As the contact person for a very large billiards website, I receive emails asking all sort of different questions regarding the billiards world. One that I receive constantly asks about how a successful hustle is played on a victim, so I thought I would explain one. Now this is a fictitious story and any resemblance to real people is completely accidental.
First you have to pick your victim. This victim has to be someone who is relatively successful in the pool world and who won't see a con coming. I suggest picking someone who has won an event recently. Maybe a regional tour stop in another state. You may have to work hard to snare this victim, possibly even pick the person up at the airport when they are coming into town for something else in order to set up the con properly. In order to make it easier to visualize this victim, lets call her Samm. (Just a name I made up).
Don't even mention that you want to play pool that day. Just bring along a pool cue and when they mention the cue, offer to help them "warm up" for their event that weekend.
A successful con is like a fine wine. You have to take your time.
The first set should be a spent feeling out your opponent. Show a little of your speed early, but just enough to keep a game ahead of them while you are discovering their true speed. Once you have their game clocked (probably 5 games into the set), go ahead and let them win the rest of the games. You can't miss balls by just a little. You have to miss them by a mile. Go ahead and do it as it will pay off in the end.
The second set is meant to build their confidence. You are going to play awful in this set. Let your victim run out to a big lead. (4-0 or 5-0). You can show a little game late in the set and win a game or two, but make sure they win by a mile. (Shoot for a 7-2 score)
Set three is when the trap springs. Show about 75% of your true speed to get their attention. Once you have worked you way out to a small lead (maybe 3-1), they will inevitably offer to play the set for something. These are the magic words that you have been waiting to hear. Let them offer the bet and they will usually offer exactly what you were looking to play for (dinner for example). Now all you have to do is reel in the fish. Bring her in a little closer to the dock with a 4-1 or 5-1 lead. It is important to let them run some balls now. You want them to get back to almost even around 5-4 before you go ahead and slam the door on them. No more missing those balls on purpose (and making it look like an accident). Now it is time to go for the kill, win the set and enjoy the fruits of your labor; after all "a dinner won is much tastier than a dinner paid for".
If you followed all of the instructions and pulled the hustle off perfectly, then your victim will not even know what happened as she is paying for the meal. And will hopefully be able to pull off this hustle time and time again down the road.
Mike
First you have to pick your victim. This victim has to be someone who is relatively successful in the pool world and who won't see a con coming. I suggest picking someone who has won an event recently. Maybe a regional tour stop in another state. You may have to work hard to snare this victim, possibly even pick the person up at the airport when they are coming into town for something else in order to set up the con properly. In order to make it easier to visualize this victim, lets call her Samm. (Just a name I made up).
Don't even mention that you want to play pool that day. Just bring along a pool cue and when they mention the cue, offer to help them "warm up" for their event that weekend.
A successful con is like a fine wine. You have to take your time.
The first set should be a spent feeling out your opponent. Show a little of your speed early, but just enough to keep a game ahead of them while you are discovering their true speed. Once you have their game clocked (probably 5 games into the set), go ahead and let them win the rest of the games. You can't miss balls by just a little. You have to miss them by a mile. Go ahead and do it as it will pay off in the end.
The second set is meant to build their confidence. You are going to play awful in this set. Let your victim run out to a big lead. (4-0 or 5-0). You can show a little game late in the set and win a game or two, but make sure they win by a mile. (Shoot for a 7-2 score)
Set three is when the trap springs. Show about 75% of your true speed to get their attention. Once you have worked you way out to a small lead (maybe 3-1), they will inevitably offer to play the set for something. These are the magic words that you have been waiting to hear. Let them offer the bet and they will usually offer exactly what you were looking to play for (dinner for example). Now all you have to do is reel in the fish. Bring her in a little closer to the dock with a 4-1 or 5-1 lead. It is important to let them run some balls now. You want them to get back to almost even around 5-4 before you go ahead and slam the door on them. No more missing those balls on purpose (and making it look like an accident). Now it is time to go for the kill, win the set and enjoy the fruits of your labor; after all "a dinner won is much tastier than a dinner paid for".
If you followed all of the instructions and pulled the hustle off perfectly, then your victim will not even know what happened as she is paying for the meal. And will hopefully be able to pull off this hustle time and time again down the road.
Mike
