I got trapped by a guy that said he used to run a pool hall in Pulaski area (I think). Short, stocky Light-skinned black guy goes by the name of Phillip. He was in the place selling cues, I think. He asked me to play some cheap. I wasn't feeling it, but then he asked what it would take to get me to play.
" Race to 5, I get the breaks and 7 out." I told him.
I was hitting them pretty good, and had a golden break, a wired 2-7 combo, and ran a rack. I'm up 3-0 and he hasn't even gotten to the table.
He comes over and says he knows I hustled him with the spot and that we should be playing even. He asked to adjust the spot. I told him not in the middle of the set, but that if I won I would give him a chance to win his money back.
Then he set the hook.
He says "well, if you won't do right by me and adjust the spot, at least let's make it 5 ahead instead of race to 5".
I agreed as long as I got to count the 3 games I had already won.
"Ok," he shrugged, "but let's at least double the bet...at least give me some extra motivation to climb out of this deep hole you got me in."
I'm feeling pretty good about things, so I agreed.
I made a ball on the next break, but left myself hooked. I pushed out to a jump shot.
He basically sprinted to the table, sank the jump shot, and got perfect on the 2 ball.
I know he didn't run out the next 8 racks, but he was damn close. I got a couple shots where I was so thoroughly hooked that it was basically a guaranteed BIH.
I sat and watched for about an hour. After he got to the hill, up 4 racks, he told me, "Never agree to play an ahead set unless you know exactly how good the guy you're playing is."
He continued, "You are good enough that with a little luck and a few rolls, there is a chance you could win a race to 5, but there is very little chance you could ever get 5 ahead of me."
Pretty cheap lesson all in all, and Phillip was a pretty cool dude and stayed around and showed me some shots and drills.
I never knew his last name, but I asked Billy Young once if he knew him, and he said that they played even on a bar box, and that he once saw Phillip take Matlock to the wire in a big cash game back in the day.