Is Chicago Bad Action Town?

[Fast Lenny]

Ike Runnels was posting on Facebook about getting staked and said this...

"I've always done very good n 1pkt tournaments an gambling but backers n my area aren't very kool. An I booked all winners at home. They dont take care of the players. When gambling I got guys who side bet my opponent more than I'm betting, and will not even donate a penny on your table time. Definitely no snap. Lol I just play pool in Chicago not from there."

"These guys want outrageous spots for $10. They wanna beat me an learn. Lol. Guy wants 2 or 3 hit & pic for $10. Then I said if u want to gamble bet more. They decline!"

 

[Zphix]

Chicago houses some strong players (Ike, McClusky, Sergeant, etc) but I must admit that Chicago is not a great place for action. What I mean is that you can only find good action with a small minority.

I'm used to playing in Wisconsin and upper Illinois now where everybody will play for money. Chicago simply isn't like that at all. I have a hard time getting $10 sets in Chicago.

 

[jrhendy]

Chicago

I always had good luck there.:grin-square: Would like to go back if we could put something together again before I get too old.

Awesome food there when you are not playing pool.

 

[SJDinPHX]

Ike Runnels was posting on Facebook about getting staked and said this...
.. "I just play pool in Chicago not from there...These guys want outrageous spots for $10. They wanna beat me an learn. Lol. Guy wants 2 or 3 hit & pic for $10. Then I said if u want to gamble bet more. They decline!"

...Is Chicago really a bad action town ?

Short answer Lenny, 'Yes it is'!..Ike speaks the truth !..The Beard was the only decent (non-lock artist) gambler in town, and he had to keep moving around the rest of the country to find action !...Actually, Chicago was/is much like New York, as far as 'good action' goes...And Freddy often made it known, what he thought of the lack of gamble, in the Northeast !

My experience has always been, that most real big cities are NOT good for pool action, unless there happens to be a tournament going on there !..Smaller cities (well under half a million) in the south, and midwest, were almost always much better places to find decent action.

Detroit was the exception for a few years, but once the "Rack" came and went, (along with its few "go-off" millionaires) it reverted back to deadsville..Most big city Smarts would rather slit their wrist's, than look like a sucker and lose big $$$ :sorry:

 

[KRJ]

Ike Runnels was posting on Facebook about getting staked and said this...

"I've always done very good n 1pkt tournaments an gambling but backers n my area aren't very kool. An I booked all winners at home. They dont take care of the players. When gambling I got guys who side bet my opponent more than I'm betting, and will not even donate a penny on your table time. Definitely no snap. Lol I just play pool in Chicago not from there."

"These guys want outrageous spots for $10. They wanna beat me an learn. Lol. Guy wants 2 or 3 hit & pic for $10. Then I said if u want to gamble bet more. They decline!"

In the 70 and 80's, it was all you can eat. Not so much anymore. Just not a big pool town anymore. Heck, there is only a handful of poolrooms left in the city and only handful more in ALL of the burbs.

More leagues are in bars than pool halls these days. I happen to play in both, but certainly not like it was even 10 years ago. Lots of places shut down when the economy went in the tank. Lots of bars and restaurants, and little mom and pop shops, heck, more than a few Wendy's and Burger Kings have shut their doors as well.

But to be fair, it's not like Bobby Hunter, Chris Gentile, Sergio Perez, Piggy, and the rest don't gamble ??

 

[xXGEARXx]

In the 70 and 80's, it was all you can eat. Not so much anymore. Just not a big pool town anymore. Heck, there is only a handful of poolrooms left in the city and only handful more in ALL of the burbs.

More leagues are in bars than pool halls these days. I happen to play in both, but certainly not like it was even 10 years ago. Lots of places shut down when the economy went in the tank. Lots of bars and restaurants, and little mom and pop shops, heck, more than a few Wendy's and Burger Kings have shut their doors as well.

I think you and I should get together and play Chicago.

 

[SJDinPHX]

I always had good luck there.:grin-square: Would like to go back if we could put something together again before I get too old.

Awesome food there when you are not playing pool.

Yes John...I seem to remember you 'getting lucky' there once.:grin-square:...I just can't recall who it was you played ?

 

[Mr. Bond]

Meh...you gotta know who to ask
Depends on where you play and what you play

 

[ideologist]

Meh...you gotta know who to ask
Depends on where you play and what you play

Come on now. Ike knows who to ask.

 

[2strong4u]

Action sucks in my area. I'm here with window open for years. Down to maybe 3 guys that will play 100 a set but they all get a little weight. Pretty bad when I'm giving a B player the 6 out to get 20 dollar action.
I try to get the rail to bet...even when I'm spotting the world...and all I hear is cricket. Getting impossible. League guys won't bet water is wet no matter what. I offered a guy nine ball playing 5 games to 2 on a Valley barbox...nothing. It's unreal.

 

[KRJ]

Just got a reminded about the Chris G and Danny Smith playing for $50K recently. (Chris lost) So, there is action, maybe IKE did not bring a big enough bankroll

 

[jtompilot]

Come on now. Ike knows who to ask.

Ike asked me. I had a great time except 3am about killed me, way past my bed time when we finished.

 

[demonrho]

..The Beard was the only decent (non-lock artist) gambler in town, and he had to keep moving around the rest of the country to find action !....

From the big poolroom in the sky, the Beard is looking down and eating that comment up. (But it still doesn't make up for all the apersions you cast on his beat list )

 

[xXGEARXx]

Just got a reminded about the Chris G and Danny Smith playing for $50K recently. (Chris lost) So, there is action, maybe IKE did not bring a big enough bankroll

What happened to sounds good? What are your hangouts and when are you there? I'll head your way.

 

[GoldenFlash]

Action sucks in my area. I'm here with window open for years. Down to maybe 3 guys that will play 100 a set but they all get a little weight. Pretty bad when I'm giving a B player the 6 out to get 20 dollar action.
I try to get the rail to bet...even when I'm spotting the world...and all I hear is cricket. Getting impossible. League guys won't bet water is wet no matter what. I offered a guy nine ball playing 5 games to 2 on a Valley barbox...nothing. It's unreal.

From what I've seen on local pool scenes in the last few years is this==>
I don't think most guys are afraid to gamble, I believe they're worried about some big hassle or argument taking place if they should get lucky and win.
I myself worry about pool room bums planning to beat me up and take back the money, even if it's a crummy 100 bucks.
Then too, you got so many guys with guns stuck in their pockets.
That may be why they won't bet with strangers or maybe you don't know how to build a betting customer base by becoming friendly and cordial.
Danny Jones taught me way back in 1954 that "you don't win a lot of money in pool by playing other pool players...you win by playing idiots who make bad bets, but you just don't laugh in their face, make fun of them, show your real speed, or try to be tough guy".
I used to have 4 pool rooms to make the rounds...just like a milk route. Guys with money would fall over themselves to play with me just because I was sociable, made with the conversation, let them win occasionally, and bought a few beers.
Most pool players that I've seen have the personality of water moccasins.
Just my opinion here.....don't get bent out of shape over anything I say, ok?

 

[Ken_4fun]

Meh...you gotta know who to ask
Depends on where you play and what you play

Ill admit this put a smile on my face....so you are suggesting that IKE doesn't know anyone in Chicago?!?!?

Geez.

Ken

 

[SJDinPHX]

Just got a reminded about the Chris G and Danny Smith playing for $50K recently. (Chris lost) So, there is action, maybe IKE did not bring a big enough bankroll

RJ, did you read the first post, by Fast Lenny!...You cannot consider large $$$, pre-arranged matches, to be 'action' per say, as as they can happen anywhere !..That being said, Chris will play for less than 50K..so I'll give you one or two action guy's, in a city the size of Chicago ? ..Like I said, theres more 'real pool action' gambling, in Podunk, Ark (pop. 2,000)..than most big cities

 

[Quesports]

Ill admit this put a smile on my face....so you are suggesting that IKE doesn't know anyone in Chicago?!?!?

Geez.

Ken

You got it all wrong, we all know Ike! :smile:

 

[prewarhero]

I spoke to someone that plays very high level1 pocket in the chciago area. He knows Ike's game and says he would need 2 hit and the pick to play him and that he would need to be in top form to like it. Ike just plays that strong. He should be spotting anything anyone wants at his speed to anyone but chris G in the area.
Think about it, buddy would offer the 6 and out to shortstops back in the day just to get action and it worked.

Matching up is an efficient economy.

 

[u12armresl]

I've gone up there for 30 years and never once had a problem. That was for me and for the horse I had with me.

At Red Shoes I could reach out 1 foot and find any number of games from a wide variety of players. Chris's same way.

Maybe people who are having problems matching up are preforming the Eric Fatboy method where you drive an expensive car into the pool hall and then call people nits for not playing for 100k a ball straight pool.

Ike plays real good, put me out of my most recent tournament up there, and lots of people want to learn for free, I agree 100% with him. At my pool hall we had to pay to learn, and it was worth it.