origin of term sandbagging
Design Pics/Design Pics/Getty Images. The term sandbagging generally refers to a cheat who conceals his real talents to fool his opponent. In cards, a sandbagger pretends his hand is lousy to get other players to put greater stakes on the table.In golf, a sandbagger pretends he has a lower level of ability than he really does.n pool, think Paul Newman in The Hustler: a pool shark acting like an amateur to raise the bets against him. Though the origin of the word sandbagging didn't mean quite the same thing, it did have a negative definition that has carried on through the years.