|
Hustling
Hustling is the deceptive act of disguising one's skill in a sport or game with the intent of luring someone of probably lesser skill into gambling (or gambling for higher than current stakes) with the hustler, as a form of both a confidence trick and match fixing. It is most commonly associated with, and originated in pocket billiards (pool), but also can be performed with regard to other sports and gambling activities. Hustlers may also engage in ""—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 ""—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 (swindle targets) to bet on trick shots that seem n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Titanic Thompson
Alvin Clarence Thomas (November 30, 1893 – May 19, 1974) was an American gambler, golfer and hustler better known as Titanic Thompson. Thompson traveled the country wagering at cards, dice games, golf, shooting, billiards, horseshoes and proposition bets of his own devising. As an ambidextrous golfer, card player, marksman and pool shark, his skills and reputation were compared to "Merlin himself". Writer Damon Runyon allegedly based the character Sky Masterson, the gambler-hero of "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (on which the musical ''Guys and Dolls'' is based), on Thompson. In 1928, Thompson was involved in a high-stakes poker game that led to the shooting death of New York City crime boss Arnold Rothstein, then called the "crime of the century". The following year he testified in the trial of George McManus, who was charged with Rothstein's murder, but later acquitted. Early life Thomas was born in Monett, Missouri, but was raised mainly on a farm in the Ozark Mountains, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cue Stick
A cue stick (or simply cue, more specifically billiards cue, pool cue, or snooker cue) is an item of sporting equipment essential to the games of pool, snooker and carom billiards. It is used to strike a ball, usually the . Cues are tapered sticks, typically about 57–59 inches (about 1.5 m) long and usually between 16 and 21 ounces (450–600 g), with professionals gravitating toward a 19-ounce (540 g) average. Cues for carom tend toward the shorter range, though cue length is primarily a factor of player height and arm length. Most cues are made of wood, but occasionally the wood is covered or bonded with other materials including graphite, carbon fiber or fiberglass. An obsolete term for a cue, used from the 16th to early 19th centuries, is billiard stick. History The forerunner of the cue was the , an implement similar to a light-weight golf club, with a foot that was generally used to shove rather than strike the cue ball. When the ball was ag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Keith McCready
Keith McCready (born April 9, 1957) is an American professional pool player who played under the nickname "Earthquake". At one time considered among the top players in America, McCready has been a traveling tournament competitor and notorious hustler since the 1970s. Known for comedically interacting with the audience during matches, McCready was also a contributing writer for ''InsidePool'' magazine between 2003 and 2006. He also had a supporting role as the hustler Grady Seasons in the 1986 film ''The Color of Money''. An energetic and aggressive player, he has a distinctive side-arm stroke and, despite his , is well known for strong shot-making offense skills, often executing extremely difficult shots that most other players would not attempt. In 2017, Keith McCready was given the Lifetime of Pool in Action Award at the One Pocket Hall of Fame banquet. Personal life McCready was born on April 9, 1957, in Elmhurst, Illinois, later moving to Anaheim, California, with his bro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Dick Van Dyke Show
''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' is an American television sitcom created by Carl Reiner that initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961 to June 1, 1966, with a total of 158 half-hour episodes spanning five seasons. It was produced by Calvada Productions"Calvada" is derived from the letters from producers ''CA''rl Reiner, Sheldon ''L''eonard, ''VA''n Dyke and ''DA''nny Thomas. SourceThe Dick Van Dyke Show: Anatomy of a Classic/ref> in association with the CBS Television Network, and was shot at Desilu Studios. Other producers included Bill Persky and Sam Denoff. The music for the show's theme song was written by Earle Hagen. The show starred Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam, and Larry Mathews. ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' centered on the work and home life of television comedy writer Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke), the head writer for the fictional ''Alan Brady Show,'' who lived in New Rochelle, New York with his stylish wife Laura Petrie (Mary Tyler Moore) an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
You Don't Mess Around With Jim (song)
"You Don't Mess Around with Jim" is a 1972 strophic (all verses have the same tune) story song by Jim Croce from his album of the same name. It was Croce's debut single, released on ABC Records as ABC-11328. ABC Records promotion man Marty Kupps took it to KHJ 930 AM in Los Angeles, CA where it first aired. It made the KHJ "30" chart (at #27) that week of June 6, 1972. After spending 11 weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, the song peaked at No. 8 the week ending September 9. Croce performed the song on ''American Bandstand'' on August 12, 1972. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the No. 68 song for 1972. Content The lyrics are set around an underground pool hall on 42nd Street in New York City. "Big" Jim Walker, a pool hustler who is not too bright but is respected because of his tough reputation, his considerable strength and size, and his skill at pool, has formed a sort of gang of "bad folks" who regularly gather at night in the pool hall. Their recurring words of advice is as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Hustler
''The Hustler'' is a 1961 American sports romantic drama film directed by Robert Rossen from Walter Tevis's 1959 novel of the same name, adapted by Rossen and Sidney Carroll. It tells the story of small-time pool hustler "Fast Eddie" Felson and his desire to break into the "major league" of professional hustling and high-stakes wagering that follows it. He throws his raw talent and ambition up against the best player in the country, seeking to best the legendary pool player " Minnesota Fats". The film was shot on location in New York City and stars Paul Newman as Eddie; Jackie Gleason as Minnesota Fats; Piper Laurie as Sarah; and George C. Scott as Bert. It was followed by ''The Color of Money'' in 1986, with Newman reprising his role. ''The Hustler'' was a major critical and popular success, gaining a reputation as a modern classic. Its exploration of winning, losing, and character garnered a number of major awards; it is also credited with helping to spark a resurgence in t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Color Of Money
''The Color of Money'' is a 1986 American sports drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film was created from a screenplay by Richard Price, based on the 1984 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis. The film stars Paul Newman and Tom Cruise, with Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Helen Shaver, and John Turturro in supporting roles. It features an original score by Robbie Robertson, and was released on October 17, 1986, after a premier a week earlier at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York City in New York. The film grossed $52.3 million at the box office. The film continues the story of pool hustler and Edward "Fast Eddie" Felson from Tevis's first novel, ''The Hustler'' (1959), with Newman reprising his role from the 1961 film adaptation. It begins more than 25 years after the events of the previous film, with Eddie retired from the pool circuit. Newman won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, his first Oscar win after seven n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Match Fixing
In organized sports, match fixing is the act of playing or officiating a match with the intention of achieving a pre-determined result, violating the rules of the game and often the law. There are many reasons why match fixing might take place, including receiving bribes from bookmakers or sports bettors, and blackmail. Competitors may also intentionally perform poorly to gain a future advantage, such as a better draft pick or to face an easier opponent in a later round of competition. A player might also play poorly to rig a handicap system. Match fixing, when motivated by gambling, requires contacts (and normally money transfers) between gamblers, players, team officials, and/or referees. These contacts and transfers can sometimes be discovered, and lead to prosecution by the law or the sports league(s). In contrast, losing for future advantage is internal to the team and very difficult to prove. Often, substitutions made by a coach designed to deliberately increase the team ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Confidence Trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers have defined confidence tricks as "a distinctive species of fraudulent conduct ..intending to further voluntary exchanges that are not mutually beneficial", as they "benefit con operators ('con men') at the expense of their victims (the 'marks')". Terminology Synonyms include con, confidence game, confidence scheme, ripoff, scam, and stratagem. The perpetrator of a confidence trick (or "con trick") is often referred to as a confidence (or "con") man, con-artist, or a "grifter". The shell game dates back at least to Ancient Greece. Samuel Thompson (1821–1856) was the original "confidence man". Thompson was a clumsy swindler who asked his victims to express confidence in him by giving him money or their watch rather than gaining their confidenc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gambling
Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three elements to be present: consideration (an amount wagered), risk (chance), and a prize. The outcome of the wager is often immediate, such as a single roll of dice, a spin of a roulette wheel, or a horse crossing the finish line, but longer time frames are also common, allowing wagers on the outcome of a future sports contest or even an entire sports season. The term "gaming" in this context typically refers to instances in which the activity has been specifically permitted by law. The two words are not mutually exclusive; ''i.e.'', a "gaming" company offers (legal) "gambling" activities to the public and may be regulated by one of many gaming control boards, for example, the Nevada Gaming Control Board. However, this distinction is not u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Billy Burge
Billy Joe "Cornbread Red" Burge (December 17, 1931 – February 13, 2004), was an American pool player. Inducted into the One-pocket Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Bank Pool Hall of Fame in 2005, Cornbread Red is revered as "one of the most talented and entertaining characters in the history of pool". Professional Days Red was born in Paducah, Kentucky to a sharecropping family during the Great Depression, which is when he acquired a passion and talent for billiards. He learned the rules of the road from notorious hustlers, gamblers, con men, and world-class pool champions. Burge frequented Cushion Que and Brew as well as The Rack, a popular pool room in Detroit, Michigan, in an era when gambling was considered the norm in American pool. Though he never had a job, he devoted his life to pocket billiards. He was always looking for a game, and it did not matter what game because he could play all games well but was nearly unbeatable at one pocket and would play you at any limits. B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Danny Basavich
Daniel (Danny) Basavich (born September 25, 1978) is an American professional pool player from New Jersey. He is fondly called "Kid Delicious", a nickname he acquired after defeating a player monickered "Kid Vicious". Basavich grew up in Manalapan Township, New Jersey. Professional career Basavich was a notorious road player who hustled pool games across the country, but later decided to compete professionally in tournaments after becoming too well known to continue hustling. In 2004, Basavich was named "Rookie of the Year" by the United Pool Players Association. He made his first television appearance in the 2005 WPA World Nine-ball Championship, beating Hsia Hui-kai in the preliminary stages. He made another appearance at the 2005 Skins Billiards Championship. Basavich nearly won that tournament, but Santos Sambajon defeated him after winning the lag for last part of the sudden-death game and from the . In November 2004, Basavich defeated Corey Deuel as the Glass City Op ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
