Billiards Gambling
Can Be Done Right
You don't pay your dues by filling someone’s pockets full of your money.
You pay your dues by getting your fingers on the felt and learning ways to improve your game.
Billiards Gambling, Hustling and Playing Pool for Money have often been thought to be the same thing. Billiards gambling is playing a game of chance, or betting on someone else. You will often find serious gambling going on where a player is often the tool of a high-moneyed backer who puts up the bet money and normally selects the contests.
Hustling is what has given billiards games-of-chance such a bad name. It's a con game. It is when you disguise your skills in order to beat the other person. Hustlers also employ a technique called "sharking" where they seriously attempt to distract the opponent or even outright cheating.
Playing pool for money has been around almost as long as the game of billiards. It may be wise or foolish, but there are two positive outcomes: (1) it tests your ability to perform under real pressure (and is recommended by some pool teachers), and (2) it settles the arguments.
Gone Fishin' (Part 1)
By Blackjack David Sapolis
This is a series of articles by a current billiards instructor who has "been there, done that and sold the tee shirt". The focus is pool gambling, but anyone can gain real insight into the realm of gambling for money.Here's Blackjacks's "Gone Fishin'
Every situation is different, but most pool halls are basically the same. Every place I have ever been to has what I call "prime time", or the time of day when the most money can change hands. This time basically stays the same Monday through Friday, changing only slightly on the weekends.
This is the time of day when the money players, or "the fish" converge upon the pool hall. Most rooms have what I call "money tables". These are the tables that all of the money games are played upon. The money games are usually played on the money tables (Monday - Friday) from roughly 4 P.M. until 9 P.M. varying slightly from day to day, but this is the usual according to my experience. This is not only when the fish bite, it’s when the most fish bite. PRIME TIME. Remember that, it’s very important.
SCOUTING is very important. If you’re planning on going in to "work the room", it would be wise of you to "learn how the room works". It is wise to sit out of the picture for a night, preferably a busy one, to see how and how much money changes hands.
During your scouting, you can get a pretty good picture of the room’s pool hierarchy for that particular night. This is where you separate the big fish from the little fish. Pick your prey carefully. There’s a difference between a sucker with money, and a sucker with no money at all. This makes Friday your friend. Many people get paid on Friday, many of those people are pool players. Many of those pool players plan on getting blasted on Friday night, and I want to be there when the liquid courage takes over. If you don’t plan on leaving the streets, I recommend that you find out when the most money is in your pool hall. Know when the guys get paid. This can be learned through simple observation. Remember, you’re the quiet guy in the corner.
Also, know when the "hungry suckers" are out. This is the guy who has fifty, but wants to turn it into a hundred and fifty. This guy will be there on Monday, as he ended the weekend low on cash, and the last little bit of it is burning a hole in his pocket. Which, while I’m on the subject, I’ll give you Blackjack’s second rule of fishin’: Take no prisoners, take no credit!