Best Hustler
I was born and raised in a small town in Arkansas and somewhre around 72-75 we got a call that there was a big money game taking place in Texarkana, about 50 miles away.
We grabbed our cues and flew over to a bar called the Friendly Tavern, on the Ark side of Texarkana. Low and behold, Terry Bell and Larry Hubbart were playing 9-ball for $50 a game with about 50 watching and most side-betting. I thought I had died and gone to heaven.
Toward closing time, Terry and Larry decided to play the next day at 5:00 pm and wanted all, to know it.
We returned the next day to watch and side bet, because nothing like this took place in that part of the country.
The play was entertaing, but on the back table were two guys playing$10 9-ball and just aching for attention. Well, they got it.
An elderly fellow wearing a starched white shirt, starched blue denim over-alls, and a funny looking stove pipe hat walked uup to the table, reached in his pocket and pulled out one of thowe rubbe coin purses and laid a quarter on the table. The two players looked at each other and began to laugh at the silver haired fellow.
The game ended and the older fellow quietly walked up and began to rack. He racked all 15 balls and the younger player looked a little confused.
"we are playing 9-ball", he states confidently.
The older man loojked him square in the eye and says,"I only play pool, Boy"!!
"What do you mean you only play pool"
" Pool Boy, all I play is Pool" he insists.
The younger guy is a bit confuse, but giggling he asks, " yea, I know, but are playing 8-ball, or what"?
"Look,Boy, all I play is Pool, do you want to play, or what"?
By now the young fellow is confused when someone walks up and says that the old guy wnts to play rotation. Now he get's it!
"oh, you want to play rotation"?
"Yea, I told lyou, all I play is pool!"
"Well, how much do you want to play for" the kid asks?
"I only play for a dollar" he replies.
By now the kid is certain he has found a real Guppy as he lines up to break and sinks a low numbered ball.
Not worried at all, the older fellow walks up and lays a few bills on the table. Now the kid is really looking lost, but collects his money and then sinks the one ball. Now, the older fellow approaches and lays a 1 on the table and does the same as the kid sinks the 2 and the three ball.
Now the kid is about to burst as he is convinced he has found a true sucker. The kid is smart enough to realize that if he runs out, he will lose his score, so he misses.
The older fellow walks up and pockets a couple of balls with a goofy looking stroke and bridge. The young Hustler is laughing his ass off, but now Terry and Larry have stopped play to see what is happening.
The kid pays off a couple of balls when the lod fellow misses, but get lucky freezing the cue ball behind another ball. The kid shoots and the older fellow makes a couple more balls, misses, and freezes the cue ball behind another ball. Now the Kid is looking a little concerned, but pays off, then misses again. This time, the old timer runs out.
The kid pays off and racks them and looking vey pissed off.
The old man cracks em, and runs out.
The moral of the story, is be very careful when you decide to hustle UJ Puckett.
