Rod Curry "Surfer Rod"

[catpool9]

I accidently ran across Rod Curry's web site, he was a Champion 8-ball player and roadman in his day, I'm sure all you old schoolers know about him, for a very long indepth, and an excellent read about him click here:

http://konnections.net/rodcurry/index.htm


When you get there click on ( Pool Players Rod has beaten, detailed version )



David Harcrow

 

[Johnnyt]

I accidently ran across Rod Curry's web site, he was a Champion 8-ball player and roadman in his day, I'm sure all you old schoolers know about him, for a very long indepth, and execellent read about him click here:

http://konnections.net/rodcurry/index.htm


When you get there click on ( Pool Players Rod has beaten, detailed version )



David Harcrow

Nice read. Thank you for posting the link. Johnnyt

 

[Scott Lee]

Surfer Rod has been a fixture in the western US pool scene for decades. He was everywhere, when I was a young player...CO, UT, TX, CA, ID, NV, MT, WA, OR, many more places I'm sure. Rod was king of the oversize CB, and never afraid to bet it up!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

 

[jay helfert]

The old surfer shows up again! This guy has been around forever! First time I ever saw him was in 1966 in Dayton. I was hanging out at a teeny bopper poolroom on Salem Ave. where some rich kids hung out. I would get games for one and two dollars, and maybe make a ten or twenty dollar score once in a while. Doesn't seem like that long ago, I can remember it all so well. Probably the first poolroom where I was king of the walk.

In comes this guy, all buggy eyed and wild looking. He wants to play anyone in the house so they come get me. I play him some $2 9-Ball and lose $10 and quit. He is obviously better than me. He offers me the eight but I decline. I talk to him a little and he doesn't say to much but I find out his name is Rod. He wants to know where the action is, so I tell him what I can. Later that day I hear he is at Winks gambling and then he goes to some bar to play a guy called Sarge, one of the better bar table players around Dayton. I drive over to the bar later that night and the game is over, Rod beat Sarge quick.

I remember his old '50 Chevy and the big muscles rippling under his T-shirt. Funny the things you remember years later. Interesting to read about all the guys he beat on a bar table. What he isn't talking about is all the guys who robbed him on a big table. Surfer Rod was one of the big scores of the '70's and '80s. A lot of good players relieved him of some serious money. And I mean SERIOUS! He lost a few nice chunks in the '90's too. I guess he wants to remember his wins. Most players do. Overall he has to be a HUGE loser playing pool. Don't believe everything on his website. Sorry Rod, there are a few people, like me, who know all about you. Big muscles, small brains (at least at pool). And he was supposed to have some cush job for the government with big pay.

Oh well, everyone wants to rewrite history to make themselves look better. I may have won more pool games for cash in the 60's and early 70's than anyone else alive, but I wasn't playing "name" players. I deliberately avoided them. I wanted the money, not the glory.

P.S. Rod showed up everywhere! He got around all over the country, wherever he could find action. He'd get pumped up on the suckers and then take on a player and blow it all. He must have done that a hundred times.

 

[Johnnyt]

The old surfer shows up again! This guy has been around forever! First time I ever saw him was in 1966 in Dayton. I was hanging out at a teeny bopper poolroom on Salem Ave. where some rich kids hung out. I would get games for one and two dollars, and maybe make a ten or twenty dollar score once in a while. Doesn't seem like that long ago, I can remember it all so well. Probably the first poolroom where I was king of the walk.

In comes this guy, all buggy eyed and wild looking. He wants to play anyone in the house so they come get me. I play him some $2 9-Ball and lose $10 and quit. He is obviously better than me. He offers me the eight but I decline. I talk to him a little and he doesn't say to much but I find out his name is Rod. He wants to know where the action is, so I tell him what I can. Later that day I hear he is at Winks gambling and then he goes to some bar to play a guy called Sarge, one of the better bar table players around Dayton. I drive over to the bar later that night and the game is over, Rod beat Sarge quick.

I remember his old '50 Chevy and the big muscles rippling under his T-shirt. Funny the things you remember years later. Interesting to read about all the guys he beat on a bar table. What he isn't talking about is all the guys who robbed him on a big table. Surfer Rod was one of the big scores of the '70's and '80s. A lot of good players relieved him of some serious money. And I mean SERIOUS! He lost a few nice chunks in the '90's too. I guess he wants to remember his wins. Most players do. Overall he has to be a HUGE loser playing pool. Don't believe everything on his website. Sorry Rod, there are a few people, like me, who know all about you. Big muscles, small brains (at least at pool). And he was supposed to have some cush job for the government with big pay.

Oh well, everyone wants to rewrite history to make themselves look better. I may have won more pool games for cash in the 60's and early 70's than anyone else alive, but I wasn't playing "name" players. I deliberately avoided them. I wanted the money, not the glory.

{"but I wasn't playing "name" players. I deliberately avoided them. I wanted the money, not the glory."}

A lot of people called me a two-bit hustler (before nit was popular saying) for not stepping up and playing name players in the 1960's-1990, but I probably made more money playing for $5-$20 a game in those 30 years (and saved it) than most of the name players. Why play someone you can't beat. Never made any sense to me. Johnnyt

 

[jungledude]

I remember Rod well

He was tough to beat playing bar table 8 ball.

 

[elvicash]

Sounds like he was a killer on the bar box.

Nice website thanks for positng the link.

elvi

 

[Scott Lee]

Say what you will Jay, but at least he got out and gambled high! Rod played better on a barbox, with an oversize CB, than most anybody. He did lose a lot playing on big tables, but was never short on heart, and played for a ton of cash many times. Win or lose, he was an action hound to the end, and I never ever heard of him dumping or acting like some of the prima donna players I've seen over the years.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

The old surfer shows up again! This guy has been around forever! First time I ever saw him was in 1966 in Dayton. I was hanging out at a teeny bopper poolroom on Salem Ave. where some rich kids hung out. I would get games for one and two dollars, and maybe make a ten or twenty dollar score once in a while. Doesn't seem like that long ago, I can remember it all so well. Probably the first poolroom where I was king of the walk.

In comes this guy, all buggy eyed and wild looking. He wants to play anyone in the house so they come get me. I play him some $2 9-Ball and lose $10 and quit. He is obviously better than me. He offers me the eight but I decline. I talk to him a little and he doesn't say to much but I find out his name is Rod. He wants to know where the action is, so I tell him what I can. Later that day I hear he is at Winks gambling and then he goes to some bar to play a guy called Sarge, one of the better bar table players around Dayton. I drive over to the bar later that night and the game is over, Rod beat Sarge quick.

I remember his old '50 Chevy and the big muscles rippling under his T-shirt. Funny the things you remember years later. Interesting to read about all the guys he beat on a bar table. What he isn't talking about is all the guys who robbed him on a big table. Surfer Rod was one of the big scores of the '70's and '80s. A lot of good players relieved him of some serious money. And I mean SERIOUS! He lost a few nice chunks in the '90's too. I guess he wants to remember his wins. Most players do. Overall he has to be a HUGE loser playing pool. Don't believe everything on his website. Sorry Rod, there are a few people, like me, who know all about you. Big muscles, small brains (at least at pool). And he was supposed to have some cush job for the government with big pay.

Oh well, everyone wants to rewrite history to make themselves look better. I may have won more pool games for cash in the 60's and early 70's than anyone else alive, but I wasn't playing "name" players. I deliberately avoided them. I wanted the money, not the glory.

P.S. Rod showed up everywhere! He got around all over the country, wherever he could find action. He'd get pumped up on the suckers and then take on a player and blow it all. He must have done that a hundred times.

 

[8ballEinstein]

Rod was one of the toughest players I've ever seen on the bar table. The first time I saw him (in the early 80's) he played Walter Glass in the Rum Runner in Las Vegas. The game was 100-point Straight Pool on the bar table for $200 a pop. Rod was enjoying a few drinks and it appeard to affect him. He lost the first game 100-86. The next game he lost again 100-68.

At this point it was getting late (about 2:30 AM) and Walters' backer wanted to bolt. Rod got up and barked that he was stuck some cash and Isn't getting a chance to get it back. Walters' backer eventually gave in and play resumed. Walter won again, this time even worse, 100-48. After all the drinks, Rod looked a little roughed up but he got up and threw his whole bankroll on the table and said he'll bet it all. His girlfriend begged him not to do it. The bankroll came out to $2000. Walters' backer thought there was no way he was getting out of there unless he busted Rod so he matched the bet.

All of a sudden Rod couldn't miss a ball if it was in the attic! He took the win and the cash.

Just recently I ran into Walter and I asked him if he remembers that matchup. He told me he remembers it like it was yesterday. Walter was a bit bitter because one of his break shot yielded nothing and stopped a critical run.

Rod was quite the character and a monster bar table player. He rightly mentions only Allen Hopkins as the one guy who owned him on the bar-box. Oddly enough, on the big table a good A-player could get the best of him.


Edit : My memory was failing somewhat - the actual bet against Walter was $300/game, 100-point 14.1. Rod's take would've been $1100 to the good.

 

[macneilb]

Say what you will Jay, but at least he got out and gambled high! Rod played better on a barbox, with an oversize CB, than most anybody. He did lose a lot playing on big tables, but was never short on heart, and played for a ton of cash many times. Win or lose, he was an action hound to the end, and I never ever heard of him dumping or acting like some of the prima donna players I've seen over the years.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

I don't think Jay is knocking Rod, just his lack of modesty on a certain level. I don't doubt he was a monster player, but even I don't like when people, even champions, only portray their wins. Be humble and give the whole story, wins AND losses. After reading that, I personally don't think of him as less of a champion for knowing he got beat on the big tables, but I don't dig his lack of modesty in making it seem like he was "it."

 

[Scott Lee]

macneilb...Let me know when you find even ONE pro who readily admits (or even remembers) their big losses! I've been around pool since 1971, and haven't seen one yet! LOL But I guarantee you they all can remember the big wins!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

I don't think Jay is knocking Rod, just his lack of modesty on a certain level. I don't doubt he was a monster player, but even I don't like when people, even champions, only portray their wins. Be humble and give the whole story, wins AND losses. After reading that, I personally don't think of him as less of a champion for knowing he got beat on the big tables, but I don't dig his lack of modesty in making it seem like he was "it."

 

[mosconiac]

FWIW, I didn't think it was a 100% glorification of his record...he did list a lot of losers and admitted that he was a thru-ticket when losing.

Did he gloss over some loses? I'm sure he did.
Did he over-use the "I offered to play & he declined" bit too much? Yep, Mosconi was not in any condition to tangle in the late 70's.
Did he pump up his win:loss ratio? Probably.
Did he have heart? Sure sounds like it!

I'll give him a little room for embellishment...I'm sure he led a hard life on the road. The good memories are probably a comfort.

 

[jay helfert]

No question Rod would bet it up! That's why he got all the games he did. And on a bar table it took a champion to beat him, especially with the big ball. His other strong game was last pocket Eight Ball, on any table. Rod did book a lot of winners, no doubt, and against some good players. All I was saying is that he also lost some monster scores, and everyone knew about them as well. Bottom line, he took a lot bigger losses than his wins.

Nothing against Rod, he's a lot better player than me (I would've played him Banks on the big table, all day and all night) and a much bigger gambler as well. But truth be known, the top guys went looking for him. When he lost, they needed buckets to cart the money away . Rod over matched himself a lot of times. That was a known fact. Every time he took a big hit, the word went around the entire pool community, and this was way before the internet. :wink:

 

[freddy the beard]

I always wondered....

No question Rod would bet it up! That's why he got all the games he did. And on a bar table it took a champion to beat him, especially with the big ball. His other strong game was last pocket Eight Ball, on any table. Rod did book a lot of winners, no doubt, and against some good players. All I was saying is that he also lost some monster scores, and everyone knew about them as well. Bottom line, he took a lot bigger losses than his wins.

Nothing against Rod, he's a lot better player than me (I would've played him Banks on the big table, all day and all night) and a much bigger gambler as well. But truth be known, the top guys went looking for him. When he lost, they needed buckets to cart the money away . Rod over matched himself a lot of times. That was a known fact. Every time he took a big hit, the word went around the entire pool community, and this was way before the internet. :wink:

... why he always had big money? I knew Rod since 1965, and yes, champions were always trying to track him down because he was a high roller and a through ticket. But I always wondered why if he was such a sucker did he always have such a big bankroll? Yeah, he took some big hits but he never stayed broke for long.
I even trapped him once on a big table at the Congress Bowl. But the next time I seen him I was broke and he was "fatter'n a hog."

I ran into him all over the country. He was also not afraid to play in brutally dangerous "heat-spots." In the 60s I ran into him in OK City playing for big money in a super-country, heat-spot with long hair, a beard, a robe and sandals. Long hair and hippie types were at risk for their life in these type joints. I, myself, had no beard, short hair, and was traveling with the famous tush-hog Sugar Shack. That was minimum protection for me to play in that joint.
Rod was all by his lonesome. They called him Pool Playin' Jesus. I heard stories of him refusing to give up the money when he got threatened in those kind of joints.

Beard

 

[bstroud]

I played Rod just about every time I ran into him on the road. First time was in Lansing, MI. Beat him playing 8-ball using his own big cue ball.

Most of the time we played one-pocket on the bar table with the big ball. That was really his best game.

He gave me some of the best advice ever.

"Suckers can't play and Players don't bet."

That advice kept me in the Bars instead of the pool rooms most of the time.
It was where the money was.

Bill Stroud

 

[Mark Griffin]

Surfer Rod

In his blog he refers to old Bill a couple of times. Pretty sure that is Bill Amadeo - who used to back Ervolino over many years.

Bill lived in Alaska for 15 years or so (early 70's to 80's I think). Rod was also up our way at least once.

Bill passed away a few years ago in Florida. A great straght pool player. He opened a pool room near Busch Gardens in Tampa area when he was in his 70's (around 1993-4)

Mark Griffin

 

[surferrod]

Remember

Hey Billy, do you recall the last time I played you in Tulsa in the 70's. I was wining practically every game playing one pocket on a bar table and you kept asking me if I was Surfer Rod. I let my stick answer that question. It was a road trip in between quarters while in college in Denver & raising a family. Rod

 

[book collector]

Rod Curry

George Rood told me a story about a meeting they had for getting inducted into the One Pocket Hall Of Fame or the actual dinner , I can't remember which.
All the greats who were being inducted were there.
George said he listened to all of their great shots and big wins and finally he said he had to tell them he didn't think he belonged there.
Someone asked why, and he said, "Because I missed some balls and lost a few times.
George was sharper at 95 than most people ever get, I sure do miss him.
As far as Rod blowing his own horn, Toot away brother, you sound like you actually gambled , so with me at least, you have poetic license.

 

[bobbycotton]

"Surfer Rod"

I played Rod couple of times and I know a little about him, first he was one of the few pool players who had enough heart to bet his own cash. I knew all of the players all across the country and a whole bunch of them wouldn't bet a quarter of their own money and if they did they couldn't or wouldn't fade Rods action. Most of the so called high-rollers always got staked. Don't mean your a bad guy if you don't bet big, but it sure is alot different betting your own ! One time in Vegas I was playing one pocket for $40 a game, I had one barrel and I was a nervous wreck ! lol

 

[enzo]

The old surfer shows up again! This guy has been around forever! First time I ever saw him was in 1966 in Dayton. I was hanging out at a teeny bopper poolroom on Salem Ave. where some rich kids hung out. I would get games for one and two dollars, and maybe make a ten or twenty dollar score once in a while. Doesn't seem like that long ago, I can remember it all so well. Probably the first poolroom where I was king of the walk.

In comes this guy, all buggy eyed and wild looking. He wants to play anyone in the house so they come get me. I play him some $2 9-Ball and lose $10 and quit. He is obviously better than me. He offers me the eight but I decline. I talk to him a little and he doesn't say to much but I find out his name is Rod. He wants to know where the action is, so I tell him what I can. Later that day I hear he is at Winks gambling and then he goes to some bar to play a guy called Sarge, one of the better bar table players around Dayton. I drive over to the bar later that night and the game is over, Rod beat Sarge quick.

I remember his old '50 Chevy and the big muscles rippling under his T-shirt. Funny the things you remember years later. Interesting to read about all the guys he beat on a bar table. What he isn't talking about is all the guys who robbed him on a big table. Surfer Rod was one of the big scores of the '70's and '80s. A lot of good players relieved him of some serious money. And I mean SERIOUS! He lost a few nice chunks in the '90's too. I guess he wants to remember his wins. Most players do. Overall he has to be a HUGE loser playing pool. Don't believe everything on his website. Sorry Rod, there are a few people, like me, who know all about you. Big muscles, small brains (at least at pool). And he was supposed to have some cush job for the government with big pay.

Oh well, everyone wants to rewrite history to make themselves look better. I may have won more pool games for cash in the 60's and early 70's than anyone else alive, but I wasn't playing "name" players. I deliberately avoided them. I wanted the money, not the glory.

P.S. Rod showed up everywhere! He got around all over the country, wherever he could find action. He'd get pumped up on the suckers and then take on a player and blow it all. He must have done that a hundred times.

so rod was the dumb guy that lost "huge" playing pool, and was considered a sucker. up to this point in your post, i'll take this as nice info to post IF it is in fact true, YET..... you go on to say that you are the smart guy that won more than anybody, and were amazingly humble about it all. does your mind see a little imaginary "with respect to jay helfert" after every thread title?