, and jockey’s know that there are no good systems and I was a BS artist.

Then the friend and myself would get on a table and loudly bet $10 or $20 a game with me on the lemon. The friend was always about a “D” or “C” player so didn’t have to lay-down. I would brag loudly how good I was and how much I had played for and won a few nights ago. It didn’t take long for people to start challenging me. If things went perfect the easy ones would come over first and the best in the place would come last. This way I only had to show a little more speed as the better players were playing me. I always bought a drink for the loser and tipped the bartender each time I took someone off. If they’re was a bouncer I always made sure to send him a drink. We almost always left with 100’s of dollars and no problems.
Johnnyt
Click to expand...

Great story JT, be careful what you say here JT some people dont know the real meaning of hustler in the pool world, some just think its a dirty word!

What i can remember from the good pool playing days you were either a hustler or a loser!

I know what one you were JT and i like it!
 
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