In Maryland, D.C., and Virginia area, where do folks go during the week to play pool?

AtLarge

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
A pool hall did *not* exist in that Silver Spring location before Richard Allen opened up Champion Billiards in Silver Spring, MD. This was the very first Champion Billiards in the area. They were the largest pool talbe distributor on the East Coast at that time. In fact, when the movie people from "The Color of Money" were looking for pool tables for the Atlantic City scene, they contacted Richard, but another company bid lower for the job, so Richard didn't get it. ...

Thanks, JAM. Do you know about when Champion Billiards opened in Silver Spring?
 

JAM

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Here are some of the players from Randolph Hills, circa 1974. Since I've never posted pictures before, I hope they make it through.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/100708230@N02/albums/72157688407021596

Top row: Taxi, Sue Stevens, "Six Pack of Gonorrhea" Stairs, Scrimma 1, Scrimma 2
2nd row: Schwartz, Roach, Roach and Scrimma, Parker/Little Peety/Tom-Tom (from the 90's), Mickey (Peaches) McGuire
3rd row: Mickey and Maalox, Mickey and Jenny Gale (from the 90's), Margaret 1, Margaret 2, Lackey
4th row: Johnnie Priest (old ex-Yankees ballplayer), Jenny Gale 1, Jenny Gale 2, Goober 1, Goober 2
5th row: Geese, Doug Sanders, Captain Slick, Bobby Gumphrey, Tom-Tom
6th row: Jersey John / Jenny Gale / Steve Gumphrey, Big Ed, Big Ed / Steve Gumphrey w/ 2 others in the middle, John Zarou on the right, Little Petey (2010)

O.M.G.! What a gold mine! I love these photos. Jenny Gale, is that the same as "Jennifer Duncan"? Look at Scrimma, may he RIP. Old Man Mickey aka "Mr. Johnson." :wink: And, of course, The Geese. Steve Gumphrey. Big Ed, OMG. LOL John Zarou. He's still around. I think Keith saw him at the horse track a month or so ago.

I LOVE THESE PHOTOS!
 

JAM

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Jen, what a great picture. I get to Frederick once or twice a week to play, and I'm going to show Gary Allen this thread, with his dad, and Gary as a baby. He'll be embarrassed. There's a lot of other history here too. Chris Sigel was Mike's first wife, and the woman with the neck brace was also Cigar Tom's first wife. Both had second wives, not sure beyond that. I still remember Chris Sigel at the US Opens in Norfolk, traveling with Mike, as he battled Earl, Buddy, and the rest.

Good picture of you too, you've got to be very young in this photo... :thumbup:

All the best,
WW

He'll get a kick out of that photo, I'm sure! Gary is a really, really cool guy and so nice. I have nothing but the highest praise for Gary and his dad. :smile:
 

JAM

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have been meaning to check out Hi - Cue in Virginia. Paul Oh and some others have mentioned it . Looks nice and may have a little action. Not sure about the bar scene there?

Kd

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

We're going over to Central Avenue on Saturday morning. :cool:
 

JAM

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I see Jackie Robinson in row 2!

When I first worked at Champions in Laurel, Jackie and I shared the Keno counter position. :love2:

This thread brings back memories for sure. Thanks, JAM!

Riggie wanted to take me to Texas...
"Why Texas, Riggie?"
"They have the best ham in Texas, Miss Wonderful, the best ham."
"You in the mood for ham, Riggie?"
"I'm not. But if I was in Texas I would be." :rotflmao1:

One day Riggie said proudly, "Hey Miss Wonderful, look at this."
Between his thumb and forefinger he had two coins.

Probably shouldn't have, because it was so simple, but it took me years to figure out he was trying to tell me he had two nickels to rub together.


The good old days for sure. I love reading everybody else's memories! :lovies:
 

BmoreMoney

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
We're going over to Central Avenue on Saturday morning. :cool:

BTW Jam, probably not this time but real soon. This is monthly right? Gonna get a shaft made for my Scruggs that i broke and Bmore just might have to come outta retirement ! From the list posted, I already know I can hang ( already beat ) some of those guys and I ain't scared lol. BTW Jam, the offer still stands you and Keith going out with me on my boat. Doing a few more trips to the islands to party and Rock in the fall. Lmk, yall welcome anytime ! !
 
Last edited:

Taxi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
O.M.G.! What a gold mine! I love these photos. Jenny Gale, is that the same as "Jennifer Duncan"? Look at Scrimma, may he RIP. Old Man Mickey aka "Mr. Johnson." :wink: And, of course, The Geese. Steve Gumphrey. Big Ed, OMG. LOL John Zarou. He's still around. I think Keith saw him at the horse track a month or so ago.

I LOVE THESE PHOTOS!

Glad you like them, Jen, and yes, Jenny Gale is now Jennifer Duncan, and I've seen Zarou out at Triple Nines once in a while.

Mickey McGuire (AKA Peaches, "Dr. Hemingway", and a bunch of other names) was a real mensch and a real character. I once bought a lot of sports books from an old sportswriter at the Post, and since he went back a long ways, I asked him if he'd ever heard of a Mickey McGuire. Did he ever---he spent 15 minutes telling me stories about how Mickey once got caught with a fistfull of betting slips, but kept his mouth shut and spent a year in jail for his silence. A standup guy and maybe the most universally beloved member of the Washington pool community I've ever known.

And that REALLY old guy, Johnnie Priest, was a sociable billiards player at the old Brunswick Billiards at 14th & Irving before the 1968 riots, who then migrated up to Randolph Hills after that. When he first told me he'd played for the Yankees, which were called the Highlanders before World War I, I didn't believe him, but then I found an old baseball guide and there he was in two team pictures. Sweetest man you'd ever meet. I made copies of those pictures for him and he showed them around to anyone else who hadn't believed him.

Randolph Hills was a great little room back then, with Gumphrey and Geese the best of the lot, but of course back then there were good little action rooms all over the Washington area. It wasn't just Beenie's, Guys & Dolls, Bladensburg and 7th & T.
 
Last edited:

one stroke

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Glad you like them, Jen, and yes, Jenny Gale is now Jennifer Duncan, and I've seen Zarou out at Triple Nines once in a while.

Mickey McGuire (AKA Peaches, "Dr. Hemingway", and a bunch of other names) was a real mensch and a real character. I once bought a lot of sports books from an old sportswriter at the Post, and since he went back a long ways, I asked him if he'd ever heard of a Mickey McGuire. Did he ever---he spent 15 minutes telling me stories about how Mickey once got caught with a fistfull of betting slips, but kept his mouth shut and spent a year in jail for his silence. A standup guy and maybe the most universally beloved member of the Washington pool community I've ever known.

And that REALLY old guy, Johnnie Priest, was a sociable billiards player at the old Brunswick Billiards at 14th & Irving before the 1968 riots, who then migrated up to Randolph Hills after that. When he first told me he'd played for the Yankees, which were called the Highlanders before World War I, I didn't believe him, but then I found an old baseball guide and there he was in two team pictures. Sweetest man you'd ever meet. I made copies of those pictures for him and he showed them around to anyone else who hadn't believed him.

Randolph Hills was a great little room back then, with Gumphrey and Geese the best of the lot, but of course back then there were good little action rooms all over the Washington area. It wasn't just Beenie's, Guys & Dolls, Bladensburg and 7th & T.

Dam all these great players back in the day yet you still think when I beat you it was something I feel privileged

Mark

Onestroke
 

JAM

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
BTW Jam, probably not this time but real soon. This is monthly right? Gonna get a shaft made for my Scruggs that i broke and Bmore just might have to come outta retirement ! From the list posted, I already know I can hang ( already beat ) some of those guys and I ain't scared lol. BTW Jam, the offer still stands you and Keith going out with me on my boat. Doing a few more trips to the islands to party and Rock in the fall. Lmk, yall welcome anytime ! !

That would be GREAT! Thank you.

Keith's in a tournament on Saturday at QuBall1 on Central Avenue. One mile from Exit 15 on the Beltway. Love this pool room!
 

JAM

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Glad you like them, Jen, and yes, Jenny Gale is now Jennifer Duncan, and I've seen Zarou out at Triple Nines once in a while.

Mickey McGuire (AKA Peaches, "Dr. Hemingway", and a bunch of other names) was a real mensch and a real character. I once bought a lot of sports books from an old sportswriter at the Post, and since he went back a long ways, I asked him if he'd ever heard of a Mickey McGuire. Did he ever---he spent 15 minutes telling me stories about how Mickey once got caught with a fistfull of betting slips, but kept his mouth shut and spent a year in jail for his silence. A standup guy and maybe the most universally beloved member of the Washington pool community I've ever known.

And that REALLY old guy, Johnnie Priest, was a sociable billiards player at the old Brunswick Billiards at 14th & Irving before the 1968 riots, who then migrated up to Randolph Hills after that. When he first told me he'd played for the Yankees, which were called the Highlanders before World War I, I didn't believe him, but then I found an old baseball guide and there he was in two team pictures. Sweetest man you'd ever meet. I made copies of those pictures for him and he showed them around to anyone else who hadn't believed him.

Randolph Hills was a great little room back then, with Gumphrey and Geese the best of the lot, but of course back then there were good little action rooms all over the Washington area. It wasn't just Beenie's, Guys & Dolls, Bladensburg and 7th & T.

I remember the owner of Randolph Hills had a swimming pool for race horses, and Geese would find out the name of the horse swimming that week and then go bet them at the track. :grin-square:

I ran the Miller Lite pool league out of Dietle's, a one-table bar. I drummed up a lot of business for this event. One morning, the TV show "PM Magazine" came, at my request, to advertise the event. They came in the morning when the place was dead. The producer asked the guys at the bar if they could come stand around the pool table to make it look crowded, and most of them were skipping work and didn't want to be seen on TV. :grin-square:

I was hung over, big time, when I arrived, from the night before. I didn't have time to put makeup on. I remember going in the bathroom and rubbing the blue pool chalk on my eyelids for eye shadow. :eek:

Chester Morris came, at my request from Randolph Hills, and put on a trick shot show for "PM Magazine." That was pretty cool.

The night of the event, Dietle's got so crowded. There must have been 300 people in that one-table bar. The owner, Hank, used to let me run a tab, and it was well over $100. The next morning, after the event, Hank came up to me and ripped up my tab. Apparently, in the history of Hank Dietle's, it was the most money he ever made in one night from that pool event.

Those were the days! :cool:
 

Icon of Sin

I can't fold, I need gold. I re-up and reload...
Silver Member
That would be GREAT! Thank you.

Keith's in a tournament on Saturday at QuBall1 on Central Avenue. One mile from Exit 15 on the Beltway. Love this pool room!

Is that the poolhall with the absurdly small pockets on the 1 pocket table. Small to the point where you dont even think about shooting a ball from behind the headstring?
 

JAM

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Is that the poolhall with the absurdly small pockets on the 1 pocket table. Small to the point where you dont even think about shooting a ball from behind the headstring?

Yikes! I'm not sure. I will find out, though. :wink:

You should come. https://www.quball1.com/

Really nice pool room. People are cool, real pool peeps. This is a player's pool room, not a bar or social club. It's where people can reall concentrate on pool. Aren't too many rooms like this around anymore.
 

gesan

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Do any of the posters of this glimpse into the local poolroom past know if either of the "Gumps" or Chester Morris perhaps, also made and sold cue sticks?

Thanks in advance for any info and for sharing your recollections and pics of so many of the charectors that made the game so fascinating back in the day in the dc area

Great thread!
 

JAM

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Do any of the posters of this glimpse into the local poolroom past know if either of the "Gumps" or Chester Morris perhaps, also made and sold cue sticks?

Thanks in advance for any info and for sharing your recollections and pics of so many of the charectors that made the game so fascinating back in the day in the dc area

Great thread!

Chet Morris definitely sold cue sticks out of the trunk of his car. I bought a couple from him. The Sneaky Pete that I bought was the best-hitting cue I ever had. I sold it when I went broke one time. Wish I never had.
 

Taxi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Do any of the posters of this glimpse into the local poolroom past know if either of the "Gumps" or Chester Morris perhaps, also made and sold cue sticks?

Thanks in advance for any info and for sharing your recollections and pics of so many of the charectors that made the game so fascinating back in the day in the dc area

Great thread!

I don't think that either Steve or Bobby ever made cues, but Chester did, out of his basement near White Oak. The name of his business was the rather sublime "Chet's Custom Cue Co." You'd never mistake his cues for a Balabushka or a Black Boar, but I bought a wrapless 19 oz. cue from him once that lasted me for several years.
 

Black-Balled

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Are you talking about Cliff Maclin and his wife Sandy - owners of guy and dolls in Bladensburg as well as J& J in Glen Burnie ? As far as your story - sounds about right lolol!

No, different cliff. There were 2, father and son...and they are very big.

They used to love to tell the story of them going to all you can eat buffet and after 1e3442 plates, management bringing them their entry fee back an saying, 'it's all you can eat, non can you eat it all.

Not sure what the difference is, but they were huge men.
 

Black-Balled

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have been meaning to check out Hi - Cue in Virginia. Paul Oh and some others have mentioned it . Looks nice and may have a little action. Not sure about the bar scene there?

Kd

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

I heard it closed.

It was always a dump.
 
Top