The Hustler is the story of Eddie Felson, a professional pool shark, who makes all his money on the road. He is young and cocky and doesn't know how to admit defeat. Eddie has wanted to play Minnesota Fats for years, and now that he has a chance, he refuses to pass it up. The first time they play, though, Eddie loses all his money to Fats, but he swears he will win again someday. At the end of the film, Eddie finally wins big and takes a step away from the game.

During that game, Eddie meets Bert Gordon. Eventually, he allows Bert to finance him so that he can play big money players at the Kentucky Derby and hopefully around the world someday. Bert doesn't approve of Eddie completely, so he sets out to change him into a true player.

While in town trying to make...