My husband spent his preschool years in a bar because his mother worked and his father hung out at the bar.
When he was in college, before all the NCAA rules when the athletes had money galore and no one cared if they went to class, my husband made a living beating them at pool, especially bumper pool. We probably would have starved without all their money.
Another trick he had was he could make a vertical jump to the top of a bar stool, he could always make a lot of money in a new crowd.
You reminded me of when I used to bet people that I could hand horizontally off a pole. That was always a big money maker.
Not to mention that many laces today are round rather than flat. They never stay tied.