Hustling

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For other uses, see Hustle (disambiguation) and Hustler (disambiguation).
For the 2006 single by Rick Ross, see Hustlin'. For the 2000 album by Kardinal Offishall, see Husslin'. For the 1975 film, see Hustling (film). For the 1964 album by Stanley Turrentine, see Hustlin' (album).

Hustling is the deceptive act of disguising one's skill in a

pocket billiards (pool), but also can be performed with regard to other sports and gambling activities. Hustlers may also engage in "sharking"—distracting, disheartening, enraging, or even threatening their opponents—to throw them off. Hustlers are thus often called "pool sharks". Professional and semi-pro hustlers sometimes work with a "stakehorse"—a person who provides the money for the hustler to bet with (and who may assist in the hustling)—in exchange for a substantial portion of all winnings. Another form of hustling (often engaged in by the same hustlers who use the skill-disguising technique) is challenging "marks" (swindle targets) to bet on trick shots
that seem nearly impossible but at which the hustler is exceptionally skilled.
speed chess
against any takers. Unlike most hustlers, chess hustlers are often assumed to be skilled and are seen as a challenge.

Pool hustling techniques

Pool hustlers use deception and misdirection in order to win cash from inexperienced players (or skilled players inexperienced with the world of hustling). A skilled hustler:

  • will usually play with a low-quality "house" cue stick provided by the pool hall, or an unadorned but high-quality personal cue that looks like one, known as a "sneaky pete" (or, with the nascence of local competitive league play in recent years, may play with a flashy-looking but evidently low-end personal cue, to give the impression that the hustler is a beginning league player);
  • will typically play a game or two for "fun" or for low bets (a beer or equivalent amount of cash, for example) in order to check out the opponent and give the impression that money can easily be won, often losing on purpose (known as "sandbagging" or "dumping") – with the intent of winning a much larger wager later against a predictably overconfident opponent;
  • will pocket some difficult and impressive shots or make surprisingly secure safety shots (ones crucial for winning), while missing many simple ones, thus making early victories appear to be sheer luck (a variant being the theatrical almost-making of shots that inexperienced players may think of as crucial mistakes, but which really give away very little advantage);
  • may pretend to be intoxicated, unintelligent, or otherwise impaired (that is, until it is time to run the table or make a game-winning shot).
  • when betting on trick shots, may intentionally miss the first or several times and lose a small amount, then raise the bet to an amount well beyond the loss and succeed at the well-practiced feat.

Many of these ploys can easily be mistaken for the honest faults of a less-than-exceptional player. The engendered doubt and uncertainty is what allows hustling to succeed, with the "faults" being dropped when a significant amount of money is at stake.

In popular culture

Pool hustling is the subject of numerous works of popular culture. In

Supernatural, Dean and Sam Winchester
, are also pool hustlers as one of their sources of income (various episodes, 2005–2020).

Notable real-life hustlers

Notable books about and/or by hustlers

  • Byrne, Robert; McGoorty, Danny. McGoorty: A Billiard Hustler's Life, also published as McGoorty: A Pool Room Hustler. (nonfiction; published in 1984/2003)
  • Dyer, R.A. Dyer (2003). Hustler Days: Minnesota Fats, Wimpy Lassiter, Jersey Red, and America's Great Age of Pool.
    ISBN 1-59228-104-4
    .     (nonfiction)
  • Henning, Bob (1995). Cornbread Red: Pool's Greatest Money Player.
    ISBN 1-887956-34-4
    . (biography)
  • ISBN 0-670-16667-7
    . (novel)
  • LeBlanc, Robert "Cotton" (2010). Confessions of a Pool Hustler.
    ISBN 978-0-9823350-5-5
    . (autobiography)
  • McCumber, David (1996). Playing off the Rail: A Pool Hustler's Journey.
    ISBN 0-679-42374-5
    . (non-fiction)
  • ISBN 0-380-00860-2
    . (a novel)
  • Tevis, Walter (1984).
    ISBN 0-446-32353-5
    . (the sequel)
In a similar vein, but about other sports

Notable films about hustlers and hustling

In a similar vein, but about other sports:

Notable fictional hustlers

See also

Look up smurf account in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
  • Advantage player § Comp hustling

References

  1. ^ Damon Runyon Omnibus at Project Gutenberg Australia
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