How to Spot a Pool Hustler

 

 

Watch out for your pool hall hustlers!

Don’t be fooled by these players who hide their talent to win your money! A pool hustler will deceive their inexperienced opponent in order to win your cash. Hustlers also engage in a term called, “Sharking”, where they distract, enrage and even threaten you to throw your game off.  This is why the term hustler and pool shark go hand in hand. Just remember, they look for those who are overconfident, but average players to make bets with! Don’t fall for their tricks!

The two famous movies that you might have seen or heard about that are about pool sharks include; The Hustler (1961) and The Color of Money (1986). In The Hustler, “Fast Eddie” Felson has the desire to get into the profession of hustling and high stakes wagering. In The Color of Money, the film continues the story of “Fast Eddie” 25 years after the events of the previous film when he is retired.

We want to give you a few tools to help you spot a pool hustler, so you are not the one swindled out of your money! Remember these pool players are actors, psychologists and thieves, so they are really good at what they do.

 

-Hustlers play with the equipment provided at the pool hall, not to draw attention to themselves.

-Hustlers typically play a few games with you for low bets and then higher the stakes. Sometimes they even lose the first few, to make the opponent more confident in making higher bets thinking they are going to win.

-Hustlers might go into a pool hall one day and lose some money, only to go back in the next day for all of the “pool sharks” asking to play him and that’s when he can really make some money.

-Hustlers will make difficult shots by pure luck, but miss the easy ones.

-Hustlers miscue on purpose, making the ball go where they want and leaving no shots for the opponent.

-Hustlers may pretend to be overly intoxicated, unintelligent or unable to play, but that is just a front.

-Hustlers might try and distract you, make you angry or threaten you to throw your game off.

-Hustlers usually work alone.

 

The art of hustling is dying out, but if you really want to find some competition, there are ways, you just have to know where to look. Remember that if you willingly decide to play a hustler, make sure you are not playing for more than you have or want to spend.  

Have you seen a hustler in real life? Have you been hustled or done the hustling? Tweet us @thedelta13!