The most amazing husstle that you have ever seen on a pool table?

On a 6X12 snooker table, I watched a guy place a red ball even with the pink (6) ball spot near the rail with about 1 ball width plus about 1/4" space from the right rail and bet that he could place the cueball on the right spot in the break semicircle and cut the red ball back to the left corner pocket in 30 tries. Did that twice, then bet that he could do it in 20 tries from the middle spot. Did it in 12 tries. Nobody else would bet anything against him after that. And he didn't kick it, it had to be a clean cut.
 
Mark "The Shark" O'Brien

I may have not worded my title corectly, but I was just thinking about this road trip that me and some pool player friends took to St Louis back in the 90s.

We went to Ride the rail billiards (which was a 24 hour pool hall).

Anyway, one of my friends got husstles out of all of the money he had (maybe around a $100 or something like that), and it was on one the the most incredible things I ever seen on a pool table.

This guy was betting that he could flick the cue ball 3 rails around the pool table, and into a regular rack of 8 ball (with the 8 in the middle like normal), and he would bet that he could make the 8 ball in like a 100 throws (tossing the cue ball around the table 3 rails, and into the stack).

Anyways, this guy must have practiced this silly hustle a lot, because he was really good at knowing exactly how to eventually make the 8 ball in the corner pocket (forgot to mention that part).

Anyway, he would make it so that he would always make the 8 ball within the last 10 throws he had (to barely win the bet), and then he would be say something like 'let's bet another $10 or whatever' that I can't make the 8 ball in 10 less throws around the table.

Anyways, I think he kept barely winning each bet purposely to keep my friend Betting again, until he lost all the cash he had.

I just thought it was pretty amazing.

He got down to making that 8 in under like 50 throws I think.

I know it sounds silly, but I was amazed by it.

Have you ever seen any crazy hustles like that on a pool table?

I am fairly certain that was Mark O'Brien that did that hustle to your buddy. I used to play up there back then. The place always had action going on...I would watch these crazies bet on the kid's board game Chutes and Ladders!!! Watchez knows the crew that hung out there and the owner, Larry (La Bara, I think). There were a lot of monster players that hung out there and played through there (Andy Quinn, Martin Schulte, Ron Omachi, Pat McMillan, Randy Enlow, Joe Wooford, Ryan Huelsman, and a ton more). Back then, St Louis had a super strong pool scene and there were a lot of tournaments that would fill up with crazy amounts of players. I used to go into Ride the Rail after getting off of work at like 5 or 6pm and be there until the next morning sometimes. I sucked bad back then. Martin Schulte would give me the last five on the table playing nine ball and I couldn't win. Ron Omachi would give me the last four and I lost. Sick... but that was 20yrs ago.
 
On a 6X12 snooker table, I watched a guy place a red ball even with the pink (6) ball spot near the rail with about 1 ball width plus about 1/4" space from the right rail and bet that he could place the cueball on the right spot in the break semicircle and cut the red ball back to the left corner pocket in 30 tries. Did that twice, then bet that he could do it in 20 tries from the middle spot. Did it in 12 tries. Nobody else would bet anything against him after that. And he didn't kick it, it had to be a clean cut.

I've seen the black cut off its spot to the left from the green spot (left side of the D). Not sure if that's tougher than the above or not. I also bet someone that he couldn't shoot in the blue from the jaws of a corner pocket and draw back to scratch in that same pocket. He got 10 tries. He did it on the 8th shot. Both of those were on a standard 6x12 table.
 
I have posted before that I have never seen 25 attemps to do anything. Not saying these bets dont happen,I have never seen it.
I walked into poolhall for lunch. all the usual suspects were there. guy who is on the web all the time says you kick well ,what do you think of this proposition bet. freezes object in middle of end rail. places cueball on headspot. 15 tries to kick it in either bottom corner. I said he was nuts I would bust him. Made it second try.told him freeze the ball anywhere on the end rail and I will kick it in in less then 5 tries.Kicked 4 in a row in from 4 diff spots. Asked him why he thought it was so hard? He replied "read on line where there was a trick to making that first kick". Everyone laughed at him and told him not everything on the web is gospel.
 
Ah, used car salesman...no further explanation needed.

My grandfather was a used car salesman for awhile. He said they took a bad rap, but there were two sides to the story. He said people would bring cars in for trade and would completely misrepresent the quality of their car. On the other hand, his boss said relatives were the best people to sell to because they trusted you and he could make an extra $100 off that trust! Nice guy.
 
My grandfather was a used car salesman for awhile. He said they took a bad rap, but there were two sides to the story. He said people would bring cars in for trade and would completely misrepresent the quality of their car. On the other hand, his boss said relatives were the best people to sell to because they trusted you and he could make an extra $100 off that trust! Nice guy.


My grandad had a shop / towing / sales / gas station lot going all the way back to the early fifties. For sure just like any other profession, there are scumbags just out looking to screw you but there are a lot of honest good ones too. I was always taught that repeat business and referrals is where it's at, forget the quick score mentality.
 
Yes, that looks just like the guy I remember from almost 50 years ago.
But somehow the arithmetic doesn't jibe with the age "find a grave" said he was born??
I'm not that far gone to have that bad of a memory....(I don't think). I don't remember him being handicapped either.
But it sure looks like him.
It was around 1969 (again, I think) that he came through Atlanta. He busted Big Town Pool Room's gamblers...then went up Pryor street to York's Billiards and broke them. Went out to East Point Recreation and didn't do well....the phones had been ringing all over town. He didn't make a cent over at Etowah Billiards on Alabama St. (Roy Johnson had already warned 'em he was coming).
I didn't personally see the action between him and Sizemore over in Augusta, but the word got back through the "usual suspects".....Liquor Store Jack, John Carmichael, and Railroad John.
It was quite a hustle. Just getting the cue ball in his mouth was amazing to me, much less actually pocketing anything.
 
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You would need to distinguish between a "hustle" and a skill shot that few people in the world could make.

To some, saying I can make this ball cross corner when there is no earthly way of it going would be a hustle, to others it would be an incredible repeatable skill shot.
 
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