Pool shark

Through a smoke filled room I saw my next victim. He had been in the club for the last hour drinking and playing pool with his mates. I had seen him taking money from them after each game he won.
I walked over to the bar and ordered a shandy. The man playing pool was out of ear shot and as far as he could tell I had a pint of larger in my hand. He had seen me here before he walked in so as far as he knew I had had a skin full.
With my fresh pint in hand I started to walk from the bar putting on an exaggerated stagger. Purposely I headed to the table next to his and put my pint down near the tables. Once I hadset up my table I started taking shots at the balls and missing easy shots. The guy I was going to fleece was at the side of his table next to mine. With a careful the shot I had the cue ball on that side of the table.
Still staggering I made my way around the table. The showoff was bunt over the table lining up his shot. I went to do the same but with my stagger, I fell slightly and bumped his cue. He swear under his breath straightened up and turned to me.
“Hey watch it mate. You just messed my shot up.”
So this was the tricky part slurring my words slightly but not too much and keeping up the appearance of being drunk.
“Sorry, mate. Just lost my balance there for a minute. I’ve been here all day.”
“Yeah just be careful yeah.”
His tone was less than friendly so this was going to be nice taking his cash.
“Tell ya what mate. When you finish there do you fancy a game?”
“Yeah ok. That’s if your still standing by then.”
He laughed and gave me a pat on the shoulder. I laughed back but it was forced.
A few minutes later and he had finished his game. I was still knocking balls around the table making a show of being bad. My victim came to my table.
“Now then you ready for your lesson now?”
It was hard to stop myself grinning from ear to ear at this loser.
“Yeah go on then set them up. I’m getting another drink do you want one?”
He asked for a pint and I bought the drinks as he racked up the balls. It was the least I could do to buy him a drink. Before long I will have all his money.
It was hard to remember I’m supposed to be three sheets to the wind. Asia got back to the table I forced a stumble and spilled some of the drinks over my hand. I chuckled inwardly. Give me a lesson. He is the one that’s going to learn a lesson. Gambling is for mugs. I’m not gambling I know my abilities and don’t get in over my head.
I give him the choice of the coin toss. Again making an effort to mess up my words keeping the drunk act up.
“Toss for, it. You coin…. Call.”
“Haha little slip of the tongue there. I’ll call tails never fails.”
Oh my God I hate that saying. This is going to be so sweet. Knocking this guy down a peg or three. I flik the coin up in the air off my thumb and let it land on the table. It spins for a second before settling on tails. This guy claps his hands and punches the air with a hissed yessss.
“Told ya man. Tails never fails. I’ll let you have a shot. You can break.”
“Thanks, ok.”
The cue ball is on the line in the center of the dee. I get down and take my shot. The balls explode into action bouncing off cushions one red rolls into the bottom right corner pocket. My opponent looks at me before saying.
“Nice break looks like you getting another shot.”
“Yeah thanks, man.”
Six red balls left seven yellows and a black left. Reds are perfect. I could wrap this game up in about two minutes thirty but I need to hold back. I see an easy way to fluff my shot without being obvious.
Down I go back straight chin almost resting on the cue. Fingers splayed on the feet and the cue glides back and forth beautifully. The red is about seven inches away from the top left corner pocket. An easy straight pot but I hit the cue ball hard. The rattles around in the jaw of the pocket and comes back out. I give the cue ball a little side spin as well so that is now on course for the top right pocket. Like a dream the white ball just plops into the hole. This guy starts laughing at me.
“Wrong ball. Your reds. Not the white.”
This guy is so dumb. I mean yes that shot was harder than it needed to be but I need to have some fun as well. He took his turn and he didn’t do bad. Four yellows down before he missed. My turn at the table again. I still have six reds left and he is down to three balls. So I make a show of trying now. I’m not trying I’m trying to make it look like I’m trying. It takes about four minutes for me to pot three balls. On my fourth shot just for fun I miss cue hitting my ball but not potting it. The white ball lands behind two of my reds leaving him in nasty snooker. There is no straight shot to one of his balls and he is going to have to go off at least two cushions to hit a yellow without committing a foul shot. He let’s out a snort.
“I have never seen a shot so lucky.”
It wasn’t luck. I meat it to happen. He paces around and around the table. Looking and looking for a way out of the hole I had put him in. Just wait until there is cash on the line, my friend,d, I think to myself. Another minute passes and he just takes a shot with no real aim to it. The white ball bounces off two cushions and hits one of my reds potting it. This time it’s my time to look smug.
“I thought you were yellows.”
A flash of anger washes over his face. As quick as it came it went again.
“Yeah. I’d like to see you get out of that without making a foul.”
“Yeah well two shots to me. Thank you.”
The thing was I was now down to two balls left to pot. So I made my first shot line up a ball over the middle left pocket. Now the black ball is over the bottom right corner pocket. A perfect fake loss. I strook the cue ball it potted my red but glanced off and hit the black potting that as well. That was me now losing. One nil down.