Cole Dickson: Livin' large off the fat of the land

[jjohnson]

Cole Dickson: Livin' large off the fat of the land, already a seasoned road player at 18.

I think it is almost like a miracle that we can actually see a decent quality video of the Luat vs. Dickson One-Pocket match from Accu-Stats. I don't think there is any other really good quality video of Cole doing his thing. And there's maybe only a couple of other videos found on YouTube. Very rare. If you didn't actually see him in 68-71, for sure, you can't imagine. I bought this Accu-Stats video.

Cole shoots two twist-back long rail banks in this match. Wow! The first one is at
13:14

Then again, here at 27:30, that results in him running out.

If you didn't know, Cole used a slip stroke quite a lot. I saw him use it often enough. In this one-pocket match you can see him use it in his run out when he shoots the 5-ball at 28:00. Cole was an expert pool player. You can be sure he had good reason to develop this skill and to use it as often as he did.

Anyway, just thought y'all might find this somewhat interesting.

 

[jjohnson]

Just noticed another slip stroke at 46:08 where Cole shoots the 5-ball.

 

[jjohnson]

Speaking of the Accu-Stats Luat vs Dickson one-pocket match ,Cole was responsible for Luat having that final match winning shot. Even if you never heard of Cole Dickson, just from watching that video, you know Cole had excellent cue ball control and consistently placed it with impeccable forethought. I believe Cole left Luat that shot intentionally to tempt him. Cole knew that to make that bank would take a world-class effort. Cole was gambling so as to get another chance to win the match.

On the other hand, now, you may be thinking, what about those two terrible blunders Cole made earlier in the match: missing one shot badly and scratching on the other?

Were they really mistakes? Pretty flagrant, possibly. But I wonder if Cole got any action outside of tournament competition. You know: hay, I'm a senior, losing my game, I'm dogging it regularly, I like to bet high, you can win... A gunslinger hustler like Cole... Who knows? I'd like to find out.

 

[Quesports]

I saw Luat get hustled for 100 bucks at Chris’s one night. A decent Mexican guy got Luat to play him in 3 cushion. Race to 20 for the hundred.

Luat lost and was beside himself trying to get his hundred back. Me and Santos Sambajon were having a great time watching Rudolpho for a good hour trying desperately to get the Mexican guy to play him. He said he’d play him more 3 cushion which just pissed off Rudolpho even more.

He never got the 100 back! Funny times!!!

 

[Island Drive]

First time I played Cole he was traveling with David Sizemore.
SIU Carbondale IL....
He came into 4 table room, all 8 foots at a downtown bar.
It was 69 or 1968 with Janscos a 1/2 hr away.
We played again in 89 in Palm Springs.
Saw em a few times at the Bike Club.
Nice guy, great player.
I liked his game more than McCreadys in his prime yrs.

 

[straightline]

Speaking of the Accu-Stats Luat vs Dickson one-pocket match ,Cole was responsible for Luat having that final match winning shot. Even if you never heard of Cole Dickson, just from watching that video, you know Cole had excellent cue ball control and consistently placed it with impeccable forethought. I believe Cole left Luat that shot intentionally to tempt him. Cole knew that to make that bank would take a world-class effort. Cole was gambling so as to get another chance to win the match.

On the other hand, now, you may be thinking, what about those two terrible blunders Cole made earlier in the match: missing one shot badly and scratching on the other?

Were they really mistakes? Pretty flagrant, possibly. But I wonder if Cole got any action outside of tournament competition. You know: hay, I'm a senior, losing my game, I'm dogging it regularly, I like to bet high, you can win... A gunslinger hustler like Cole... Who knows? I'd like to find out.

You gotta get there yourself - and it won't be the same. Overthinking it for resale.

 

[jasonlaus]

You know who else lived off the "fat of the land"? Movie reference. Don't cheat...please

 

[jay helfert]

Cole Dickson: Livin' large off the fat of the land, already a seasoned road player at 18.

I think it is almost like a miracle that we can actually see a decent quality video of the Luat vs. Dickson One-Pocket match from Accu-Stats. I don't think there is any other really good quality video of Cole doing his thing. And there's maybe only a couple of other videos found on YouTube. Very rare. If you didn't actually see him in 68-71, for sure, you can't imagine. I bought this Accu-Stats video.

Cole shoots two twist-back long rail banks in this match. Wow! The first one is at
13:14

Then again, here at 27:30, that results in him running out.

If you didn't know, Cole used a slip stroke quite a lot. I saw him use it often enough. In this one-pocket match you can see him use it in his run out when he shoots the 5-ball at 28:00. Cole was an expert pool player. You can be sure he had good reason to develop this skill and to use it as often as he did.

Anyway, just thought y'all might find this somewhat interesting.

Cole was probably playing at about 60-70% his top speed then, if that. The Cole of the early 70's was a killer! He was probably only the Call Eight under Richie Florence and maybe the same over young Keith. He ran over just about everybody who crossed his path back then. Hustlers beware, Cole was a King Cobra. I played him in my poolroom a couple of times because no one else would play him. He gave me the seven, eight and nine and 9-6 in One Pocket. A couple of times I won a set and broke even. He was just too tough. The only hustler who ever came thru Cali that I know of that beat Cole was Jimmy Marino. And later on Jimmy didn't want to play him again.

Cole was a beauty to watch. He had big hands and just generated so much power with his stroke. Totally different game than Keith. Cole overpowered the balls and Keith finessed them. Richie was another different animal. On the pool table Richie was relentless, a fire breathing dragon who you couldn't kill. He could be down twenty games, go get more money, come back and bust you! A couple of times I saw very good players get Richie stuck and start chattering a little bit to him. Big mistake, he got that fire in his eyes and he wouldn't miss a ball until you were broke! Numero Uno on the West Coast for a good ten years, and probably in the top three or four in the country. I remember when Dean Chance tried to sneak Jimmy Moore in on Richie at Inglewood Bowl. They disguised him pretty good using a Hollywood make-up artist. Richie beat him anyway and afterward said he knew who he was all the time. Didn't matter to him.

 

[JAM]

I never met Cole Dickson myself, but I’ve heard Keith talk about him for years. He always described Cole as looking like a California surfer, blond hair, easy smile, and that charm that made all the girls flock to him. Cole was older, but teenage Keith loved tagging along, not just because Cole was cool but because Keith would get what he jokingly called the "leftovers." Some of the pretty girls who gravitated toward Cole would spare a little attention for the younger kid standing nearby. And for a teenage boy, that was just about the best thing in the world.

When Cole passed in 2013, Keith wrote a nice piece about their friendship: I spoke to Laurie yesterday, and I knew it was bad. I'm lost. Three of my closest friends in this year 2013, it is really heartbreaking. I guess I have a couple more close friends, but not many.

I remember the first time I met Cole. He had just gotten back from Hawaii, and he was with Richie Florence, another great 9-ball player as well. Cole comes in the Billiard Palace, and there was a bar across the street. Cole was about 5 or 6 years older than me, but I had a phony ID card, so I could get in the bar.

Richie and Cole proceeded to walk across the street from the bar to Vern's place, which was Billiard Palace. I was like star-struck at the time, and I followed in suit, just trying to see what they would say and what they would do. Cole had these blue jeans on with a white rope as a belt. First pool player I've ever seen wear that. It was sort of real flashy watching him play, and that's all I wanted to do, just sit and watch him, every move he made.

They were all in the pool room, cutting up. Larry Lisciotti was there, another one of my good friends that we have lost. Cole and Richie won about 30 grand. I think that's at the time when Richie beat Fats and Cole just beat everybody he played.

I started missing school, just so I could be around Cole. Every time he spoke, everyone would listen. Cole was like an icon in the pool world. After we met, we became very good friends. We did a lot of things together, went dove hunting in Yuma, played golf together, played baseball together, everything. I remember beating him out of a car playing over-the-line baseball.

The one thing I liked about Cole the most is that if he had 2,800 and 3 cents in his pocket and he made a game, it would all play, every penny, just like the way I used to do it. That's where I learned it from.

Whatever had to do with gambling, we would do it. I loved Cole, always will, and I never will forget him. I know Cole, Larry Lisciotti, Ronnie Allen, New York Blackie, Fats, they're all trying to match up right now in heaven or cutting up about old pool stories.

Rest in peace, Cole. We'll all be there sooner or later, and we can start it all over again.

Photo credit: Mary "Mare" Kenniston. Pic of Ronnie Allen, Cole Dickson, and Larry Schwartz, 1988 Cue-Topia, Las Vegas, NV

 

[jjohnson]

Cole was probably playing at about 60-70% his top speed then, if that. The Cole of the early 70's was a killer! He was probably only the Call Eight under Richie Florence and maybe the same over young Keith. He ran over just about everybody who crossed his path back then. Hustlers beware, Cole was a King Cobra. I played him in my poolroom a couple of times because no one else would play him. He gave me the seven, eight and nine and 9-6 in One Pocket. A couple of times I won a set and broke even. He was just too tough. The only hustler who ever came thru Cali that I know of that beat Cole was Jimmy Marino. And later on Jimmy didn't want to play him again.

Cole was a beauty to watch. He had big hands and just generated so much power with his stroke. Totally different game than Keith. Cole overpowered the balls and Keith finessed them. Richie was another different animal. On the pool table Richie was relentless, a fire breathing dragon who you couldn't kill. He could be down twenty games, go get more money, come back and bust you! A couple of times I saw very good players get Richie stuck and start chattering a little bit to him. Big mistake, he got that fire in his eyes and he wouldn't miss a ball until you were broke! Numero Uno on the West Coast for a good ten years, and probably in the top three or four in the country. I remember when Dean Chance tried to sneak Jimmy Moore in on Richie at Inglewood Bowl. They disguised him pretty good using a Hollywood make-up artist. Richie beat him anyway and afterward said he knew who he was all the time. Didn't matter to him.

You might like this thread I posted some time ago. you can search for it here on AZB. i checked. it's still there waiting for you.

Search for, Cole Dickson vs. Richie Florence

 

[gregcantrall]

Well gotta reflect on the similarities and perhaps synchronicity. My intention was to find a Dennis The Menice clip as Dennis The Menice was what I imagined Cole as at that age.

The baseball bat coming from Dennis's bed hit a grand slam . I put Cole to bed with his pool cue. The next morning to answer the desk phone to, "Where's My Cue?" My answer was model desk clerk or concierge. "It's in the bed next to you." Shrug such a simple job. Not! COraling the Menace was a challenge I embraced.
Being of similar age helps give me an understanding (well I think) of Cole and his alcoholic condition. My grandfather was similarly addicted. Grandpa overcame it Cole didn't.
I had heart to heart discuss with Cole upon occasion. Or when driving, just the shrinks job of listening without judging as he told stories while too drunk to drive. "I am a good driver", is a favorite Rainman quote.
Anyway thanks Cole. I still try to emulate your on the table feats of strength and Dareing. The life style, uh not so much. But RIP Gawd knows I will see you soon. Or not.

 

[gregcantrall]

The heart to heart talks invariably came while in the back of the van burning one. Chatty Kathy was my marijuana name. My bragadose on my left handed accomplishments exceeded Cole's tolerance and he bluntly asked, "How Good Do You shoot left handed?" My bold reply was instant, "As Good as You." Uh oh was my thought as his eyes changed to predator and he asked, "How much money you got on ya?" Followed with, "you know the janitor will let me back in after hours." My reply of 175 brought a brief consideration as I held my Poker Face. A deer in the headlights he didn't find in his consideration. So a smile and toast was his reply. Whew I dodged a near miss.

 

[jay helfert]

I never met Cole Dickson myself, but I’ve heard Keith talk about him for years. He always described Cole as looking like a California surfer, blond hair, easy smile, and that charm that made all the girls flock to him. Cole was older, but teenage Keith loved tagging along, not just because Cole was cool but because Keith would get what he jokingly called the "leftovers." Some of the pretty girls who gravitated toward Cole would spare a little attention for the younger kid standing nearby. And for a teenage boy, that was just about the best thing in the world.

When Cole passed in 2013, Keith wrote a nice piece about their friendship: I spoke to Laurie yesterday, and I knew it was bad. I'm lost. Three of my closest friends in this year 2013, it is really heartbreaking. I guess I have a couple more close friends, but not many.

I remember the first time I met Cole. He had just gotten back from Hawaii, and he was with Richie Florence, another great 9-ball player as well. Cole comes in the Billiard Palace, and there was a bar across the street. Cole was about 5 or 6 years older than me, but I had a phony ID card, so I could get in the bar.

Richie and Cole proceeded to walk across the street from the bar to Vern's place, which was Billiard Palace. I was like star-struck at the time, and I followed in suit, just trying to see what they would say and what they would do. Cole had these blue jeans on with a white rope as a belt. First pool player I've ever seen wear that. It was sort of real flashy watching him play, and that's all I wanted to do, just sit and watch him, every move he made.

They were all in the pool room, cutting up. Larry Lisciotti was there, another one of my good friends that we have lost. Cole and Richie won about 30 grand. I think that's at the time when Richie beat Fats and Cole just beat everybody he played.

I started missing school, just so I could be around Cole. Every time he spoke, everyone would listen. Cole was like an icon in the pool world. After we met, we became very good friends. We did a lot of things together, went dove hunting in Yuma, played golf together, played baseball together, everything. I remember beating him out of a car playing over-the-line baseball.

The one thing I liked about Cole the most is that if he had 2,800 and 3 cents in his pocket and he made a game, it would all play, every penny, just like the way I used to do it. That's where I learned it from.

Whatever had to do with gambling, we would do it. I loved Cole, always will, and I never will forget him. I know Cole, Larry Lisciotti, Ronnie Allen, New York Blackie, Fats, they're all trying to match up right now in heaven or cutting up about old pool stories.

Rest in peace, Cole. We'll all be there sooner or later, and we can start it all over again.

Photo credit: Mary "Mare" Kenniston. Pic of Ronnie Allen, Cole Dickson, and Larry Schwartz, 1988 Cue-Topia, Las Vegas, NV

View attachment 863711

Thanks Jam. Keith nailed it there. Cole had that strong powerful voice and his words were always right on to capture the moment. He could put you in your place if you weren't careful and he never backed away from anyone in a verbal confrontation. Keith was different there too. His spontaneous comments were creative and usually very humorous. But like Cole he never held anything back. Even when he poked fun at his opponent you had to love him. He was that funny. In this respect Ronnie was the leader of the pack and I'm sure even Keith would admit that. Ronnie had a gift of gab that would entertain the crowd as well as any celebrity ever did. He drew the biggest crowds for all his matches. Standing room only!

All three were icons of that era in pool. None like them today, with only Alex being close.

 

[T411]

You might like this thread I posted some time ago. you can search for it here on AZB. i checked. it's still there waiting for you.
Search for, Cole Dickson vs. Richie Florence

J

Thread 'Cole Dickson vs. Richie Florence'

May 2, 2012

Cole Dickson vs. Richie Florence
8:39 PM 4/30/2012

I met Bob at Hard Times Billiards in Bellflower, California, a couple of years ago. He told me about a match he watched around 1968 between Cole Dickson and Richie Florence. Here is Bob's firsthand account as told to me, as best as I can remember it.

There had been a tournament announcement posted on the wall at Five Points Billiards in Norwalk. Toward the bottom of the poster was a yellow sun with Richie Florence's picture in it. Around the sun it said, "Featuring Richie Florence, the World's Greatest Nine Ball player."

Cole was...

• jjohnson
• Replies: 11
• Forum: Billiard and Pool History in the U.S.

• 

 

[Island Drive]

When Cole came thru Carbondale with Sizemore, I beat em out of 80$ in 68.
I was 19 then....
To a college student, that was enough money to buy groceries for two weeks.
I got em on a Gaff table, every rail had different speeds.
We played for about an hour.
He and David had more important business in Johnston City.

 

[gregcantrall]

Cole brought his 9 ball game to one pocket.
Harry Platis was The one pocket game in the Seattle area. A thousand a game was the starter wager. Various pro players had a standard spot with Harry. Cole gave the smallest spot with 9-7 or 8-7 depending on who broke.
Coles method set the hook. He would take on a 90 degree cut that splattered the pack and run out. The next rack he would miss a similar cut that spread the balls. Leaving Harry a wide open start. The times Harry couldn't get out were Cole's steals. Getting to shoot every second rack led to a big profit for Cole by noon on Sunday.

 

[jay helfert]

J

Thread 'Cole Dickson vs. Richie Florence'

May 2, 2012

Cole Dickson vs. Richie Florence
8:39 PM 4/30/2012

I met Bob at Hard Times Billiards in Bellflower, California, a couple of years ago. He told me about a match he watched around 1968 between Cole Dickson and Richie Florence. Here is Bob's firsthand account as told to me, as best as I can remember it.

There had been a tournament announcement posted on the wall at Five Points Billiards in Norwalk. Toward the bottom of the poster was a yellow sun with Richie Florence's picture in it. Around the sun it said, "Featuring Richie Florence, the World's Greatest Nine Ball player."

Cole was...

• jjohnson
• Replies: 11
• Forum: Billiard and Pool History in the U.S.

• 

This "story" is much too similar to the one where a teenage Earl took on Mike Sigel. This is plagiarised word for word from that.

 

[T411]

This "story" is much too similar to the one where a teenage Earl took on Mike Sigel. This is plagiarised word for word from that.

Interesting…

 

[jjohnson]

This "story" is much too similar to the one where a teenage Earl took on Mike Sigel. This is plagiarised word for word from that.

Well, that's a strong claim you're making with no plausible evidence whatsoever offered to support it.
Let me say that I sat right next to Bob in the stands along side of table 9 and table 10 at Hard Times Bellflower.
He told me that firsthand story. He said he was there and witnessed it with his own eyes.
If the story is BS, Bob is the one telling tall tales. Not me.
Now, you've been part of the pool scene in SoCal. You certainly knew Cole. If you knew him around 68 - 71, for sure,
you know he was quite capable of running six racks from the break.
I only saw Richie once. It was at a tournament in Santa Rosa around '77. He sure dressed well. Nice suit. Santa Rosa gets
hot. Richie took off his jacket. I regret that I can't say I know how well he played. Like much of that period, it's kind of a blur.
Back to Cole, I really didn't know him very well at all. Back in 68-71, every 3 months or so he'd show up back in town from being on the road. I'd see him at the poolhall. I'd be there as often as I could at opening in the late morning when he'd show up. I've watched him "practice" several times. He'd run 80 balls as natural as a baby nursing. And just as sensual. Calvin, a regular at Hard Times, told me that he loved watching Cole shoot. It was like I said, Cole could simply captivated you. He had this power. At least for Calvin and me. It was euphoric and hypnotic. I never said anything to Cole because I never had anything to say. And he only spoke to me once: "I like to beat guys who use lots of english." That was it over a 4 year span. I'd see him use his slip stoke often. He had this stunt where he'd line up a long shot then turn his head like an owl almost 180 degree then shoot: straight into the pocket. I was 15 or 16. I think he showed off for the kid. Once he placed the cue ball to break about 10 inches from center to the right at the line. Then he looked at me as if to say, "You got it?" His best friend, Randy L., told me that he ran 9 racks in a row for $40 a game and busted some guy. He also told me that Cole would set up a 6-ball racks, break, then take ball in hand. He said Cole ran 96 racks like this in a row. Anyway, this is what Randy L. told me. So this is like 55+ years ago. Then just about a year ago, I hear this recording of an interview, I think it was at OnePocket.org, where a guy relates how he first met Cole, I think it was in Montana. He says this kid talked him into playing $5 9-ball and immediately runs 8 racks in a row. He says he doesn't ever quit on anybody but he did this time. So this kid tries to get him to continue to play but he tells Cole: "I can't play you. You just ran 8 racks. I can't do that." So what I'm thinking is that this could be the facts that Randy L. based his story on. You know how stories change when told repeatedly and how memories are. All I'm saying is that knowing some things about Cole from my own firsthand knowledge and his close friends and others, I can believe Bob. So Cole taking Richie to the cleaners, this once, is plausible. But your claim has given me reason to consider alternatives after having given Bob 100% credibility. Unfortunately I can't find any video of Florence playing pool.

 

[maha]

i was good friends with cole for many years(decades). and gambled with him many times but not in pool. that was off for both of us.
and also played richie and broke him for over a good 5 figures twice, in a trick game.
i guarantee both were about equal on their best days . cole had less best days, and occasionally made big mistakes from being lackadaisical when playing.
but only a very few of having any chance when he was on. cole got to drinking too often and went downhill from there. changed him.

no one should have ever gone or even talked to sizemore. he was the prime example of a complete creep. and even worse than joe veasy,
and the steve the whale, who at least was funny.