Road player test

[OldHasBeen]

"Country" was all that & more!

"Country" was a black player who was probably the greatest pool hustler that ever lived. His only losers were when he wanted to donate some money on purpose. He played only the wealthy and because of that, his true speed was never known.

I spent some time with "Country" in Detroit. He was instrumental in a big score ($17,000) of mine from a pimp.
Grady is 100% correct in saying that "Country" absolutely wouldn't show his speed - UNLESS - it was needed.
I LEARNED A LOT FROM "COUNTRY" IN A VERY SHORT TIME!

As I've said many times - I went to the supermarket and when checking out - I showed them my Trophies. "That's Nice" (they said), Now where's the Ca$h?

TY & GL

Ps. ACEHIGH - I'm still @ www.GameColony.com for many hours a day playing GIN for anywhere from $40 to $200 a game. You will have to PM me to get one of my usernames for that day so you can join one of my tables to play me.
YOU SEE - THAT ALSO IS A "HUSTLE"!

 

[OldHasBeen]

Or

Be the better player: beat them so bad that they have no chance at getting back up. Don't re-adjust if you don't want to. Then if they want to quit loser, that's on them.

OR - Always lose the first game and insist on paying after each & every game because YOU have lost more than you have "In The Past"!
This is the time to clarify that whenever you play - Anyone can quit ANYTIME they please and there is NO COMMITTMENTS other than the current game - OK?

TY & GL

 

[Travis Bickle]

gabe can only get action in "gunfights" now. meaning that he has to play people on his level, or he has to give up the world. before then he could get action where he had the upper hand and would at least have a guaranteed score to look forward to.

that action is now gone, there is no more easy money to be made, everyone knows who he is, and if he wants action, he's going to have to play lights out to get the cash.

VAP

So why is it anyone's business here to protect somebody's GUARANTEED SCORE? Too bad Gabe or anybody has to get in EVEN games that they could possibly lose. What about the hardworking but less-talented players that get burned by these road guys? We should respect the hours and years they put into the game so much less?

Think about it ... the local A- player matching up with, say Basavich before he was known, should GIVE him weight or play him even? How is that a contest? He'd have to play LIGHTS OUT and then some. I've got to admit, that sort of thing is what annoyed me most about "Playing off the Rail," which I otherwise thought was a fantastic read ... like how GREAT it was that Annigoni got the 7 from a young Robb Saez.

 

[Opie]

Think about it ... the local A- player matching up with, say Basavich before he was known, should GIVE him weight or play him even? How is that a contest?

Funny you mention Kid D. He came to my local ph before he was "known" and matched up with a guy I know. Of course Kid D won. The guy I know isn't mad about the money he lost to him, he just has a hell of a story to tell and thinks it's cool that he matched up with a guy who's now a rising pro player.

 

[shoutout33]

Here's a quote from Grady Matthews from onepocket.org (pool nickname challenge thread):"Country" was a black player who was probably the greatest pool hustler that ever lived. His only losers were when he wanted to donate some money on purpose. He played only the wealthy and because of that, his true speed was never known.

Man, stuff like this, to me, is priceless! You will probably never meet this cat or know who is unless someone pointed him out to you, and it's a possibility this guy could own the tour or something...you never know.

I spent some time with "Country" in Detroit. He was instrumental in a big score ($17,000) of mine from a pimp. Grady is 100% correct in saying that "Country" absolutely wouldn't show his speed - UNLESS - it was needed.
I LEARNED A LOT FROM "COUNTRY" IN A VERY SHORT TIME!

To have a O.H.B. say this about someone and you KNOW that O.H.B. has definitely won some money in his day, this cat had to have been a beast on the tables! I couldn't see myself trying to live this type of lifestyle, but if I could just meet these people that are considered the best at what they do, would be worth the travelling in itself. You can learn sooo much just by watching it incredible!

Like I said earlier though, if you want to hustle, be prepared to hustle or BE hustled. I find that there are different levels of betting or gambling when playing for pool. Seeing big action pool is just what most of us know and see. Heck, you can make a wager to see who pays for time and I'd even do that to learn a little something!

I guess what gets my blood going is basically this: How good ARE these guys!?!? Man, I wish I could run a tourney where there was a large payout for umpteen positions, so I could attract these unknown high roller players. Run a tourney for a 2 million purse, not televised so it wouldn't hurt anyone's action too badly (Ok, mabey from those fine folks at accu-stats, but that's it! ). Of course you do know that games would have to be one-pocket, straights, and 9-ball. (Ok, banks as well to give those folks in Chi-town a chance to win. j/k)

 

[drivermaker]

What about the hardworking but less-talented players that get burned by these road guys?

Think about it ... the local A- player matching up with, say Basavich before he was known, should GIVE him weight or play him even? How is that a contest?

Travis, I don't think you've figured this out yet. First, the hardworking but less talented players that get burned by these road guys DON'T HAVE TO PLAY THEM TO BEGIN WITH. Nobody's arm ever gets twisted to play. THEY do it because they think they can win. THEY do it because they're big man on campus in their own little pool room where everyone idolizes and worships them. THEY do it because their EGO is inflated to the point where they think an easy mark just came in and they have to live up to their reputation and show off in front of their admiring followers.

If a local A-player is GIVING out weight to somebody of Basavich's caliber, all that says is he doesn't know how to match up and recognize what's going on around him. FUCK HIM...he deserves to lose. He's clueless.

It ALWAYS comes down to..."I can draw my gun faster and shoot you before you shoot me"....Or..."My dick is bigger than your dick, and I'm gonna prove it". It's all EGO. And the ego is shown most often by the guy GETTING SET UP. A great road player learns to LOSE his ego...he doesn't have to prove anything. All he wants is the 7 and out from the local priest if he can get it in order that he can donate it back to another church and priest of his own faith and liking. What's so bad about that?

 

[OldHasBeen]

The tourney you wish for - IS THE D.C.C.

Man, stuff like this, to me, is priceless! You will probably never meet this cat or know who is unless someone pointed him out to you, and it's a possibility this guy could own the tour or something...you never know.



To have a O.H.B. say this about someone and you KNOW that O.H.B. has definitely won some money in his day, this cat had to have been a beast on the tables! I couldn't see myself trying to live this type of lifestyle, but if I could just meet these people that are considered the best at what they do, would be worth the travelling in itself. You can learn sooo much just by watching it incredible!

Like I said earlier though, if you want to hustle, be prepared to hustle or BE hustled. I find that there are different levels of betting or gambling when playing for pool. Seeing big action pool is just what most of us know and see. Heck, you can make a wager to see who pays for time and I'd even do that to learn a little something!

I guess what gets my blood going is basically this: How good ARE these guys!?!? Man, I wish I could run a tourney where there was a large payout for umpteen positions, so I could attract these unknown high roller players. Run a tourney for a 2 million purse, not televised so it wouldn't hurt anyone's action too badly (Ok, mabey from those fine folks at accu-stats, but that's it! ). Of course you do know that games would have to be one-pocket, straights, and 9-ball. (Ok, banks as well to give those folks in Chi-town a chance to win. j/k)

Shootout33 - You said -
Man, I wish I could run a tourney where there was a large payout for umpteen positions, so I could attract these unknown high roller players.

Greg Sullivan did just that and he calls it - "The Derby City Classic".
Coming up Jan 4th - 14th
IT IS THE BEST I HAVE EVER SEEN.

TY & GL

Ps. - You sound like you would enjoy the St. Louie, Louie-OHB Poster.
PM me for more info - Thanks, Tom

 

[OldHasBeen]

I wish I resembled that remark, BUT..............

..."My dick is bigger than your dick, and I'm gonna prove it".

Drivermaker - I've hustled a lot of pool and have never used that tactic ( For Good Reason).

What I'm always looking for is pretty close though - "THE NUTS"!

TY & GL

 

[onepocketchump]

here we go again with another one of these threads........lets see how many people's action we can fu&* up this time........

VAP

I am calling bullshit on this one. Getting the line on people has ALWAYS been around. When somebody beat someone else the phone lines have always been busy around the country making sure that other people know about it.

This is the internet age. IF people match up in public then they can't bitch when other people report on it.

The lesson here is to keep your business to yourself. The SMARTEST road player would NEVER bark at anyone in public. Just make a game quietly and play it out. Then no one knows who is playing or what they are playing for. These guys are all about the testosterone and taking people down. They WANT the world to know who they beat.

I guarantee you I know ten people who could give any player on earth ALL they want for days and very few of you will have have ever hear of them. That's because they keep a LOW PROFILE. They don't bark at a Shane Van Boeing offering the seven.

So, if they do it in public and it's common knowledge then it's fair game to be reported on the net in my opinion.

And "I" want to hear about it )

John

 

[Travis Bickle]

Travis, I don't think you've figured this out yet. First, the hardworking but less talented players that get burned by these road guys DON'T HAVE TO PLAY THEM TO BEGIN WITH. Nobody's arm ever gets twisted to play. THEY do it because they think they can win. THEY do it because they're big man on campus in their own little pool room where everyone idolizes and worships them. THEY do it because their EGO is inflated to the point where they think an easy mark just came in and they have to live up to their reputation and show off in front of their admiring followers.

Can't argue with that, of course, IF you're talking about somebody who's at heart another locksmith, just not as good a one. But everybody's not like that. Some players actually like competition, I think.

 

[drivermaker]

Drivermaker - I've hustled a lot of pool and have never used that tactic ( For Good Reason).

What I'm always looking for is pretty close though - "THE NUTS"!

TY & GL

Yeh...I've never used that tactic either for the same good reason. And I've found very few guys coming INTO a strange room that want to prove anything. It's the locals in their own environment that like "whipping it out".

I'll always take the "NUTS" too.

 

[vapoolplayer]

I am calling bullshit on this one. Getting the line on people has ALWAYS been around. When somebody beat someone else the phone lines have always been busy around the country making sure that other people know about it.

This is the internet age. IF people match up in public then they can't bitch when other people report on it.

The lesson here is to keep your business to yourself. The SMARTEST road player would NEVER bark at anyone in public. Just make a game quietly and play it out. Then no one knows who is playing or what they are playing for. These guys are all about the testosterone and taking people down. They WANT the world to know who they beat.

I guarantee you I know ten people who could give any player on earth ALL they want for days and very few of you will have have ever hear of them. That's because they keep a LOW PROFILE. They don't bark at a Shane Van Boeing offering the seven.

So, if they do it in public and it's common knowledge then it's fair game to be reported on the net in my opinion.

And "I" want to hear about it )

John

i agree john, i was just saying what i said, because every time a thread like this starts about a certain person........everyone has to throw in who they have seen play and where.

i've seen quite a few peoples names dropped on here, that alot of times would remain pretty annoymous.

VAP

 

[drivermaker]

Can't argue with that, of course, IF you're talking about somebody who's at heart another locksmith, just not as good a one. But everybody's not like that. Some players actually like competition, I think.

And that's why GOD invented....TOURNAMENTS!! (although it can still be used to make yourself look bad for the action room) But most tournament players end up wanting the win and the tournament money if it's worth it. And then endorsements...a book...tapes...pool school...movie deal....hospitalization...IRA and 401K.... (I think you get the picture for here)

 

[onepocketchump]

remember, it takes two for the hustle to work. the mark most of the time, thinks he's got the nuts and is going to rob the hustler..........so who's actually in the wrong here? the hustler for taking advantage of this, or the mark who THINKS he's getting away with murder?

VAP

That's right. And usually the road player already has a line on who he is targeting. So why shouldn't the other side have a chance to get a line on the road player?

If my friends call me asking about strangers and I have the info then I am going to share it.

None of us are getting paid for keeping quiet. I don't see any road player kickbacks coming into the general AZ Billiards fund. Do you think this is a JOB? Hustling pool is not ethical work and never has been. Getting the NUTS is the same as stealing. Yeah, the guy who is on the losing end probably deserves it because he thought he was going to ROB the hustler but it's still stealing.

As far as someone six states away thinking they need the seven BECAUSE of something they read or heard that's their own insecurity. If they think they need the seven then they probably can't win with the six.

Being a road player/hustler is exotic work. It's not ethical but it's exciting to live it (been there) and exciting to swap war stories (been there). There is nothing wrong with reporting on action on this or any other forum. I guarantee all of you that you are not hampering the action of the true road hustlers out there. Let the ones who want to be in the limelight get it.

John

 

[OldHasBeen]

Travis - Your right & I know a guy like that.

Can't argue with that, of course, IF you're talking about somebody who's at heart another locksmith, just not as good a one. But everybody's not like that. Some players actually like competition, I think.

My buddy Terry (an owner of The Break poolroom) has been known to quit a game that was "Out Of Line" in his favor. Now, I'm not talking about chump change either. He wanted to adjust the game to make it more of a challenge for him and so it would be a closer game.

As far as our friendship goes - I guess the old saying applies - Opposites Do Attract.

TY & GL

 

[onepocketchump]

I'm not trying to argue with you. I just don't understand why a player can't go on the road, and play his heart out without lying to the other player(s). You bring up the fact that poker players lie and bluff, but you left out the fact that it's a necessity. You don't need to lie to win in pool, unless of course, you can't match up evenly with great players, or you can't give up the proper weight.

The difference is that when you play poker you rarely KNOW for a fact that you have the winning hand or the losing hand. You are betting on what you have and what you think the other guy will THINK about what you have. You don't have inside information abou the other's guy's cards so you can toy with him at will.

In pool, when you have the right line on someone's game you can toy with them at will. You have his nuts in a vise and can squeeze at will. The other side has NO CHANCE to win. This is not fair at all. So what, life isn't fair. But the hustler can't cry when the INFORMATION age is there to make his life harder. After all he depends on information as well.

One of my friends, who is a consumate road hustler and gambler once told me that matching up with the nuts is like putting a .32 to someone's head and getting all their money. I saw him toy with the best players around like they were no more than Elmo dolls. Do I want to be like him? No fucking way. I don't want that life and never have. On the other hand I can appreciate the moxie it takes.

John

 

[Grady]

I went round and round bout' this a few years ago. I said and I meant it, that if my gambling was bandied about on the net', I'd play only private matches. Each time my stuff was reported, the results were wrong, also the amount of the bet and twice, even who won.

 

[onepocketchump]

Travis, I don't think you've figured this out yet. First, the hardworking but less talented players that get burned by these road guys DON'T HAVE TO PLAY THEM TO BEGIN WITH. Nobody's arm ever gets twisted to play. THEY do it because they think they can win. THEY do it because they're big man on campus in their own little pool room where everyone idolizes and worships them. THEY do it because their EGO is inflated to the point where they think an easy mark just came in and they have to live up to their reputation and show off in front of their admiring followers.

If a local A-player is GIVING out weight to somebody of Basavich's caliber, all that says is he doesn't know how to match up and recognize what's going on around him. FUCK HIM...he deserves to lose. He's clueless.

It ALWAYS comes down to..."I can draw my gun faster and shoot you before you shoot me"....Or..."My dick is bigger than your dick, and I'm gonna prove it". It's all EGO. And the ego is shown most often by the guy GETTING SET UP. A great road player learns to LOSE his ego...he doesn't have to prove anything. All he wants is the 7 and out from the local priest if he can get it in order that he can donate it back to another church and priest of his own faith and liking. What's so bad about that?

Tap Tap - Well Said. From one who still has to learn to lose his ego before his bankroll.

John

 

[onepocketchump]

I went round and round bout' this a few years ago. I said and I meant it, that if my gambling was bandied about on the net', I'd play only private matches. Each time my stuff was reported, the results were wrong, also the amount of the bet and twice, even who won.

And we respected your wishes. You also know that if you are in a public place and make a game loudly that it's likely to be talked about - on the internet and otherwise.

John

 

[Snapshot9]

Well ...

I got the NUTS about 3 years ago, and I kept them .... lol

Now, everybody, and I mean everybody, is trying to them back
from me .... ROFL

(I went for about 2 years with just a little local parttime action
on the weekends making 1-3k a month)

Nobody wants a fair game anymore, they all to to 'seal the deal',
and it's their deal. People come out of the woodwork wanting
the 6 and the break, and I haven't seen them play in 4-5 years,
and I know they have been practicing like mad ever since I beat
them before. THAT'S ANOTHER THING, just because you got a
spot before DOES NOT mean you get that spot FOREVER. Lower
handicap people get adjusted up TOO SLOWLY than they should,
and they always come to you when they think their game has gone
up to get that old spot you gave them before, but that you can not
beat them with NOW.

Used to be if you got hustled, you maybe realized how stupid you
were, or sometimes you never found out. Now, you have 10
Johnny-on-the-spots running up telling them how stupid they are
to play you, and ruining your action. Whatever happened to everyone
just functioning on their own BRAIN power?