Lingo in the land of Texas Sharks
If someone walks up and says — hey, let’s play alligator you likely have zero idea what they are talking about. This could be an expensive language lesson in the land of Texas Sharks.
In the sub-culture of hustling and gambling in the 80’s, games were made up and named on a regular basis. These “games” were usually prop best of some sort and named to make them sound fun or sporting.
Let’s start with so-called prop bets or proposition bets. This is where one person says, I’ll bet you $ X that I can do "Y” thing. Here is a pro tip: always say no. No matter how fantastically hard or improbable the “Y” thing sounds, the fix is already in. The person making the offer KNOWS they can do this thing. This is not a “bet”; you will just pay to witness the “Y” thing.
In the case of some prop bets, they get names; today, we talk about Alligator. As with most bets of this kind, this game is meant to prey on the ego, pride, drunkenness, or some combination of those to get the cash.
One person is betting the other person that they have and will produce more cash on the spot than the other. The person who shows the most cash gets all of the other person’s cash. Simple right?
So why would anyone do this?
Mix a drunk twenty-something trying to impress a girl or his crew, and it is amazing the seemingly stupid things their egos will lead them to.
There are other variations as well.
This is a “side bet” on a prop bet. Another pro tip - do not make side bets unless you KNOW everyone involved. It is likely just a hustle.
And here it is - this is a scene from YOU’VE GOT TO LOSE TO WIN that fell victim to the editor’s red pen…
Slade (a well-known rounder) is at the bar, and Allen (a semi-rounder and drug dealer who also works at the local auto parts store) walks in wearing a parts store work shirt, a working guy.
“Hey, looks like Allan is gonna challenge Slade to Alligator; it’s payday, and Allan has a stack” (non-insignificant amount of cash). Says Arnold, talking to the unsuspecting college kid. “I’ll bet you fifty cents (which means fifty dollars) that Allan wins.
Now, most people know, including the college kid in this scene that Slade has real cash on him at all times and that Allan can not possibly win even if he has his whole paycheck with him. It just does not make sense that Allan can win.
“Done, but let’s make it a dollar (meaning a hundred dollars); Slade has more cash than anyone in this dump.”
Allan and Slade are having an argument of some kind and things seem to be heating up.
Later in the scene, it is revealed that this is actually just a stall tactic to make sure all of the side bets can be made around the bar. They have the signals from Arnold and the others that the bets are in, and that is Allan’s queue to finish it up.
“Fuck you, you two-bit hustler; Remember your fucking place; I introduced you to this place, and you think you can chump-bet me? Alligator it is, right here, right now. I will show you up in front of all your little groupies; you ain’t shit,” says Allen, who has become very animated.
“It’s your cash, dumb-ass,” replies Slade.
The two instantly plop their stacks of cash on the bar.
No sooner does the cash hit the wood of the bar, and it is obvious that Slade is the one who has come up short. Phil has plopped what appears to be ten thousand or so on the bar, and Slade only produced about seventy-five hundred.
“Easiest seventy-five hundred I ever made, chump.” Says Allen. Then he adds insult to injury and wads up a hundred and throws it at Slade as he shoves another in the bartender tip-jar and saunders out the door.
“I had a feeling,” says Arnold as he takes the cash from the college kid. “Slade was due for that shit. Ever since he got busted at LD’s game, he just cannot stay winner. He never learns. That ego of his will be his downfall.”
As you can see in this scene, there was no gambling going on. Slade, Arnold, and Allen were in it together, along with the others in the bar who took the side action while watching the theater going on at the bar.
Allen will come back in and they all square up.
There are always layers and layers of deception in the land of Texas Sharks.
Listen to the lingo; it will sound the alarms you need to keep your cash in your pocket!
Very interesting.