LAST EDITED ON 07-28-05 AT 10:55 PM (EST)

~The Hustler~

The camera rolls…

My name is Kay Obrien-fan and I am the host of an exciting all new reality show called “The Hustler”. We are live at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada with 16 brand new desperate attention whores, all of whom have spent the last 4 months training in the art of billiards in order to compete in this 9 ball tournament. 15 of them are every day ordinary people who signed up to be on a game show with hopes of becoming famous and maybe taking home the million dollar prize, but one of these people is a professional pool player and is taking on the role of the Hustler. The goal of the Hustler is to snake their way through the tournament and games without revealing their identity to anyone. Each player will try to determine the identity of the Hustler- the one that can do this will win the million-dollar prize. Of course as part of each player’s strategy, some may choose to act as if they are the Hustler just to throw others off. Eight men and eight women from all walks of life, only one person will win and one person will be properly identified as the Hustler….

-Cue music-

The Players

The camera pans in over the contestants for a quick confessional from some:

Charlie: Of course I am the Hustler, but I won’t let them know that.

History: Yes, I could be the Hustler.

Osaka: I am not the Hustler, but I do want to be the one to find out who it is.

Bebo: I am too evil to be the Hustler; I am here to win this thing.

Stan: I might be the Hustler, you never know about these things.

Estee: I am definitely the Hustler, look no further.

The camera now makes its way through the crowd and across the vast sea of green simones cloth and comes to a rest when it finds our host. Kay is standing in front of the microphone reviewing the rules.

Your powers of observation will now be tested as you each try to determine who in this group of 16 players is the Hustler. The Hustler has certain guidelines that they must adhere to, and they are as follows: First, the Hustler can’t lie more than 2 times in a row…to anyone. Second, the Hustler is not allowed to ever sink the 4 ball unless it is on the break or part of a combination. Finally, the Hustler can’t miss an easy straight in shot, if the easy shot is a 4 ball, then they must scratch or foul. As for everyone else, this is standard BCA tournament 9 ball rules.

The players all nod in understanding. The crowd applauds appreciatively.

There will be eight matches in round one and there will be a total of 3 rounds. Names have been randomly selected for pairings; round one is men vs. women. Once all matches have been completed, you will have time to review the tapes and make notes on what you see before continuing. After this review we will get together for a panel discussion where each player gets to ask any player a question, this will help you in determining who the Hustler is. You will then fill out the questionnaire and the 6 players with the lowest scores who know the least about the identity of the Hustler will be out of the game. Here are the pairings for round 1:

Table 1: Mr. Aethelstan vs. Ms. Femme
Table 2: Mr. Pagong-Rateater vs. Mrs. Emydi
Table 3: Mrs. Pmspml vs. Mr. Brarising
Table 4: Ms. Syren vs. Mr. Seahorse
Table 5: Mrs. Arnutz vs. Mr. Detective
Table 6: Mr. Volsfan vs. Mrs. Bryson
Table 7: Mrs. Jones vs. Mr. Nailbone
Table 8: Mr. Sherpa vs. Mrs. Dragonflies

On my signal you will all lag for the right to break. Closest to the end rail wins the right to choose whether to break or force your opponent to. Are we ready? Go!

On table 1 Stan wins the lag and decides that he will break. Lori takes a seat and watches as a very handsome man dressed to the nines in full tuxedo racks the balls in a familiar diamond pattern. Probably Clueless then stepped back and stood with his hands folded behind his back to observe the game.

Stan limps to the front of the table and holds his cue stick out and spreads some blue chalk onto the tip. “I-I-I will g-give this my b-best sh-sh-shot here.” With his lips pursed together, he blows the remains of the spare powder from the rounded surface. Stan leans over and makes a circle with his fingers and slides the stick into the middle. “G-g-good l-l-luck to ya” he nods at Femme. She smiles at him and he proceeds to shatter the tight rack and send the balls all over the table.

The 4 and the 7 fall on the break and Stan takes a look at the table layout. The one ball is a sitting duck at the far end of the table but getting back on the 2 is no easy task. “I-I-I g-g-guess I’ll try to g-get some draw on th-this shot here.” Aiming low on the cue ball he hits it firmly and the cue contacts and sinks the one and moves down table for a tough but makeable two ball. He then runs the 2, 3, and 5 before missing an almost impossible attempt at the 6 ball.

Femme rises and grabs her stick, she had studied the table and knew that her chance would come soon. She immediately disposes of the 6 and leaves herself a straight in shot at the 8. A medium speed with no English shot leaves her with a close range punch in of the 9. “The Gem” is on the board with one win. Stan limps over and shakes her hand, “G-g-good g-g-game.” He stammers.

On Table 2 Mrs. Emydi won the right to break and she sunk the 1, 3, and 8. Her leave was decent and she lined up the 2. “I think I am going to have to masse’ this one in order to get any kind of shot on that 4 ball.” On her tip-toes Meryl raised the butt end of the stick and hit down on the ball, it danced and skirted by, knocking the 2 ball into the side pocket and leaving a straight in shot on the 4. “Piece of cake” she smiled and Dan just sat there taking it all in. Meryl hit too much above center on her next shot as the cue ball followed the 4 ball into the pocket for a scratch. “Darn” she exclaimed.

Dan quickly jumped to his feet and with ball in hand set the cue in the most advantageous spot. “This is just like seeing a pocket pair of aces in a Texas hold ‘em tournament- gives you that same warm feeling of being in control” Dan grinned as he chalked the cue. He ran the remainder of the rack to win the match. “Good game” he offered a hand to Emydi who only sneered at him, “Yeah right”.

Table 3 was a fast game that saw Lee Brarising sink the 9 on the break. “You have a rocket break”, Shannon said to him as she congratulated him.

On Table 4 Mr. Seahorse won by running the rack after Ms. Syren fouled on her straight in shot on the 4 ball.

Table 5 was a defensive game back and forth back and forth as Mrs. Arnutz and History Detective swapped safeties. Finally an opening revealed itself and Rita rattled off the remaining rack. She chuckled and winked at History, “That is why they call me Machine Gun!”

Bebo broke and ran the entire rack on table 6, never even giving Mr. Volsfan a chance to shoot.

The ‘black widow’ had her table 7 opponent on the ropes but missed a straight in shot on the 4 ball allowing Mr. Nailbone to make a series of shots to win the match.

In the final match of the round, Mr. Sherpa showed no mercy on Osaka Dragonflies as he methodically and mechanically worked his way through the colored balls to run out.

OK, we are done with round 1, you have had a chance to watch the video footage from each match. Now it is your turn to ask any player just one question as you try to determine which 6 players to eliminate. You are not required to ask a question, if you do- make sure to choose it wisely. Each question that is asked can help your opponents as well as yourself, but on the other hand you may need to ask a question to make sure to stay in this game.

Dave: My question is for Mrs. Emydi. Who did you work with over the past 4 months in order to get ready to play in this tournament?

Emydi: I worked with two people. Johnny “The Scorpion” Archer and Earl “The Professor” Strickland.

Bebo: My question is for Chamique Syren. You had a straight in shot on the four ball yet your cue never even touched it thereby causing a foul. How is that possible?

Chamique: I guess it was because I didn’t have enough powder on the tip.

Does anybody else have any questions?

Stan: I-I-I have j-j-just one f-f-for E-Estee J-Jones. Ya-you missed a st-straight in sh-shot on the fa-four ball too, wh-why?

Estee: Wh-what d-did you say y-y-you redneck g-geek? I tried my best and I missed the shot, don’t be picking my game apart bub!

Stan sat in shock, his face flushed crimson.

Easy guys, it is time to fill out your questionnaires.

They each sat in front of a private monitor and filled out the information.

I will now tell you the six people who are eliminated. Osaka Dragonflies, Lori Femme, Lee Brarising, Charlie Volsfan, History Detective, and Dave Sherpa. Thanks for playing, you can stay and watch until the end.

A few confessionals:

Charlie: Well that really sucked, not only did I not get a chance to play in match, but now I am out of the running after just one round. I thought for sure that Dave Sherpa was the Hustler.

Lori: Oh gosh I am so embarrassed! That was just awful. Dave Sherpa had me snowed, I’m not sure if it was intentional or not.

Meryl: As planned I made it to round 2. I think I am doing a good job with my current strategy. I am so suspicious of Stan, I hope I get to play him in the next or the final round.

Stan: My redneck character is doing just what I had hoped. I want to win this money so badly. My thought right now is that it is Dan who is the Hustler.

Bebo: Not a sole suspects me…just as I had intended.

The pairings for round 2 will be as follows:

Table 1 Bebo vs. Emydi
Table 2 Dan vs. Jake
Table 3 Stan vs. Pmspml
Table 4 Rita vs. Seahorse
Table 5 Syren vs. Estee

Probably Clueless racked the balls on each table and then took his normal position to observe. On table 1 Emydi won the lag for break and sank the 6 ball with a nice snap of her wrist, the lay of the balls was fairly spread. Eyeing the proper route to take, she picked off the 1, 2, and 3 with ease. The 4 ball was sitting right next to the 9 ball, close but not quite touching they were a half inch apart. “I remember a shot that Grady Mathews showed me, if a ball is within a half an inch of another ball you can use opposite English to impart the right spin on the object ball. I am going to try that right now in order to sink the 9 ball and win the game.”

Bebo looked at her as if she had horns sticking out of her head, “Whatever you say honey.”

Emydi smoothly stroked the cue and sent it into the 4, which caromed off the 9 ball, the 9 was sent wildly to the other end of the table but nowhere near a pocket.

“Nice job of messing that up, you must be the Hustler or a really great actress.”, Bebo snapped.

Meanwhile over on table 2, Jake Nailbone was working on a long run. “I’m going to run that 6 ball right up the rail, I think it stands a chance if I hit it right.” With a doctors precision he sent the cue into the object ball and it rode the rail snuggly, the 6 fell. A spectator from the over flowing crowd, Phoenix Mons showed signs of appreciation “Nice shot Shorty!”.

A comical situation was underway on table 3 as both Pmspml and Stan kept trading fouls on the four ball. Finally Stan drilled the green ball into the corner pocket and left himself room to run the remaining orbs.

Sam Seahorse won the right to break but gave it up to allow Rita Arnutz the chance. “Stand back Sonny!” she whooped, “I’m going to show you how to break those balls.” Her frail body belied the strength that lay within, the stick snapped and a roar erupted from the crowd as the 9 fell into the corner for the win.

On the final table it was all Estee after the break. Syren pocketed the four on the break, but got stuck behind the 8 ball and had to push out. This allowed Estee to go on a run she wouldn’t relinquish.

It is time for the question and answer phase, does anybody want to start?

Nailbone: I will, my question is for Mrs. Emydi. Where did you get the idea for such an unusual hobby?

Emydi: I have no real reason, prosthetic legs just seem interesting to me.

Stan: I-I-I would l-like to question D-d-dan. Y-y-you didn’t g-get to play much th-this round. H-have you ever b-been to L-l-las Vegas before today?

Dan: No sir, I haven’t.

Syren: My question is for Estee, how long have you played pool?

Estee: I never played before 4 months ago.

The questions done, the players took the time to fill out the next questionnaire. Kay Obrien-fan came back from the control booth with the results.

I will now announce the 6 players who will be leaving the game. Sam Seahorse, Chamique Syren, Shannon Pmspml, Jake Nailbone, Rita Arnutz, and Bebo Bryson. Thank you all for playing, you can join the others in the VIP section to watch how the rest of this plays out.

A few more confessionals:

Bebo: I threw everybody off the trail, but I guess I didn’t have the right Hustler myself. I do think I know who it is now, and if I am right, then they are simply brilliant!

Pmspml: I knew I shouldn’t have trusted my gut, I knew it wasn’t Arnutz but what a break that old woman has. I didn’t think a novice would be able to do that.

Nailbone: Oh how I wish I had one more chance, I know who it is now…

Emydi: I am the Hustler, now it is just a matter of which of the others will be able to guess my identity.

Pagong-Rateater: This game is as good as mine, I have some thinking I am the Hustler, and others who aren’t sure. Won’t they just die when they find out that I am the Hustler!

Stan: My scam is working, I love this game (He laughs) it is so diabolical and twisted. Since I am the Hustler I won’t win anything except the pride of deceiving all of the others. (He laughs again)

Estee: I feel a little behind the 8 ball here, my mind is swimming. I keep flip flopping between one and then the other. This last round is huge but I need to stay calm.

We are down to four players. One of you will properly identify the Hustler, one of you is the Hustler, and two of you will go home knowing that you were oh so close. I will add some extra incentive for you all. The winner of these matches will win $100,000 each. Here are the pairings for the final round:

Table 1 Dan vs. Stan
Table 2 Estee vs. Emydi

The crowd was buzzing with anticipation as all 4 players on two separate tables, floated their cue balls toward the bottom rail and back to the end rail. Dan and Emydi won their respective rights to break. Probably Clueless set up and racked both tables and then whisked himself out of the way.

Dan sent the cue into the rack and nothing fell. Stan limped over to the table with his stick in tow. “N-n-no luck ya-you got a w-woman’s break.” The redneck smiled a toothy grin at his opponent.

“A woman’s break?” Dan questioned “What do you mean by that?”

Stan scratched his beard with bent fingers, “Y-y-you know, all b-b-bust no b-balls.” He chalked the tip of his stick as Dan walked away.

Stan surveyed the layout and then shot the one in the corner followed by the two in the side. He stood up and pushed the skin on his forehead upward into a wrinkled bunch as he concentrated on his next move.

“I-I-I b-better take this c-careful” he stuttered. Stan eased the cue back and then moved the forearm through, the ivory ball collided with the red three and pocketed nicely in the corner. The cue ball, as if being controlled like a puppet on a string, went rolling across the felt off one rail and stopped softly behind the four ball. The crowd went wild with applause and shouts of “You the man Stan!” and “Way to go Surgeon!”.

On the next shot Stan had to use the mechanical bridge in order to get the cue stick high enough to clear the top of the 8 ball. He pushed the stick down and the tip slipped causing the cue ball to jump over the four and off the table. “Ahhh h-h-hell” he moaned and dropped his head into his hands.

Dan jumped up, surprised to even have another chance. After chalking the stick he placed the cue gently on the table and lined it up with the four. The orange ball fell, then in quick succession so did the 5, 6, 7, and 8. Only the yellow-striped 9 ball stood between him and a hundred grand. He lined up the shot, straight in, no English, not much green, just a medium stroke and it would be over. Dan tapped the cue ball and it rolled slowly, too slowly in the direction of the 9 and the corner. Blood rushed from his head as he realized he didn’t give it enough gas, the 9 stood on the lip of the pocket but wouldn’t fall. “Noooooooo!” he cried.

Stan finished it off and then reached out to shake his hand, “Sorry, man.”

Dan’s eyes got as big as manhole covers, but he was too shocked to speak.

Table 2 was a much quicker game. Emydi challenged Estee to take the break as she thought to herself ”If she can run out from the break then she truly is the Hustler, and if not then all I have to do is clean up patrol. Either way it is a win-win for me!”

Estee hit the rack with a fierce determined look on her face. The 1, 3, and 5 all fell on the break. From there it was like playing connect the dots the balls had been distributed so nicely. The crowd was feeling it to and urged her on with each passing shot. 2 ball in the corner pocket with a little bit of follow so that the cue would end up in good shape for the 4. A light touch of right English and the 4 pocketed in the side with the cue dancing along and then off the rail. The 6 was straight in and firm dead center pocket, the 7 was a similar dead on shot. She got a little careless with the leave but recovered on a brilliant cut of the 8 into the side followed by the 9 in the corner for the win.

The crowd stood on its feet and chanted “Black Widow, Black Widow, Black Widow”. Estee smiled and waved, Emydi skulked off to the corner and just glared.

Kay Obrien-fan took the microphone from the stand and the crowd settled down.

Ladies and gentleman, very soon we will have a winner. There are no questions in this final round. How this works is each of these 4 finalists will fill out the questionnaire and turn it in. We will tabulate the results and be back shortly with who is the Hustler and which one is the winner of the one million dollar prize!

Contest
Now you get to participate...Who is the Hustler? Who will the winner be? Each person gets one answer, send the answer to me via private messenger with your reasons as to how you came up with it. Good luck, and I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I had fun writing it!

I will reveal the winner of the contest and the answers to who the Hustler and who won the million by next friday.