Very easy way to stop the hustle- if I ever suspected that someone was hiding their speed and then they turned it on for the gamble, I just ended the game right there- making it clear that no money was changing hands at that point unless only one of us was walking out of the joint alive- and was willing to back that up-NEVER had anyone take me up on that - Hustler happy to go on to the next mark without the hassle. I consider that type of hustle the same as anyone else using deception to take my money- what kind of man would allow that to happen without being willing to put up a fight- not this one!
Wow...One day you're going to get beaten up, badly. There are messed up people in this world who don't make rational or even sane decisions about consequences when they get angry. There are more of those people than you think, and if you run into one of these folks, you're in for it. I don't really care for hustlers (to say the least) but if you're pulling this kind of shit...well people are going to get very angry with you. People get killed over 5 dollars in bars all over the world, you know. Some day you might run into someone who can and will fight or even take your life over chump change. I don't care how tough you think you are, if someone puts a knife in your guts or hits you over the head with a bottle, you are probably going down or at least getting a life changing injury. As unbelievable as this may seem, people will pull knives over small bets, especially in a bar setting. If they are close to you, it's very difficult to avoid getting cut, EVEN if you have a gun. Getting cut with a knife is never pleasant. I'd be very, very careful if I were you. I don't consider 5 dollars to be worth dying for, not even 1000 dollars. So I don't really gamble much with strangers. It's your life, so make your own call about that, but know that you are significantly increasing your risk of actually having to put your life on the line for whatever level of bet you are making.
When you gamble, you pay up if you lose. If you have a problem with that, don't gamble. Nobody likes getting stiffed, and nobody likes a stiff artist. Especially one that brags about it. I've been stiffed myself, and didn't much care for it. If some accident was to befall the person who perpetrated this particular deed, I wouldn't shed a tear. Others may feel more, how should one express it, inclined to facilitate said accident...
As far as most people are concerned the worst kind of people you can encounter when gambling are:
1. Thiefs who flat out run out the door with your money.
2. Stiff artists (which are basically the same, but only steal the size of the bet, rather than your whole wallet). THis is where most people would put you, for your information. When you gamble and the person beats you while staying within the rules of the game, you don't get to decide wether or not you pay. That's not how the world works. Let's say the guy was legitimately a hustler, by what means would you establish this? What's to stop you from making a false judgement, and holding back money from honest gamblers, or flat out don't pay anybody? This is what people will think, even those without any connection to the bet, so you will be struggling to find anyone to back you up. Better stay in your home room and be a good tipper, if you're employing your "no-pay" strategy.
3. Cheats
4. Sharks (I mean people who use obnoxious and over the top methods to try to distract you while you are shooting.
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. Hustlers, who hide their speed by pretending to be weak players (acting). I'd say this kind of people are not really in the league of those above. You can still win if you play well and play your game. The other four interfere with your ability to play or collect, which is way worse.