Secret to Success: Sharking and Hate

Mr. Bond

Mr. Bond

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According to whom? Willie Mosconi.

In this article from Life Magazine (Oct. 8, 1951) Willie makes the following statements:


" In my opinion, no player can rise to the pinnacle and exhibit championship mettle unless he has sharked bets in his youth."

And later in the article:

" You've got to hate the man you're playing, and he's got to hate you. If you don't, you can't play your best game. "


Its a very interesting article that goes into detail about how and why Willie hustled as a kid, I just wonder how many people really agree with his statements.


If you read the article, here's a secondary question:
Do you think it would be possible for any teenager today to hustle enough money to feed his family?
 
I do not particularly agree with Mr. Mosconi. I look at it more like indifference.
I'm not at all interested in how good, or bad, my opponent plays. My only concern is his defeat. An utter annililation of his soul. Complete and without a shread of remorse. I hope the bastard rots in... sorry, I got carried away just for a moment. It won't happen again. :)
 
Motivation comes in alot of forms. I don't enjoy playing mad people, however, they are easier to beat.
 
One of the best players in my home town told me this was his secret.

He said whomever he was playing, he hated them.

Off the table, fine, but on the table he hated them.

Ken
 
I wonder if he's using a slightly different meaning of the work "shark". The context isn't the same as when people talk about sharking an opponent.
 
Mr. Bond said:
According to whom? Willie Mosconi.

In this article from Life Magazine (Oct. 8, 1951) Willie makes the following statements:


" In my opinion, no player can rise to the pinnacle and exhibit championship mettle unless he has sharked bets in his youth."
Click to expand...

Is it possible that in 1951 "sharked bets" had a different meaning than it would now?
 
Mr. Bond said:
According to whom? Willie Mosconi.

In this article from Life Magazine (Oct. 8, 1951) Willie makes the following statements:


" In my opinion, no player can rise to the pinnacle and exhibit championship mettle unless he has sharked bets in his youth."

And later in the article:

" You've got to hate the man you're playing, and he's got to hate you. If you don't, you can't play your best game. "


Its a very interesting article that goes into detail about how and why Willie hustled as a kid, I just wonder how many people really agree with his statements.


If you read the article, here's a secondary question:
Do you think it would be possible for any teenager today to hustle enough money to feed his family?
Click to expand...

Take what he is saying with a grain of salt. The idea he is getting across is that to be a champion you need to have a killer instinct. Hate can be a great motivator in a sense.

As far as hustling to feed your family, sure one could do it, but why? The inconsistency of it is a poor way to provide a stable life for kids.
 
krupa said:
I wonder if he's using a slightly different meaning of the work "shark". The context isn't the same as when people talk about sharking an opponent.
Click to expand...



I believe he is talking about a pool shark , which would be a hustler . Shark is used other ways . There was a card sharp and or shark . I believe there were various terms , depending on the region of the country where you lived .
 
"Sharked bets in his youth"... the phrasing's a little different than what we'd say today,
are we positive this means "sharked opponents while gambling"?

I notice also the key words "in his youth", as in, whatever it is... he stopped doing it at some point.

As for hating the other guy, I guess that's just about not easing up on him. Not sure if wanting to smash the other guy will naturally result in better shooting. I can almost see it screwing you up, in that you might choose a different shot just to humiliate him, rather than sticking with a wise, safer choice.

Willie did seem capable of serious surliness and it wouldn't shock me if he disliked his opponents. I bet fats popped into his mind briefly when he made that statement.
 
gregcantrall said:
Is it possible that in 1951 "sharked bets" had a different meaning than it would now?
Click to expand...

I think that may well be true as all I've read about Mosconi's life he abhorred betting/gambling in poolrooms. At least that is the appearance he preferred to show. He liked to have the face of "I took the high road of tournament billiards versus gambling/hustling."
 
CreeDo said:
Willie did seem capable of serious surliness and it wouldn't shock me if he disliked his opponents. I bet fats popped into his mind briefly when he made that statement.
Click to expand...

Indeed, he did really go off during the big Fats match with Howard Cosell. He hated Fats, no doubt about that.
 
Irving Crane said he never played his opponent, he played the layout of the balls. Thinking about the opponent takes focus away from the balls.
 
This was a great post. I find myself losing a lot after taking a lead in a set because I feel bad for winning. I will try to apply the "hate method" and see what happens. I just hope I don't end up being the grouchy sob whom nobody wants to play with.
 
Mr. Bond said:
According to whom? Willie Mosconi.

In this article from Life Magazine (Oct. 8, 1951) Willie makes the following statements:


" In my opinion, no player can rise to the pinnacle and exhibit championship mettle unless he has sharked bets in his youth."

And later in the article:

" You've got to hate the man you're playing, and he's got to hate you. If you don't, you can't play your best game. "


Its a very interesting article that goes into detail about how and why Willie hustled as a kid, I just wonder how many people really agree with his statements.


If you read the article, here's a secondary question:
Do you think it would be possible for any teenager today to hustle enough money to feed his family?
Click to expand...


I read somewhere that Willie was very pugnacious. This attitude makes sense. When he was a teen in the depression it must have been easy to hate the people keeping you from your money. Interesting article. Got any other articles on old pool matches?
 
Hate the balls not the player.

When I play I hate the balls not my oponent. I want to drive those little critters off of my table and keep them off.:grin:
 
It seems to me that the basis of 'sharking' as it applies to pool, is to employ some sort of extra-curricular psychological warfare that is above and beyond the normal physical skill and strategy it takes to win a game. For example, I'll mention deceit and intimidation: trying to "get in your opponent's head" by talking smack, losing on purpose, or acting like a lucky newbie to set someone up for a fat side bet. And in that context, I understand what Willie meant about the makings of a champion...

To play and win at a 'high level' against someone who wants to wipe the floor with your face requires the nerve to play well under that kind of pressure. And what could possibly place more pressure on you than playing for the cash to eat (and feed your family), against people who would just as soon rob you blind as give you the time of day. As Willie said himself, "it was a trial by fire" and clearly it served him well, at least at the table it did.

He was a naturally talented shooter who unfortunately was placed in the position of learning his life skills in the school of hard knocks, so I can see how tapping into the anger would have been therapeutic for him.

MapleMan said:
Interesting article. Got any other articles on old pool matches?
Click to expand...

a few hundred or so :smile:
 
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Mr. Bond said:
According to whom? Willie Mosconi.

In this article from Life Magazine (Oct. 8, 1951) Willie makes the following statements:


" In my opinion, no player can rise to the pinnacle and exhibit championship mettle unless he has sharked bets in his youth."

And later in the article:

" You've got to hate the man you're playing, and he's got to hate you. If you don't, you can't play your best game. "


Its a very interesting article that goes into detail about how and why Willie hustled as a kid, I just wonder how many people really agree with his statements.


If you read the article, here's a secondary question:
Do you think it would be possible for any teenager today to hustle enough money to feed his family?
Click to expand...


Everyone is wired a little differently. Willie was wired to win to support his family. Because of that, or perhaps immaterial of that, he had the killer instinct. There are a few photos of him out there, (and a few other players) where down on a shot, I don't know, he just looks like a killer. Willie had a passion to win to a degree that you don't see much of anymore, what with savers and players whining about the lack of money in the game. Willie didn't care -- he was out to get it all, even if it was just enough to get by for him and his family.

The sharking thing: substitute "hustling" and you get his true meaning.

Lou Figueroa
 
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CreeDo said:
I bet fats popped into his mind briefly when he made that statement.
Click to expand...


The "Life" article in question came out long before "The Hustler" and Fat's notoriety. And although they'd crossed paths before, Willie had barbecued Fats, so I doubt Fats entered his mind.

Lou Figueroa
 
I agree that you should play the table and not you're opponent

With that being said, however, it is also great to watch and analyze your opponent

What shots they miss, how they miss, etc.
 
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