Running the Table

Summary

In many sports, the pinnacle is Wheaties-box fame and notoriety. But in the world of pool, notoriety is the last thing a hustler desires. Such is the dilemma that faces Danny Basavich, an affable, generously proportioned Jewish kid from Jersey, who flounders through high school until he discovers the one thing he excels at – the felt – and hits the road.

RUNNING THE TABLE spins the outrageous tale of Kid Delicious and his studly if less talented setup man, Bristol Bob. Never was there a more entertaining or mismatched pair of sidekicks, as together they go underground into the flavorfully seamy world of pool to learn the art of the hustle and experience the highs and lows of life on the road. Their four-year odyssey takes them from podunk pool halls to slick urban billiard rooms across America, as they manage to take down as much as $30,000 one night, and the next night end up with just enough gas money to get home. With every stop the action gets hotter, the calls get closer, and Delicious’ prowess with a cue stick becomes more widely known. Ultimately Delicious sheds his cover, becoming perhaps the biggest sensation in professional pool since Minnesota Fats. L. Jon Wertheim paints a lasting portrait of an insanely talented and magnetic hustler who is literally larger than life.