The true cost of hustling

[Straightpool_99]

This is not going to be about the morality or lack of it, of hustling. Instead I want to talk about the cost, in economic terms, for pool halls, the industry and us players. I'm not talking about real players challenging other real players to money games. I'm talking about hustlers here.

I'll start off by saying that where I live, there are no true, professional hustlers. We have maybe 2 people I know of, that could be deserving of the term, so I'll use them as examples. They're both in their 50's and male. Both are former champions, but now play at maybe an A minus level. They never practice, only come in for a game of pool and cards, and never buy anything. They don't even pay for time and they use every trick to try to save the few measly bucks their time would have been. They're the cheapest people I know. And before you start in about "tough times", they both have decent jobs. They're sore losers and cheat too, almost bad enough to take away the pure joy of beating their brains in on the table, which are very rare opportunities indeed and never for any decent money. They don't take risks with people who actually know how to hold the cue..

Around here the junior players are protected by everyone,and we all try to teach them as much as possible. Anyone going after them would be kicked out. They represent our club, and we want them to do as well as they possibly can. So the hustler targets the new enthusiast, the adult guy/girl that suddenly got bitten by the pool bug and is now spending endless hours at the pool hall, buying the cues on display, buying lessons, playing in tournaments etc.. True they overestimate their game, and have more gear than brains, but they are pumping a lot of money into the pool economy, and bringing friends with them. The hustler rarely tries to go after the active, strong players. They are known, and can't win either, except maybe at cards. Plus we all know their tricks for cheating at ring games etc..

What happens to the enthusiast after a few humiliating losses to the hustler? Well usually they go away, for a long while. We would certainly not see them in our hall again. The most strong willed ones may spend a lot of time at home getting better but most quit the game...some forever. I recently met a guy like that, 10 years after he got fleeced by a scumbag. He had finally gotten over it and had taken up the game again. 10 years of potential, solid pool hall revenue lost. Not just for him, but for the friends/girls he would have brought in to impress, maybe they'd even gotten bitten by the bug themselves. This guy lost tons of money (well maybe not in absolute terms, but enough to be painful for sure), the fact that he even came back after that, shows just how hooked he was on the game.And did the hustler spend any of that money in the pool hall, you may ask? Maybe 2%, and that's being generous!

So..What's the point of telling all of you this? Well maybe you haven't thought about it this way before? There are certainly ethical questions that is being raised by hustling, but the true cost is the loss of money and recruitment to the game. Is the player going to think highly of the people who stood by or maybe even helped the hustler fleece them, when they were still naive about the pool world? Is he ever coming back to that poolhall? The hustlers I described are pure parasites in the pool economy. They bring nothing in, all they do is take. As a poolhall owner or employee, think about these things. Maybe being a "knocker" isn't that bad after all?

 

[classiccues]

I have been saying this for a long time, and it is true no matter where you are. The pool player mentality is a disease, and there is no cure. Its usual symptoms are short sidedness, T-Rex Arms, inability to separate quick cash, from the prosperity bought on by nurturing a business.
Its the main reason good pool halls are not run by ex-players, they are run by normal people that just find pool a fun hobby. A person with a business mind can make a go at a pool room, but talk to any player and you can shred their business plan, for a pool hall, in seconds.
When you have an up and coming enthusiast, the worse thing you can do is allow him to be massacred on the table by a "player". Pool is not a cheap hobby, if you want to get good. You need to play a few hours a day, which means there is usually a meal in there plus other incidentals. For an average Joe, this is a 20-30 dollar bill every time he goes to play. When you extrapolate that into a month at 20 times, 4-6 hundred. When they lose interest, after a beating, or it is no longer fun, you lose him / her and the related income. A player just sees that quick 40-60 dollars, at 20 a game, and doesn't care if this person stops coming into your business. He got his, and to him, that is the ultimate end result for today, he doesn't care about tomorrow.

JV

This is not going to be about the morality or lack of it, of hustling. Instead I want to talk about the cost, in economic terms, for pool halls, the industry and us players.

I'll start off by saying that where I live, there are no true, professional hustlers. We have maybe 2 people I know of, that could be deserving of the term, so I'll use them as examples. They're both in their 50's and male. Both are former champions, but now play at maybe an A minus level. They never practice, only come in for a game of pool and cards, and never buy anything. They don't even pay for time and they use every trick to try to save the few measly bucks their time would have been. They're the cheapest people I know. And before you start in about "tough times", they both have decent jobs. They're sore losers and cheat too, almost bad enough to take away the pure joy of beating their brains in on the table.

Around here the junior players are protected by everyone,and we all try to teach them as much as possible. Anyone going after them would be kicked out. They represent our club, and we want them to do as well as they possibly can. So the hustler targets the new enthusiast, the adult guy/girl that suddenly got bitten by the pool bug and is now spending endless hours at the pool hall, buying the cues on display, buying lessons, playing in tournaments etc.. True they overestimate their game, and have more gear than brains, but they are pumping a lot of money into the pool economy, and bringing friends with them. The hustler rarely tries to go after the active, strong players. They are known, and can't win either, except maybe at cards. Plus we all know their tricks for cheating at ring games etc..

What happens to the enthusiast after a few humiliating losses to the hustler? Well usually they go away, for a long while. We would certainly not see them in our hall again. The most strong willed ones may spend a lot of time at home getting better but most quit the game...some forever. I recently met a guy like that, 10 years after he got fleeced by a scumbag. He had finally gotten over it and had taken up the game again. 10 years of potential, solid pool hall revenue lost. This guy lost tons of money, the fact that he even came back after that, shows just how hooked he was on the game.And did the hustler spend any of that money in the pool hall, you may ask? Maybe 2%, and that's being generous!

So..What's the point of telling all of you this. Well maybe you haven't thought about it this way before. There are certain ethical questions that is being raised by hustling, but the true cost is the loss of money and recruitment to the game. Is the player going to think highly of the people who stood by or maybe even helped the hustler fleece them, when they were still naive about the pool world? Is he ever coming back to that poolhall? As a poolhall owner or employee, think about these things. Maybe being a "knocker" isn't that bad after all?

 

[BmoreMoney]

This is not going to be about the morality or lack of it, of hustling. Instead I want to talk about the cost, in economic terms, for pool halls, the industry and us players.

I'll start off by saying that where I live, there are no true, professional hustlers. We have maybe 2 people I know of, that could be deserving of the term, so I'll use them as examples. They're both in their 50's and male. Both are former champions, but now play at maybe an A minus level. They never practice, only come in for a game of pool and cards, and never buy anything. They don't even pay for time and they use every trick to try to save the few measly bucks their time would have been. They're the cheapest people I know. And before you start in about "tough times", they both have decent jobs. They're sore losers and cheat too, almost bad enough to take away the pure joy of beating their brains in on the table.

Around here the junior players are protected by everyone,and we all try to teach them as much as possible. Anyone going after them would be kicked out. They represent our club, and we want them to do as well as they possibly can. So the hustler targets the new enthusiast, the adult guy/girl that suddenly got bitten by the pool bug and is now spending endless hours at the pool hall, buying the cues on display, buying lessons, playing in tournaments etc.. True they overestimate their game, and have more gear than brains, but they are pumping a lot of money into the pool economy, and bringing friends with them. The hustler rarely tries to go after the active, strong players. They are known, and can't win either, except maybe at cards. Plus we all know their tricks for cheating at ring games etc..

What happens to the enthusiast after a few humiliating losses to the hustler? Well usually they go away, for a long while. We would certainly not see them in our hall again. The most strong willed ones may spend a lot of time at home getting better but most quit the game...some forever. I recently met a guy like that, 10 years after he got fleeced by a scumbag. He had finally gotten over it and had taken up the game again. 10 years of potential, solid pool hall revenue lost. This guy lost tons of money, the fact that he even came back after that, shows just how hooked he was on the game.And did the hustler spend any of that money in the pool hall, you may ask? Maybe 2%, and that's being generous!

So..What's the point of telling all of you this? Well maybe you haven't thought about it this way before? There are certain ethical questions that is being raised by hustling, but the true cost is the loss of money and recruitment to the game. Is the player going to think highly of the people who stood by or maybe even helped the hustler fleece them, when they were still naive about the pool world? Is he ever coming back to that poolhall? As a poolhall owner or employee, think about these things. Maybe being a "knocker" isn't that bad after all?

Everything you are saying is 100% true and something to think about. However; as with everything else in life, there is a flip side to that coin. If a newbie comes in and starts going off for some money like you're talking about then it's a pretty good darn sign he LIKES ACTION. So the reality of it is if he were not coming into the pool hall losing his money he would be pumping it into a Cherry Master, playing in a card game somewhere, or ( most likely nowadays ) giving it to the casinos. If he's losing money in the pool room at least " he's keeping it in the family ".

 

[justaplayer]

Why not just step up, bet high and bust the hustler?

If you can.

Pool halls aren't Sunday schools folks.

 

[mvp]

You can always say no, I don't gamble

 

[Johnnyt]

You can always tell the ones that lost their milk money at an early age. Johnnyt

 

[Straightpool_99]

Why not just step up, bet high and bust the hustler?

If you can.

Pool halls aren't Sunday schools folks.

There is no way for anyone even half decent to get a big game against those guys, unless they too lay down and hustle. In fact the last time I played one of those guys (I had been sick for a few weeks, and he'd seen me play poorly), I wiped the floor with him, first one on one, then at scotch doubles, only he wouldn't gamble any real money (I guess he still wasn't really confident about the game). Still, his losing whines was music to my ears. Especially since he tried to cheat in the scotch doubles. That was a long time ago. He doesn't even go anywhere near me now. I'm not a big gambler anyway. I like tournaments.

The other guy is a little stronger and would maybe pose a bit of a challenge, because he's smart and experienced. His shooting is not as good anymore, though. He definitely won't play me (unless I give him a huge spot or play a gaff game, putting me at a massive disadvantage), and I'm not going after him. What would be the purpose of that, anyway? I don't like them and the only joy I get is when (or if) they lose. That's a very negative mindset. I can't help my Schadenfreude, but I'm not going to actively feed it, either. As I said, busting them isn't possible. If they lose the first set, they quit. Playing them is a chore, because you have to watch them like a hawk so they don't cheat and they can't teach me anything I would want to learn. Their favorite thing to do is to shout "Foul" really loudly just as you are about to shoot, just to see if you let them get away with it. Of course there would not be any foul commited. Another is deliberately (but to the untrained eye accidentally) playing safe in ring games. A third is moving the balls when you're not looking. Sharking...The list goes on and on. And non stop whining when they lose. I don't know about you, but that sort of thing REALLY pisses me off!


I don't play with cheats. F- those guys.

As for your last sentence: "Pool halls aren't sunday schools.." It's true. Pool halls are businesses who should nurture their real, valuable customers. Not stages for these lowlives to setup their little theater.

 

[Pushout]

People like this are not referred to as hustlers. They are weasels.

 

[maha]

if two people want to match up and gamble that is none of anyone elses business.
and good for the pool room as it brings some excitement to it rather than just fun players hitting balls around.
if you dont gamble or are not good at it dont but dont impose your values or will on the others.

 

[us820]

All I remember from when I started was nobody wanting to play for play.Bunch of douchebags sitting around waiting all day for the big score that's never coming.8 hours a day at the hall with 1 hour of table time with thier crappy little "set" where the same 10 guys pass around the same $50.

 

[GideonF]

if two people want to match up and gamble that is none of anyone elses business.

and good for the pool room as it brings some excitement to it rather than just fun players hitting balls around.

if you dont gamble or are not good at it dont but dont impose your values or will on the others.

Well, the OP did distinguish between two players wanting to match up and hustling. Most posters who dislike hustling have no issue with above-board matching up.

 

[RiverCity]

All I remember from when I started was nobody wanting to play for play.Bunch of douchebags sitting around waiting all day for the big score that's never coming.8 hours a day at the hall with 1 hour of table time with thier crappy little "set" where the same 10 guys pass around the same $50.

You just described most pool rooms......:thumbup:

 

[Break and One]

Some good posts in the thread, especially straightpool_99 and classiccues.

It cracks me up how many people don't realize without the ball bangers and league players there wouldn't be a lot left for this sport. I always love hearing about how the bangers and league players have more toys and gadgets than skill. I could care less about their skill level but at least they are spending money in the industry buying the new toys and gadgets. Without these people spending money, how would the industry survive.

I know different locations have different situations. I personally feel pretty fortunate with the locals at my pool hall. Guys our friendly, don't mind answering questions, I know I have been warned to stay away from certain people as well people I am encouraged to play with. I don't gamble and don't have any plans on it. I don't need money only the line to bring out my best game. My ego and pride are enough I do not want to lost to anyone.

But then I hear the other stories about how the old timers won't share information unless you are paying for it. And then you read some other people in this thread saying let them get hustled.

The people getting hustled are pretty important to your local pool room owner. Just as was already stated, they come in to get better, they start bringing friends, they are spending money at the pool hall. Once again helping the industry.

I do not buy this whole if they want to gamble let them, cause at the end of the day they do not know what they are getting themselves into. If that brings excitement watching some low skill lever person get hustled by a better player, Thats pretty sad. And to run them off only hurts the game. And in the end it's why pool has the reputation it does.

People don't come up to me at the golf course and ask if I want to gamble, on the basketball court no one tries to hustle me.

Pool is animal that eats its young

 

[BmoreMoney]

Some good posts in the thread, especially straightpool_99 and classiccues.

It cracks me up how many people don't realize without the ball bangers and league players there wouldn't be a lot left for this sport. I always love hearing about how the bangers and league players have more toys and gadgets than skill. I could care less about their skill level but at least they are spending money in the industry buying the new toys and gadgets. Without these people spending money, how would the industry survive.

I know different locations have different situations. I personally feel pretty fortunate with the locals at my pool hall. Guys our friendly, don't mind answering questions, I know I have been warned to stay away from certain people as well people I am encouraged to play with. I don't gamble and don't have any plans on it. I don't need money only the line to bring out my best game. My ego and pride are enough I do not want to lost to anyone.

But then I hear the other stories about how the old timers won't share information unless you are paying for it. And then you read some other people in this thread saying let them get hustled.

The people getting hustled are pretty important to your local pool room owner. Just as was already stated, they come in to get better, they start bringing friends, they are spending money at the pool hall. Once again helping the industry.

I do not buy this whole if they want to gamble let them, cause at the end of the day they do not know what they are getting themselves into. If that brings excitement watching some low skill lever person get hustled by a better player, Thats pretty sad. And to run them off only hurts the game. And in the end it's why pool has the reputation it does.

People don't come up to me at the golf course and ask if I want to gamble, on the basketball court no one tries to hustle me.

Pool is animal that eats its young

Chuck Fields - yup I know the dismal sight describe. It also depends where / when you're at. I know the room I came up in they had " the wall ". Pretty much anytime you would walk in the ( and I do literally mean ANY TIME AT ALL ) There would be a wall of pool players just sitting ready for action, some catching some sleep, maybe some cards. There also may be some people throughout the pool room in chairs, under tables, in the back room - whatever basically. The difference Chuck was these people were not just waiting to " hustle " someone.. Everybody basically knew everybody else so not really any sneaking up. They were just waiting for some kinda action to their liking. Could be an old grimey man sleeping in a chair, someone might give him a nudge to wake up and ask " you wanna play some $50 - $100 a rack?" He says sure, pulls a knot of about $5000 out puts his post up and within 30 seconds of sleeping we had action! Countless stories like that.

B &1, I kinda da think you and quite a few others might be confused a bit, and that may mainly be due to terminology. That's one I really don't want to get into right now, or ever again lol, but at least not for a LONG time! I also want to preface all of this by saying I don't have issues with leaguers. They totally have their place as far as I'm concerned. Actually , I feel like I just wrote a 20 page book in the other investment thread about how important I think they are to pools overall survival , let alone growing it. I am referring to misconceptions you have based on this post.

I don't really see any leaguers hustled. Keep in ,India with everything I say from this point forward there are always exceptions but this is in " general ". The first reason I don't believe any leaguers are getting hustled is because you couldn't get most of them to bet water is wet. Some kind of $$$ needs to be wagered in the first place for a hustle could even become possible. Next, most of the leaguers are located in the bars. People that are being referred to as " hustlers " are usually the hard core pool people found in the pool halls ( and honestly it's fairly rare to even see those these days ). This is a major point of contention on the wording and definitions ( which is the debate I don't want to get into ). For me, the hustler is the guy stagerring around the pool hall flashing money and suckling down a fifth of good old Jase Daniels looking for a game ( the JD IS actually iced tea ( that's the hustle ). Now the guy that offers a little less weight than what he thinks his opponent needs is not a hustler to me, that just seems like smart gambling. So my point is yes we Def need the league players, I don't really ever see them getting takein advantage of financially ( that could be debatable though in regards to all the latest and greatest gadgets and cue / shafts - but hey I figure it's their money and if it makes rhea happy then cool ). One last point which no one ever likes hearing, If the leaguers are not gambling (which they are not ) remember it takes TWO people to get in action, hustle or otherwise. Both want to get each others money. Once again, the leaguers rarely have to worry about that, so I think they are just fine.

As to the old timers, well they figured they had to pay their dues and had to learn the hard way - why shouldn't you? Yup, that Def is their mindset but don't worry all the old timers will be gone before too long. Tell your what, there's gonna be A LOT of people wishing they had spent that couple bucks to get to listen to all the old stories - but it will be too late.

Golf and Bball , maybe you don't know it but there are TRUCKLOADS of cash from the action at the Golf course and on the court. Serious, SERIOUS money and that's no joke.

 

[gunzby]

I'm not going to make any excuses for them, but if getting your beaten doesn't light a fire in you pool might not be the game for you. You can blame the cheapskate lock artists all you want, but if they quit after playing them they would quit eventually anyway.

 

[justinb386]

This is not going to be about the morality or lack of it, of hustling. Instead I want to talk about the cost, in economic terms, for pool halls, the industry and us players. I'm not talking about real players challenging other real players to money games. I'm talking about hustlers here.

I'll start off by saying that where I live, there are no true, professional hustlers. We have maybe 2 people I know of, that could be deserving of the term, so I'll use them as examples. They're both in their 50's and male. Both are former champions, but now play at maybe an A minus level. They never practice, only come in for a game of pool and cards, and never buy anything. They don't even pay for time and they use every trick to try to save the few measly bucks their time would have been. They're the cheapest people I know. And before you start in about "tough times", they both have decent jobs. They're sore losers and cheat too, almost bad enough to take away the pure joy of beating their brains in on the table, which are very rare opportunities indeed and never for any decent money. They don't take risks with people who actually know how to hold the cue..

Around here the junior players are protected by everyone,and we all try to teach them as much as possible. Anyone going after them would be kicked out. They represent our club, and we want them to do as well as they possibly can. So the hustler targets the new enthusiast, the adult guy/girl that suddenly got bitten by the pool bug and is now spending endless hours at the pool hall, buying the cues on display, buying lessons, playing in tournaments etc.. True they overestimate their game, and have more gear than brains, but they are pumping a lot of money into the pool economy, and bringing friends with them. The hustler rarely tries to go after the active, strong players. They are known, and can't win either, except maybe at cards. Plus we all know their tricks for cheating at ring games etc..

What happens to the enthusiast after a few humiliating losses to the hustler? Well usually they go away, for a long while. We would certainly not see them in our hall again. The most strong willed ones may spend a lot of time at home getting better but most quit the game...some forever. I recently met a guy like that, 10 years after he got fleeced by a scumbag. He had finally gotten over it and had taken up the game again. 10 years of potential, solid pool hall revenue lost. Not just for him, but for the friends/girls he would have brought in to impress, maybe they'd even gotten bitten by the bug themselves. This guy lost tons of money (well maybe not in absolute terms, but enough to be painful for sure), the fact that he even came back after that, shows just how hooked he was on the game.And did the hustler spend any of that money in the pool hall, you may ask? Maybe 2%, and that's being generous!

So..What's the point of telling all of you this? Well maybe you haven't thought about it this way before? There are certainly ethical questions that is being raised by hustling, but the true cost is the loss of money and recruitment to the game. Is the player going to think highly of the people who stood by or maybe even helped the hustler fleece them, when they were still naive about the pool world? Is he ever coming back to that poolhall? The hustlers I described are pure parasites in the pool economy. They bring nothing in, all they do is take. As a poolhall owner or employee, think about these things. Maybe being a "knocker" isn't that bad after all?

I think that those types of players should be banned from the pool halls. If the room owner (or manager) cares about the players that come in to give the place business, and if the regulars care about the newbie players (who love the sport of pool), then neither the regulars or the owner (manager) should allow the newbies to get taken by a hustler. Lucky for me, most of the real players who I grew up with were not what you call hustlers. They did not feed off of the weak players in order to get easy money. They would play anyone, and were not afraid to gamble. They would give out huge spots too (in order to get a game), like for example, the 6 out and the breaks (playing 9 ball). Anyways, the real players that I grew up around never tried to hustle anyone (I do not think). I despise anyone who would throw off in order to get a money game, and play other tricks on the so called newbie (that does not know any better) in order to get some easy money. On the other hand, if the newbie has a really big head (and is just very full of himself), then maybe he deserves to be taught a lesson from a very strong player (or a hustler). I have no compassion for big headed players who are full of themselves, and I do not care how much money they put into the sport (sorry), but they deserve a beating I think, to become level headed again. I always loved the game when I was a kid (back in the 90's), and before I became a pretty good player, I would go to the pool hall and lose every dollar I had (which was usually only like $10 to $20, lol), and go home broke and crying (on the inside). But I had such a big love for the game, that I never quit. I kept going back, and playing the best players in the house (and losing all of my cash), until I finally became the best player in the house (and could not get played by any of the locals, without a spot being offered). Of coarse, by that time, most of the really great (A) players graduated from the university, and moved away. I learned a lot from them though, and have a lot of great memories. Anyways, when you talk about the players who quit the game after getting hustled, then I think that must mean that they did not love the game enough to keep with it. Yeah, the hustlers of the world are horrible people, and should not be allowed into pool halls (especially if they are not paying customers). They are basically "pool hall bums" (as quoted from "The Hustler"). I wish this sport had more players like Skyler Woodward (for example, but I think it helped a lot that his father also loved the game/sport) who truly love the sport of pool. Anyways, it is so sad that there are not more people that love the sport of pool (other then those who just play it a few hours a week, as nothing else but a weekly social event). Anyways, I am sorry if I kind of went off topic. Nice post.

 

[justinb386]

I have been saying this for a long time, and it is true no matter where you are. The pool player mentality is a disease, and there is no cure. Its usual symptoms are short sidedness, T-Rex Arms, inability to separate quick cash, from the prosperity bought on by nurturing a business.
Its the main reason good pool halls are not run by ex-players, they are run by normal people that just find pool a fun hobby. A person with a business mind can make a go at a pool room, but talk to any player and you can shred their business plan, for a pool hall, in seconds.
When you have an up and coming enthusiast, the worse thing you can do is allow him to be massacred on the table by a "player". Pool is not a cheap hobby, if you want to get good. You need to play a few hours a day, which means there is usually a meal in there plus other incidentals. For an average Joe, this is a 20-30 dollar bill every time he goes to play. When you extrapolate that into a month at 20 times, 4-6 hundred. When they lose interest, after a beating, or it is no longer fun, you lose him / her and the related income. A player just sees that quick 40-60 dollars, at 20 a game, and doesn't care if this person stops coming into your business. He got his, and to him, that is the ultimate end result for today, he doesn't care about tomorrow.

JV

You should understand and know that the average Joe that goes to the pool room (and ends up with that $20 to $30 bill) is not going to be the type to get hustled (I do not think). I may be wrong though. Hustlers may actually target the average Joe types (that are not players, or even care to ever be players). The loss of the average Joe is not a loss to the pool economy though, because they really have no interest in the game (the sport of pool). I may be wrong. Maybe the average Joe type is the only thing that is keeping this sport alive, or the only thing that is keeping pool halls in business (that part is actually probably true, after thinking about it for a second). It is really sad though, to think that the only thing that is keeping pool halls alive in the average Joe (who has absolutely no interest in the sport of pool, other then maybe something to do while out on a date for example). I am forgetting about the league players though (that keep the pool halls in business), but most of them would probably never get hustled, unless they are really big headed (in which case, I think they deserve to get hustled).

 

[justinb386]

Everything you are saying is 100% true and something to think about. However; as with everything else in life, there is a flip side to that coin. If a newbie comes in and starts going off for some money like you're talking about then it's a pretty good darn sign he LIKES ACTION. So the reality of it is if he were not coming into the pool hall losing his money he would be pumping it into a Cherry Master, playing in a card game somewhere, or ( most likely nowadays ) giving it to the casinos. If he's losing money in the pool room at least " he's keeping it in the family ".

Very good point. I think that I would rather the Cherry Master machine get their money then the Hustler though. At least the money from the Cherry Master is going back into the economy. That is just how much I despise the Hustler. The Hustler takes takes takes, and never gives anything back. I am not saying that I am any better though (so please do not turn my words back on me). I admit that I did not ever do much for the pool economy (other then all of the money I spent of pool time, and money that I spent on food at the pool halls). When it comes to cues though, I rarely ever purchased brand new (from the dealer or manufacturer). Hustlers are nothing but snakes (and low lifes) in my opinion. Anyone who preys on the weak (a player that has 0% chance against them) is just horrible, in my opinion. If the "non pool player" has a big mouth and is just full of himself, then I think he deserves what he is getting though.

 

[Bank it]

It's been my experience that you cannot hustle an honest man bereft of greed. The other persons greed is the soil that the seed of the hustle is planted in.

 

[justinb386]

You can always say no, I don't gamble

Yeah, very true. Hustlers are very smart though, and probably have their ways of tricking certain types of people into betting. I have seen hustles done on my pool buddies in the past (during road trips). The hustler tricked them into thinking that there was no way they could lose. Hustlers are smart, and know the art of the con artist very well. The good hustlers are very good con men, and very good at talking their way into bets (that they know they will win).