Just a little story

Underclocked

Underclocked

.........Whut?.........
Silver Member
I didn't intend to hustle anyone, really. Went out to Shooter's in Olathe to talk to the cue man there some 23+ years ago. Was thinking I might have him build me a cue. Like an idiot, I had not called ahead to make sure he would be there... and sure enough he wasn't. Oh well, the place was interesting and even had a snooker table up near the entry door. I looked about a little then decided to eat something as I had heard the food was good.

Was sitting there quietly eating my sandwich (it was good!) when two guys at another table decided I was going to be their target. After a bit of chit-chat, one of them asked me if I had ever played snooker. I told them I had played but was still learning the game (and that was always true). One of them piped up and told me he would play me some for fifty a game. Then he added... "I'll spot you 40 points."

Stranger in a strange place, I thought to myself "this may get you killed but the laugh might be worth it." So I agreed.

Finished my sandwich and strolled back to the snooker table where they were waiting. Several railbirds had taken seats nearby to watch the action.

My approach was most always to just come out firing. I think the fellow may have made as many as 7 points that first game, memory is a bit vague but I basically stomped him. Feeling just a little bit guilty, I said, "Let's play the next one even."

And so we did. I don't think he made even a single point that game. By now, the railbirds were giving the two fellows that put the move on me a lot of flack and most were laughing.

So I said, "Tell you what, I'll spot you 40." They hesitated a bit and conferred with a couple of the railbirds before accepting. And again, I don't think he scored a point. It had to be humiliating for the player and his friend to now go ask for cash from the railbirds, but they did and I was paid.

The railbirds were asking me who the heck I was, giving me pats on the back, and generally thanking me for the show. The two guys that tried to hustle me were dumbfounded, obviously broke, and probably a great source for future laughs.

On the drive home, I kept criticizing myself for not calling ahead.
 
Great story!

It made me think of this story:

I was at Glass City Open quite a few years ago and Richie Richeson and his stake horse came through and asked if anyone wanted to play some short rack banks. Tony Ferguson (Tony Fargo) stood up and said he would play, but didn't feel it would be a fair game even. Richie's stakehorse asked what spot he wanted and Tony said I think your man needs a ball son. They proceeded to play 5 to 4 and Tony won every game.

I guess you need to be careful who you call out!

Another story:

I was at Derby one year and Rachel Abbink came up to me and was trying to get a game playing nine ball, I had been drinking quite a bit and didn't want to play. She then asked the Cue dealer where I was at if he wanted to play some with him getting the 7,8 and the break. Turns out the cue dealer was Joe Salazar and could of probably given her that spot. He said he felt too guilty to take her money and never played.
 
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I know you've ran a 100 on a tight 5x10.
That table at Shooters plays pretty loose.....
...they must have hated it when they left you in the balls.:)

And don't feel guilty about the hustle..they were trying to hustle you.
I've never felt bad about winning when someone wanted my money.
 
Great story ... enjoyed it. Doesn't sound like any human being on earth could have beat you that night! Hey, who did that sound like? ;)
 
Okay, now that I'm started... I'll tell another quick one.

Some of the guys in Joplin, MO decided Dave Matlock could give me an 8 point spot on a snooker table for 100/game. How or why they got that idea, I'll never know. It was arranged and we were to play at Butch's pool room off Commercial Street in Springfield.

I was at Butch's along with a backer when the Dave arrived along with 3 of the Joplin fellows. Lots of folks were there and waiting to watch this "great match". After the usual preliminaries and all the side bets were down, we commenced.

ONE game later, Dave and the Joplin crew said, "That's enough!". Paid up and left.

At the time, none of us were really "amused" but looking back on it now it seems funny as all get out to me.
 
I went to Vegas one year for some work and like any other place I will look for a pool room.

I ended up at I think Sharky's with a few of my co-workers 1 was a good friend who knew I could play the others really thought I was a dumbass kid aching to lose my money..

We go sit at the bar and I have a good buzz from the JACK.. anyway I start asking the people behind the bar about pool action and I get an immediate "hush" "undercovers at the bar I was told"

Ok I get the hint he made a gesture like he would get back to me. We waited around for 20minutes and still nothing so I asked the guy again, and again he gives me the same "hush" thing.. So at that point I realized this was going nowhere fast.

Next thing I know! Tony Chohan walks thru the door... OMG they just tried to trap me! I knew it instantly. I have never met him in real life but I heard stories a year or so prior and youtubed him so I knew what he looked like.

So I look at my buddy who was a friend for 15+years and was like "watch this"

"Hey Sir, is your name Tony?" he replies with a chuckle "yes that's my name" . So I said Tony Chohan? he smiled real big "YEP". I said man I know who you are I use to watch you on the internet you are a pro. He smiled really big. I said did they send you here to play me? He laughed and said yes they did. "Now my mind is stirring already as I am asking these questions and I know they just tried to hustle me so I was gonna hustle them"

I said "man there is no way I can play you I would need the 7 last 4 or 6 and last 3 or something because you are way to good. "anything involving the last 4 I was going to play" He laughs and says something to the effect if I can run certain amount of balls or a rack how it's to much... I said man I can definitely run a rack if I couldn't run a rack I wouldn't even know who you are. But you can run the set!

Anyway he gives me 6 last 3 race to 13 for 300 I beat him 13-3 and they quit.. his backer was extremely mad.. Tony took it well even though he knew I just trapped them.


P.S. If we played for 10k like that it might not be a trap.. but the circumstances that night it was definitely a trap and it felt really good once pulled off !

Not to mention the crowed was awesome probably atleast 20people gathered to watch.

Personal note: next story must be about losing
 
A story about losing and sort of winning at the same time. I'm more than a little ashamed to tell this one...

For a brief period in my youth, I went a little crazy. (Yeah, like any of you that really know me would believe I was ever NOT crazy.) I was in Charleston, S.C. and the action was so good that I didn't want to stop. I "augmented" for a couple of weeks - a very BAD thing to do I know, but I wanted to stay on my feet.

There was a guy that had hair down below his belt, dressed like a pimp, and this fellow ran most of the back-room blackjack games in Charleston. We'll call him "D". He was floating in cash and always had at least two guys with bulging pockets along with him. Not all those pockets held cash and although those guys seemed nice enough, you knew better than to mess with them.

So I had played this guy on 3 or 4 occasions at Tucker's Billiard Academy in North Charleston. From those matches, I was a very significant amount ahead. He got word to me that he wanted to match up again but this time on a bar table. So we decided a place (can't remember the name of the bar) and I met him there a night or two later. He got the wild nine and the break, I had to call the nine. $200 a game - and it was on.

There was only one bar table in that place but everyone knew we had the table. A crowd gathered 'round to watch the action. The night wore on and it was time to close. "D" and I decided to continue playing so we rented the whole bar, I forget how much was involved but it might have been a couple of hundred. The bar made out like bandits as most of the crowd stayed to keep watching. I was a little down money-wise at that point.

About 3 in the morning I was on empty and needed to "refuel". No fuel to be had so I went around asking people in the crowd. Of all the people possible, my opponent offered me something and I took it. An hour or so later, I tried to eat a burger which someone had brought me and nearly choked to death on it. Couldn't swallow anything solid. I made a decision right then and there to never do that "crap" again... but it was too late for this night. I became dizzy and had trouble seeing properly.

At about 4am I was down all the cash I had with me - about 2K or so and asked my opponent if it was okay to continue. He assured me it was and said he knew I was good for it.

I walked out of that place at about 9am, laughing even though I was $4,460 lighter. Don't ask me where the 60 bucks fit in - I don't know, but it is what makes me remember the exact amount.

Laughing? Yep, I told you I was crazy but the reason I was laughing is because I was very happy to see the sunshine. "D" had put his arm around my shoulder at the end of our match and quietly told me, "Rich, I'm very glad you lost tonight because if you had not I would have had to kill you." And I knew he meant what he said.

He had his cash before the day was over. To this day, I'm reluctant to mention his real name.

ps: some of you may know or think you know who I'm talking about. Please keep it to yourselves. This happened a very long time ago.
 
How about some more of you telling some of your stories. Btown and I can't be the only two willing to embarrass ourselves. Share. :smile:
 
Life's funny, isn't it? You had intended on seeing a man about a cue, but fate intervened so that you could have a good sandwich, make a few bucks playing Snooker, and be able to tell a story twenty-three years later.
Cool! :smile:
 
TheMarsMan said:
Great story!

It made me think of this story:

I was at Glass City Open quite a few years ago and Richie Richeson and his stake horse came through and asked if anyone wanted to play some short rack banks. Tony Ferguson (Tony Fargo) stood up and said he would play, but didn't feel it would be a fair game even. Richie's stakehorse asked what spot he wanted and Tony said I think your man needs a ball son. They proceeded to play 5 to 4 and Tony won every game.

I guess you need to be careful who you call out!

Another story:

I was at Derby one year and Rachel Abbink came up to me and was trying to get a game playing nine ball, I had been drinking quite a bit and didn't want to play. She then asked the Cue dealer where I was at if he wanted to play some with him getting the 7,8 and the break. Turns out the cue dealer was Joe Salazar and could of probably given her that spot. He said he felt too guilty to take her money and never played.
Click to expand...

To Rachel's credit she wasn't trying to hustle, she really thinks she is THAT good.

I love Rachel Abbink, what an amazing breath of fresh air it was having her around action.

Funny that she didn't know Tracy Joe though. Good disguise working that traveling cue dealer thing..... :-)

I got a couple stories like this but the best one is when two guys got me in a ring game thinking that they were going to trap me in the middle. Only problem was that I was better than both of them and something like $400 later they quit.
 
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