Danny D vs Ronnie Allen

[Nick B]

This got posted over at AZB. This is new to me. Not bad quality.

 

[jrhendy]

YOU’SE CAN’T BEAT Y’ALL

Ronnie’s words.

 

[HowardK]

I remember seeing this on video tape. This was the quality back then. Still impressed by the one pocket prowess of both Danny D. and Ronnie.

 

[gulfportdoc]

That was a match for the ages. AND, they were both well past their primes...

 

[12squared]

I think Jay Helfert is still selling DVDs of this match. I think he produced it. It is very entertaining to be sure. Thanks.

 

[lll]

i bought this dvd years ago from jay
i love hearing ronnie say "babycakes"

 

[vapros]

What a rare treat! Couple of fearless warriors in a great match.

 

[mr3cushion]

Those of you who saw Ronnie in his Prime, what could the Ronnie in his prime give the Ronnie in this video?

 

[Dennis "Whitey" Young]

Finally after being a 5 yr. member, I watched a real OP match! Shooting at their hole, no hesitation, getting it on!
thanks for the thread, that was great!
Whitey

 

[12squared]

That edited version of their match makes it look like they were playing better than they did. they made all those shots but there were bad shots mixed in too, and you miss most of the fun rail banter with Keith (beanpole), Puckett, Platis, etc. Very funny. One whole set Ronnie played poorly and blamed it on Puckett for keeping him up all night.

With that said, this condensed version was enjoyable to be sure. You can imagine how great they both played in their prime.

 

[Jimmy B]

I remember some drunk woman there harassing Danny. He got a little hot

 

[Dennis "Whitey" Young]

That edited version of their match makes it look like they were playing better than they did. they made all those shots but there were bad shots mixed in too, and you miss most of the fun rail banter with Keith (beanpole), Puckett, Platis, etc. Very funny. One whole set Ronnie played poorly and blamed it on Puckett for keeping him up all night.

With that said, this condensed version was enjoyable to be sure. You can imagine how great they both played in their prime.

Maybe that is why I liked this match so`much, because it was edited, but I sure liked how they processed the table so quickly, and how quickly they shot.
I cannot see them even in the unedited version taking very long to shoot.

I've heard that when Allen played Fats the games went by at a lightning pace. Allen could not beat Fats with 2 balls and Fats could not beat Allen with getting 1 ball, is what I heard.

Ronnie came to my tournament a couple of times,and there he stated, " I do not know what all the hype is about my OP game for I am a better 9-ball player than a OP player. He also stated to me, " they sure have ruined the game of 9 - ball".
Whitey

 

[mr3cushion]

The New players of he last 10 years seem to always be looking for the right shot to shoot, not just knowing from common sense.

Ronnie and Danny knew what they were going to shoot while getting up from the chair.

Ronnie surly came with some creative shots, kicks/banks/kisses. Danny obviously knew the stack better/combos/caroms, and IMO had better CB control on, shot/safety shots. Both guys in the edited version ran the balls for the most part effortlessly.

I enjoyed this match more than ANY match in the last few years by the New players.

 

[Dennis "Whitey" Young]

The New players of he last 10 years seem to always be looking for the right shot to shoot, not just knowing from common sense.

Ronnie and Danny knew what they were going to shoot while getting up from the chair.

Ronnie surly came with some creative shots, kicks/banks/kisses. Danny obviously knew the stack better/combos/caroms, and IMO had better CB control on, shot/safety shots. Both guys in the edited version ran the balls for the most part effortlessly.

I enjoyed this match more than ANY match in the last few years by the New players.

thank you, my sentiments also, well said! I too enjoyed this match more than any match in the last few years by the new players.
Whitey

 

[lll]

Those of you who saw Ronnie in his Prime, what could the Ronnie in his prime give the Ronnie in this video?

jay helfert posted this on azb regarding this video
(I bolded the part relevant to your question)
.........................................
"
The full length match was nearly ten hours long! They played three out of five sets, each set a race to five. I spent two days in a rented editing booth making that heavily edited tape. It is two hours and forty minutes long and could fit on the longest videotape available at that time.

This was a real match against two arch rivals of that era. Danny was the house pro at the Golden Cue and was backed by the owner David Lee. Ronnie was backed by Elliott Robbins, a successful businessman who was a pretty good pool scuffler in his youth. He and I had gambled in a couple of long sessions 20 years before this.

The money was important to both these players, with the winning player getting 50 per cent of the money ($5,000), which was a big score back then.

I was the producer of this match, putting it all together and hiring (and training) the TV crew. I knew the crew from seeing them make commercials for the Bicycle Club casino in L.A.

Danny was still in his prime and Ronnie was at the tail end of his career. He had been considered the best One Pocket player for the last twenty years! It’s probably the last time I saw Ronnie play good, close to his top speed. By 1990 his game had gone down a full ball.

Danny really wanted to win this match on his home court in front of all his friends there. Ronnie wanted it just as bad, as he had many supporters there as well. UJ Puckett was there (I shared a room with him), as was Keith and Weenie Bernie among others. There was a lot of side betting going on every day. They played one set a day for three days.

Harry Platis came down from Seattle and kept woofing at me to play him thousand a game One Pocket. He had been after me for a couple of years since I took him off playing 9-Ball. He didn’t know I was ready for him and brought 8K with me. The most I had ever played for was 100 a game but I was confident I could beat him. We did end up playing and I was a little nervous, and lost the first game. In the second game I forgot about the size of the bet and just played pool. I won that game and every game after that. Made my biggest pool score but that’s another story.

Danny was so upset after losing the match he went in the office and didn’t come out for two hours.

How good was Ronnie at One Pocket? He knew more about the game then anyone else I’ve ever seen play. He kicked like God, and could kick three rails accurately from just about anywhere on the table. He was also the best combination shooter of all time, especially off angle combos. Ronnie had an uncanny ability to shoot or kick Into the bottom of the pack (usually early in the rack) and move multiple balls toward his hole. If one went in that game was over! He was the master of the Eight and Out (often he had to run ten in the games he made), and his runouts might include three or four “circus” shots! He just found ways to keep the run going, often making incredible shots to do it.

There was nowhere you could leave him safe where he couldn’t find a way out by kicking the ball somewhere. He was able to reverse the most dire situations in his favor with spectacular kick shots. You had to see it to believe it and I did for the better part of twenty years. On top of all that Ronnie played with flair and total confidence, no matter how skilled his opponent was. He gained a ball with his conversation alone!

He was a fantastic pressure player also. No bet fazed him and he was at his best the bigger the bet! He rarely if ever missed his “out” ball. At the end of a rack if he got a look at anything it was usually game over.

People loved watching him play and he drew a crowd everywhere he went. Enough for now."

 

[mr3cushion]

So I can gleam for Jay's comment, (in bold) that in this match that, Ronnie in Prime could of given this video Ronnie, 9/8 or 8/7.

Jay's description of Ronnie in his prime sounds a lot like Artie, except for the 'circus shots.'

 

[Dennis "Whitey" Young]

That sure is a beautiful table, and it plays just as well as it looks. The rails have good speed, and banks terrific.
Did you guys see Danny D's 4 rail bank off the long rail? There were a number of great banks in this match. Ronnie banked excellent, and Danny wasn't far behind.
Ronnie's tips on how to play OP is an excellent presentation!

Larry, thanks for posting Jay's comment!
Whitey

 

[jtompilot]

The New players of he last 10 years seem to always be looking for the right shot to shoot, not just knowing from common sense.

Ronnie and Danny knew what they were going to shoot while getting up from the chair.

Ronnie surly came with some creative shots, kicks/banks/kisses. Danny obviously knew the stack better/combos/caroms, and IMO had better CB control on, shot/safety shots. Both guys in the edited version ran the balls for the most part effortlessly.

I enjoyed this match more than ANY match in the last few years by the New players.

Danny shot a few 1%ers that cost him two or three games. He knew it and said so. Great match

 

[mr3cushion]

Danny shot a few 1%ers that cost him two or three games. He knew it and said so. Great match

That's the difference! Artie wouldn't have to explain why he shot a 'Low percentage shot.'

 

[jtompilot]

That's the difference! Artie wouldn't have to explain why he shot a 'Low percentage shot.'

I guess that explains that
Danny didn’t have to shoot those 1%ers because he didn’t need too, Artie would only shoot them if he had no choice.