Just let me start out bt saying, when ever a "Old School" player dies it's tragic. In Cecil Tugwell's case, his whole life was tragic.
Now to the Detroit action scene concerning Cecil, In 77 or 78, my long time road partner, Harold Densen and I made it up to Detroit. The night we arrived Jew Paul was playing Calhoun, $4,000.00 a game one pocket on the infamaous front snooker table. The place was packed, most likely 100 to 150 sweater's. Paul had a bet with at least 80% of them ranging from, $50.00 to $500.00 a game. What amazed me is that he kept track of EVERY bet he made. Needless to say, Harold and I stuck our nose in and started betting $100.00 a game, after a 30 hr session, Paul lost total around $40,000.00, we wound up $3,500.00 winner. We had thought we'd found, "the land of milk n honey".
After a day of rest and few days of grinding, we had a nice $5,000.00 bankroll. I stayed undercover for those few days and decided to go the the "Rack" about 7:00 am, hoping no one would be there. The only people in the room were the owner, Gil Elias and a young Mike "Captain Hook" Segal. I grabbed the billiards balls and after a little stalling, Gil sent Mike over to ask me to play, Gil knew I had a BR. We started out 20 pts. for $250.00 a game, I stalled enough to make it close, but after 2 games, Gil didn't go any further with Mike. Gil said, "I'll play a couple the same way before the crowd starts coming in". The same result occcured, not bad $800.00 before noon!
In the coming days we got friendly with all the right people, and "Big Jones" was one of them. He was the "BIG" black action in the room, along with "RedFox". They both mainly staked the black players. Harold and I told Jones we had a fairly unkown black player from LA that could rob most the players up there. He said, "go ahead and send for him, I'll try to get him down with Jew Paul".
Harold and I flew Cecil in, put him up in the hotel, Sheraton Southfield. Every day for breakfast we went to the "Stage Deli" on nine mile, they had the cutest Jewish young girls working there. So, here's how EVERY mourning started out at the "Stage". Harold and I order first and then the "Serp", he turns to the waitress and says, "I want 2 boxes of cornflakes and 1 banana in a BIG bowl", the girl says, "we only have one size". When all th food comes tho the table, the first thing out of Cecil's mouth is, "I said, I wanted a BIG bowl, are you ignant"? The poor girl replys, "Sir, we only have one size bowl. He proceeds to take the bowl of cereal and bananas and dumped it out on the table, "Now get me a bigger bowl". After the new bowl doesn't arrive, he storms out of the restaurant and walks to the poolroom. This is how EVERY day started with the" Serp" for about a week, we ran out of breakfast spots!
Finally, Jones talks Paul into playing Cecil getting 9 to7, 5 ahead for $50,000.00 on the snooker table. Paul felt he had fair game knowing Cecil didn't play on one. Now, Harold and Cecil had been on the road a few times together before, and Harold was one of the VERY few people that could even talk to him, and make some sense. We all agreed to 25% of his end of the score and our front money for expenses. All is good, so we thought!
Cecil and Paul play, naturally the Serp wins. Now it's time to cut the money, Cecil has to meet Jones in the mourning to get paid, he gets up early to go meet him. We wait at the room for him to come back, a no show. We call the pool room, Harvey says, "he's here", we go over on the card room side to get paid, thats when the "shit hit the fan". He says, "I'm not giving him nothn", "I'm nobody's *****". Not only did he not want to give me my end, but didn't want to give me my fronts for supporting him for 12 days. Harold and I beef of course, to NO avail! This guy was "J Arthur Rank" in the 1st degree!
When black "Chicago" came into the room, we had him call Jones to let him know what had occured. Jones and Chicago were very found of me and Harold, they knew we were "with it"! Chicago, put Cecil on the phone and in 5 mins. I had my money. After that, Harold and I wouldn't any more to do with the "Serp".
Cecil made a big score at the rack with his right hand. I remember coming in after going around to the bars and he and Jew Paul had been playing one pocket a long time. He won $40K. I can't remember what the spot was. I heard he bought a Rolls Royce, but I never saw that.
Carla
After a week of gettn HIGH and f**kn whores the Serp went and bought a 1975 Mercedes, not a Rolles Royce. A few nights later he picks up a stripper in a joint on 8 mile, after gettn high, the Serp is lookn for some kind of dividend for sharing, the young lady in question objects, stating high moral standards. Well, I guess that answer was the wrong one. The Serp proceeds to plant a right hook on her chin, out she goes! He runs out of the hotel room and left her lying there. This is the 100% TRUTH about how he broke his right hand. What I will say, Cecil was such a defiant and dertermined person to show everyone he was as good, if not better than them, it's no surprise he became 90% efficient lefty as righty!
All the hearts and flowers is really making this guy sound like a Saint. No one in this rackett is always on their best behaviour, but my personal experience with this individual, was at the least, unberable!
Some are going to say, "why bring this up, the mans dead", true enough, but with all the niceness there has to be some truth, and alot a times the truth isn't what people want to hear!
Like Seargent Joe Friday used to say, "Just the facts Maa'm, just the facts".
Bill Smith "Mr3Cushion"
http://www.mr3cushion.com
Just copying the story for posterity. It's very raw but thanks for telling it. Anybody else know about this?
And nobody who staked him in Detroit got paid?
Last edited:
