Running the Table: The Legend of Kid Delicious, the Last Great American Pool Hustler.

Wertheim, L. Jon (author).

If professional pool players are an endangered species, pool hustlers would seem altogether extinct. But like a field researcher reporting a passenger pigeon in New Jersey, Wertheim presents Danny Basavich, aka Kid Delicious, as proof that hustlers walk among us yet. He couldn’t have asked for a better subject. Like pool’s most famous big man, Delicious has a larger-than-life personality and an ability to make losers love him. But he also has a dark side, “full-moon phases” that sometimes lay him low for months. Wertheim records Delicious’ journey from high-school loser to high-stakes winner, keeping the pacing brisk as the Kid learns the ropes on the road, in bed, and at the bank. Eventually, with his face and belly too well known to prospective marks, Delicious tries to make the transition to professional pool, which, paradoxically, is far less lucrative. Pool insiders often lack the literary chops to sell their stories to the general public; Wertheim, a professional sportswriter (Transition Game, 2005), has an eye for detail and can turn a phrase—and he’s clearly fascinated by the game. You will be, too.