A crooked organiser of a two-up game, who would cheat players out of their money. (Reference: Sidney J. Baker, The Australian Language, second edition, 1966, chapter XI section 3, page 243.)
You use hard-headed to describe someone who is practical and determined to get what they want or need, and who does not allow emotions to affect their actions. a hard-headed and shrewd businesswoman = tough. practical and able to make difficult decisions without letting your emotions affect your judgment
guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory; "a hardheaded appraisal of our position"; "a hard-nosed labor leader"; "completely practical in his approach to business"; "not ideology but pragmatic politics"