He's going to come back from the bathroom and start to win. The other Garlic City guy, a portly man with a cute face and mop haircut, is Tom Butler, one of the highest ranked players in the room. Five minutes later, Gene's back. The lanky Tim obligingly picks up his cue. Gene's been known to throw tantrums if an opponent quits when he's up.
Gene loses the first game, then wins and wins and wins again.
Finally, the players are dead even. Tim wants out. He's the backer. It wasn't a hustle. Hustlers don't play for three hours to come out even.