Hustling is the deceptive act of disguising one's skill in a
sport
Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...
or
game
A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...
with the intent of luring someone of probably lesser skill into
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 el ...
(or gambling for higher than current stakes) with the hustler, as a form of both a
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 def ...
and
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, ...
. 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 nearly impossible but at which the hustler is exceptionally skilled.
Chess
Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...
hustlers are quite common in urban areas in the United States and elsewhere, often offering
speed chess
Fast chess, also known as Speed chess, is a type of chess in which each player is given less time to consider their moves than normal tournament time controls allow. Fast chess is subdivided, by decreasing time controls, into rapid chess, blitz ...
against any takers. Unlike most hustlers however, chess hustlers are often assumed to be skilled and are seen as a challenge.
Pool hustling techniques
Pool hustlers use
deception
Deception or falsehood is an act or statement that misleads, hides the truth, or promotes a belief, concept, or idea that is not true. It is often done for personal gain or advantage. Deception can involve dissimulation, propaganda and sleight o ...
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
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 stick ...
provided by the
pool hall, or an unadorned but high-quality personal cue that looks like one, known as a "" (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 "" or "") – 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
Luck is the phenomenon and belief that defines the experience of improbable events, especially improbably positive or negative ones. The naturalistic interpretation is that positive and negative events may happen at any time, both due to rand ...
(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
Damon Runyon
Alfred Damon Runyon (October 4, 1880 – December 10, 1946) was an American newspaperman and short-story writer.
He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. To ...
's short stories "Dream Street Rose" (''More Than Somewhat'', 1937) and "Madame La Gimp" (''Furthermore'', 1938), the fictional characters Frank and Judge Henry G. Blake respectively are pool hustlers.
Other examples include films such as ''
The Hustler'' (1961) and ''
The Color of Money'' (1986) (both adapted from earlier novels, ''see "
Books
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical ar ...
", below''), among others ''(see "
Films
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
", below)''. An examplar in music is Jim Croce's 1972 song "
You Don't Mess Around with Jim
''You Don't Mess Around with Jim'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Jim Croce, released in April 1972.
History and release
The album was recorded over a three to four-week period for approximately $18,000, with most fundi ...
", in which the character Slim teaches a lesson to Big Jim about pool hustling. Pool hustling is also the principal subject of episodes of various television programs, including ''
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 Product ...
'' episode "Hustling the Hustler" (season 2, episode 5, 1962), the ''
Quantum Leap'' episode "Pool Hall Blues" (sn. 2, ep. 18, 1990), ''
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' is an American television sitcom created by Andy and Susan Borowitz for NBC. It aired from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The series stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart t ...
'' episode "Banks Shot" (sn. 1, ep. 22, 1991), ''
The Steve Harvey Show'' episodes "Pool Sharks Git Bit" (sn. 1, ep. 12, 1996) followed up with "What You Won't Cue for Love" (sn. 3, ep. 6, 1998), and the ''
Drake & Josh
''Drake & Josh'' is an American teen sitcom created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon. The series follows two teenage stepbrothers Drake Parker (Drake Bell) and Josh Nichols (Josh Peck) as they live together despite opposite personalities. The ser ...
'' episode "Pool Shark" (sn. 2, ep. 5, 2004). Additionally, the main characters of the TV series ''
Supernatural
Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
'',
Dean and
Sam Winchester
Samuel "Sam" Winchester is a fictional character and one of the two protagonists of the American drama television series ''Supernatural'' along with his older brother, Dean. He is portrayed primarily by Jared Padalecki. Other versions of the char ...
, are also pool hustlers as one of their sources of income (various episodes, 2005–present).
Notable real-life hustlers
*
Danny "Kid Delicious" Basavich, former hustler turned top-ranking professional
*
Billy "Cornbread Red" Burge, another legendary player, from Detroit
*
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 h ...
, a legendary road player
*
Alvin Clarence "Titanic Thompson" Thomas, a gambler, golfer, and hustler, from Arkansas
*
Rudolf "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone, famous hustler and entertainer
Notable books about and/or by hustlers
* (nonfiction; published in 1984/2003)
* (nonfiction)
* (biography)
* (novel)
* (autobiography)
* (non-fiction)
* (a novel)
* (the sequel)
;In a similar vein, but about other sports:
* (autobiography)
Notable films about hustlers and hustling
* ''
The Hustler'' (1961)
* ''
The Color of Money'' (1986)
* ''
Stickmen'' (2001)
* ''
Poolhall Junkies'' (2003)
* ''
Turn the River
''Turn the River'' is a 2007 drama film written and directed by Chris Eigeman. It stars Famke Janssen, Jaymie Dornan, Rip Torn, Matt Ross, Lois Smith, Marin Hinkle, Terry Kinney, Jordan Bridges, and Ari Graynor. The film debuted at the Hamptons I ...
'' (2007; unusual in that it features a woman hustler)
;In a similar vein, but about other sports:
* ''
White Men Can't Jump
''White Men Can't Jump'' is a 1992 American sports comedy film written and directed by Ron Shelton. It stars Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson as streetball hustlers. The film was released in the United States on March 27, 1992, by 20th Century ...
'' (1992) – about
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
hustling
* ''
Searching for Bobby Fischer
''Searching for Bobby Fischer'', released in the United Kingdom as ''Innocent Moves'', is a 1993 American Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Steven Zaillian in his List of directorial debuts, directorial debut. Starr ...
'' (1993) – film about chess and hustlers in
chess
Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...
* ''
Kingpin
Kingpin or king pin may refer to:
Vehicular part
* Kingpin (automotive part), the pivot in the steering mechanism
** The central bolt of a skateboard, axle assembly ("truck"), around which the rest of the mechanism can flex, allowing the rider ...
'' (1996) – comedy about a
bowling
Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), though ...
hustler
* ''
Duets
A duet is a musical composition or piece for two performers.
Duets or The Duets may also refer to:
Films and television
* ''Duets'' (film), a 2000 film, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Giamatti and Huey Lewis
* "Duets" (''Glee''), a 2010 episod ...
'' (2000) – features a
karaoke
Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...
bar hustler
* ''
Striker
Striker or The Strikers may refer to:
People
*A participant in a strike action
*A participant in a hunger strike
*Blacksmith's striker, a type of blacksmith's assistant
*Striker's Independent Society, the oldest mystic krewe in America
People wi ...
'' (2010) –
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
drama about hustling in
carrom, a billiards-related table game
Notable fictional hustlers
* "Cue Ball' Carl" (played by
Ving Rhames) and "Jericho Hudson" (played by
Freddie Prinze, Jr.
Frederick James Prinze Jr. (born March 8, 1976) is an American actor, television & film producer and screenwriter. He has starred in films such as ''I Know What You Did Last Summer'' (1997) and its sequel ''I Still Know What You Did Last Summer' ...
) in ''Shooting Gallery''
* "Johnny Doyle" (played by
Mars Callahan) and "Brad" (played by
Ricky Schroder
Richard Bartlett Schroder (born April 13, 1970) is an American actor and filmmaker. As a child actor billed as Ricky Schroder he debuted in the film '' The Champ'' (1979), for which he became the youngest Golden Globe award recipient, and went o ...
) in ''Poolhall Junkies''.
* "Minnesota Fats" in ''The Hustler'' (played by
Jackie Gleason
John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...
in the film version) – the smooth character whose moniker Rudolf Wanderone ''(above)'' lifted after publication of Tevis's novel
* "Edward 'Fast Eddie' Felson" in ''The Hustler'' and ''The Color of Money'' (played by
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...
in the film versions)
* "Vincent (Vince) Lauria" in ''The Color of Money'' (played by
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Gol ...
in the film version)
* "Grady Seasons", said to be "the best money player in the world", in ''The Color of Money'' (played by Keith McCready, ''above'', in the film version)
* "Charlie 'Black Magic' Walters" (played by Robert "Rags" Woods &
Scott Bakula) in the
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
-winning ''
Quantum Leap'' episode "Pool Hall Blues"
See also
*
Advantage player#Comp hustling
References
{{Cue sports nav
Confidence tricks
Cue sports
Deception