Sunday, October 25, 2009

Hustlin' in the New Sport

Hustling is found in many bar sports like billiards and darts, and you can be sure to find gamblers just about anywhere. Cornhole is becoming a popular new bar sport where people play for money or drinks. Players will usually put down five or ten dollars a game, or sometimes a lot more. Where money can be earned by playing a game, you are sure to come about some hustlers. If you are a good player among stankers who like to gamble, you can easily drink free for the night. If you are playing for just cold hard cash, you can probably take home enough for a tank of gas (and drink free for the night!). However if you are an average player, watch out for those that always seem to give you a close game and always beat you. They might be "sandbagging" a little just so you will play them again. Hustlers like to keep it close to make their opponents feel like they have a chance to win. Their goal is to make the other team say "man we were so close, we can take them."

Many believe this to be unethical behavior, even if the other team does not care about losing a couple bucks. Maybe a less "deceiving" way to play for money is to let the other team know you are good, and spot them a few points before taking their money, lol. There is really no fair way to hustle, but playing for cash or drinks is so much more exciting, isn't it? Most people will disagree on this, but one thing I noticed is that it makes you try a lot harder to win the game. Obviously this is because you have something to lose, but this can actually make you a better player too. Playing under pressure is one of the best ways to prepare for a tournament, and playing cash games may be one of the best ways to play under pressure.

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