Buddy Hall vs Sammy Soto Race100
- Thread starter usakr
- Start date
I played Sammy in the 80's at Benton, Ill...
We played at a bar called the 105 by the railroad tracks. On an Irving Kay bar box with a big cue ball.
A guy named Teddy owned the place. It was in Benton Ill.
Everyone in town bet on him......
Does anyone from around Benton remember what happened.
Just curious..........Sammy was a great bar table player back then.......
We played at a bar called the 105 by the railroad tracks. On an Irving Kay bar box with a big cue ball.
A guy named Teddy owned the place. It was in Benton Ill.
Everyone in town bet on him......
Does anyone from around Benton remember what happened.
Just curious..........Sammy was a great bar table player back then.......
No I don't
At that time in my life I was sneaking around playing everyone.
I went down to Peducah trying to catch buddy off guard and maybe make some cash. I went there 3 times and he was always gone. It would have been tough anyways. I never played anyone at the poolhall because I didn't want to show anything.
I had busted that whole area around Benton. There was the Mousetrap in a town close by and I made a pretty good score giving a guy named Rudy the 8 ball at bar called Dans Bar in a country bar.
There was also a good poolhall in Centralia back then that had some good action.
Mike Dunklin was around during that time. he would know for sure. I don't know If he comes on the site much.
They brought in this Sammy guy and I didn't know him from Adam but I played everyone I could back then on the bar table. I played pretty strong so they had to show me everything they had from the git or they were losers right away.
I played him at the 105 bar in Benton on that Irving Kay table with the big rock.
I think they thought that big cue ball would give this guy the nutz. It was about the size of a basketball, I swear.
He had trouble with it instead. the table was real tight with deep shelves on the pockets.
I beat him 2 races to 9, can't remember the scores. There was no more money left in that town. I got it all.
When I first got there I played a guy that couldn't make 3 balls in a row for $100 a rack. Beat him out of $900 and worked my way up from there. And there was allot of up from him for sure. he might have been one of the worst players in Illinois. But that's how it was back then. it was pure hustling at it's finest. it was a pure art for sure.
back then I didn't know what an epic event this was. I was just trying to make some money and survive on the road.
A young man named David ore steered me around down there. David told me I shouldn't probably play this Sammy guy.
I stay in that area for about a month or 2.
Joe shields had the pool hall in Mount Vernon. I went in there to find a game. He said his friend nick would be back in a few days. I said Nick who? He said Varner.
I didn't bat an eye and acted like I didn't know who Nick was. Back then you could get away with this. No internet and lots of players had no clue who anyone was.
Especially me. Nobody knew me and I kept it like that for the most part.
Joe tried to keep me there until Monday or Tuesday but he ran out of money. I think it cost him around $5000 trying to keep me there until Nick got back.
He got me in a trap playing 9 ball on what I think was a 9 foot snooker table with oversized pockets.
Nick was over in North Carolina winning one of those 9 foot championships back then.
I never did tell joe that I knew who nick was.
I wouldn't have played him back then anyway.
There was no sense back then to bump heads with someone when you knew they were in dead stroke from some big tournament.
I liked sneaking up on guys like Buddy. they would be sitting in their home town with their thumb up their butt with no action. here comes this kid from who knows where and starts running out from everywhere for $100 a rack.
I played about 10 champions back in the day when I was on the road and to this day they still don't know who I was.
Bosten Joey used to call me up and sneak me in on some players. Billy gains and ron mayes would also get me action.
I once won a tournament in Oshkosh after being on the road for 6 months. Part of the Benton trip. After the tournament Billy Gaines tried to get me a game. he came back and said no luck. I told him to give up the 7 ball. He came back about 10 minutes later and had no game for me.
I just steamrolled that tournament. Billy just sat there and laughed, he couldn't believe there were no takers with the 7 ball. Wild at that.
I also had a guy in Florida that would fly me down there sometimes but that was usually real soft action but for lots of dough.
I was at a tournament that buddy hall was at, I think it was a place called BJ's somewhere around Atlanta. jean balukas was there and I think Buddy had something to do with her action. Nobody knew me. I didn't come there to really play in the tournament but lose quick and get some action. Then I could go to the home towns and make some money. kind of like cutting them off from the herd.
I offered her the wild 7 on the bar table and I think it was Buddy that told her not to play. Not sure but maybe he was staking her action, I don't know or just a friend.
I left there and never played anyone except jerry Watson from Canada. I donated $150 for $10 a game trying to do a little trolling before the tourney. But it did make me look stupid and that's the image I wanted to portray.
I usually liked to stay away from these big tournys because it would really screw up my action. I was really really unknown at the time. You could leave one town and travel 200 miles and it was like you were in a different country back then. Nobody had even heard what you had done in the last area you were at. They had to play you to figure anything out. But play in one of those big tournaments and your picture would get in the magazine. That was a big NO NO.
Those were the days for sure.
it's still fun now but there are no road players like there were then.
I teach and travel and play. That's about as close as it gets except for a few like Chip comton and Joey gray. But as soon as you book a loser the backroll can get in trouble.
Expenses just eat you up. they just keep coming and coming and coming.
Mike Dunklin would know for sure what happened back then with Buddy and Sammy.
Sorry about the rant here but that was a good time in my pool life.
I don't think I booked a loser for 5 years on the road and never got robbed.
I worked during the summer and stayed on the road for 8 months of the year.
Those were the days......and I went everywhere.
At that time in my life I was sneaking around playing everyone.
I went down to Peducah trying to catch buddy off guard and maybe make some cash. I went there 3 times and he was always gone. It would have been tough anyways. I never played anyone at the poolhall because I didn't want to show anything.
I had busted that whole area around Benton. There was the Mousetrap in a town close by and I made a pretty good score giving a guy named Rudy the 8 ball at bar called Dans Bar in a country bar.
There was also a good poolhall in Centralia back then that had some good action.
Mike Dunklin was around during that time. he would know for sure. I don't know If he comes on the site much.
They brought in this Sammy guy and I didn't know him from Adam but I played everyone I could back then on the bar table. I played pretty strong so they had to show me everything they had from the git or they were losers right away.
I played him at the 105 bar in Benton on that Irving Kay table with the big rock.
I think they thought that big cue ball would give this guy the nutz. It was about the size of a basketball, I swear.
He had trouble with it instead. the table was real tight with deep shelves on the pockets.
I beat him 2 races to 9, can't remember the scores. There was no more money left in that town. I got it all.
When I first got there I played a guy that couldn't make 3 balls in a row for $100 a rack. Beat him out of $900 and worked my way up from there. And there was allot of up from him for sure. he might have been one of the worst players in Illinois. But that's how it was back then. it was pure hustling at it's finest. it was a pure art for sure.
back then I didn't know what an epic event this was. I was just trying to make some money and survive on the road.
A young man named David ore steered me around down there. David told me I shouldn't probably play this Sammy guy.
I stay in that area for about a month or 2.
Joe shields had the pool hall in Mount Vernon. I went in there to find a game. He said his friend nick would be back in a few days. I said Nick who? He said Varner.
I didn't bat an eye and acted like I didn't know who Nick was. Back then you could get away with this. No internet and lots of players had no clue who anyone was.
Especially me. Nobody knew me and I kept it like that for the most part.
Joe tried to keep me there until Monday or Tuesday but he ran out of money. I think it cost him around $5000 trying to keep me there until Nick got back.
He got me in a trap playing 9 ball on what I think was a 9 foot snooker table with oversized pockets.
Nick was over in North Carolina winning one of those 9 foot championships back then.
I never did tell joe that I knew who nick was.
I wouldn't have played him back then anyway.
There was no sense back then to bump heads with someone when you knew they were in dead stroke from some big tournament.
I liked sneaking up on guys like Buddy. they would be sitting in their home town with their thumb up their butt with no action. here comes this kid from who knows where and starts running out from everywhere for $100 a rack.
I played about 10 champions back in the day when I was on the road and to this day they still don't know who I was.
Bosten Joey used to call me up and sneak me in on some players. Billy gains and ron mayes would also get me action.
I once won a tournament in Oshkosh after being on the road for 6 months. Part of the Benton trip. After the tournament Billy Gaines tried to get me a game. he came back and said no luck. I told him to give up the 7 ball. He came back about 10 minutes later and had no game for me.
I just steamrolled that tournament. Billy just sat there and laughed, he couldn't believe there were no takers with the 7 ball. Wild at that.
I also had a guy in Florida that would fly me down there sometimes but that was usually real soft action but for lots of dough.
I was at a tournament that buddy hall was at, I think it was a place called BJ's somewhere around Atlanta. jean balukas was there and I think Buddy had something to do with her action. Nobody knew me. I didn't come there to really play in the tournament but lose quick and get some action. Then I could go to the home towns and make some money. kind of like cutting them off from the herd.
I offered her the wild 7 on the bar table and I think it was Buddy that told her not to play. Not sure but maybe he was staking her action, I don't know or just a friend.
I left there and never played anyone except jerry Watson from Canada. I donated $150 for $10 a game trying to do a little trolling before the tourney. But it did make me look stupid and that's the image I wanted to portray.
I usually liked to stay away from these big tournys because it would really screw up my action. I was really really unknown at the time. You could leave one town and travel 200 miles and it was like you were in a different country back then. Nobody had even heard what you had done in the last area you were at. They had to play you to figure anything out. But play in one of those big tournaments and your picture would get in the magazine. That was a big NO NO.
Those were the days for sure.
it's still fun now but there are no road players like there were then.
I teach and travel and play. That's about as close as it gets except for a few like Chip comton and Joey gray. But as soon as you book a loser the backroll can get in trouble.
Expenses just eat you up. they just keep coming and coming and coming.
Mike Dunklin would know for sure what happened back then with Buddy and Sammy.
Sorry about the rant here but that was a good time in my pool life.
I don't think I booked a loser for 5 years on the road and never got robbed.
I worked during the summer and stayed on the road for 8 months of the year.
Those were the days......and I went everywhere.
Geno,
That was a nice recap of life on the road for you back then. You really painted a good picture there. I know life on the road wasn't always easy but you still make it sound appealing in a sense. It was certainly a much simpler time in our nation's history.
I can just picture you driving from town to town and off in the distance you see some kids out playing baseball in an open field or maybe even driving by a hitch hiker that you WOULD actually consider picking up. Maybe I'm just being a bit romantic but I miss that innocence, or at least that illusion of innocence.
Everything moved so much slower back then. Everybody had time to play some pool. Why wouldn't they? Is it possible that the sun just stayed up longer in those days? Time just moved along slower and so did the balls, especially on that thick cloth. All of them except that big old cue ball.
That was a nice recap of life on the road for you back then. You really painted a good picture there. I know life on the road wasn't always easy but you still make it sound appealing in a sense. It was certainly a much simpler time in our nation's history.
I can just picture you driving from town to town and off in the distance you see some kids out playing baseball in an open field or maybe even driving by a hitch hiker that you WOULD actually consider picking up. Maybe I'm just being a bit romantic but I miss that innocence, or at least that illusion of innocence.
Everything moved so much slower back then. Everybody had time to play some pool. Why wouldn't they? Is it possible that the sun just stayed up longer in those days? Time just moved along slower and so did the balls, especially on that thick cloth. All of them except that big old cue ball.
It wouldn't matter if Nick was fresh from a tournament. It wouldn't matter if Buddy was out of practice with no action. Result would be the same for you.
Good luck "sneaking up on" guys like Buddy Hall, in his prime. LOL...
Do you actually believe the stuff you write yourself? I think you do, and that's scary.
Too bad you weren't there.........
Talk to some of the people that were there before you start belittling someone.
Just because I didn't play any big table back then doesn't mean I wasn't a force on the bar table.
I played nick on the bar table in Milwaukee for about 3 hours and broke even. We played for 20 or 30 a rack. That was back in his prime but it was mine also.
Know what your talking about before you put your words on here please.
At least have a clue.
Thank you........
Talk to some of the people that were there before you start belittling someone.
Just because I didn't play any big table back then doesn't mean I wasn't a force on the bar table.
I played nick on the bar table in Milwaukee for about 3 hours and broke even. We played for 20 or 30 a rack. That was back in his prime but it was mine also.
Know what your talking about before you put your words on here please.
At least have a clue.
Thank you........
Sammy got the 8? I thought they played even. Do you know what the final score was?
Not sure.........
Early 80's to mid 80's.
I heard this guy was a monster on the bar table back then.
Fortunately for me he didn't get to shoot much in the 2 sets we played.
Hope Sammy chimes in on this thread. It would be fun to hear from him.......
We only played that once at the 105 bar in Benton ill.
Early 80's to mid 80's.
I heard this guy was a monster on the bar table back then.
Fortunately for me he didn't get to shoot much in the 2 sets we played.
Hope Sammy chimes in on this thread. It would be fun to hear from him.......
We only played that once at the 105 bar in Benton ill.
All the stories I've ever heard from the pro's pretty much sounded the same. Nobody could beat Buddy Hall on the bar box, a lot of them tried, and almost all of them could get weight. He was a straight up monster on a bartable back in the day...
If you truly believe you could have beat buddy on any table you should have stepped up. He wasn't a hard guy to find. Coming on here 20 years later while the man is laid up in the hospital talking like you would have robbed him is a little disgusting. I never heard of him ducking anyone in his prime and you sir would have received a bigger spot than Louie got humiliated with numerous times.
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Not sure why everyone's always hatin on geno. Show me where he said he would had robbed buddy. He just he tried to sneak up on him and maybe make some cash. Said it would be tough. I like reading genos posts. So much negativity on here all the time.
Probably because Buddy Hall is easily one of the greatest cueists of all time, also known for taking down the cheese gambling against anyone and everyone. So for anyone to come on here and draw his name in comparison to sitting around doing nothing and be vulnerable to being "snuck up on", is asinine.
If he really believes he could hold a candle to Buddy on a bar table, big table, snooker table, or coffee table... good for him but I don't buy it.
He was similarly confident before playing Bartrum and got thumped. And even after losing he spoke as confidently of his chances in a rematch, or a different table, etc. It comes across as delusional.
I don't hate Geno. He told a story, I call shenanigans. Nothing more.
I think, more than anything, the timing is off. Pool players tend to be more on the arrogant side as a whole so this type of bragging is common. It's just that it's bound to rile some folks up when Buddy is struggling right now. Buddy is one of the more respected and beloved of pro's in the last several decades of pool and these sort of 'pat myself on the back' stories at his expense are probably seen by most as disrespectful given his current situation. I have no clue how good Geno was back then so I can't chime in, but I know how good Buddy was and so do most folks on here. The fact that most know how good Buddy was but not Geno is probably a good indication of who was much better at the time.
Hey Gene, it must have been a different guy. The Sammy I'm talking about didn't go by Sammy until 92-93. A friend of mine gave him that name. He gave him that name so he could blend in with the hispanic population down here. Are there two Sammy Sotos out there?
You sir are really disrepectful to me and to Buddy
I didn't say I would rob him. I didn't talk like I would have robbed him.
I have lots of respect for buddy Hall.
Your a little out of line by throwing accusations out there that are not even implied.
Understand what you read before your write stuff down please.
I went there 3 times and he wasn't there. I wasn't too excited about playing him back then but I would have liked to try.
How does that turn into Buddy ducking me. He didn't even know that I stopped.
Get a clue. I'm done with you sir.........
I didn't say I would rob him. I didn't talk like I would have robbed him.
I have lots of respect for buddy Hall.
Your a little out of line by throwing accusations out there that are not even implied.
Understand what you read before your write stuff down please.
I went there 3 times and he wasn't there. I wasn't too excited about playing him back then but I would have liked to try.
How does that turn into Buddy ducking me. He didn't even know that I stopped.
Get a clue. I'm done with you sir.........
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This was the guy for sure....
I'm pretty sure I was down there before I had my poolhall and that was in 1986.
If someone could get ahold of Sammy he would tell the story himself.
Mike Dunklin was around during that time. He would know also. Maybe have a better time frame on the dates.
He was skinny with dark hair that was real short. Everyone there thought for sure he was going to beat me like a drum.
This guy could play.....
I'm pretty sure I was down there before I had my poolhall and that was in 1986.
If someone could get ahold of Sammy he would tell the story himself.
Mike Dunklin was around during that time. He would know also. Maybe have a better time frame on the dates.
He was skinny with dark hair that was real short. Everyone there thought for sure he was going to beat me like a drum.
This guy could play.....
I don't remember the score, I just remember Sammy saying he came out ahead.
I don't really know how well Sammy played, he was sent to me by a mutual friend for
another reason....all I saw of his game was underplaying while giving us a win.
He honed his skill while doing time ....sorta like Homan did in the German army.