Brian, you seem like a cool guy and though I don't recall you asking to "roll it back" I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. However, if you said it, you must have said it in a manner that was obviously humorous and not to be taken seriously, or perhaps you posed it as hypothetical. Certainly you did not show me any money.
And as I have said previously, it is pretty strange for this to be coming out for the first time four months after the match.
So yes, between John's money which we had just won, and the money we brought to the match, hangin' around an unfamiliar New Jersey pool room didn't strike any of us as the brightest of ideas, so we did make a relatively quick departure.
My recollection after the match is also that no one in John's camp was in the mood to go again and if you look at the following picture, with you at the center, it's pretty obvious John was done or the picture we'd be discussing would be the one with John, pool cue together and in hand and a coin in the other, getting in my face.
Lastly, I asked my partner, Mike, what his recollection is and his follows.
Lou Figueroa
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Dear Brian
With all due respect I never heard you say you wanted to back John for 10K. Because if you had and I heard it I would have said "Flip it." I don't believe it was seriously offered at all. You had a chance to say something to me about it when we were talking to Ed about his restaurant and you didn't. I tried to bet 25K at the beginning of the match. I tried to double the bet during the match and got turned down. There were at least 20 people there trying to get money down on Lou and no one there, including you, who would take the bet. So if you said you were there to bet 10k on John nobody but you and John heard it or perhaps some half-baked reference was made that didn't sound like a serious statement because we would have a direct call to play right then and there.
If you want to bet 10k on John now. Or 20K. Or 30K bring it to St. Louis in the next 30 days and you can get that money in action, if John shows up. I felt cheated when John didn't take the bets he said he would take, so the idea that I wouldn't take your money on a bet on John is silly. That was the surest bet I've ever made in 50 years. So come to St. Louis now that you're saying you offered 10K on John after the fact. Because I obviously missed your request the first time. I want to make sure you get what you wanted.
Michael LaLumiere
Looks like I'm being dragged into the middle of this shit storm but I def don't want to spend all my time going back and forth and, so, I'll try and keep this simple and straight forward..
My staking players in games where there is a fair amount of money riding isn't a new hobby. I don't do it every weekend but I do it and people are aware of it.
I came to Sandcastle that night to enjoy the competition, it was kinda historic from an az perspective, right?
yes, I did come prepared to back JB if Lou won and wanted to flip it. It was in the bag I brought over to where I met you guys and did the ribbing.
After the match, some photos, and congrats, I came over and absolutely did ask if you wanted to roll it back and you absolutely said you would need a little time to think about it. No problem. Then we also talked about grabbing a bite to eat and I figured we might close it up over dinner. As I previously stated, you guys scrammed with the cash you had and, again, I don't blame you for that, being in unfamiliar territory, and all.
If you really don't recall my offer then you were probably still under the influence of your win and all the activity swirling around you.
Regarding why this has never come up since the match 4 months ago, I can only say from my end, this:
I saw no purpose to bring it up again since the offer was basically declined when you left and the next morning you were making your way back home and that was that...
and
I thought for sure JB was gonna do his match report just like you did and it, without a doubt, would have had included this.
@ Mike L. hi Mike, it was nice to meet you there. Yes, we did go up and discuss some biz ideas with Ed and there would have been no point in my asking you about flipping money then since your horse hadn't won yet. I waited til it was over, then asked Lou, it prob didn't sink in with all the commotion around him (I'm guessing).
I won't be interested to come to St. Louis but thanks for the invite.

best,
brian kc
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