Now let me have you imagine that you are at a lake or a pond standing at the edge of the water. Do I need to tell you that there are fish in the water? Of course not. You know that already. Do I need to tell you that there big fish and little fish in the water? Of course not. You know that already, too. It's the same thing when you enter a pool hall and scan the room. The town I'm from is surrounded by lakes that are filled with big mouth bass. The fisherman know the lakes very well. They know the best time that the fish are biting and they know what the fish like to eat. Drop the right bait in the water and you can catch any fish you want. That is, if you know what you are doing. So in pool, what is "the bait"? Bait is anything that will "lure" a fish to bite the "hook" that is attached to your "line". The bait is anything that attracts a fish to the belief that he's going to get what's dangling from the hook, in this case, MONEY. The hook is what is going to trap him once he takes the bait. The line is what keeps him within your grasp, and the reel is used to pull him in.
The Bait - as explained above, anything that will lure or attract someone to play you.
The Hook - The hook holds the bait. The hook is what is going to trap the fish after he goes for the bait. The hook is connected to the line.
The Line - The line is what connects your pole (cue) to the hook and the bait. It could be a backer, or if you work by yourself (which I don't recommend) your bankroll. I don't recommend working by yourself because some fish are smarter than others, and they'll "test your line" so to speak. Working a room by yourself is also dangerous, whether you know karate or not.
The Reel - The reel is used to pull the line, or the cash. The fish can bite your line all day, but if you can't reel them in, you're in trouble. Never let anyone off the hook if you can help it.
An experienced player knows which fish to keep and which ones to throw back. You don't want to scare away the other fish, so it's real important not to look too dangerous too soon. Remember, The Gamblers make the mistake of playing too intense from the get go. Patience is the key to it all. Many guys sit there looking like cartoon characters with the dollar signs flashing in their eyes. They go for the kill too soon, mainly out of the excitement of the situation. You have to be able to sit in the boat waiting for a tug on the line. Let the fish bite the line. That's the difference between the fish and the fisherman. The fisherman waits for a tug on the line. The fish bites the line. The best way I can explain that to you, is reminding you of that over-zealous idiot that exists at every pool hall I've ever been to. You know the guy. The jack ass who approaches everybody and anybody for "a money game" that is usually tilted in his favor. More times than not, he's usually desperate to win some cash. He's in a category all to himself, spawned by being half Gambler and half Pond-scum. Identifying when that is and is not the case is an art form all in itself, but for the sake of this subject, let's imagine he's desperate. He will approach you. That in itself tells me that he's a fish. Why? I spent many years on the road. I learned slow but I learned good. What I learned best, I learned hard. The biggest thing that I learned was that if I played at a table by myself, minding my own business, eventually somebody would approach me for a game. Many would possibly see this as a passive approach to the objective, but let's not forget what happened to Custer at Little Big Horn. He took the bait and look what happened to him. With this approach, I became a ruthlessly successful road player. It all comes down to selecting the right fishing spot, and choosing your battles carefully. I always followed the rule of allowing the game to find me, as opposed to me finding it. This gives the fish in the pond the idea that they are in charge of the situation, when in actuality, you've been waiting for them all day.
