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Do serious pool players take awkward trick shots? When I'm messing around with my friends I can sink shots holding the pool cue behind my back or something like that, and sometimes it seems better than trying to lean all the way across the table for a bad angle. What kind of trick shots are practical to use in a competitive game?
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Mar 31, 2012 21:46
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asbo subject posted:Why are the pockets on American pool tables twice as big as UK pool tables? I didn't know that the sizes were different. It maybe that you played on a larger table. Different size tables have wider or slimmer pockets depending on the type of table and the size of the table. Chamale posted:Do serious pool players take awkward trick shots? When I'm messing around with my friends I can sink shots holding the pool cue behind my back or something like that, and sometimes it seems better than trying to lean all the way across the table for a bad angle. What kind of trick shots are practical to use in a competitive game? There are several shots that could be considered trick shots that I use all the time. There is the Masse' shot. Basically you are making the ball curve around another ball with a crazy amount of spin on it. I also jump balls sometimes if I have no other options. I don't use the behind the back shot unless I have no other options. It can be hard to control what the cue ball does after you take a shot like that.
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Mar 31, 2012 22:31
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jase1 posted:I didn't know that the sizes were different. It maybe that you played on a larger table. Different size tables have wider or slimmer pockets depending on the type of table and the size of the table. No, the pockets were huge and the table was the same size. I even looked at other pool tables in Amrica and the pockets were huge on every table I looked at. It was like playing pool on the easy level.
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Mar 31, 2012 22:38
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asbo subject posted:No, the pockets were huge and the table was the same size. I even looked at other pool tables in Amrica and the pockets were huge on every table I looked at. Sounds like someone wants to bet on a game of pool.
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Mar 31, 2012 22:59
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asbo subject posted:No, the pockets were huge and the table was the same size. I even looked at other pool tables in Amrica and the pockets were huge on every table I looked at. Yes, UK-standard tables have smaller pockets than US-standard ones, look it up on wikipedia or something to find the real names for the two types.
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Mar 31, 2012 23:12
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Midjack posted:Yes, UK-standard tables have smaller pockets than US-standard ones, look it up on wikipedia or something to find the real names for the two types. Ah- see it now. Like every British sport or game the Americans have to take all skill, thought or tactics out of it. Look what your country did to rugby and rounders. I now understand why you don't play cricket. (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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Mar 31, 2012 23:35
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asbo subject posted:Ah- see it now. What is rounders?
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Apr 1, 2012 00:06
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asbo subject posted:Ah- see it now. pretty sure billiards is originally french man, but it's nice to see brits taking credit for continental inventions again
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Apr 1, 2012 01:34
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Elemennop posted:pretty sure billiards is originally french man, but it's nice to see brits taking credit for continental inventions again Great thread, jase1, a fantastic look into hustling. Do you ever doing any gambling outside of the pool scene? Buying the odd lottery ticket or playing the ponies or anything?
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Apr 1, 2012 02:04
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You name it I have or will gamble on it. I bet on sports, horribly I might add, I also bet on the horses especially in the summer. I like to go the live tracks. I also play alot of poker. Poker is another thing that has been in my family since I remember. Every family get together we played nickel dime poker after dinner. I was 13 years old when I first was allowed to play poker and I won $3.23. I also do alot of prop bets. My next prop bet will be in a couple weeks when the weather gets warmer. A guy I play poker with considers himself to be the best golfer around. I am an awful golfer. I know the basics and can swing a club decent but I have no clue on distance and proper swing technique and all that. The bet is we play 18 holes on a course of my choosing. He gives me a 67 stroke lead. For every stroke he beats me by I pay him 25 bucks a stroke. For every stroke I beat him by he pays me $75 per stroke. I have alot more of those but I don't know if you guys would be interested in hearing them.
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Apr 1, 2012 02:20
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You mentioned having several cues. Just how different are cues? You said your good one was over 1k. Is it the weight, finish on it or what, made of more "bouncy" materials or what?
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Apr 1, 2012 08:23
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Have you ever seen Poolhall Junkies? If so, how realistic are those scenarios compared to what you do?
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Apr 1, 2012 09:13
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Darth Freddy posted:You mentioned having several cues. Just how different are cues? You said your good one was over 1k. Is it the weight, finish on it or what, made of more "bouncy" materials or what? It seems like every few years someone designs or invents a way to supposedly make the cue better. There are wood cues, fiberglass cues and metal cues. I have always used a wood cue. It feels natural and I just am from the old school that likes the wood cues. There are also different weights that you can get. I use a lighter cue that is 17 oz. Your standard bar cue is usually 19 or 21 oz cues. I like a lighter cue because it helps me keep the same exact stroke every time. The tip can also vary too. I like a leather tip that is about the size of the dime. I can put better english on the ball with a smaller tip helping me control it better on the table. It all comes down to what you are most comfortable with because everyone is different. matthew j posted:Have you ever seen Poolhall Junkies? If so, how realistic are those scenarios compared to what you do? I can quote that movie word for word I have seen it so many times. There are things about the movie that are realistic. Most of the pool hall scenes early on were they are hustling local players is spot on. In most pool halls there is always regulars who love to gamble and are really bad at it. They stick around and think they are getting better but in reality they are just like the movie says junkies. They won't listen to advice to make them a better player so they just lose money constantly. I have never seen a major showdown like the movie but I have heard old stories of stuff like that happening. This may sound corny but a few times if I was going to play a road player in town or setup a big money match I watch the lions scene from the bathroom just as a little motivation because that scene is so perfect.
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Apr 1, 2012 15:54
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jase1 posted:The bet is we play 18 holes on a course of my choosing. He gives me a 67 stroke lead. Play the easiest course you can find, from the shortest tees possible.
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Apr 1, 2012 15:57
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Have you ever choked playing a big money game? You mentioned a story of a race to 10 games where you won 6 straight to come from behind. Has it been the other way around for you?
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Apr 1, 2012 16:53
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I saw the 2-man scam you ran with your uncle; what's the biggest/most complicated you've participated in? Have you ever used rigged equipment? How do you keep other people from using gaffed equipment against you?
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Apr 1, 2012 17:56
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Have you ever had to drive down to the pool hall in the middle of the night to hustle the hustlers that are hustling your smartass nephew from Philly only to teach him a lesson about the dark side of pool in the end?
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Apr 1, 2012 17:59
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psydude posted:Have you ever had to drive down to the pool hall in the middle of the night to hustle the hustlers that are hustling your smartass nephew from Philly only to teach him a lesson about the dark side of pool in the end? Uncle Phil had some great moves.
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Apr 1, 2012 18:04
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drat if you don't make interesting threads! I have two questions. First, is there such a thing as "natural" talent at pool like there seems to be in other sports or is it just something you get good at through practice alone? For example, some people who are extremly good at baseball will never be able to play pro ball regardless of how much they practice. Is billards similar? Could you make it to the pros if you really wanted to? Second: Ever been beat by a woman? Acres of Quakers fucked around with this message at 18:55 on Apr 1, 2012 |
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Apr 1, 2012 18:10
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Thanks for the excellent thread, OP. You already discussed it a bit, but could you go into more depth about your views on the ethics of what you are doing? Do you think your actions are ethical? What are the lines that you won't cross?
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Apr 1, 2012 19:14
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blah_blah posted:Play the easiest course you can find, from the shortest tees possible. I already have a course picked out and I have a friend helping me with my swing at the driving range. I have a medium course picked with lots of bunkers. The reason I picked the one with lots of bunkers is that is my opponents weakest part of his game. If he gets frustrated early he tends to play worse per other people he regularly golfs with. iLikeMidgets posted:Have you ever choked playing a big money game? You mentioned a story of a race to 10 games where you won 6 straight to come from behind. Has it been the other way around for you? There are too many times to remember them all but I have choked a lot. It's apart of gambling some nights things just don't go your way. Some nights I have other poo poo on my mind and lose focus. There is this young kid named Scooter who I talked about earlier in the thread. He lost 15k to a pro like it was nothing. There have been rumblings that he has an inheritance and he is gambling it away but no one knows for sure where he gets his bankroll or if someone is backing him he just always has money. He is a road player but when he comes back into town he has this small entourage with him wherever he is. In the last 3 years that I have known Scooter we have gambled twice. The first time I played him in a 10-8 race for 2k, I had to win 10 before he won 8. I crushed him 10-2 and there was a little bit of controversy about if I made a legal shot in one of the games with a lot of arguing about it. I feel like I made a legal hit everyone watching agreed and when there is a dispute it usually goes to the shooter but there really is no rules in gambling thats kind of a respect thing it's kind of up to the 2 shooters to come to an agreement. We decided to scratch the game and re-rack with me getting the break. Naturally to add more fuel to the fire I hit the 8 on the break and a couple of people watching started poo poo to scooter and his entourage. After that match there is some bad blood nothing violent or crazy but we just don't like each other. It's a little like a new school vs. old school thing. So I am at local bar shooting and drinking one night and Scooter shows up with his entourage and we get into it and in the heat of the moment and pure ego on my part I agree to play him for 5k in a 10-7 race, I have to win 10 before he wins 7 he chooses the pool hall and the choice of cueball. I tell alot of my friends about it because I want alot of people there with me to keep scooters entourage in check. They tend to do some lovely things like standing close to the table or getting in my eyesight during tough shots. Just small hustling things that will give a player an edge. I am so worried about his stupid entourage that the whole match they are in my head and he whips my rear end 7-2. I choked big time in front of a lot of people. While at the time it sucked really bad I actually ended up getting some more action later on because I looked like a choke artist and it took a year and some nice wins to realize that I don't always choke in big matches. Midjack posted:I saw the 2-man scam you ran with your uncle; what's the biggest/most complicated you've participated in? Have you ever used rigged equipment? How do you keep other people from using gaffed equipment against you? I am curious what tipped you off to the 2 man hustle. Did they get busted or was it successful and you just noticed it? The 2-man hustle is the biggest thing I have done. I usually hustle by myself it's easier and I'd rather not split money. I have never used rigged equipment and as far as I know I don't think anyone has used it against me. There are a number of things I do before I gamble with someone. I take about 5 minutes and study the table hitting every rail with the cueball at different speeds to see if there is a drift or a dead rail. I also watch when my opponent racks for me because you can loose rack someone and it can really screw up the break. When you have been around pool equipment all your life you will instantly spot something out that isn't right. There are often times people try to gamble on an uneven table but I can spot that and actually use it to my advantage. I did have a guy switch cueballs on me once he changed it to a heavier cueball but the minute I picked it up to break I knew what type of cueball it was so it didn't hurt me at all.
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Apr 1, 2012 19:31
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jase1 posted:I am curious what tipped you off to the 2 man hustle. Did they get busted or was it successful and you just noticed it? The 2-man hustle is the biggest thing I have done. I usually hustle by myself it's easier and I'd rather not split money. Oh no, I wasn't there - I mean I saw you mention it in the thread. As best I know we've never met. 
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Apr 1, 2012 19:50
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Do you ever see yourself stopping or scaling back on hustling?
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Apr 2, 2012 03:56
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jase1 posted:I can quote that movie word for word I have seen it so many times. There are things about the movie that are realistic. Most of the pool hall scenes early on were they are hustling local players is spot on. In most pool halls there is always regulars who love to gamble and are really bad at it. They stick around and think they are getting better but in reality they are just like the movie says junkies. They won't listen to advice to make them a better player so they just lose money constantly. I have never seen a major showdown like the movie but I have heard old stories of stuff like that happening. This may sound corny but a few times if I was going to play a road player in town or setup a big money match I watch the lions scene from the bathroom just as a little motivation because that scene is so perfect. Awesome! That movie is a favorite of mine as well, but I've always wondered what actual pool players thought of it.
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Apr 2, 2012 04:09
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jase1 posted:I already have a course picked out and I have a friend helping me with my swing at the driving range. I have a medium course picked with lots of bunkers. The reason I picked the one with lots of bunkers is that is my opponents weakest part of his game. If he gets frustrated early he tends to play worse per other people he regularly golfs with. It doesn't matter if bunkers are the worst part of his game, if he is better out of them then you (given how much he plays, that seems likely), you are better off having less bunkers. Trust me, easy course with no trouble is by far the best decision. You should literally play the ladies tees if possible. Sounds like you got amazing terms though, you should crush him either way.
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Apr 2, 2012 04:31
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jase1 posted:I don't use the behind the back shot unless I have no other options.
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Apr 2, 2012 06:56
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Sheeit this is an interesting thread. How do you handle playing on crappy tables? Do you just avoid them? I spent the last 6 months working in Canada and closest bar's table had all kinds of lovely warps in it that would make my normally decent game look like arse. Seems like my game on better quality tables has suffered a bit now.
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Apr 2, 2012 15:26
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Dirty Sanchez posted:drat if you don't make interesting threads! I have two questions. I am not sure about the natural talent thing. I have never seen someone who just picked up a stick and was really good. I am sure there is but as far as I know most people who I shoot with have played for years and practice a lot. I have shot against a couple of pro's in Vegas and they always kick my rear end. I don't think I am good enough to go pro and to be honest it's not something I am interested in ever doing. Not only have I been beaten by a woman I was hustled by one and lost $500 bucks. I was shooting pool one day with some friends and I was drunk. This guy was taking mad poo poo and I took $150 off of him in 3 games. I noticed his girlfriend was with him and she was beautiful. I was actually distracted by how beautiful she was. I was feeling a little cocky and was joking around and said that they could shoot doubles to try and get their money back. They jumped right on the idea and I should have known something was up but you know I was distracted and drunk lol. I won 2 more games for a total of $250. They both seem to be getting upset now and I decide I am going to have a little fun with them. I give them the option of playing me in a race 5-2. If they win I will give them their money back. I am up 3-0 and I scratch going for the 8 on the break to make the race 3-1. They beat me the next match to make it 3-2 and they win their $250 back. I am pretty pissed that I cost myself the game so not only am I drunk, distracted by how beautiful this woman is, I am now pissed at myself that I just had to give them their money back. Some poo poo talking happens and she gets under my skin and says she can beat me herself. We decide on the terms of the bet being a 5-2 race with her getting all the breaks for $500. She kicks my rear end 2-0 and I realize after the first match when she breaks and runs on me that I have been hustled. They don't even try to get more money out of me they take my $500 pay my tab without me knowing and leave. I have no clue who she was and no one else knew them either. I felt like such an idiot but at the same time I was impressed at how well their hustle worked. I imagine they are road players and probably do pretty good at it. confused posted:Thanks for the excellent thread, OP. You already discussed it a bit, but could you go into more depth about your views on the ethics of what you are doing? Do you think your actions are ethical? What are the lines that you won't cross? I never really think about the things I do as unethical. I never really stay in contact with most of the people that I hustle. I never see the impact I am causing by taking their money. I think my actions are fine and see nothing wrong with it. It's gambling and anyone who knowingly enters in a bet regardless of how bad they are at disadvantage they still made the choice themselves to take a risk. It's the same thing as casinos in my opinion. They don't know how bad their customers are in debt or that joe blow is using his rent money to gamble they just want your money. The only line I won't cross is cheating. I will not switch pool cues or use rigged equipment. I use what is provided unless I bring my own stick then I use that. Does that answer your questions? I have no problem talking about ethics it's just that I don't think about it very often so its hard to explain my position on it. I work in a job that cause a lot of people to hate my guts some people think it is unethical what I do but I don't. blackguy32 posted:Do you ever see yourself stopping or scaling back on hustling? No. I will shoot pool and hustle people until the day I die or until I can no longer physically do it. I am addicted to it and love everything about the game itself. I enjoy hustling and the feeling you get when you win is better then any drug out there and I am sure I have tried them all at some point in my life. I have a few friends who I went to school with that are in the film buisness. We have talked several times about making a documentary about pool hustling because I think people would be fascinated by it. It's just hard to get actual pool hustlers to talk and let cameras film what they do. Plus where most of the big time gambling occurs it happens at pool tournaments and the people who run them don't want to be associated with gambling. OneEightHundred posted:What kind of situation would allow a behind-the-back shot but not another option? The only time I would use a behind the back shot is if the place I am playing does not have a bridge and that is my only shot I can take at the time. It very rarely happens though. j_a_s_e posted:Sheeit this is an interesting thread. I don't mind playing on a crappy table at all it will only cause my opponent to play poorly. I have played on so many tables that I can adjust my game accordingly to an uneven table or dead rails or even holes in the felt. I feel a crappy table gives me an advantage because I know how to control the cueball. jase1 fucked around with this message at 18:49 on Apr 2, 2012 |
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Apr 2, 2012 18:43
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blah_blah posted:Play the easiest course you can find, from the shortest tees possible. Mini golf.
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Apr 2, 2012 19:33
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This thread is awesome. Has anybody ever snapped a cue stick over their knee and brandished it as a weapon?
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Apr 2, 2012 20:08
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OneEightHundred posted:What kind of situation would allow a behind-the-back shot but not another option? I play pretty often and in this situation I'll always do a behind-the-back if there's no bridge.  Basically, the ideal stick position is impossible to get in my regular stance, because the table is in the way of my body. Doing behind-the-back lets you get your stick in the right position, although I find it way harder to shoot well so I try to avoid it. I've had people accuse me of showboating for doing this but honestly that couldn't be farther from the truth - I have little confidence in my ability to shoot from this position. Also, this thread rules.
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Apr 2, 2012 21:30
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Spiffo posted:Mini golf. Was thinking that, too. Or a pitch and putt.
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Apr 2, 2012 21:47
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Juanito posted:This thread is awesome. I wish I had an amazing story like that but no. I did talk earlier in the thread about guy losing his poo poo and just swinging at us wildly with the cue. I didn't have the guts to stick around and find out the aftermath. I usually try to stay out of dangerous situations like that people are crazy and if you add alcohol and gambling to the mix it produces unpredictable results.
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Apr 2, 2012 22:24
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Any good at snooker? At school I used to play pool occasionally, and was very mediocre. But at least I read a book and knew what I was supposed to be doing. Then a bud of mine and I decided to check out one of the serious snooker/pool halls in town - no booze, no music, no loving around allowed. Holy poo poo. Snooker tables are loving HUGE (6' x 12'), which means that they have around 80% more surface area than a regulation tournament pool table (I believe), and are probably about twice the size of the lovely coin-operated tables in bars. AND the pockets are tiny. We played for two hours without clearing the table. Repeated that a couple of times and then gave up. Is there any sort of cross-over between players, or do you play one game or the other? Compare and contrast, please. edit: ever had to repo any tables or $3k cues?
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Apr 2, 2012 23:09
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Is hustling a common thing in pool halls? From reading this thread, I got the impression that hustling is a far more common occurrence than I would have guessed. And would you happen to know if hustling occurs in other "hall"-type games, like bowling or darts or whatever. I'm sure it does, but as someone who is completely clueless about these cultures, this is all very fascinating to me.
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Apr 2, 2012 23:20
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jase1 posted: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.
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Apr 3, 2012 00:19
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When you die, will God force you to be a ghost and shoot pool with lonely, obsessed players for eternity until you find one to replace you?
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Apr 3, 2012 00:21
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Animal-Mother posted:When you die, will God force you to be a ghost and shoot pool with lonely, obsessed players for eternity until you find one to replace you? Only if he is the very best at the time of his death.
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Apr 3, 2012 01:13
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Local Resident posted:Any good at snooker? At school I used to play pool occasionally, and was very mediocre. But at least I read a book and knew what I was supposed to be doing. There is one Snooker table that I know of in my area. Every time I have shot pool in the poll hall there it's either empty or a group of Asian guys are playing it. It is a huge table with red felt and no pockets I have asked the owner a couple of times but even he doesn't know how to play. Those guys requested it and they give him good business so he has it in the pool hall. Never had to repo anything like that. My uncle Frank still has a yellow mini dirtbike that was given to him to settle a debt. It's pretty funny watching him ride it around on his property because its a mini bike and he has a beer gut and he is really short. He is pretty happy about that one because the kid he gambled with had to walk home. Baggot posted:Is hustling a common thing in pool halls? From reading this thread, I got the impression that hustling is a far more common occurrence than I would have guessed. In my area it goes on a lot but you have to be in the places it happens. Some of the pool halls I go to don't even have windows and are in backrooms and hard to find. Some bars have big pool rooms like a Dave and Buster's so alot of pool players hang out there. The bar takes care of the tables and have pool tourneys there so in turn it puts a lot of pool players in one place at the same time which is a great time to hustle someone. I go to local tourneys and just hang out there the whole time looking for action. Dive bars don't always have hustlers usually if I am at a bar and I think I can take someone for money then I do it. Sometimes if I see a bar with a sign that is advertising pool I will just stop there and check the place out. Then coming back on the weekend to look for action. I have no clue if it happens in any of those but I do know a few guys who play cards for a living. I know they get in big games around town with rich guys and clean up. You could consider them card hustlers. Animal-Mother posted:When you die, will God force you to be a ghost and shoot pool with lonely, obsessed players for eternity until you find one to replace you? I hope this is a movie and I am missing the reference because I will watch that movie the first chance I get.
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Apr 3, 2012 01:23
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jase1 posted:I hope this is a movie and I am missing the reference because I will watch that movie the first chance I get. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734540/ Streaming on youtube if you're interested.
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Apr 3, 2012 01:34
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