memorable experiences you have had with a good player
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jrhendy
Verified Member
Back in the seventies I played out of a room called the Golden Cue in Rosemead, about ten miles from downtown Los Angeles.
I was playing partners pinochle when a young guy walked in and said ‘Who wants to play some nine ball?’ I told him I know you were sent here to play me so you must be a better player than I am. He said ‘You are right, I am a good player and you have the wild eight’.
The owner, Indian Joe Monzingo, was always in with me against strangers and we lose around 1k and quit. Two days later in the sports section of the LA Times is a big picture of the guy I played with the caption ‘St. Louis Louie Roberts will be giving a pool exhibition at the Los Angeles Elks Club’.
I was playing partners pinochle when a young guy walked in and said ‘Who wants to play some nine ball?’ I told him I know you were sent here to play me so you must be a better player than I am. He said ‘You are right, I am a good player and you have the wild eight’.
The owner, Indian Joe Monzingo, was always in with me against strangers and we lose around 1k and quit. Two days later in the sports section of the LA Times is a big picture of the guy I played with the caption ‘St. Louis Louie Roberts will be giving a pool exhibition at the Los Angeles Elks Club’.
Jeff sparks
Verified Member
About 20 years ago I’m playing poker with Flyboy at one of the local high rake rooms here in Houston... We had played each other many times long ago and I knew his game pretty well. He started racking up his chips to cash out and I asked him if he wanted to play some cheap one pocket, just to pass the time...
He said he was going to play a guy some 3 cushion for $5000.00... I said, Who? He said it was some guy who thought he could go to 125 before Fly got to 70... So I said can I have a piece, ( I knew Fly played good 3 cushion ) and he said sure, so I took 30% and asked where they were playing...
I got there ahead of Fly and the owner was taking down a life size poster of some billiard champion who was scheduled to give an exhibition there the coming weekend...
Fly walks in and we warm up for a few minutes and in walks the guy on the poster... It’s the guy Fly is supposed to play..
I tell Fly this guy is some kind of a champion, they just took his poster down before you got here...
Fly just smiled and said, it don’t matter who he is, he can’t win...
I just sat back and watched... when Fly got to 70, the champion had 86...
Fly had to be around 50 then, the champ looked to be about 35...
They didn’t ask to play another set...
He said he was going to play a guy some 3 cushion for $5000.00... I said, Who? He said it was some guy who thought he could go to 125 before Fly got to 70... So I said can I have a piece, ( I knew Fly played good 3 cushion ) and he said sure, so I took 30% and asked where they were playing...
I got there ahead of Fly and the owner was taking down a life size poster of some billiard champion who was scheduled to give an exhibition there the coming weekend...
Fly walks in and we warm up for a few minutes and in walks the guy on the poster... It’s the guy Fly is supposed to play..
I tell Fly this guy is some kind of a champion, they just took his poster down before you got here...
Fly just smiled and said, it don’t matter who he is, he can’t win...
I just sat back and watched... when Fly got to 70, the champion had 86...
Fly had to be around 50 then, the champ looked to be about 35...
They didn’t ask to play another set...
12squared
Verified Member
About 20 years ago I’m playing poker with Flyboy at one of the local high rake rooms here in Houston... We had played each other many times long ago and I knew his game pretty well. He started racking up his chips to cash out and I asked him if he wanted to play some cheap one pocket, just to pass the time...
He said he was going to play a guy some 3 cushion for $5000.00... I said, Who? He said it was some guy who thought he could go to 125 before Fly got to 70... So I said can I have a piece, ( I knew Fly played good 3 cushion ) and he said sure, so I took 30% and asked where they were playing...
I got there ahead of Fly and the owner was taking down a life size poster of some billiard champion who was scheduled to give an exhibition there the coming weekend...
Fly walks in and we warm up for a few minutes and in walks the guy on the poster... It’s the guy Fly is supposed to play..
I tell Fly this guy is some kind of a champion, they just took his poster down before you got here...
Fly just smiled and said, it don’t matter who he is, he can’t win...
I just sat back and watched... when Fly got to 70, the champion had 86...
Fly had to be around 50 then, the champ looked to be about 35...
They didn’t ask to play another set...
So who was it?
Jeff sparks
Verified Member
12,
Sorry, I don’t have a clue...
I remember he was from another country, I think Mexico, but I couldn’t swear to it... Jimmie knew the safes to well for the guy...He played him tight early and the guy apparently thought he could overcome it by having a higher per inning average by stringing more billiards, so he shot at flyers early in the match and Jimmie actually had the straight up lead on the guy twice before either got to 50... Jimmie stalled some after he had the guy beat, but not enough for them to try a second match...
Out of all the pocket billiard players I ever played, only Jersey Red could play 3 cushion with Jimmie Spears, and if I had to bet on that match, I’d have taken Jimmie, he could play...
NH Steve
Administrator
Sang Lee was the US champ for a number of years and was known to play for cash. But he was seriously head and shoulders over the rest of the US competition. More recent generation Sonny Cho has been willing to put money up. Mazin Shooni started off his pool/billiards career at the Rack in Detroit, so he still has the cash bug at times... Maybe Billy has the scuttlebutt on 3 cushion action since he was another one that often got in the pit -- but he is a white guy -- can't be him lol.
lll
Verified Member
i have 2 memorable moments that are related
as a young college kid i got hustled by jim"the harvard kid " morgan
i later found out he was coming to the student union to practice before "going to work " later in the day/night...
he eventually started to show me all that "luck" was on purpose....
he opened my eyes to a level of pool i never knew existed
he introduced me to onepocket and brought me to the sports palace in new orleans where real pool players and road players would play and gable (1970's)
as a young college kid i got hustled by jim"the harvard kid " morgan
i later found out he was coming to the student union to practice before "going to work " later in the day/night...
he eventually started to show me all that "luck" was on purpose....
he opened my eyes to a level of pool i never knew existed
he introduced me to onepocket and brought me to the sports palace in new orleans where real pool players and road players would play and gable (1970's)
lll
Verified Member
now comes part 2
among the players living in new orleans at that time and playing out of the sports palace was new york blackie ...al bonife
steve did an interview with him
you can read it here
http://www.onepocket.org/rackem-up-with-al-ny-blackie-bonife/
well i watched blackie play onepocket and 9 ball for big money
one day he was broke and asked me to play onepocket for $5
he would give me 10-4...
i thought i had a chance....
VERY WRONG......
after losing $20 i pulled up
but i have a million dollar memory......
among the players living in new orleans at that time and playing out of the sports palace was new york blackie ...al bonife
steve did an interview with him
you can read it here
http://www.onepocket.org/rackem-up-with-al-ny-blackie-bonife/
well i watched blackie play onepocket and 9 ball for big money
one day he was broke and asked me to play onepocket for $5
he would give me 10-4...
i thought i had a chance....
VERY WRONG......
after losing $20 i pulled up
but i have a million dollar memory......
12squared
Verified Member
12squared
Verified Member
One of my favorite experiences was with Buddy Hall (sorry if this is a repeat).
I lived in the Bay Area (CA) for about 14 years and made many friends. There was a young asian guy that I used to play cheap games/sets w/me giving a spot. I moved to CO in 2001 but I went to the Reno Open after being away for a number of years and saw a lot of my old friends, including the guy mentioned above. At the end of the night we were trying to make a game in 1pocket but couldn't agree on anything.
I saw that Buddy was just sitting on the sidelines so I asked my friend if I would give him 9-7 and he can get coached by Buddy would he play. We talked to Buddy telling him that whoever wins would give him 1/2 and he agreed to coach him. That was the most fun I have ever had playing 1pocket. I think I ended up winning 2 games and just said to my friend, just pay the time and give Buddy the rest.
I think Buddy enjoyed it, too. The next day I ran into him at the restaurant and he asked me to join him using one of his comps to pay for my meal, so I won that!
Dave
I lived in the Bay Area (CA) for about 14 years and made many friends. There was a young asian guy that I used to play cheap games/sets w/me giving a spot. I moved to CO in 2001 but I went to the Reno Open after being away for a number of years and saw a lot of my old friends, including the guy mentioned above. At the end of the night we were trying to make a game in 1pocket but couldn't agree on anything.
I saw that Buddy was just sitting on the sidelines so I asked my friend if I would give him 9-7 and he can get coached by Buddy would he play. We talked to Buddy telling him that whoever wins would give him 1/2 and he agreed to coach him. That was the most fun I have ever had playing 1pocket. I think I ended up winning 2 games and just said to my friend, just pay the time and give Buddy the rest.
I think Buddy enjoyed it, too. The next day I ran into him at the restaurant and he asked me to join him using one of his comps to pay for my meal, so I won that!
Dave
BackPocket9Ball
Verified Member
About 12 years ago, I was in a room in Sterling, VA ... can't recall the name. There was a weekly 9-ball tourn going on, and Keith McCready was there. He approached me after hearing from Brandon Shuff that I wasn't a strong player but would bet a moderate amount.
He said that he would give me action if I wanted it. I said, "I can't play you Keith, you're a champion." He said he would take Danny Green, a strong regional player, and play partners with me shooting in between them. I asked for 11-7 assuming that Danny played one pocket as strong as I had heard he played 9-ball. It also seemed likely to me that they were both slightly intoxicated. They willingly accepted.
It was sell-out city. At first it occurred to me that they might be dumping to me to get me to bet more, but once I got two games ahead, they quit. In those two games, Danny jumped the cue ball three times with a full cue. I have never before or since seen anyone feel the need to jump the cue ball in one pocket ... although, he was mighty good at it.
He said that he would give me action if I wanted it. I said, "I can't play you Keith, you're a champion." He said he would take Danny Green, a strong regional player, and play partners with me shooting in between them. I asked for 11-7 assuming that Danny played one pocket as strong as I had heard he played 9-ball. It also seemed likely to me that they were both slightly intoxicated. They willingly accepted.
It was sell-out city. At first it occurred to me that they might be dumping to me to get me to bet more, but once I got two games ahead, they quit. In those two games, Danny jumped the cue ball three times with a full cue. I have never before or since seen anyone feel the need to jump the cue ball in one pocket ... although, he was mighty good at it.
crabbcatjohn
Verified Member
JR Harris
JR Harris
Long time ago i'm sitting with JR Harris at a tournament in Colorado Springs. I also had just bought him in the auction. He went high. So he's going on and on about his Jehovah Witness stuff. After what seemed a lifetime of this crap he leans over and says... You got a joint? So i'm sitting there trying to be respectful, but i'm dying inside laughing... Anyhow after our trip outside, first round comes up and i draw him. I got no chance but its 9 ball and i get every roll/combo etc and beat him 7-1. I'm not very smart... So he puts his stick away and leaves refusing to play in the losers bracket...lol
JR Harris
Long time ago i'm sitting with JR Harris at a tournament in Colorado Springs. I also had just bought him in the auction. He went high. So he's going on and on about his Jehovah Witness stuff. After what seemed a lifetime of this crap he leans over and says... You got a joint? So i'm sitting there trying to be respectful, but i'm dying inside laughing... Anyhow after our trip outside, first round comes up and i draw him. I got no chance but its 9 ball and i get every roll/combo etc and beat him 7-1. I'm not very smart... So he puts his stick away and leaves refusing to play in the losers bracket...lol
Jimmy B
Verified Member
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Now that's a great war story, if I ever heard one.. I mean the previous ones in the thread are very good also, but this one gave me a good laugh.. Especially when he left you hanging like that...
memorable experiences you have had with a good player
You could say he left him high and dry ...
You could say he left him high and dry ...
crabbcatjohn
Verified Member
lol good one...
Island Drive
Verified Member
Exactly....but worse, not high, yes dry and worse, no action :frus. In those dayz, couldn't of happened to a nicer character. He's doing well now, I hear. I've always liked the ''other Jr'' when he stuck to the weed.
Frank Almanza
Verified Member
Back in the 60's a new pool room was opening and the owner asked me if I would play a couple of exhibition matches with the current straight pool world champion Joe Balsis. I was pretty excited that he choose me to do that.
Two matches, one at 2pm and the other at 8pm going to 100 points. In those days I played a lot of straight pool. As luck would have it I made a couple of decent runs to win the first match. After that match the owner took us to dinner and after eating he took me aside and in so many words told me that the spectators were there to see Joe Balsis play. Of course I wanted to win again but he destroyed me in the second match. What a memory that is. Still like it was just yesterday.
Two matches, one at 2pm and the other at 8pm going to 100 points. In those days I played a lot of straight pool. As luck would have it I made a couple of decent runs to win the first match. After that match the owner took us to dinner and after eating he took me aside and in so many words told me that the spectators were there to see Joe Balsis play. Of course I wanted to win again but he destroyed me in the second match. What a memory that is. Still like it was just yesterday.
Island Drive
Verified Member
Same thing happened to me at Paramount Billiards/Adam Brostoski's place in Long Beach. He invited Cowboy Jimmy Moore in to do an exhibition with me in straight pool. Probably 1978-79. I played allot of 14.1 in the sixties and seventies. I beat em soundly, Adam took me to the side, we played a nine ball set, he told me to dump. I loved that man, Adam, we were Buds, almost opened a room on the PCH traffic circle 1980 together, his son still owns Golden West Billiards.