Hubert L. "Daddy Warbucks" Cokes in jail 1964 newspaper clipping

Baby Huey said:

I went to and All Around Event in Long Beach at the old Lafayette Hotel promoted by Charlie (Tennessee) Miliken. This was around 1967 and saw Daddy Warbucks for the first time. He was immaculately dressed and had that cigar in his mouth constantly. Everybody was around him trying to get him down in a pool match. But he just waited them out and I only saw him play one time and his game was good but not great. Those Sharkskin Suits with Silk Shirts and a Bowtie sure looked good on Mr. Cokes. He reeked of money and swagger. A nice combination back then.........maybe even today.

Click to expand...

I watched Ronnie give Grady 9-6 there and torture him. And when the Jockey got beat by Danny Jones he cried like a baby. Don Watson sat on his butt for days and never picked up a cue. Then they called him to play some 9-Ball with a straight shooting young Eddie "The Hat" Burton. Don just grabbed a cue and stuffed his racing form in his back pocket and mowed poor Eddie down. It was like he never missed a beat and pool was the easiest thing in the world for him. Some things you never forget. :smile:

billiardshot said:

With H.L. Cokes history, you wonder why no one have wrote a book on him?

You Wonder what connection Ray Ryan, a flamboyant businessman who made millions off oil right here in the tri-state, and Cokes Have?

https://44news.wevv.com/cold-case-mob-blamed-deadly-evansville-car-bombing/

Mob Murder of America's Greatest Gambler (Paperback)
by Herbert Marynell, Steve Bagbey

https://www.amazon.com/Mob-Murder-Americas-Greatest-Gambler/dp/1479336149#reader_1479336149

Click to expand...

My dad knew Ray Ryan, possibly from New York. I remember him stopping to visit us in Dayton on his way back and forth to New York. He would come in for a day or two and take us all out to dinner. Probably the only person I ever saw buy dinner for us instead of my dad. He was obviously wealthy, at least to my uneducated eyes as a young boy. He was always very nice to me and my siblings. I liked him and he only came by a few times over the years.

After I moved away from Dayton my father never mentioned Ray Ryan again. Now I know why. He was dead! Killed in a very nasty way. My father also liked to gamble and made more than one excursion to Vegas with his buddies. Seems like they did that on an annual basis, the long trek from Dayton to Nevada. I do know he also gambled at the famous Beverly Hills Club across the river from Cincinnati (it burned down decades ago, many people losing their lives in the blaze). I only saw my father play Poker at our house in a weekly game that rotated from house to house and attracted some of the more wealthy business people in Dayton. My dad was a doctor but he was a good Seven Card Stud player as well! I watched him rake in a few big pots full of tens and twenties.

I remember those bills,Billy

bstroud said:

Dean,

As you know I spent a lot of time around Ty. I learned a lot talking with him and watching him work on suckers. He was a master.

Speaking of money: I remember walking into the Cotton Palace with a $10,000.00 bill, a $5000.00 bill and numerous $1000.00 and $500.00 bills in my pocket.

Had to go to the bank to get the big bills in those days. No questions asked.

Bill Stroud

Click to expand...

I remember when you had those big bills at the Cotton Bowling Palace. So many
people have the image of a pool player (aka Pool Hustler) totally wrong. They weren't
sleazy guys trying to steal your last dime to get a fix. That's all TV Bull S---..They
dressed sharp, drove nice cars (Billy Stroud had a Corvette and XKE at the SAME TIME) tipped 40% at the least and were very generous. I went to Johnston City
when was 16 and saw all those guys I had heard about. If you went there a young
kid and left not wanting to be a pool player, you needed to have your head
examined.
jack

jackpot said:

If you went there a young kid and left not wanting to be a pool player, you needed to have your head examined.
jack

Click to expand...

Jackpot,

Did you know Jack Taylor, Alfie's brother?

If so, I want to hear some storied about him.

I ran across him as a teen while I was working in a pool hall.

Jack Taylor was something

HawaiianEye said:

Jackpot,

Did you know Jack Taylor, Alfie's brother?

If so, I want to hear some storied about him.

I ran across him as a teen while I was working in a pool hall.

Click to expand...

Eye,
Yes I knew Jack, he was a real character. Alf and I were, and still are best friends
even though I haven't seen him in years, we still talk occasionally. Jack was a
great story teller, and very funny. Back in the Cotton Bowling Palace days in Dallas
you could get arrested for vagrancy, so pool players had to watch out. Alf, and I
and a couple of guys (not sure if Billy Stroud was there) were sitting at a table in
the CBP restaurant and Jack comes in white as a sheet with sweat pouring off
of him. Alf jumps up,says Jack whats going on ?. Jack says that cop that's always
hassling us just tried to get me for vagrancy, but I told him I was working at the
Domino Factory putting the dots on dominoes. He yells Bull s--- Taylor, it's the
middle of the week , then why aren't you at work. Jack says today they're making
double blanks. Jack is the reason that Alf left Texas. Alf tells about it in his book.
R. D. Mathews (Google him, the FBI considered him one of the most dangerous
men in the U.S.) was mad at Jack, and told Alf tell your brother that I'm going
to kill him. I don't know what Alf was thinking but he told R.D. to tell him yourself
I'm not your errand boy. Well I'll kill you too, says R.D. Some other very dangerous
people let Alf know that he just signed his death warrant. Alf realized how serious
this was and moved to California like the NEXT DAY. He called me and asked if
I had any money he could borrow that he was moving right now and needed
all the money he could put his hands on. I gave him what I had and he was gone
by nightfall. Alf is my good buddy and a lot of the stories about Jack don't paint
him in a very good light, but I liked him. I'm sure Billy could tell quite a few.
jack

jay helfert said:

It was Nick Varner. He spent a lot of time with Hubert as a young man. Nick's father and Cokes were old friends.

Click to expand...

It must be right Jay. I thought it was on Pete Fusco vs Varner tape from Roanoke 1994 but it must be a different one. I watched Dobrowolski-Hall match from Roanoke 1995 yesterday (Buddy and Steve do a voice-over player review) and Buddy said that he owed his one pocket knowledge to Eddie Taylor.

I remember at Johnston City late sixties, When Heubert took Varner under his wing. Also during my interview of Evelyn Wanderone, she mentioned that he and Fats locked horns many times. The bet didn't matter, the win was MORE important. She expressed herself pretty well about Fats going to Evansville to play at his room. They were both Rounders, but Fats shot at him first, with his Mouth then the Cuestick last. They had great mutual respect for on another

i remember titanic telling me that daddy warbucks won $500,000 from him and that was the largest score in the history of pool.

I can tell you guys an interesting story that I have related on here befoe,but most of you might not have heard it

Titanic and I had been playing golf,he was playing,I was wearing PF Flyers and caddying
for him. When we return to the cotton bowling palace,two colorful characters Vernon Litton and

Billy t Dyre were playing each other. as a word of introduction both of these were pure tough guys,Vernon was a great player,smart smooth,treacherous. billy was tougher than vernon or anybody else.People would put up $10,000 and fight billy for the money.
i never heard of him getting beat,but he played pool worse than me and was a loser.

Well when Titanic saw what was happening ,he gave me his bankroll and said go bet on billy,
i said are you sure. he gave me the look your mother gives you when she tells you to do
something

to speed this up I went over and bet all I could on Billy,he lost every game,Ty called me and said"how we doing?"

I said losing every game betting on Billy

He said who are you betting with?

,I said Vernon


Ty rushed in and pulled both guys aside and explained I was gambling with his money
and they returned all the money to Titanic

They asked how this happened and he looked my way and said
"this darn fool kid is an idiot"

I smiled in a simple way and slinked out of the pool room

deanoc said:

i remember titanic telling me that daddy warbucks won $500,000 from him and that was the largest score in the history of pool.

I can tell you guys an interesting story that I have related on here befoe,but most of you might not have heard it

Titanic and I had been playing golf,he was playing,I was wearing PF Flyers and caddying
for him. When we return to the cotton bowling palace,two colorful characters Vernon Litton and

Billy t Dyre were playing each other. as a word of introduction both of these were pure tough guys,Vernon was a great player,smart smooth,treacherous. billy was tougher than vernon or anybody else.People would put up $10,000 and fight billy for the money.
i never heard of him getting beat,but he played pool worse than me and was a loser.

Well when Titanic saw what was happening ,he gave me his bankroll and said go bet on billy,
i said are you sure. he gave me the look your mother gives you when she tells you to do
something

to speed this up I went over and bet all I could on Billy,he lost every game,Ty called me and said"how we doing?"

I said losing every game betting on Billy

He said who are you betting with?

,I said Vernon


Ty rushed in and pulled both guys aside and explained I was gambling with his money
and they returned all the money to Titanic

They asked how this happened and he looked my way and said
"this darn fool kid is an idiot"

I smiled in a simple way and slinked out of the pool room

Click to expand...

I really like this story. I only ran across Titanic once and he must have spent an hour laying down a spread to get me to bet pitching quarters to the spot. He was pretty old then, but he still beat me out of twenty or thirty dollars. He seemed pleased. I didn't know who he was until much later when someone told me who I'd been gambling with. I don't remember if it was Billy, Blackie or Pancho who told me.

A legend, A player, A killer, and me, road trip

jay helfert said:

I really like this story. I only ran across Titanic once and he must have spent an hour laying down a spread to get me to bet pitching quarters to the spot. He was pretty old then, but he still beat me out of twenty or thirty dollars. He seemed pleased. I didn't know who he was until much later when someone told me who I'd been gambling with. I don't remember if it was Billy, Blackie or Pancho who told me.

Click to expand...

When Titanic was hanging around the Cotton Bowling Palace, I was running with a
top notch bowler Danny Mayfield. We were both about the same age(I was better
looking), I would get us winner and he would get us beat some way or another. He
couldn't play pool very well but was always in action. I would take off a good score
and he would get us in some kind of a trap, He convinced me that he had the nuts
playing Ty golf on the local par three pitch and putt. Well we didn't. There was a guy
in Corcicana Tx. Harold Coffee who played jam up in this little pool room there. It
took a real player to beat him but you could bust the whole town if you could. Ty
comes in with Greg Stevens (aka Big Train) and George McGann ( Dixie Mafia
killer and hit man. He was a suspect in the killing of Buford Pusser's wife). Ty
wanted to take Greg and try to take off Coffee. Ty and George knew that I had
been to his place with Billy Stroud and Alf Tayor . Ty asked me to go with them
since I had been there a few times. We get to the place and Harold is there with
his entourage but he wouldn't play. Ty is talking about every proposition in the
world trying to get something going, I'm leaning on the coke machine talking to
George, we're not paying any attention as we've heard all this before. All of a
sudden everyone in the place dashes for the door a hundred miles an hour.
George reaches for his pistol and yells at Ty "what the hell is going on". Ty
hurries over and says to me , you can bowl with a house ball can't you. George
and I are looking at each other and Ty says we're in action you're giving the
best bowler in town 20 pins for $ 500 a game. Well I'm thinking I hope he can't
bowl over a hundred, George snaps and says G-- D--- it Ty that's Danny that's the
Bowler not him. Needless to say we headed back to Dallas without me even
given a chance to bring home the bacon. Ty was old and forgetful then, but still
always trying to get something going.
jack

jackpot said:

Eye,
I'm sure Billy could tell quite a few.
jack

Click to expand...

Aloha Jack,

Thanks for the story.

Billy, if you see this, I'd like to hear some more.

I liked Jack Taylor.

jackpot said:

Eye,
I'm sure Billy could tell quite a few.
jack

Click to expand...

Aloha Jack,

Thanks for the story.

Next time you talk to Alf, ask him if he has any more books. I'd like to buy one.

Billy, if you see this, I'd like to hear some more.

I liked Jack Taylor.

jackpot said:

When Titanic was hanging around the Cotton Bowling Palace, I was running with a
top notch bowler Danny Mayfield. We were both about the same age(I was better
looking), I would get us winner and he would get us beat some way or another. He
couldn't play pool very well but was always in action. I would take off a good score
and he would get us in some kind of a trap, He convinced me that he had the nuts
playing Ty golf on the local par three pitch and putt. Well we didn't. There was a guy
in Corcicana Tx. Harold Coffee who played jam up in this little pool room there. It
took a real player to beat him but you could bust the whole town if you could. Ty
comes in with Greg Stevens (aka Big Train) and George McGann ( Dixie Mafia
killer and hit man. He was a suspect in the killing of Buford Pusser's wife). Ty
wanted to take Greg and try to take off Coffee. Ty and George knew that I had
been to his place with Billy Stroud and Alf Tayor . Ty asked me to go with them
since I had been there a few times. We get to the place and Harold is there with
his entourage but he wouldn't play. Ty is talking about every proposition in the
world trying to get something going, I'm leaning on the coke machine talking to
George, we're not paying any attention as we've heard all this before. All of a
sudden everyone in the place dashes for the door a hundred miles an hour.
George reaches for his pistol and yells at Ty "what the hell is going on". Ty
hurries over and says to me , you can bowl with a house ball can't you. George
and I are looking at each other and Ty says we're in action you're giving the
best bowler in town 20 pins for $ 500 a game. Well I'm thinking I hope he can't
bowl over a hundred, George snaps and says G-- D--- it Ty that's Danny that's the
Bowler not him. Needless to say we headed back to Dallas without me even
given a chance to bring home the bacon. Ty was old and forgetful then, but still
always trying to get something going.
jack

Click to expand...

Great stories about legendary Texans. First time I've heard Harold Coffee's name in decades. I knew Greg Stevens from watching him play in Houston at LeCues. He was playing Grady once when I was there, giving him the 7, 8 & 9. They were playing by the game, maybe fifty or a hundred. I sat there for several hours before I got tired and went back to my brother's apartment. I slept all night, got up and went back to the poolroom. They were still playing. I sat there for a long time sweating the match, and bet $10 a game on Greg with some guy who sat next to me. I think he was a friend of Grady's. I got him stuck over $100 and then Grady starting beating on Greg. I lost it all back and quit. I went back to the apartment and when I returned Greg was passed out in a chair with his feet up on another chair. They said he was broke. He had been up for two days before he started playing Grady!

You know that later Greg opened some poolrooms in Wichita and made a lot of money. I heard he wouldn't let anyone gamble in his poolrooms. I thought that was funny since he was a degenerate gambler. Louie was cut from the same mold. He couldn't leave the poolroom until he was broke, or until there was no one else to give a spot to.

HawaiianEye said:

Aloha Jack,

Thanks for the story.

Next time you talk to Alf, ask him if he has any more books. I'd like to buy one.

Billy, if you see this, I'd like to hear some more.

I liked Jack Taylor.

Click to expand...

I'll do it,I haven't talked to him in quite sometime, and need to call him.Since my wife
of almost 50yrs became seriously ill and raising our grandson, not to mention
keeping an eye on Dean I have left a lot of things undone. He will be thrilled. His
wife said he gets more excited when he sells one of his books than he does when
he sells a $5000 rug. Quick Cotton Palace story about Alf and I. The pool room
was separated from the Bowing lanes by a wall about 7ft tall. On the bowling lane
side against the wall was one of those old telephone booths. The seating for the
restaurant was right in the middle of the place and you could see all the bowling
lanes but not the pool area because of the wall. We sat out there for hours. When
someone would go into the phone booth Alf or I would give them the earthquake.
One of us would run around into the pool room and stand on a chair and shake
and rattle the phone booth while all of us in the restaurant watched. When whoever
was in there looked around he could see through all three open sides and there
was a wall in back,so they didn't know what the hell was happening. Alf would
almost turn the thing over.This old man went in wearing a hat and had a big cigar
in his mouth.It was Alf's turn to give it to him. Alf started shaking and rocking,
it smashed his cigar against the side knocked the brim of his hat straight up while
he had both hands against the sides,holding on for dear life. He came out with
his cigar smashed all to hell hanging out of mouth his hat bent up, looking
around with his eyes as big as saucers and stumbled for the exit. Every time
I think about this no matter where I am I start laughing even after all these years.
Great times
jack

Greg Stevens last gamble was with me in Dallas

It was a funny thing John Hager,the father,brought Greg to my office to catch me off guard.
every boy at my office played pool better than I did ,but I was somewhat of a gambling magnet

John Baldauf was one of the better players in Dallas in the early 70s,he spotted these 2 coming
and quickly told us exactly how each one played ,then John hid in the closet as they entered the office.

We didn't want them to know we knew ,since we had been told all about them we knew we couldn't
beat Greg with any spot on the pool table so I took him to the golf course (he fancied himself a golfer)


We split them apart also because Hager was too smart to keep playing a bad game,whereas
you know Greg would play until he was dry. Our plan was to drive Hagar to a bar table and let

Louie was triple smart and actually beat Hager with the 8 ball,but I broke Stevens at Stevens Park Golf Course.

I complimented Greg on his pool abilities and he offered to show me some stuff,I bought dinner
andwe had a heart to heart talk about his lifestyle,his future,his brother at SMU etc

I gave Greg enough money to get home and get started, as far as I know he went to Wichita,
Kansas
opened a pool room and found meaningful life for the first time. i heard that his Christianity was
of the true or sincere type and he even confessed to winning money over the years to the IRS

That's right he drove his new Cadillac to the local IRS and confessed to winning money at pool.

They were so happy to hear of his repentance they kept the Cadillac and wished him God's speed


Interesting aside,not really pertinent to the Greg Stevens story,not required reading

*this story is more or less typical of most of my wins,I play cards or golf with pool players,
pool or cards with golfers, and cards,pool or gold with poker players

I found that almost all suckers are willing to lose more money away from their own
field of expertise

I remember Ronnie Allen losing on the dice table or horse track,funny how this works


Oh yes,I got my part of the profits from the pool game with Hager,but when I explained how I
gave Greg his money and more back these guys said good idea
It never even entered their mind that I might be holding out
Baldauf got his share even though he was hiding in the closet

times wee different, Tommy Blanton,John Baldauf,Louie Harper,Raymond Turner and me.
We all hustled together,never bet against each other,won a lot
we partied together with Willie Nelson,Jerry Lee Lewis,Hank Jr

We even traveled to Florida to play Evil Knevil and Jackie Gleason

We were young,we were free, we loved each other,now I am the only living reminder that these guys
ever mattered

My buddy Jack wasn't in the real estate or running with us,Jack was the best pool player
and once in a while we saw him ,but he was a loner,but when he got wind of an easy score involving golf or whatever
he would appear out of the blue and was welcomed with open wallets

I first met Cokes in Johnson City. He was always in action as was Fatty.
Cokes also staked other players including Lassiter. We never played in JC.

A couple years later in the Summer ( I worked inAspen in the Winter) I was in Illinois and decided to drive to Evansville to try to play Cokes some one pocket.

I had bought a Rolex stainless steel watch the summer before but really wanted a President model.

As chance would have it when I parked in Evansville it was right in front of a jewelry store. In the front window was a Rolex President model. I went in and asked the price. $1040.00.

I left and walked to the Elk's Club just down the street.

On the front right table Fatty and Cokes were playing one pocket. In between games Cokes and I attempted to match up a game. Both Fatty and Cokes knew I was a good player and they asked for weight. Cokes offered to play with a spot with or without his glasses. Fatty really was not trying to match up.

We weren't getting anywhere so was was ready to leave.

Cokes motioned to another player that was hitting balls on another table. He came over and Cokes introduced him as Blackie LeSeure. I have never heard the name so he was fair game.

We started playing one pocket for $200.00 a game. I think Cokes was in with him. He was a pretty good player but I beat him out of $1000.00 in just a few hours.

On the way back to the car the Jewelry store was still open so I went in. I traded my Rolex in for $150.00 and paid the rest in cash. I had that Rolex for many years until I traded it for a newer model President.

Bill Stroud

Thanks to all you seasoned gentlemen for the stories, great reading!

When I was playing at the Cotton Bowling Palace I was possible the best player there.

Many times when practicing I would notice a very pretty girl walking to and from the office along the side of the bowling lanes. She worker for Curtis Sanford the owner? manager. She was 16 at the time.

Her mother Runnell worked at the counter. She and I were friendly and when I asked Gail out she said OK.

Gail and I dated for a long time and are still friend today.

One afternoon after I had gotten up and had something to eat at Golf's I went to the CBP. It was 4 or 5PM. We played at night at the CBP. As was my custom I had brought some apricot fried pies for Runnell.

Because I was dating her daughter Runnell was always my first stop at the Palace after I walk in the front door.

This time was different however. She didn't say Hello she was just staring at me. Finally she said "You were on the top of the list" and then looked over me at the pool room.

Where the previous day there were 12 pool tables and lots of people there was an attendant with a buffer polishing a now vacant floor.

Sometime during the night the FBI and local police came with a semi and arrested everyone in the pool area and thrown all the tables, cues and players into the semi.

I was lucky I was not there that night because I had a date with Gail.

Bill Stroud

The Cotton Bowling Palace last big gambling story

Highland Park Ford had turned the old pool room bowling alley into a car dealership

I was shopping for a jeep for my son

They posted an ad and I went to buy but alas no such deal was available so I decided since
it was really the scene of so many funny things that I would have some fun

I took on the character of Eddie Murphy and began speaking loudly about a no good "bait and switch'

Finally I was offered a great deal on a jeep but my son needed to come approve it,in the meantime
they sold the jeep for 3 or $4000 more than my price

Out came my loud impersonation of Eddie Murphy . We finally got about $4000 apart on the price of
a Shelby,the sales manager offered to flip for the difference but I suggested a game of golf,he accepted
but he had his no.1 man play the golf,

Well here he came already wearing a dark tan from too much golf and golf shorts and golf shoes on.

I accepted but said we had to go to Stevens park,he agreed,mentioning he was the city champion senior champion,but I was senior too.

I said ok,but it had to be 9 holes, I knew I needed luck and the most pressure to win, I then offered to cover every bet in the house,just to get a large group of his friends there betting on him

Must have been a gallery of about 15 side betters .I grew up on the course and even though I had not played in a year or so my confidence was high.
I almost thought I couldn't be beat here

The rest of the story was unremarkable, i birdied the last hole to his bogey ,i shot one over and he ended up 2 over,but i won by a hole match play

That was the last score anybody ever made at the old Cotton Bowling Palace at Inwood Road and lemon in Dallas

Billy was the best in the heyday,but I was the last survivor