Bob Wachtel

No, I never kept records, but there were lots of times when I was not paid, when I was cheated.

There was lots of stuff along the way that happened at that time.

I once played this Coke dealer, a woman Coke dealer, and she paid me in drugs.

I bet she did, yeah.

A little bit of money and a Gucci sweater that her friends had boosted from a shop in Rodeo Drive.

And was that a kind of typical scene for a guy like you?

Would we call you a hustler?

I wouldn't call myself a hustler, no.

To me, a hustler is someone who feigns incapacity.

You didn't hide your ability?

No, not at all.

There was this great club, the Cavendish Club in Los Angeles.

I could go there every night.

And have a game.

What were the stakes?

They used to play $10 or $20 a point, which would be like $75 or $100 today, something like that.

The ideal customer is someone who's very wealthy and enjoys locking horns with someone who's also good enough to give them the great challenge.

So how good were you at the time?

By today's standards, I was terrible.

But I was one of the better players around.