One Arm Bandit

[dabarbr]

Have any of you old timers ever heard or saw a player that was around in the sixties and before that played one-handed. He did have two arms. I believe his name was Ernest Morgan or something like that. He was known as the "One arm bandit". He showed me a scrap book with him playing around the world. He also played for royaly in England. The stuff in the book looked real. He was asking me for the 5 in nine ball with me playing two handed but we never played and I never saw him play. Anyone remember him? Was he good?

 

[Banger]

Don't know anything about him, but he is listed here.

 

[lfigueroa]

Have any of you old timers ever heard or saw a player that was around in the sixties and before that played one-handed. He did have two arms. I believe his name was Ernest Morgan or something like that. He was known as the "One arm bandit". He showed me a scrap book with him playing around the world. He also played for royaly in England. The stuff in the book looked real. He was asking me for the 5 in nine ball with me playing two handed but we never played and I never saw him play. Anyone remember him? Was he good?

I saw him play. He put on an exhibition at the University of San Francisco (where moi was a student, majoring in pool at the student union pool room, probably around 1973-74. His poster said something like he held the 14.1 one-handed record at like 140 something.

He was amazing.

The story he told was that the fingers on his bridge hand had been lost in something like a band saw accident. So he shot one-handed, but not like Ronnie Allen or anyone else I've seen. He shot with a shorten cue, holding the cue at its very end, spear-fishing style.

It was amazing. He made everything. No bridge. No rail. Cue up in the air. Stabbed em.

Now, I don't know about for cash, but frankly, I've never seen *anyone* shoot one-handed as well as Ernie, and often think about him when I hear discussions about who was the best one-handed player. He gets my vote.

Lou Figueroa
not really an "old timer"
yet

 

[jay helfert]

Morgan was an old road man and hustler, who was one of the better One Handed players of his day. He would pepper a town with flyers and put on $75 "exhibitions" in any bar that would have him.

He liked to play cheap pool with weak players. He was not likely (read that never) to match up with any top player at any game. For all his One Handed ability, he would have NO chance against Ronnie playing One Handed One Hole. As in ZERO! Or Junior Weldon either on a bar box, and he knew it. Playing 9-Ball on a big table, it may have been close, as long as the bet didn't exceed $10.

Morgan, who billed himself as "The One Armed Bandit" was aptly named. He was likely to complement you while stealing your wallet with his good hand at the same time. As ruthless as his namesake Morgan the pirate.

 

[dabarbr]

Morgan was an old road man and hustler, who was one of the better One Handed players of his day. He would pepper a town with flyers and put on $75 "exhibitions" in any bar that would have him.

He liked to play cheap pool with weak players. He was not likely (read that never) to match up with any top player at any game. For all his One Handed ability, he would have NO chance against Ronnie playing One Handed One Hole. As in ZERO! Or Junior Weldon either on a bar box, and he knew it. Playing 9-Ball on a big table, it may have been close, as long as the bet didn't exceed $10.

Morgan, who billed himself as "The One Armed Bandit" was aptly named. He was likely to complement you while stealing your wallet with his good hand at the same time. As ruthless as his namesake Morgan the pirate.

Thanks for the info you guys. I always wondered about him. Jay, I believe you're correct abut his character. I remember him inviting me to lunch and somehow when it came time to pay he pulled out a resturant tab for only two cups of coffee. Man I felt like crawling into a hole. What a sleeze.

 

[Viper]

In case you are interested, I was Ernie Morgan's rack setter during his California tours for two years running. He had two fingers missing from his left hand due to a incident involving dynamite caps, down in Louisiana many years ago. He shot off the rail with his right hand and he was as good as it gets.

I lost track of him back in the early '70s but I can still use some of the tricks he taught me. Never met anyone that could come close in one handed pool.

 

[jay helfert]

In case you are interested, I was Ernie Morgan's rack setter during his California tours for two years running. He had two fingers missing from his left hand due to a incident involving dynamite caps, down in Louisiana many years ago. He shot off the rail with his right hand and he was as good as it gets.

I lost track of him back in the early '70s but I can still use some of the tricks he taught me. Never met anyone that could come close in one handed pool.

The absolute best one handed players were probably Goosatay from Puerto Rico, Chris Raftis from Detroit and Little Sergio from Mexico. Everyone knew Goosatay but few people knew about Raftis because he didn't travel. I'm not sure even Goosatay could have beat him at 9-Ball. Anyone else ever see Raftis play? He wrote a cool little book called Cue Tips. I'm fortunate to have a copy.

I watched Raftis demolish Eddie Taylor playing a set of one handed 9-Ball. After he beat him something like 11-5 Taylor didn't want any more. That was in Dayton in the mid 60's. I also watched Sergio demolish Ronnie playing one handed 9-Ball at the Orange County Sports Arena (mid 80's). He refused to play Ronnie One Pocket though. All three of thse guys played a speed above Morgan. Morgans best game was on a bar table.

 

[dabarbr]

The absolute best one handed players were probably Goosatay from Puerto Rico, Chris Raftis from Detroit and Little Sergio from Mexico. Everyone knew Goosatay but few people knew about Raftis because he didn't travel. I'm not sure even Goosatay could have beat him at 9-Ball. Anyone else ever see Raftis play? He wrote a cool little book called Cue Tips. I'm fortunate to have a copy.

I watched Raftis demolish Eddie Taylor playing a set of one handed 9-Ball. After he beat him something like 11-5 Taylor didn't want any more. That was in Dayton in the mid 60's. I also watched Sergio demolish Ronnie playing one handed 9-Ball at the Orange County Sports Arena (mid 80's). He refused to play Ronnie One Pocket though. All three of thse guys played a speed above Morgan. Morgans best game was on a bar table.

I watched Sergio also beat Efren in nine ball going to eleven at that same loaction in orange county. The first set was close with Efren making a hugh come back but still lost. The second set Sergio won big.

 

[jay helfert]

I watched Sergio also beat Efren in nine ball going to eleven at that same loaction in orange county. The first set was close with Efren making a hugh come back but still lost. The second set Sergio won big.

That's where Efren gave Keith the eight ball and robbed him. Everyone was betting on Keith because they never saw anyone give him a spot. Keith was always the one giving up weight! :wink:

 

[dabarbr]

That's where Efren gave Keith the eight ball and robbed him. Everyone was betting on Keith because they never saw anyone give him a spot. Keith was always the one giving up weight! :wink:

Jay, you should have carried a video camera with you all the time for all the private matches you've seen in your lifetime.

 

[Jdale]

Have any of you old timers ever heard or saw a player that was around in the sixties and before that played one-handed. He did have two arms. I believe his name was Ernest Morgan or something like that. He was known as the "One arm bandit". He showed me a scrap book with him playing around the world. He also played for royaly in England. The stuff in the book looked real. He was asking me for the 5 in nine ball with me playing two handed but we never played and I never saw him play. Anyone remember him? Was he good?

Ernest Morgan billed himself as "The One Armed Bandit" did a lot of exhibitions in bars all over the SF Bay area in the 60 & 70's, put on a pretty good show too. Would come around the bars in the late afternoons trying to sell an exhition, kept a clean white shirt in his car just in case.
I always knew him as "three fingers Morgan", wanted the 7 & breaks from me on a bar table. Never played him, never seen him ask to play anyone even.
He used to tell me about all his world travels, I just took them with a grain of salt. ???
JDale

 

[jay helfert]

Ernest Morgan billed himself as "The One Armed Bandit" did a lot of exhibitions in bars all over the SF Bay area in the 60 & 70's, put on a pretty good show too. Would come around the bars in the late afternoons trying to sell an exhition, kept a clean white shirt in his car just in case.
I always knew him as "three fingers Morgan", wanted the 7 & breaks from me on a bar table. Never played him, never seen him ask to play anyone even.
He used to tell me about all his world travels, I just took them with a grain of salt. ???
JDale

We called him "Nubby" Morgan and he didn't appear to dislike that name. I think he accepted it as his pool nickname.