Joe Salazar,the pool player

deanoc · Nov 15, 2019

thanks for the story

joe was surely a colorful character,he still is,in a duifferent way

i haven't spoken with him a few years even though we both
live in north texas i think he is doing very good with his cue business

his reputation brings him a lot of people who give him their cues on consignment

at one time many years ago i used to front him schon cues,but once he got on his
feet he became one of schons best dealers,he has helped many cue makers sell
their cues before they had the reputations they now enjoy as a result of his early work

Thecoats · Nov 15, 2019

I bought, sold, and traded many cues with Joe and he was always great to deal with. We met halfway between OKC and Ft. Worth on several occasions to make a cue deal. My favorite Joe story has little to do with pool.

We were having dinner in KC and he told me about him and some friends making a nice little score in San Francisco. They were real young and wanted to get some female action so this guy negotiated a deal with them and takes them behind the pool room and tells them to wait and he will be right back with the girls. Joe said after about 15 minutes they realized they had just been played. LOL

Take Care
-don

garczar · Nov 15, 2019

I heard a good Joe story once and i have no reason to doubt it. Apparently when he was young and living in Tracy he would take his cue on the bus to the poolroom, get the $$$, back on the bus to home. And kids think they have it tough. That's dedication right there.

Duane Remick · Nov 15, 2019

garczar said:
I heard a good Joe story once and i have no reason to doubt it. Apparently when he was young and living in Tracy he would take his cue on the bus to the poolroom, get the $$$, back on the bus to home. And kids think they have it tough. That's dedication right there.

" Right ….
Joe would take a Trailways or Greyhound bus to go out of town-to play.
Once- to Chicago , to play....
with his 1 PIECE POOL CUE "

deanoc · Nov 15, 2019

Isn't it funny the love between pool players of that era

I admit there was a toughness,a dog eat dog,maybe a certain cllousness
that can harden one's love for his fellow man,but right here in the middle of it all
is love, a little of it is showing in the fondness showed here for Joe

almost makes me want to call him up and buy a cue just for the fun I would have

i remember Arkansas Calvin being honorable,I saw him with a long face in the parking lot of Clicks some 20 years ago. Our only personal encounter involved me getting the nuts from him at Times Square after he had been up for a couple of days,but when I saw him he replied friendly

I opened the conversation,looks like you thought you had a good game

"i did"

"you short?"

I am
Will a couple of hundred get you started again?"

It would

Here

The next time I saw him he quickly approached me with the money and "thanks"

This was about 2 years later,he had been out of the state,we might never have met agin

it's been 12 years since that last time ,but there is still respect

Now for you modern players who are always borrowing and never paying back

Don't even ask,you want my money,get a stake horse and match up

franko · Nov 15, 2019

Great

I heard of Joe years before I had ever met him he played at the Hilltop a Motel with a Poolroom and grill attached and tons of Bar table action. In 1995 or 96 I actually met him at the SBE from then up to 2012 I saw Joe 3-4 times a year and did a lot of trading buying and selling with him. A true class act , I miss those times and seeing him.

alstl · Nov 15, 2019

deanoc said:
i never heard his name until the phone at my real
estate office rang and when I answered this is what I heard

"my name is Joe Salazar,I am a road pool player,I just went broke
playing a guy who had no chance and I am calling you because I need money"

At this time anyone with a lick of sense hangs up.But I said,
come on over " and gave him my address

I gave Joe $500 which in 1973 was about what $5000 is today,he headed back on the road saying he would split the profits when he saw me next.

As i said i didn't know him,but about a year or two after this he came back through,called me and met me to split the profits,he had a bid wad of money

When I got the $500 back,I said forget the profit, I was so astonished at his
integrity,I never expected to see him again.

Strangely I kept running into Joe,before he ever got into selling pool cues,
now he is very successful with a wonderful wife and children. I am sure many
if not most of you know him,but I wonder how many of you knew he was
championship level pool player. Especially great on the bar box.

He beat almost everyone in the early 70s

Perhaps the greatest ever, Keith would know more about this than I do

The part of the story that caught my attention is he went broke playing a guy who had no chance. The question then becomes who was the hustler who took down the big time road player?

Duane Remick · Nov 15, 2019

alstl said:
The part of the story that caught my attention is he went broke playing a guy who had no chance. The question then becomes who was the hustler who took down the big time road player?

"I'm sure 1 time or another-
Everyone booked a loser ….
Except Don Willis-
Don said HE NEVER LOST AT POOL ,
or PLAYING PING PONG WITH A POP BOTTLE,
or FOOT RACING- running backwards-

deanoc · Nov 15, 2019

Who beat Joe with no chance

A local book maker named Max Iberra, ot Topo something like that
Spanish for little squirrell

Really a nice guy,highest player in Dallas for years,how he beat joe is a mystery

but Max beat a lot of people,he also lost frequently

I would imagine he played the 5 under Joe on a bar box,but short set,everything you own on the set
and pool being unpredictable,the table small enough to make anyone capable of getting out

I didn't know anything about who or how at the time

I don't know if Joe returned or caught Max afterwards

Good question
Alsti

I found myself loosing to Max a few times too

He gave me weight,I thought I had the nuts

I might have even had the nuts

But sometimes the nuts is not enough

That is why it is still GAMBLING

jrhendy · Nov 15, 2019

Joe was the real deal and a monster on the bar table until he ran into Keith McCready at the original Hard Times in Costa Mesa in the late 70’s/early 80’s.

I believe Joe hurt his arm, pretty much quit playing for awhile and never got his old game back. Always stop by to say hello when I see him at his booth selling cues.

jay helfert · Nov 15, 2019

jrhendy said:
Joe was the real deal and a monster on the bar table until he ran into Keith McCready at the original Hard Times in Costa Mesa in the late 70’s/early 80’s.

I believe Joe hurt his arm, pretty much quit playing for awhile and never got his old game back. Always stop by to say hello when I see him at his booth selling cues.

I didn't want to ruin the thread by telling them about Keith. The Mexican players ruled the bar boxes until Keith came along. He beat them all so bad they began to call him El Diablo (the Devil). By age 19 he was spotting the best of them the eight ball and most could get the SIX! Joe was never quite the same player after he tangled with Keith several times. I watched the young Keith at Daisy Mae's plow through Al Nicaragua (a bar box champion) giving him the seven ball. Keith was running rack after rack in sixty seconds or less. No matter how hard the shots looked he just got up there and fired them in. He made everything look like a hanger! It didn't matter where the cue ball landed either. If he could see it he could make it! That kind of stuff will break you down, no matter who you are or how good you play.

P.S. I've done business with Joe and will attest to the fact that he is a stand up guy. I've left expensive cues with him and he told me when they sold and paid me when I saw him next. I'd feel comfortable selling any of my cues and i just might give him a couple more.

rjb1168 · Nov 15, 2019

Did a couple of cue deals with Joe at SBE, nice guy and I only found out what a great player he was a few years ago.

Jim Ehrbar · Aug 25, 2021

Here is a short story about Joe Salazar. Joe is a religious guy and at one time in his life he was wondering if playing for money was a bad thing to do so he went to his preacher and when his preacher found out how good Joe played he said "I'LL STAKE YOU"!

Rtoron · Dec 21, 2021

Yea, I remember Joe. He was at the Break in Cahokia, IL. I was watching him playing 9 ball on a big table and the guy was giving him a real hard time. I don't know how the match turned out because I started watching other matches on the bar tables. Joe was gambling with the guy. He had cues for sale too.

Nostroke · Dec 21, 2021

cookie man said:
It's nice to hear Bobby Leggs named mentioned. I didn't meet Bobby till he was up in years but what a fantastic guy and one hell of a pool player.

Pretty sure his name is Legg.

gypsy_soul · Dec 21, 2021

garczar said:
Tracy Joe in his day was a monster. Good guy too. Always has really nice cues for sale.

Joe gave me 12-6 in the early 90s …. He was even nice when he beat me back then lol

…. I Always pull up a chair for an hr or so when I see him , try and get some pointers !!!!!!! Hope to see you soon my friend

Dave714 · Dec 21, 2021

He was still playing good in the early 90's.

cookie man · Dec 21, 2021

Nostroke said:
Pretty sure his name is Legg.

How sure are you exactly

middleofnowhere · Dec 21, 2021

cookie man said:
How sure are you exactly

His name was spelled Legg

Bobby Gene Legg (1937-2008) - Find a Grave...

PRINCETON, Ind. — Bobby Gene Legg, 71, died Aug. 17, 2008, at Deaconess Hospital in Evansville. He had owned and operated Little Track Lounge and Princeton Termite Control and worked at Whirlpool Corp. He was an Air Force veteran and member of First Baptist Church. Surviving are daughters...

www.findagrave.com

cookie man · Dec 21, 2021

middleofnowhere said:
His name was spelled Legg

Bobby Gene Legg (1937-2008) - Find a Grave...

PRINCETON, Ind. — Bobby Gene Legg, 71, died Aug. 17, 2008, at Deaconess Hospital in Evansville. He had owned and operated Little Track Lounge and Princeton Termite Control and worked at Whirlpool Corp. He was an Air Force veteran and member of First Baptist Church. Surviving are daughters...

www.findagrave.com

I know lol. I was good friends with Bobby the last 10 or so years of his life.

Joe Salazar,the pool player

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