sound like a trap???

S

satman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
3 guys walked into the local pool room yesterday looking for 20 or $30 9 ball on the bar tables. The room owner called me and asked if I was going to be in. I told her I'd be there shortly. When I arrived I asked them what they wanted to do, And how well they played. The respose in short was They came from Indianapolis and they couldn't get any action as they didn't play good enough to play a couple of the well known players there. I played the first guy for 20 a game on the bar table. After a few games it appears he don't play near my speed. He suddenly asks to move to the 9 footer, I said no. He then says bet 40 a game then. I said ok, Knowing I'm about to see a little better play. I start to play a little better and his game does not. I win around 200 all together. He quits, then one of his buddies said he'll try me some. I said so you must be the better player. The respose is, I play about like him, its just I can't do any worse than he did. So at 40 a game after about 7 games I lose 40 of the 200 back to them and quit. The guy played a lot better than his buddy, and it was obvious after 2 games the guy could play very high speed 9 ball. Some of you players will probably say I'm a nit or some other nonsense for not losing the 200 back to them. This is where I stand on this. He should have admitted that he played a lot better than his buddy. When they asked me my name I told them. When they asked how I played I told them I play pretty fair but I won't gamble with Brian Groce or George Breedlove. When they were leaving they asked where they could go to bet high, like 5000 a set. I guess they play pretty good as they said they didn't care who it was we sent them to. What would you have done? Have you ever been caught in the bait and switch? I won't mention any names so don't ask. Sam
 
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satman said:
He should have admitted that he played a lot better than his buddy. When they asked me my name I told them. When they asked how I played I told them I play pretty fair but I won't gamble with Brian Groce or George Breedlove. When they were leaving they asked where they could go to bet high, like 5000 a set. I guess they play pretty good as they said they didn't care who it was we sent them to. What would you have done? Have you ever been caught in the bait and switch? I won't mention any names so don't ask. Sam
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C'mon Sam...why should he have admitted that he played a lot better than his buddy? For Chrissake, they're 3 guys on the road looking to score and you already had them stuck for 200. When did truth, honesty, and honor come into play with road players, or anyone that gambles for decent stakes?
You held your own with the better player, came away with some money, and didn't get stuck for 5 grand or higher. What I might have done was ask them if they wanted to add a fourth player to their group. I'd say life was pretty good to you in the end....
 
Satman,
I wonder if I ran into the same 2 guys (about a week ago) at Chalkies. They wanted to play $20 a game, when I introduced myself, they did NOT give their names. After losing $20 in 5 games, they wanted to raise the stakes. I told them I would only do it if I could see their best game - I was told I already had seen their best game (extremely unlikely), so I offered to play for $5 (told them I didn't want to take their money if I had already seen their best game) and they quit. I believe they said they were from Florida (but I don't believe anything I hear in a pool hall).

I think you are right about avoiding people who are dishonest. Despite what D'maker says, there are some very honest and honorable road players around (though if he says they are in the minority he is dead on). I seek these players out, for reasonable stakes I can learn a lot as long as they aren't stalling.
 
Williebetmore said:
(but I don't believe anything I hear in a pool hall).

Despite what D'maker says, there are some very honest and honorable road players around
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Willie speaks with a for-ked tongue once again. There are some very honest and honorable road players around?? With today's gas prices they'd be on the road hitchhiking if that were the case, or just independently wealthy and touring the country for all of it's sites. They're out there on a job, and just like a casino they want the odds in their favor. It's not a crime, just a way of life. Survival in the trenches of pool rooms means not smoking any of that Polyanna weed.
 
Hi Satman,

I saw "Cecil" in Vegas two weeks ago travelling with two of his friends. I've watched him play before. He missed shots that anyone his or my speed would have made. He stalled way too much. He was playing one of the locals for forty a set nine ball. The game broke up after a few sets. His mode of operation fits your description. Start at twenty or thirty. Loose a few. Bet it up. Loose a few more. Play for big money and demolish opponents. One saver. To the best of my knowledge, he avoids real players. Somehow, he "knows" who to play. Interestingly, I've not seen or heard of him playing on a bar box.
 
cardiac kid said:
Hi Satman,

I saw "Cecil" in Vegas two weeks ago travelling with two of his friends. I've watched him play before. He missed shots that anyone his or my speed would have made. He stalled way too much. He was playing one of the locals for forty a set nine ball. The game broke up after a few sets. His mode of operation fits your description. Start at twenty or thirty. Loose a few. Bet it up. Loose a few more. Play for big money and demolish opponents. One saver. To the best of my knowledge, he avoids real players. Somehow, he "knows" who to play. Interestingly, I've not seen or heard of him playing on a bar box.
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I have never seen "Cecil" with anyone that could play. He likes to be the
only player traveling I think. Of course maybe they were on the way back from Vegas. I saw him play another "player" once and after a little while
he pulled up. He didnt want to show his game even though we said we
would play some 1k sets. He was working the town I am sure and didnt want
to lose any fish. He is a good player.
 
frankncali said:
I have never seen "Cecil" with anyone that could play. He likes to be the only player traveling I think.
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Hi Frank,

He was here in Rochester last year with two other guys. Don't know if they could play or not. The two guys with him at the Vegas Cue Club just sat up on the main floor and watched the action. The word I hear is "Cecil" is the number one road guy right now. I think the other two are his money managers and "protection".
 
A fool and his money are soon parted. Anyone expecting a fair shake from a road player is a fool. Then again, Will Rogers had a different verison of the quote. He said "A fool and his money are soon elected." The moral of the story is that if you don't allow yourself to fall victim to the road player, maybe you can afford to run for office.
 
Thanks SJM! I needed a little levity today.

My job was Consumer Electronics. "Cecil"s job is to help a sucker lighten their wallet. Everyone I've heard to have lost money to him did so, because one look at him told them he was the sucker!

My favorite line is HL Menkins "no one ever lost a buck underestimating the intelligence of the American public". :D
 
cardiac kid said:
Thanks SJM! I needed a little levity today.

My job was Consumer Electronics. "Cecil"s job is to help a sucker lighten their wallet. Everyone I've heard to have lost money to him did so, because one look at him told them he was the sucker!

My favorite line is HL Menkins "no one ever lost a buck underestimating the intelligence of the American public". :D
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Cardiac Kid, another HL Mencken quote might explain how he might have viewed anyone placing faith in the integrity of the typical road player. Mencken once wrote that "faith may be defined briefly as an illogical belief in the occurrence of the improbable."
 
SJM, you're the man!!!!!! Sorry for the miss-spell. I had the c in there and it just looked wrong. Anyway, thanks for helping to raise my spirits. Been sick for the last two weeks. Something about 104 degrees in Vegas on Monday and 44 degrees in Reno on Tuesday. Keep 'em coming.
 
Road player's objective

Road player's objective is to get the money .... period ...

They do this in a variety of ways, including being friendly or acting like a friend, but there one objective is to get the money.

Remeber Jerry Maguire.... 'Show me the money' ... well, that pretty well speaks for a road player ...

It is expensive out there on the road, and they prefer to sleep in a motel, than at some guy's couch they don't know, or the back of a pickup or such ... and eat steak rather than $1.00 big and tasty's at McDonalds.

It is a business to them, and they function like a business except their ethics are in question most of the time.

Remember the old traveling carnival shows back in the late 50's or early 60's, well road players are a lot like them. They dazzle you a little, promise you everything, give you a little, and you go home broke ...
 
I know the road players job. And to some extent he did his job. I didn't play at my top speed either. But to the road player, with this guy's reputation, {yes I had found out who he was before we started to play and knew the whole setup} I know I showed him I could step up at least a little more while playing the first guy. {unless he was actually asleep and saying nice shot to the person he was playing in his dream} The whole idea of this thread is to help some of the inexperienced players avoid this trap. I haven't been gambling much the last couple of years, but sometimes I can be talked into some cheap pool.

Oh yea, as far as a road player being honest about his speed. I know a guy who used to go into a place and say " call the best player you can get and you can bet 50 to 100 a game because I think I can beat anyone in the world." Every town has their hero and he got action and usually got the money. Sam
 
Where is this "Cecil" from?I know a Cecil out of Columbus,GA that is a very strong player...Wondering if this is the same "Cecil" everybody is talking about.. :confused:
 
satman said:
,,,, Some of you players will probably say I'm a nit or some other nonsense for not losing the 200 back to them. ,,,,,, Sam
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here's what i don't get about all this gambling stuff...where is it written that someone has to play until he loses all the money he won.

if some unknown guyz walk into a room and play small,,,lose,,,and ask to raise the stakes, seems to me they just want to get you in a high stakes game and take your money. so why do you have to give them that chance?

and it sounds like if they were asking about $5000 games, then they weren't showing you their speed.
 
bruin70 said:
here's what i don't get about all this gambling stuff...where is it written that someone has to play until he loses all the money he won.

if some unknown guyz walk into a room and play small,,,lose,,,and ask to raise the stakes, seems to me they just want to get you in a high stakes game and take your money. so why do you have to give them that chance?

and it sounds like if they were asking about $5000 games, then they weren't showing you their speed.
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Well said, Satman. Every hustler believes that one of their inalienable rights is that nobody can quit them if ahead. Of course, this is complete nonsense, a fiction subscirbed to and advanced frequently by, who else, the pool hustlers. God forbid they should be risking any money when they dump early in a gambling session! Wise up, action players. Whether your opponent tries to raise the stakes or not, you can quit anytime you like. Imagine a casino not letting you leave because you're ahead or a racetrack not letting you leave because you're ahead. Gamble as you please and quit when you like. Too bad, road hustlers, but that's how the world works.
 
They didn't mention anything more than 20-30 a game 9 ball on a bar table. Then as the kid is losing to me he wants to switch to big tables. I said no, he says raise the bet to 40 then. I've got them stuck so it's my decision whether to play the bar table or to raise the bet. If I hadn't raised the bet he would just quit. Then they try to switch players on me. It's not written any where that you must lose all the money back to them. It's just that some guys have some funny ideas about right and wrong. It's ok to lie about your name, where your from, how good you play, that was a bad hit, or countless other things. But if you get any of the money and quit, you're a low life nit that ain't got no gamble , along with countless other things. Sorry about your luck if the trap falls apart in mid swing. Just do what you can to protect yourself and your money, and play pool, it's just a game and it's supposed to be fun. Sam
 
I'm going to have to agree and disagree. If you feel you've been hustled then by all means leave with the cash, but if gambling strainght up, I'll never leave while ahead.

It's just an unwritten rule that I was taught and will always live by. The hustle is of course different. If a guy comes in lying/dumping/or whatever, take the money, after all he is there to take yours.

If I'm out playing full speed and so are you and I would never quit while ahead. After all, I have nothing to lose, I'm playing on your money :cool: .

Just another thing about pool players, if there losing, they will ALWAYS try to switch games, ie nine ball to one pocket or whatever. This is not at all unusual, but I think you were smart to beware of the hustle.

Just my thoughts,

Jim
 
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