The Hustler isn't what he used to be. But he has the next best thing. A kid who is.
Fast Eddie Nelson has passed the decades hustling pool rooms when he encounters Vincent Lauria, a cocky, brash young pool player who reminds Eddie of a younger version of himself. His tutelage of Vincent rekindles his own love for the game of pool, and he takes Vincent all over, using Vincent's anonymity to hustle pool players out of wads of bills. The hard part is dealing with Vincent's proclivity for showing off and acting cocky. When Vincent and Eddie enter the same tourney in Atlantic City, Eddie discovers that he doesn't like the hustler that he's always been and wants to simply play for the love the game, not dumping games in the hopes of making a big payday. Eddie faces Vincent in the tourney, and what's on the line is more than simple pride.