The Hustler Got Hustled

Zippy371 said:
Sounds like a guy named Manny Hammel. (no idea if the spelling is correct) Physical description sounds about the same. Thats the exact way he always worked it. Painter always stinking of booze. Traveled with a beat up cue that he carried around with no case. I just don't know how good he was at 3-cushion. Great nine ball player. I played all around Boston about 15 to 20 years ago and saw him around the area then. Didn't know him very well, just the stories. He probably would have been around fifty in the early 90's. I don't know when your story is from, just someone that popped into my head based on your description.

Jason
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I believe it was about 71 or 72. The guy I played was about 40 - 50 then. Johnnyt
 
Great story, thanks for bringing it back up for us newbies!

Reading it now, its seems so obvious he was hustling, but I'm sure its 100% different when you are there.
I think once we beat a guy tens times in a row, our brain tells us he can never beat us, and it takes a long time to "re-program" our beliefs.

Of course the hustler counts on that tidbit of phsycology....
 
michael4 said:
Great story, thanks for bringing it back up for us newbies!

Reading it now, its seems so obvious he was hustling, but I'm sure its 100% different when you are there.
I think once we beat a guy tens times in a row, our brain tells us he can never beat us, and it takes a long time to "re-program" our beliefs.

Of course the hustler counts on that tidbit of phsycology....
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It backfires too. Stalling can be very hard to come out of. I've seen it backfire many times over and over.
 
huckster said:
Great​
post JohnnyT. Anyone that has played any serious pool has been there. One of the times it happened to my was by Double J. Before JJ won the 8ball nationals (BCA's???) he showed up at Strachers in Akron Ohio and played a couple of strong shortstops winning a few and losing a few. He only played 9ball during this time and since I was mainly a 1pkt banger I thought with the right game I could book a win. There were a few strong onepocket players in the room (Kenny K,Mike Vero, Mario Cilitti, etc) No one matched up with JJ at 1pkt and I asked for 10-6 for 200 hundred a game. He countered with 9-7 from watching him play 9ball I knew that would not be enough. The next day I seen him and he told me that his friend would go in with him and he would give me 9-6 for 500 a game.

He​
won the flip and outmanuvered me to win the first game by a close score. I knew that was a bad sign since he could shoot better then me if he could move better I was in deep do-do. I figured I would break and since I had maybe the best 1pkt break around if I couldn't win I my break I would quit. I hit the break perfectly putting a ball in the jaw area and another real close while leaving whitey on his long rail frozen with the stack in the way. He three rail kicked my ball in and left me behind my other ball. Needless to say he won that game also. Thousand dollar lesson learned. Next time I seen him he won the BCA's. Still to this day my gambling game selection is suspect two weeks ago it was shorted handed PLO with two bracelet winners and two guys who have experiance in the "big game" that debacle set me back 48k.
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Your grandfather (Don Willis) and Dean Chance hustled me in 1965 in downtown Los Angeles. I followed them to another pool room that had some players there and no one would play him. When they left I asked who it was. One of the railbirds said "That is the best player the other side of tha Mississippi river. The only reason he is not the best here is he never comes here". Then he told me it was Don Willis.
 
T-dog said:
I dont believe it, A three cushion player that gambled. lol
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That's one of the reasons I stopped playing it. All anyone wanted to play for was time and a cup of expresso. Most 14.1 players are not big on gambling either. I always loved those two games but pool was my part time job and I needed to gamble on it. Not with the top tier players either either :wink:. Johnnyt
 
Great story Johnny!!! It helps brings us players back into the history and respect that billiards/pool deserves.
 
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