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For as long as I can remember I have been around a pool table. All my uncles had them in their houses and each family gathering they would end up in the basement taking money of each other shooting pool and getting drunk all night. My uncle use to own a local pool hall and right after school I would go there and we would shoot pool until my parents came to pick me up when they got off work. He bought me my first stick and taught me basically everything I know about pool including how to hustle drunks. My grandfather use to be a road player after he got out of WWII. He would take my grandmother all over the US and find dive bars and clean the local drunks out of their hard earned money and then see the sights with my grandmother so naturally he had a pool table at his house and everyone in my family can shoot pool. My uncle's are considered the best pool players in our area and anytime we go out to a bar with a pool table people always want to gamble with them. I naturally became apart of that and I have reaped the rewards because of it. I started out joining the APA which is the American Poolplayers Association. They rank you based on skill and because of my last name before they even saw me shoot I was ranked the highest skill level which is an 7 after about 3 matches. Shooting in league pool is fun but there is barely any money in it, it's more of a social thing. The teams I have played on have to went Vegas and won the main tournament a couple of times taking down the 10k prize. While all of that is fun and its cool to win in Vegas but the money sucks. After you split it 8 ways it amounts to about $1250 per person and with all the travel expenses it's not a very profitable weekend especially if your team does not make the money. I learned early on that in all these pool leagues the side action is where it's at, 10k might be first place but thats chump change to the high roller gamblers at these tourneys. I have seen people win or lose upwards of 100k in a 40 hour session. I am not in that level of gambling nor will I ever be I usually stick to the local dive bars in the area and hustling the drunks on payday can make you $500 and up a night in some of these places. Usually road players will come by local pool halls looking for some action and the owners will call me and my uncles and a couple of other local gamblers and we will take turns gambling with them until they are out of money or he takes everyone's money. Sometimes road players turn out to be pros looking for big action and then it will take a few days to get a big match going. I have a lot of fun stories about pros showing up and cleaning everyone out which I will go into detail later on. I have a bunch of cool stories about gambling sessions if anyone is interested. I can also go into how the games are played and how the gambling works. When you gamble on pool its not always your straight forward bar pool rules like 8ball. There are a lot of different ways to gamble on pool. Things like banks, money balls, one pocket, straight pool, 3 ball, 7 ball and the list goes on. Ask away goons and if there is anyone else here who is a pool player then feel free to add to the thread. Edit: Corrected 5-ball to 3-ball. jase1 fucked around with this message at 19:35 on Mar 29, 2012 |
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Mar 29, 2012 18:06
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When you find a mark or whatever you call it in pool hustling, how do you initiate conversation towards betting? Also, conversation and end result wise which movie is hustling pool more like, The Color of Money or Kingpin?
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Mar 29, 2012 18:13
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Have you ever gotten yelled at by a rude guy you were trying to hustle? Do people ever not let you hustle them, or try to get physical when you win the game?
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Mar 29, 2012 18:24
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This ought to be an awesome thread. Thanks for starting it! When you say "hustle", is it like on TV where you pretend to suck but then you clean up after a bet is made? Or is it more straightforward like most gambling?
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Mar 29, 2012 18:38
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keykey posted:When you find a mark or whatever you call it in pool hustling, how do you initiate conversation towards betting? Also, conversation and end result wise which movie is hustling pool more like, The Color of Money or Kingpin? There are several different ways to approach the gambling part of it. It just depends on what situation you are in. Take for instance if I go to a local dive bar with just one table and overall lovely place. I will just start shooting and if people come up and want to play that is how it all starts. You play a few friendly games then just slip it in during the conversation. Pump up the guys ego especially if he is with a group of people or with a woman. I lose a few games and I start talking about how he is a pretty good shot but I also say things like but of course when money is on the line I am sure you are a choke artist or things like that it sounds corny but it gets under peoples skin. You have to read the situation sometimes insulting the guy will get it to work and sometimes if the guy is an rear end in a top hat he will start talking poo poo. I love when a guy starts talking poo poo because thats when I kick in the hustling. I start telling him things like if your so good lets play for money I let him make the rules and what amounts to bet on and it goes from there. I usually always buy the people I am playing with drinks the drunker they get the better it is for me. Sometimes if I walk into a place people see me playing and just approach me and ask if I want to play for money. There a a lot of bars where there is one guy who is the best shot there and he has to defend his territory it sounds stupid but you wouldn't believe how many times I walk into a place and start shooting and next thing I know this guy is all over me about shooting for money. He is usually a drunk who grew up in bars and has no clue on the strategy on pool he just thinks he is the poo poo. He just tries to make every ball without thinking about his next shot or what his opponent is going to do next. I let him win a few to boost his ego or keep it really close maybe splitting a couple of matches then try to get him to up the ante. It doesn't always work sometimes guys only have $20 in their pocket so if they lose that they are done. I also run a hustle where me and one of my uncles show up to the bar at different times and then hustle the people there for money. I will explain that one in a later post because the setup is long but the payoff is totally worth it. It is along the same lines of the hustle that Wesley snipes and Woody Harrelson pulled off in White men can't jump. My uncles and grandfather have been pulling that one for about 30 years and it works every time. The parts in Color of money when they go to nationals are pretty accurate especially the setups and the practice room gambling. The pool hall scenes are really sensationalized. I have never seen 100 people around a pool table cheering and going crazy while a guy is losing a poo poo ton of money. Usually if someone is gambling for a lot of money people are really somber and quiet its a really intense situation. Celebrating after you just wiped a guy clean is the type of thing that will get you killed or the poo poo beat out of you. As for Kingpin are you speaking about the movie with Bill Murray or is there another movie with that name?
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Mar 29, 2012 18:50
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I've played straight pool and one-pocket, but what are 5-ball and 7-ball?
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Mar 29, 2012 18:58
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How often do the marks refuse to pay? I am terrible at pool and was playing a guy for the table rental fee and he didn't want to pay the 3 bucks he owed when he lost even though his half of the rental would have been $1.50 anyway.
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Mar 29, 2012 19:19
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Have you or anyone you've known gotten beaten up or worse after the "mark" knows what just happened to him?
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Mar 29, 2012 19:27
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Chemtrail Clem posted:Have you ever gotten yelled at by a rude guy you were trying to hustle? Do people ever not let you hustle them, or try to get physical when you win the game? Not only have been yelled at I have had the poo poo kicked out of me and thrown out of a lot of bars. It can be dangerous which is why I have my CCW and I usually have someone with me. My uncle and me took a guy for almost 2 grand once and he absolutely flipped his poo poo when he was out of money. He just kept going double or nothing and he was on a ton of coke at the time too. He grabbed the pool cue and starting swinging at us I grabbed the money off the rack and ran my rear end out of there. I am pretty sure he would have killed us if we stayed. People hate to find out they have been hustled there are times when I am in a match and someone comes into the bar who doesn't like me or who I have hustled somewhere else and they out me. It will kill the action and sometimes get me the death stare. I usally don't stick around to find out what will happen I just bolt and live for another day. Sometimes I have to leave without getting the money which sucks but its better then getting stabbed! lushka16 posted:This ought to be an awesome thread. Thanks for starting it! It is sort of like that. You can't make it to obvious though or the jig is up. Just missing little shots here or their to give your opponent the advantage not only boosts his ego but also makes it look like I am not as good as I really am. The whole key to pool is to control the cue ball. I can make it look like I scratched on a shot by accident when really I planned it all along to help it look like this guy can beat me. I can also take a shot and leave the cue ball in a really bad spot for me to help the other player. I do that a lot I will make a shot then leave the cueball behind or close to one of my opponents balls. It makes me look like I have trouble controlling the cue ball. So it's not so much as sucking just that I am not an amazing pool player. There are also times when a guy just wants to gamble and there is no need to hustle him. He thinks he is better and we decide on terms of the bet and go from there. The hustle usually happens in dive bars in pool halls there is some hustling but most people know you and know you can shoot so its more mind games with the person. zzyzx posted:I've played straight pool and one-pocket, but what are 5-ball and 7-ball? 7-ball has the same rules as 9 ball but how they set up the rack is the 1 ball is place at top and the balls are in a hexagon shape with the 7 in the middle. After you break you must choose 3 pockets on the one side of the long rails meaning 2 corner pockets and 1 side pocket all on the same side. Those pockets are the only ones you can shoot your balls into. Your opponent gets the opposite 3 pockets from you. The seven ball must also be pocketed in the side for it to count. I mistyped its not 5 ball it's 3 ball. Which in my opinion is the worse gambling game in pool. You basically have to pocket the 3 balls in the least strokes possible. If you foul a stroke is added and it usually consists of a 5-game set. I hate it because if you get a lucky break you can pocket all 3 balls on the break. It's more a luck game then skill in my opinion.
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Mar 29, 2012 19:32
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My grandfather was really good at 3 ball. He would play at carnivals and win until they made him go away. As long as he racked he could get them in 3 times out of 5. I guess he had just done it enough to know exactly where he needed to place them.
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Mar 29, 2012 19:57
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Have you ever repo'd any of the same guys you've hustled at pool?
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Mar 29, 2012 20:25
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What happens when you run into a better player?
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Mar 29, 2012 20:36
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OP when you're out do you bring your own cue, or stick to house cues? If it's your own, is it a flashy custom job, or just a good solid no frills one?
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Mar 29, 2012 21:00
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Have you ever run into another hustler trying to hustle you?
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Mar 29, 2012 21:01
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What state do you live in where you can carry a gun into a bar?
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Mar 29, 2012 21:24
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Elephanthead posted:How often do the marks refuse to pay? Most of the time when I gamble with someone we take the money that is bet and put it on top of the light above the pool table. If I am going to be gambling for more the $20 a game I always want to see the money up front and either place on top of the rack or let someone we both trust hold the money. Usually the money is placed on the rack though. If I am playing someone in a pool hall the owner or person working the place will hold the money if we both trust him. There have been times I have had to collect money from someone in payments or they just give me money whenever I see them again. Sometimes they try to disappear but I know where all the gamblers hang out around here and I have a lot of people who will help me get my money for a small fee. I have only ever had to resort to hiring someone else to collect my money once and that was because the guy was a coke dealer who carried a weapon so I didn't want to gently caress with that. There is a guy now who is blackballed from everywhere until he pays up the 10 people he owes money too. The thing about gamblers is we pretty much all only care about taking each others money except when one gets screwed over we tend to stickup for one another and not let the deadbeat gamble around town. Lycopene posted:Have you or anyone you've known gotten beaten up or worse after the "mark" knows what just happened to him? I referenced it earlier but I will tell the full story. I went to this small town in Ohio called Newark with my uncle to play in a really juicy poker game. We got lost trying to take a shortcut home and decided to get a room for the night. There was this poo poo stain bar across the street that had a pool table. We walk in and start shooting pool. A macho biker dude is trying to impress his friends and says he wants to shoot a few against me. I make sure that each game is really close and I let him win 2 out of the 3. He starts talking about how he is king of this bar table and no one can beat him. I respond with the "wanna bet on it". He says sure and before I know it he is wanting to shoot for 100 a match. I think he was just trying to do the old I will bet more than the other guy has tatic but he didn't realize what he was getting into he was drunk and on an ego trip and his buddies were all egging him on. So the first match I set him up and left the cueball in a pretty lovely place when he was on the 8-ball. He scratches and I win the first game. He says lets do double or nothing. I accept and beat him pretty easily. He said thats bullshit and I could tell he was getting a little frustrated. I beat him the third match and now he owes me $400. He goes to the atm takes out some more money and comes back and says lets run it double or nothing one more time. We put the money on the rack I break and run because I know its the last one of the night and I let my ego get the best of me and before I could grab the money I was sucker punched in the back on the head. I honestly don't know how many people were hitting me but I was on the ground covered up and people were just kicking me or punching me I am not to sure of which I don't remember most of it. They pick me and launch me out of the bar at least thats what my uncle told me. I only remember being sucker punched and waking up outside on the concrete. I end up in the hospital with a few broken ribs and a concussion and they took all the money I had on me. They let my uncle go without doing anything to him and tell him that if they ever see us here again they will kill us. Spiffo posted:Have you ever repo'd any of the same guys you've hustled at pool? No but I can't remember if I told the story in that thread about seeing one of my customers that I repo'd at a pool tourney. It was quite awkward. Grand Prize Winner posted:What happens when you run into a better player? I lose and that happens a lot. There have been times when I thought I was hustling someone and they ended up hustling me. I am usually smart enough to figure it out and end the gambling quickly so I don't lose all my money. You have to remember that no matter how good you are at something someone out there is a lot better at it then you. I like playing a person who is better than me because it helps me get better. There are times I have lost to someone who isn't as good a shot but I was just having a bad night those are the worse nights. A road player called a local pool hall looking for action a few months ago I went to watch him shoot and was thinking about maybe playing him. He seemed like a decent shot and I watched him go through 3 or 4 really good players before I called my uncle Frank because I felt like he would kick my rear end. He is considered one of the best pool players in our area guys love to gamble with him and I haven't seen him lose but maybe 5 times in 20 years. He is a machine at the table and I told him there was some really good action at this hall. As soon as he gets to the hall he calls me outside and says stay away from that guy he is the #1 bank pool player in the world. His name was John Braumback and the guy is the hall of fame for pool and he still drives around and hustles guys. I watched this young kid named scooter lose close to 15k to him and it was a huge learning lesson.
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Mar 29, 2012 21:32
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That last part gave me chills for some reason. So whats the secret to being a great pool player? How should I practice?
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Mar 29, 2012 22:32
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Ruby got Railed posted:OP when you're out do you bring your own cue, or stick to house cues? If it's your own, is it a flashy custom job, or just a good solid no frills one? I own 4 different sticks. I have a break stick, a jump stick, my very first stick my uncle gave me and my main stick which cost $1200. I always keep my pool case in my vehicle under the spare tire in my trunk. If I am going into a dive bar I use the house cues because most people will not be a challenge. If I am in a pool hall I bring my pool case with me. My main stick is not anything special as far as looks. It is pretty funny seeing people who know about pool asking me about my stick then looking at it and realizing its a McDermott hand crafted cue and making GBS threads their pants. That stick seriously is amazing and I could go on for hours how great it is but in reality its just a pool cue and it would be hard to explain why its the perfect stick. Spermy Smurf posted:What state do you live in where you can carry a gun into a bar? I live in Ohio and as far as I know there isn't a bar in the state that you can carry a gun into. Where did you get that impression that I bring a gun into a bar? I have my CCW but if I am going somewhere that doesn't allow guns I keep it in my vehicle. I do carry it when I am in a pool hall and the owners of the pool hall know about it too. Pool halls usually contain some of the scum of the earth so if you walk in with a pocket full of money you need to be prepared in case you get robbed. I also carry my gun anytime I go to a poker game that is not in a casino. Ibsen posted:That last part gave me chills for some reason. So whats the secret to being a great pool player? How should I practice? If you are a beginner at pool the first thing you need to do is learn how to hold the stick properly so its not moving around. There are several ways to bridge your stick you just need to find which one feels the most comfortable. The thing I recommend most to beginners is get a empty coke 20 oz coke bottle place it on a pool table or something of similar height and practice your pool stroke. You want to be able to make the end of your cue touch the back of the coke bottle without it touching any other part of the bottle. That will help you learn the same stroke over and over. Pool is all about angles too if you are good at that sort of thing you can predict where the ball will go every time. Pool is also a lot like chess you want to look a couple of plays ahead and always map out your shots and what your going to do. Safeties are a big part of the game. Some people hate them but I could play a safe on someone they give me ball in hand and I win the match just like that. There is a lot of strategy but the most important part is practicing your stroke. The more you practice the stroke then you can worry about all the other little things that make you a better player. With me I had my uncle basically making me do drills for a few hours a day every day for a whole year before he even showed me how to put english on the ball.
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Mar 29, 2012 22:57
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jase1 posted:I own 4 different sticks. I have a break stick, a jump stick, my very first stick my uncle gave me and my main stick which cost $1200. I've never heard of there being so many kinds of cues. What's the difference between your sticks?
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Mar 30, 2012 02:12
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Nice thread, this is the best A/T thread in awhile. Do you have a "day job" or can you make enough money doing this to live on? How often do you practice, and are you still trying to improve your game, or are you at an elite enough level to beat 90% of bar dudes?
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Mar 30, 2012 03:15
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What's the most you've bet on a single game? Is "X dollars per ball" a common way to bet or is it usually full games? Also if you don't mind, I've got a personal question I've had a pool table around the house my entire life but am merely "decent". I get the strategy and can be pretty good in spurts. I went to a pool hall two nights ago and did not feel completely outclassed, although the games I played were more friendly affairs. A girl I was there with plays competitively and watching her play 9 ball was pretty amazing. I ended up joining their social league and want to not be a bottom feeder. I've got a table at home so I can practice all I want. My question is, I think I have a lovely way of holding the cue. If my fingers are on the table, the cue rests on the top of my thumb towards the inside of my hand and slides between my index and middle finger. I hope that makes some sense. Anyways it seems like most tutorials teach a different way of doing it but I've held it this way my entire life. Should I take the time to re-learn everything or just stick with what I've been doing? I realize this might be hard to answer because you can't see what my shot looks like IRL. Bishop fucked around with this message at 04:30 on Mar 30, 2012 |
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Mar 30, 2012 04:24
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Are you making a sideways V with your index and middle fingers? That's the only way I can translate your words. If that's the way you bridge, definitely change, because there's no lateral stabilization. A good video of grip and bridge technique can be found here.
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Mar 30, 2012 05:58
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MC Hawking fucked around with this message at 17:15 on Jun 15, 2014 |
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Mar 30, 2012 06:11
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Do chicks ever hang off your arms and you need to brush them aside saying "Ladies, wait your turn"?
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Mar 30, 2012 06:33
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Have you ever lost a game on purpose in order to spare yourself a beating or worse? If so, can you share the story?
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Mar 30, 2012 10:02
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jase1 posted:Safeties are a big part of the game. Some people hate them but I could play a safe on someone they give me ball in hand and I win the match just like that. What's a safety? Also, do you ever feel guilty doing what you do? Not so much the bets where both players are fully aware of the consequences and the skill level of their opponent, but rather the part about pretending to be a below-average player so you can take advantage of intoxicated people, and purposefully getting them more intoxicated to better take advantage of them? It seems like you'd make more enemies in one night than most of us can rack up in a year. Is that something you can just shrug off, or does it weigh on you at all?
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Mar 30, 2012 10:20
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Liquid Criminal posted:I've never heard of there being so many kinds of cues. What's the difference between your sticks? The break stick is only used on breaks. The reason I do that is because if I use my main stick to break it can crack the stick and I don't want that to happen. The jump cue is small cue with a shortened handle that I only use if I ever have to jump the cue ball over another ball. Then I have my first stick my uncle gave me just for nostalgia reasons and I use that to practice with at home too. an adult beverage posted:Nice thread, this is the best A/T thread in awhile. My regular job is I do collections and underwriting for a small finance company. I did a thread awhile ago about me being the guy who decides if you get to keep your car or not. If I was going to go on the road full time I think I could make a living but I have not nor will I ever become a full time road player it's way to dangerous and I'm afraid of getting stabbed. I practice everyday. I do situational practices like I will setup a bunch of balls and retry shots that I have trouble with over and over again until I can get it right. I would say that right now I could walk into any bar and beat almost %100 of the people there. If I was to go to a pool tourney like the Derby City Classic I would get my rear end handed to me and rightly so thats the gambling mecca of pool. I will get to all the questions in a few hours I just wanted to knock a few out before I get ready for work.
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Mar 30, 2012 12:26
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Hey man this seems like a really interesting thread. As for my question, how do you look? Or rather, how much does looks play into the whole hustling business? I could imagine some people will get more easily fooled by someone who looks like an inexperienced player, or maybe some feels like taking that tough looking bastard down. Or maybe it doesn't matter at all?
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Mar 30, 2012 13:05
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Bishop posted:What's the most you've bet on a single game? Is "X dollars per ball" a common way to bet or is it usually full games? Also if you don't mind, I've got a personal question Usually when I am hustling in a dive bar it's just X dollars per game depending on what the other person wants to bet. If I am gambling with someone who knows me we usually play a race. What a race is we decide how many games each of us needs to win to win the whole match. For instance we decide a race to 5 games for a $500 is what I usually do with a couple of people who love to gamble with me. There are also times when my opponent asks for weight. What that means is he knows my skill level is better then his and in order to gamble with me I have to give him some advantages. For instance I may have to win 5 games while he only has to win 3. Sometimes I also add things like let him break every match each situation is different. The most I ever bet on one match was a race to 10 for 10k. There really isn't any interesting story that goes with it. Just a guy I have played pool with along time and he was convinced he was better than me so we were going to play for 1k a game but we decided on doing the race to ten of 10k. I beat him 10-7 and the guy has never gambled with me again. I was losing that race 7-4 but made a nice comeback and won 6 straight games including 2 of those hitting the 8 on the break. As far as bridging properly goes you need to find a way that is comfortable for you as long as you keep doing the same level storke and your stance is proper you can bridge how you want. I would recommend what IfIwerearichman said and watch some tutorials. Everyone bridges differently so its hard to explain in writing I would have to show you at the table. Slopehead posted:What are some good basic strategies for a casual pool player? Can you describe the forces needed for a proper break and what kind of dispersal pattern you should be looking for? Always try to visualize the ball going in. That was a huge thing for me I noticed I started shooting a lot better if I kept my head down and eye on the object ball and visualize it going into the pocket. Also think about your next move every shot. I have a routine as soon as I step up to the table I walk around the table chalk my stick and plot out my next 3 or 4 moves. If you have no shot try to leave the cueball on the rail or farther down the table from your opponents balls. It's also a good move to leave the cueball behind a group of balls so you don't give your opponent an easy shot. Another good thing to do is visualize where the cueball will go after it makes contact with your object ball. You want to setup your next shot and not leave yourself out of position without a shot. As far as breaking goes I only break 1 way. I set the cueball up close to either of the side rails behind the line I aim for the second ball in the rack and I put low english on it and if done right it will get the 8 moving on the table and potential going in. If you can master just this shot alone it will improve your game tremendously because it increases your chances of winning right of the break. Here is a video from Dr. Cue who I have met at several pool tourneys and the guy knows his poo poo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=?embed?MB705q8EwBg Edit: I am not sure how to embed a video it doesn't seem to be working when I look at it so I will leave the link here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB705q8EwBg I specifically drink Bacardi and cokes all night long. It doesn't give me a hangover and I can drink 6 or 7 without it affecting my game. If I am going to be in a marathon session I don't drink at all. I just drink water all night. If I am hustling I also sometimes fake like I am already drunk in the bar which in turn can attract more people to gamble with me. Mr.Showtime posted:Do chicks ever hang off your arms and you need to brush them aside saying "Ladies, wait your turn"? I wish! Seriously though when I was younger, I am 35 now but when I was 21 and just starting to be able to drink legally it was a very easy way to pick up women coming into a bar and basically taking over the table or destroying their macho boyfriends and making them look foolish. Now that I am older I don't need an ego boost like that plus I have been with my girlfriend for 5 years and wouldn't want to gently caress that up. Ice Phisherman posted:Have you ever lost a game on purpose in order to spare yourself a beating or worse? If so, can you share the story? The only time I have ever lost on purpose was to boost someones ego into thinking they can beat me again some other time with more money on the line. There are also times that I lose on purpose to help me get an advantage in playing someone. If I can get someone to let me win 4 games before they win 5 thats a huge advantage and you would be surprised how many guys love to give weight to an opponent if they feel they are better than them. A new guy moved her from Michigan 4 years ago and thought he was king poo poo. I would see him at the poolhalls always shooting for money so I played him a few games and lost $300 bucks to him. I told him I wanted to get a chance to get my money back. I met him again the next week and took him for $1500. His ego was so big he just couldn't believe that he was losing to me and kept wanting to try and get even. We are actually pretty good friends now and we shoot a lot together.
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Mar 30, 2012 15:17
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Shasta Orange Soda posted:What's a safety? On every shot you have to hit one of "your" pool balls before you hit the other guy's (so if you're solids, you have to hit a solid ball before you hit a striped one). If you hit his first, or don't hit any balls at all, it's a scratch. A safety is when you don't think you can make a ball on this shot, and since you're going to give the next shot to your opponent anyway you deliberately hit the ball so it touches one of your balls first & ends up with the cue ball somewhere where it's really difficult for your opponent to hit one of his balls first. Worst case scenario he makes a miracle shot, but more often than not he barely escapes with a crappy safety and leaves you in decent position for your next shot. As the OP says, non-great players (for example, the ones you find in bars, drunk & stressed out by the thought of getting hustled) usually scratch, give him ball in hand and from there he can run the table. (Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, 95% of my experience lies in boring summer days watching billiards on ESPN.)
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Mar 30, 2012 16:00
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The Copper Kaiser posted:Hey man this seems like a really interesting thread. It's weird I don't really try to look anyway specifically. I change my facial hair all the time from full on beard to goatee to clean shaven but thats just because I get lazy. I always just wear what I normally wear every day. The key is how you hold the stick, or how you shoot, or even acting like I am drunk or stoned. I do put on a stoner voice sometimes or slur my speech and act like I'm hosed up when really I am just acting like an idiot to make it look like I'm wasted. I have gotten quite good at acting like I'm drunk when I am really stone sober. One thing that I am very cautious is exposing how much money I am carrying. I usually keep money in my pool case hidden away and I also separate money that is in my pockets. If I am paying for drinks at the bar with cash I just keep a few 20's in my front pocket and bankroll in my jacket or back pocket. I never want to to look like I am carrying a lot of money for a few reasons, such as being robbed but it also may make the person suspicious that I am carrying around 1k in my pocket. Anytime I am gambling with someone I usually act like I have to go to the ATM or I go to the bathroom and get my money straight so people don't see how much I am really carrying. If I am playing for a lot of money in a pool hall I always have someone with me who carries the money. He is also sort of like my bodyguard and will warn me if poo poo goes down he also carries a weapon with him. I pay him a small percentage of what I win. Thankfully he has never had to do anything serious except a couple of times just warn me that people where talking about me and maybe plotting something. He just tells me lets go and we get the hell out of there. oldskool posted:On every shot you have to hit one of "your" pool balls before you hit the other guy's (so if you're solids, you have to hit a solid ball before you hit a striped one). If you hit his first, or don't hit any balls at all, it's a scratch. Nope you are correct. I love those ESPN billiards shows I have about 50 of them taped on my DVR and will watch them constantly. They give you good advice on how to get out situations and also it helps to watch someone better than you and how they approach the table and shot selections. The only thing I would add to this is when you are making a safety you have to make sure that after you make contact with one of your balls either the object ball or the cue has to touch the rail after the first contact. There are times that you get into a safety battle where each player plays safeties on each other until one makes a mistake giving them an opening. There are a lot of players in leagues especially who say safeties are bullshit and I usually play extra safeties on them just to rattle their cage. I will take any advantage I can get legally and by pissing someone off it takes them out of their game. So when the guy gives me ball in hand 3 times in a game he is usually pissed at me or himself so it's an advantage because he will lose focus.
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Mar 30, 2012 16:37
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Thanks for the answers/tips. This is a cool thread. I'll probably stick with the way I bridge because I'm pretty consistent with it and I think trying to change it at this point would be like fundamentally changing a golf swing that you've been using for years. I'm not trying to become a pro or anything and I don't want to suck for a couple of months just to potentially be better in the future.
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Mar 30, 2012 18:17
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Bishop posted:Thanks for the answers/tips. This is a cool thread. I'll probably stick with the way I bridge because I'm pretty consistent with it and I think trying to change it at this point would be like fundamentally changing a golf swing that you've been using for years. I'm not trying to become a pro or anything and I don't want to suck for a couple of months just to potentially be better in the future. As someone who had to completely change my stance and bridge after a spinal surgery, I say stick to anything that is working for you. It has been almost three years for me, and I'm still nowhere near as consistent as I was pre-surgery.
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Mar 30, 2012 18:20
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Awesome thread -- makes me want to head downtown and start playing again. I've never been very good at gambling, and as an amateur pool player I usually just play for drinks and quarters for another game at a lovely local dive. My question: how should I go about stepping up to better gambling with friends and strangers?
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Mar 30, 2012 19:32
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Excellent thread! It's making me want to rescue the pool table from my parents basement, but I don't think I have enough room for it at my house  I never play any more and when I did I was never better than an intermediate beginner, but it's fun either way!
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Mar 30, 2012 19:51
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So I talked earlier in the thread about a hustle me and my my uncle Frank run on drunks. First let me describe Frank. He is 5'1" with a beer gut and huge beard and is always the loudest guy at the bar. He talks poo poo and will back it up. I have been around a couple of times he has gotten into fights and I would dare not gently caress with this man. The best story I could use to describe him is this one. He use to own a pool hall and it was a really popular one. He always held the money for big time pool matches. Some thugs found out about this and tried to rob him. They showed up with weapons and took everything from everyone in the hall at the time. So instead of doing the right thing and calling the police as soon as the the thugs left he actually got into his vehicle chased them down to some gas station and beat the poo poo out of all 3 of them and not only took the money and belongings back that they stole but he robbed them. He was arrested and charged with assault and something else but I can't remember what specifically the charge was. The man has no fear and to be honest I don't even know if the story is true but family members all stick by the story it may have just become legend around pool halls and things were added I just know people do not gently caress with this guy. So here is the hustle Frank shows up at a bar around 5 pm and starts drinking and shooting pool looking like he just got off work. He continues to drink and the drunker he gets the more he starts talking poo poo about how no one in this place can beat him at pool. He may even beat a few guys but not for money just beat them for free drinks. Around 8 or 9 pm depending on how things are going he will call me up (or the other person involved in the hustle) and tell me its time to come to the bar. I show up and just start kicking everyones rear end in pool including his. He pretends to get more and more frustrated and then ask me to gamble with him. I tell him I don't have any money but if I did I would wipe the floor with him. He calls me names and things get animated this goes on for awhile all while I am continually kicking everyones rear end at the table. Eventually people get so pissed that they want me to shut him up so they start saying they will bet Frank I can beat him. The first match I win and Frank pays everyone up but he is dropping hints that he has a lot of money and is going to make sure he gets it back. So then people start increasing the bet with frank usually how it works it starts around $50-$100 for the first match then increases as more people think that he is going to blow all his money while I continue to kick this guys rear end. The second game I beat him really bad to the point it looks like he is embarrassed. Again Frank gets the guys to increase the bet. Once we get to around $200-$300 a game thats when I start losing. The third game I make it look like it was a fluke like I scratch on the 8-ball or give him really good position on a ball and he runs out for the win. He goes nuts and talks a lot of poo poo pissing people off so I start saying stuff like I'm sorry guys it just happened but I know I can beat this guy again just give me another chance. The fourth match is usually where all the big money is up for grabs. I have seen guys practically begging Frank to bet him because they feel like I can kick his rear end. I lose the fourth match and Frank cleans up. Sometimes we can keep the hustle going I have seen people go to the ATM and take money out just to bet with Frank that I can beat him. I continually lose until people run out of money or Frank feels like he has taken the hustle as far as it can go without getting suspicious. I usually by the guys a round of drinks to apologize and bitch about what an rear end in a top hat that guy was while Frank leaves. I eventually leave and we split up the money. That hustle usually gets us around $500-2500 depending on the type of atmosphere we are in. If it's a dive bar you make less money but if it's a nice place like in downtown you can make some serious cash. The best part about the hustle is Frank really is hammered drunk but for some reason it does not affect his pool game the man is a machine. Bromonium posted:Awesome thread -- makes me want to head downtown and start playing again. I've never been very good at gambling, and as an amateur pool player I usually just play for drinks and quarters for another game at a lovely local dive. I am not really sure how to make someone a better gambler to be honest. The easiest way to get someone to gamble with you is to insult their ego especially if they are with people who they want to impress. This may sound mean but recently anyone with an affliction shirt seems to want to just give me tons of money. I don't know if they think they are MMA fighters and they have a rep to up hold but they always want to gamble with me especially if my girlfriend is with me. Its like they are showing her that they are macho and I am not. I don't really know why they are just douches. Edit: I forgot to respond to one of the questions and I want to do that before I forget again. Shasta Orange Soda posted:Also, do you ever feel guilty doing what you do? Not so much the bets where both players are fully aware of the consequences and the skill level of their opponent, but rather the part about pretending to be a below-average player so you can take advantage of intoxicated people, and purposefully getting them more intoxicated to better take advantage of them? It seems like you'd make more enemies in one night than most of us can rack up in a year. Is that something you can just shrug off, or does it weigh on you at all? I never feel bad for anyone that gambles. This is a choice they make on their own if they make bad choices while intoxicated then they should stop becoming intoxicated. Most of the people I gamble with or hustle I rarely ever see them again so maybe that is why I don't feel bad because I don't see the impact of losing that money on them. My parents are very deeply religious and have a major problem with what I do. I could blame them for being a latch key kid who basically grew up in a pool hall but it was ultimately my decision to become a gambler. Most of the presents I purchase for my parents are from the money I have won. I bought my dad the first Ipad when it came out and it was all from my gambling bankroll. He loved the gift but about an hour later he was lecturing me on how awful it was to gamble I told him if you have a problem with me gambling then give me the Ipad back because thats what paid for it, of course he didn't give it back but since then he has laid low on the gambling is evil talk. jase1 fucked around with this message at 20:55 on Mar 30, 2012 |
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Mar 30, 2012 20:10
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jase1 posted:I never feel bad for anyone that gambles. This is a choice they make on their own if they make bad choices while intoxicated then they should stop becoming intoxicated. I feel that you really can't cheat someone who is gambling. Gambling is a risk. Don't risk money you're afraid to lose. Furthermore, if the money is coming too easily either the person is a serious moron or you're getting played. How often does someone realize that you're hustling them and then they walk out with the money you were sinking into them before you can win it and their money back?
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Mar 30, 2012 22:58
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How do you manage drinking while playing for serious money? I assume you have to at least look like you are drinking in order to fit in, how do you make sure it doesn't affect your play?
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Mar 30, 2012 23:21
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Ice Phisherman posted:How often does someone realize that you're hustling them and then they walk out with the money you were sinking into them before you can win it and their money back? That has happened quite a few times and I usually try to at least win my money back but when the jig is up most of the time people leave. I just chalk it up as a loss and move on. quote:How do you manage drinking while playing for serious money? I assume you have to at least look like you are drinking in order to fit in, how do you make sure it doesn't affect your play? I can drink roughly 6 or 7 double rum and cokes and it won't mess with the way I play. Sometimes I order just a coke in between and most bars put that in the same glass as a double. If I am gambling for serious money I don't drink at all I just drink water and eat a small meal. Sometimes when I am gambling for serious money it can be up to 40 some hours with a few breaks here and there. The longest session I have ever played was 62 hours with 1 5 hour break for sleep.
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Mar 30, 2012 23:54
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Why are the pockets on American pool tables twice as big as UK pool tables? The one time I visited America and played pool, I felt I was playing in the childrens part of the pool world. I mean, I'm poo poo at pool but playing with pockets that huge I imagined myself king of pool playing it was that much easier to play.
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Mar 31, 2012 19:38
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