Request for CJ Wiley

CJ Wiley

ESPN WORLD OPEN CHAMPION
Gold Member
Silver Member
speaking of installments, here's the last one of the Michael Geffner article:

Ask and you shall receive!

CJ, my hat's off to you. Great story from a great guy. I look forward to the next installment.

Thanks for all that you do.

Thanks, I'm glad you like the stories, speaking of installments, here's the last one of the Michael Geffner article:


It was a life, too, of pure and wildly creative subterfuge. He had his aliases: Besides Mike from Indiana, there was Chris from Missouri and Butch from Tennessee. He had his fake I.D.’s and phony glasses (“Anybody will play someone with glasses,” he says) and at various times posed as a college student, a computer salesman, and a drug dealer. And he had a way to make money, which was to move around a lot, working states from the outside in (that is, playing in the smaller towns first, then the bigger cities), and staying unknown as much as possible. That meant he couldn’t enter any high-profile tournaments or—God forbid—betray his brethren by turning pro. Only once during those years did Wiley take a shot as a major organized event: the 1986 World Series of Tavern Pool in Las Vegas. He was 21 at the time, and when it was over, he had beaten out a whopping 756 players to win to win first prize: a piddling $7,500, which he had to split with his backers. On a good night of gambling, he knew, he could make nearly three times as much. I convinced him that hustling was still the way to go.

He continued to believe that for five more years, but he ultimately decided there were no challenges left on the road. With some trepidation he finally went straight and joined the now defunct Men’s Professional Billiard Association. “I really didn’t know if I could compete with the best players in the world,” he couldn’t crush mentally.” Of course, in his first pro tournament, the Dufferin Nine-Ball Classic in Toronto, he beat four world-class players in a single day: Earl “the pearl” Strickland, Efren “the Magician” Reyes, Jim “King James” Rempe, and “Spanish Mike” Lebron. Overall, he finished in fourth place, earned $3,500, and afterward veteran Cecil “Buddy” Hall gushingly labeled him “the best unknown player in the world.” Says Wiley with a grin: “I played my game and it held up. I went in half-cocked and I came out full cocked.”

That first year, he managed to crack the top ten in the national rankings. He moved to seventh in 1992, fifth in 1994, and fourth in 1995. Then in December 1995, unhappy with the politics of the men’s pro pool tour, he abruptly quit and a month later started a new one, the professional CueSports Association (PCA). That year he captured first place—and a purse of $88,500, a U.S. record—in the ESPN World Open Billiards Championship; he also won the first-ever PCA tour stop, the Dallas Million-Dollar Challenge, and was eventually named player of the year by Pool and Billiard magazine.

Clearly he’s got something—but what? I wanted to see it for myself. So at eleven o’clock on a Monday night, the two of us walked over to a pool room on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, a place a little smaller than CJ’s Billiard Palace, a room Wiley owns back home near White Rock Lake. Decked out in a dark pin-striped suit, he began by casually shooting on a table that was dimly lit, though he didn’t come close to missing a ball. When it was time to share his secret, he set up a long, sharp cut shot on the six ball. “Now watch. I’m going to shoot this shot with a touch of inside,” he said, bending down in a square, powerful-looking crouch. I watched. He popped his heavy thud of a stroke, and the ball split the right corner pocket.

I didn’t really get it; Wiley knew instantly. “Don’t you see?” he asked with some frustration. “With two round objects, it sets up an optical illusion. You can’t aim for a spot on a round object and hit it with another round object. It’s an impossibility. So what I do is look at the two balls as straight lines that bisect.” The explanation only made my head spin faster.

Wiley set up another shot, putting the eight ball on the head spot and the cue ball near the back rail. The balls were about six feet apart—to my mind, a much more difficult shot thank the first one. Yet, surprisingly, he said, “Same shot, with a touch of inside.” And again he knocked it down as if the ball had been magnetically pulled to the center of the pocket.

He sighed dismissively and waved a limp arm in my direction. “Man, this game’s so easy it’s not even funny—once you figure it out,” he said with a sniff. Then, looking straight into my unfocused eyes, he delivered his knew-buckling punch line. “At least it is for me.”
 
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RobertaAgnor

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I always love reading the road stories, people like CJ have a way with words being so descriptive you can actually picture it.
 

ironman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thanks, I'm glad you like the stories, speaking of installments, here's the last one of the Michael Geffner article:


It was a life, too, of pure and wildly creative subterfuge. He had his aliases: Besides Mike from Indiana, there was Chris from Missouri and Butch from Tennessee. He had his fake I.D.’s and phony glasses (“Anybody will play someone with glasses,” he says) and at various times posed as a college student, a computer salesman, and a drug dealer. And he had a way to make money, which was to move around a lot, working states from the outside in (that is, playing in the smaller towns first, then the bigger cities), and staying unknown as much as possible. That meant he couldn’t enter any high-profile tournaments or—God forbid—betray his brethren by turning pro. Only once during those years did Wiley take a shot as a major organized event: the 1986 World Series of Tavern Pool in Las Vegas. He was 21 at the time, and when it was over, he had beaten out a whopping 756 players to win to win first prize: a piddling $7,500, which he had to split with his backers. On a good night of gambling, he knew, he could make nearly three times as much. I convinced him that hustling was still the way to go.

He continued to believe that for five more years, but he ultimately decided there were no challenges left on the road. With some trepidation he finally went straight and joined the now defunct Men’s Professional Billiard Association. “I really didn’t know if I could compete with the best players in the world,” he couldn’t crush mentally.” Of course, in his first pro tournament, the Dufferin Nine-Ball Classic in Toronto, he beat four world-class players in a single day: Earl “the pearl” Strickland, Efren “the Magician” Reyes, Jim “King James” Rempe, and “Spanish Mike” Lebron. Overall, he finished in fourth place, earned $3,500, and afterward veteran Cecil “Buddy” Hall gushingly labeled him “the best unknown player in the world.” Says Wiley with a grin: “I played my game and it held up. I went in half-cocked and I came out full cocked.”

That first year, he managed to crack the top ten in the national rankings. He moved to seventh in 1992, fifth in 1994, and fourth in 1995. Then in December 1995, unhappy with the politics of the men’s pro pool tour, he abruptly quit and a month later started a new one, the professional CueSports Association (PCA). That year he captured first place—and a purse of $88,500, a U.S. record—in the ESPN World Open Billiards Championship; he also won the first-ever PCA tour stop, the Dallas Million-Dollar Challenge, and was eventually named player of the year by Pool and Billiard magazine.

Clearly he’s got something—but what? I wanted to see it for myself. So at eleven o’clock on a Monday night, the two of us walked over to a pool room on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, a place a little smaller than CJ’s Billiard Palace, a room Wiley owns back home near White Rock Lake. Decked out in a dark pin-striped suit, he began by casually shooting on a table that was dimly lit, though he didn’t come close to missing a ball. When it was time to share his secret, he set up a long, sharp cut shot on the six ball. “Now watch. I’m going to shoot this shot with a touch of inside,” he said, bending down in a square, powerful-looking crouch. I watched. He popped his heavy thud of a stroke, and the ball split the right corner pocket.

I didn’t really get it; Wiley knew instantly. “Don’t you see?” he asked with some frustration. “With two round objects, it sets up an optical illusion. You can’t aim for a spot on a round object and hit it with another round object. It’s an impossibility. So what I do is look at the two balls as straight lines that bisect.” The explanation only made my head spin faster.

Wiley set up another shot, putting the eight ball on the head spot and the cue ball near the back rail. The balls were about six feet apart—to my mind, a much more difficult shot thank the first one. Yet, surprisingly, he said, “Same shot, with a touch of inside.” And again he knocked it down as if the ball had been magnetically pulled to the center of the pocket.

He sighed dismissively and waved a limp arm in my direction. “Man, this game’s so easy it’s not even funny—once you figure it out,” he said with a sniff. Then, looking straight into my unfocused eyes, he delivered his knew-buckling punch line. “At least it is for me.”

i remember the texas Open about 3 years ago. CJ was a bit removed and rusty, but played some fine matches.
Against David G he had a shot with the cue ball on the end rail and the ball about 6 inches away from the pocket and barely past the pocket. Well, he jacked up and slice a coat of paint off the ball and it split the pocket.
his reaction is what got to me. he smiled his usual smile and said," I ca't believe I made that, this is so much easier than people pretend"!
I am not sure how many saw that, but I stared and thought. "Bullshit, easy for you maybe"!
There are those who are naturals and those who struggle their entire lives with this game. Sometimes neither make sense to me.
I love these stories though. The making of a good book!
lewis
 

catpool9

"Rack Um"/ Rusty Lock
Silver Member
Great Road Stories!

CJ,
those were just the greatest road stories ever!, I love the way you write, I felt like I was on the rail watching them all!:)


David Harcrow
 

CJ Wiley

ESPN WORLD OPEN CHAMPION
Gold Member
Silver Member
When it comes to the mental side of pool there's a lot we can learn from artists

i remember the texas Open about 3 years ago. CJ was a bit removed and rusty, but played some fine matches.
Against David G he had a shot with the cue ball on the end rail and the ball about 6 inches away from the pocket and barely past the pocket. Well, he jacked up and slice a coat of paint off the ball and it split the pocket.
his reaction is what got to me. he smiled his usual smile and said," I ca't believe I made that, this is so much easier than people pretend"!
I am not sure how many saw that, but I stared and thought. "Bullshit, easy for you maybe"!
There are those who are naturals and those who struggle their entire lives with this game. Sometimes neither make sense to me.
I love these stories though. The making of a good book!
lewis

Yes, I think we all tend to pretend we have the most difficult job in the world. I have spent countless hours in the bar business managing and talking to service staff and they really do have a difficult job.

Those that have never been in the service industry may not "real eyes" how difficult it is to be a bartender or a server, between time management, remembering orders, handling customers, organizing service strategies, and up-selling products it's a challenging "juggling act" at times.

I've seen bartenders and servers that handle all of these things like it's a "way of expressing themselves and bring enjoyment to others," and I've seen others agonize over ever aspect of "the job".

Learning and playing pool has all the same elements, and at the end of the day, it's simply how we choose to think about it. Pool to me is a way of self expression much like art, or music, an "art form" is how I perceive it.

I've never seen an artist get mad at the paint brush or a musician get upset at the piano, after all they are just instruments. When it comes to the mental side of pool there's a lot we can learn from artists and musicians, after all, at some level that's what we all are doing, expressing ourselves through our performance.

'The Game is the Expression'
 

Lock N Load

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Sure, I was on the road for 7 straight years so I have quite a few stories from playing several hundred gambling games with various players. I'll start out with one that involves a peculiar Pool Stick....one like few have ever played with, especially for $50. a game.

I was in Detroit and was struggling, I only had $500. so it was important to get "pumped up" as quick as possible. I was steered to a small bar that the owner played at and was also told he would lose a lot if someone would play with "The Stick".

I walked into the dimly lit bar, taking in the smell of cigarettes, and stale beer as I quickly cased the joint. The bar was on the left side, just past the one bar table, the bar was small with four men sitting around it drinking their favorite "poison". I was dressed to fit in with a camouflage vest, Wolverine boots, a Skoal can visible in my back pocket and a hat that had two pigs "gettin it on" labelled "Makin Bacon".

I went up to that bar and ordered a Bud and made some small talk with one of the regulars. He was dressed much like I was, and after they heard me talk they relaxed knowing I was nothin but a country bumkin kid.

Looking at the pool table I said "I'm a really good pool shot," partly to myself, but loud enough that the four barflies could hear me.

"How good do you shoot, boy, good enough to shoot for a beer?"

I responded "a beer....sh*t I play a whole lot better than that, there's nobody around here that can beat me". This got there attention and they all looked at me closer, a little bit more intently, trying to figure me out.

"The owner'll play ya if ya use "The Stick", ain't nobody ever beat him with 'The Stick".......the other four men laughed an eerie laugh at the same time...."yeah, get the Stick, get the Stick" they all chimed in together.

The Bartender reached up above the bar and pulled down a one piece house cue, only this cue didn't have a tip OR a ferrule, just jagged wood where the tip would normally be. The bartender handed it to me and I pretended to study it intently.

Just then the owner walked in the bar and walked toward us. "this boy wants to play ya with "The Stick"....he thinks he's a pool shooter."

"Wait a minute, I didn't say anything about using this thing, it doesn't even have a tip, how can I even hit the dang cue ball right, hell there's no way to play pool with this piece of crap?"

The owner looked at me, sized me up from head to tow, pausing to chuckle to himself at my two pigs "makin love" on my hat, then said, "I'll spot ya the 6 ball if you use that thing and play ya for $50. a game if you wanna gamble."

I said slowly and thoughtfully "you mean if I make the 6 or the 9 I win and you only win if you make the 9 ball....but I gotta use this crazy stick?"

Yep.....and we can play all night long. I nodded my head "you gotta game, I gotta try just to see what happens."

We started playing and each time I broke the balls pieces of "The Stick" flew on the table and sometimes across the room. I knew I could win at this game, but it suddenly dawned on my I might "run out of stick" before I could "bust" the guy. I must have taken 3 inches off the stick in the next 4 hours, but I played really good with that primitive "stick" and beat the owner 20 games ahead, by grinding the "stick" on the floor between shots and chalking it like a regular cue, before long it was fairly smooth and besides whittling it down it actually played ok......considering. ;)

The owner paid me off with 20 brand new fifty dollar bills and I was on my way, now I had $1500. and I was heading to THE RACK....the big action pool room in Detroit. There a guy could get rich playing pool, there were guys winning and losing millions. I was ready to fire my "match" at their wood pile. I had already overcome "The Stick," what could they have in store for me at THE RACK? Surely nothing a country boy with a "Makin Bacon" hat couldn't deal with. :)

thegameistheteacher@gmail.com
th

Mr. CJ,
I saw a Cowboy movie the other night, with Audie Murphy in it. They were shooting pool in town and the cues were like tree limbs crooked as could be and they had no tip or anything on them. The table had wood pockets. I enjoyed the movie.
But I enjoyed your story above better. Great story. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Many Regards,
Lock N Load.
 

Mikjary

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Yes, I think we all tend to pretend we have the most difficult job in the world. I have spent countless hours in the bar business managing and talking to service staff and they really do have a difficult job.

Those that have never been in the service industry may not "real eyes" how difficult it is to be a bartender or a server, between time management, remembering orders, handling customers, organizing service strategies, and up-selling products it's a challenging "juggling act" at times.

I've seen bartenders and servers that handle all of these things like it's a "way of expressing themselves and bring enjoyment to others," and I've seen others agonize over ever aspect of "the job".

Learning and playing pool has all the same elements, and at the end of the day, it's simply how we choose to think about it. Pool to me is a way of self expression much like art, or music, an "art form" is how I perceive it.

I've never seen an artist get mad at the paint brush or a musician get upset at the piano, after all they are just instruments. When it comes to the mental side of pool there's a lot we can learn from artists and musicians, after all, at some level that's what we all are doing, expressing ourselves through our performance.

'The Game is the Expression'

Good stuff here, CJ.

Best,
Mike
 

ScottK

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Good stuff, CJ. Thanks for sharing your stories.

This thread has epic potential!
 

CJ Wiley

ESPN WORLD OPEN CHAMPION
Gold Member
Silver Member
I'll always remember that lesson Omaha John Shuput taught me in the little bar

Mr. CJ,
I saw a Cowboy movie the other night, with Audie Murphy in it. They were shooting pool in town and the cues were like tree limbs crooked as could be and they had no tip or anything on them. The table had wood pockets. I enjoyed the movie.
But I enjoyed your story above better. Great story. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Many Regards,
Lock N Load.

The "Dynamic Duo" of road players were the ones they called "Omaha John," and "Surfer Rod". They mostly hustled bars and Rod was the 8 Ball player with a thousand and one propositions and John was the player that might go three days without making a mistake on "the bar rag". Rod could play run out 8 Ball with a mop handle and would carve the "tip" and chalk it like a regular playing cue. He was quite a hustler and could also do more one handed push ups on his head than most people could do with two hands.

Omaha John took me under his wing when I was 18 and we traveled together quite a bit and won tons of money. John also taught me something about "heart" in a small bar in South Carolina. Here's the story:

I remember when I was 19, "Omaha John" and I were touring around the Carolina's and ended up in a small bar in South Carolina. The owner of the bar was a BIG gambler and would take the 5 and the break from anyone playing on the bar table with the Big Cue Ball.

I had been going through a time when I was "breaking even" with everyone. Usually I would get ahead, then start "letting up," they would come back, "get even" and quit. This was getting annoying and I was beginning to question if I had any "heart," or not.

This was a big thing in the gambling days, if you have the heart to close someone out. To put them away. And it was happening again, I had got up over 2k for $200. a game and now we raised it to $300. a game and the guy beat me 7 IN A ROW and we were just $100. winner.

Omaha John came up to me and said "if you're ever going to be a "road player" you better do it now. I'm not out here "for my health," I have a wife and kid at home and I have to win, breaking even is for "suckers!"

I knew he was serious, so I stopped playing and went to the bathroom. I knew it was "now or never," and I looked in the mirror. Straight into my own eyes and ask "do you really want to be a pool player, do you really have what it takes?" I hesitated slightly, waiting for the answer to come. Not the answer "I wanted to hear," I HAD to know the truth....I needed to know and my life would change from that moment.

I finally knew in my "heart of hearts" that I was ready. Ready to not be a sucker and be "stuck" at my current level, struggling to break even and making up excuses. I was ready to become a winner and break out of that "victim level" and do whatever it takes to learn the Truth about pool and what it takes to be the best. I made that decision right then because I had to. And it's a decison that continues because life's much more about the "journey," than the "destination." Life is the best teacher.

Often times we are held back because we don't have to win, we don't have to get better. I didn't have the luxery that day and I thank Omaha John for putting me in a situation where I had to be honest with myself. No one else matters when you're trying to get to the "next level,"{in life} it's all about ourselves.... it's about looking ourselves in the mirror.

I went back out there and was like an entirely different person. John had been telling me to stop spinning my ball and playing low percentage shots....so I did. Others had made comments about my game that I had ignored because of my ego, so I incorporated those suggestions too.

From that point I beat the guy out of over 8K and he looked like he had been run over by a truck. I didn't care what it took I shot the right shot, in the right way and forgot forever my childish reasons for not playing the Game correctly. To be a Champion at anything we all must keep doing "the next right thing," to get results, not just do "what feels comfortable."

The main thing was I had BROKEN the chains of mediocrity and become a player. From that moment on I had a "6th Sense" about pool and knew what I HAD to practice to improve and what I needed to ignore.

I believe we all have this ability inside us, however, we can't channel it while trying to "make excuses," of why we "can't get better," it's about the decision to either commit to improving OR take a few days off and quitting entirely.

No matter what business I'm in or what game I'm playing I'll always remember that lesson Omaha John Shuput taught me in the little bar in South Carolina...that gave me "eyes" that could look myself in that mirror and "do the right thing." 'The Game is the Teacher'
 

CJ Wiley

ESPN WORLD OPEN CHAMPION
Gold Member
Silver Member
I was never willing to give up the the touch of inside system

Hey, are you editing what Geffner wrote? :smile:

Yes, this is before I released what my system was. I told him it was a "clock system," I was never willing to give up the the touch of inside system until this last six months. Do you have a problem what that?
 

CJ Wiley

ESPN WORLD OPEN CHAMPION
Gold Member
Silver Member
Slang words commonly used by road players

CJ first off I want to thank you for adding so much useful content to this site. I wish more pro players took an interest in growing the sport and helping others improve as you have. Now for my request. I know you we're one of the top players for years, but more importantly you always seemed to be in action. You went after all the top players. Would you please relay some of your top gambling stories. I as well as the whole forum would love to hear how you played these guys and some of your big scores. I believe I also heard you say that there were only four players that you would not play, who were they.
Please share the wealth with us action junkies!
Thanks

I may use some slang terms that are used by road players at times in my writing. Here's a list of the majority of these terms that I've prepared to use in a future book. We Road Players had a "secret language" of slang terms and even used a variety of signals that were only recognized by others in our group. Here's my current list:

SLANG WORDS COMMONLY USED BY ROAD PLAYERS

George- Word that means something is good. “the movie was george” or “the game is george” We also use double george to mean really good. This can be signaled to another Road-Player by putting their hand over their chest.
Tom- The opposite of george and simply means something is bad. If the game is a tom game then you shouldn't play. This can be signaled by brushing your nose with your finger. Double tom for emphasis.
Stalling or laying down- playing “under your speed” , missing balls on purpose or anything to make yourself appear to play less than you really do.
Lemon or lemonade- losing on purpose with the intention of coming back at a later time to beat either the person you played or someone else. Enables you to bet higher because someone already saw you lose and underrates your game. Lemons require you to stall.
Jar- means to put something in someones drink to make them play bad and lose. Even if a drink hasn't been opened it can be jarred by shooting the substance in the bottle or can with an insulin needle or syringe.
Spot-book- the book that you keep the names and personal information about someone that tells how to beat them out of the most money, how much they will bet, how much they can be spotted, what they look like, where they play, what game they like and don’t like, and anything else that will help win the maximum money off of them.
Spot-sheet- a piece of paper with all the information you need for a certain location that has information on everyone in the room that has to do with gambling.
Mark- someone that has been targeted to be hustled or conned
Chip- used in reference to drugs that keep you up (amphetamines)
Shortstop- someone that thinks they play well but are not capable of beating any real players.
Steer-man- someone that tells Road-Players where they can go to win money and gives them the information that goes in their spot-book. A good steer-man will make 20% of the winnings for giving a good “steer”.
Stake-horse or backer- someone that puts up the money for a player and usually will split the winnings with the player 50-50 or 60-40 depending on the status of the player and how desperate he is for action.
Bankroll- refers to the money that you have to gamble with. Most gamblers will keep a “roll” of money in their front pocket for show.
Flash- to show a potential mark a roll of money seemingly unintentionally.
Nit- someone that is tight with their money and “won’t bet fat meat is greasy.” “no gambling nit”
Nose open- refers to when a sucker is beyond the point of no return and is chasing his money trying to win it back, but is in a trap and will probably lose all he has and all he can borrow.
Sucker- a loser or someone that always finds a way to lose his money.
Scuffler- someone that hangs around bars or pool rooms looking for suckers that can’t possibly win. They usually make most of their living doing this.
Road-player- the premier pool hustlers. They may go years without losing because they play really well and always know who they are playing before they play. They always have spot-books and access to the best steer-men.
Going off- means losing most if not all of your money gambling
Sharking- to intentionally try to distract your opponent by either saying something or doing something while they are shooting a shot.
Double steer- to give someone a steer to play a certain game, but actually being in with the other person. This is common among hustlers and stake-horses, especially in the big city pool rooms.
Double steer lemon- Pretending to set up a double steer, but actually being in with the first guy for the purpose of getting someone else into a game. Because of the double steer format the winning player would have to split the money with the person setting it up and if it is really a lemon then you are appearing to lose twice as much as you really are and you have the player thinking that he has really won and will tell people that are in with him so that they might get caught up in a future game. This is only done by experienced Road-Players and hustlers.
Dump- to lose a stake-horses money on purpose and splitting it with the player later at a secret meeting place.
Knockers - People that tell others the level of players game so they won't play. Knockers do this to feel important and useful, but as a result keep the action in a pool room to a bare minimum. Knockers are hated by road players.
Detectives - They are like knockers, but sometimes use all the information they come up with to gamble themselves. They know how everyone in town plays and are useful to hustlers because they give them information...sometimes for free, but usually want a "piece of the action" in return.
 

JAM

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am enjoying these pool stories, C.J. Keep writing. This is what makes AzBilliards Discussion Forum a good place to read for pool aficionados. In case nobody has said it lately, thank you. :smile:

Okay. Now I've got a burning question, C.J., that I have refrained from asking, but I'm just curious. Are you a natural blond? :p
 

vagabond

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am enjoying these pool stories, C.J. Keep writing. This is what makes AzBilliards Discussion Forum a good place to read for pool aficionados. In case nobody has said it lately, thank you. :smile:

Okay. Now I've got a burning question, C.J., that I have refrained from asking, but I'm just curious. Are you a natural blond? :p


I knew CJ since his late 20s. Interestingly that question never entered my mind before. The color of his hair looked natural to me. I may have been hustled.:cool:
 

ENGLISH!

Banned
Silver Member
Originally Posted by JAM
I am enjoying these pool stories, C.J. Keep writing. This is what makes AzBilliards Discussion Forum a good place to read for pool aficionados. In case nobody has said it lately, thank you.

Okay. Now I've got a burning question, C.J., that I have refrained from asking, but I'm just curious. Are you a natural blond?




I will probably get a bit of flack for this from the female AZB population but keep in mind that it is meant as a joke & I am not serious about it.

CJ absolutely can NOT be a natural blonde...

He's way to smart to be a natural blonde.

Sorry,
 

Lock N Load

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Originally Posted by JAM
I am enjoying these pool stories, C.J. Keep writing. This is what makes AzBilliards Discussion Forum a good place to read for pool aficionados. In case nobody has said it lately, thank you.

Okay. Now I've got a burning question, C.J., that I have refrained from asking, but I'm just curious. Are you a natural blond?




I will probably get a bit of flack for this from the female AZB population but keep in mind that it is meant as a joke & I am not serious about it.

CJ absolutely can NOT be a natural blonde...

He's way to smart to be a natural blonde.

Sorry,

Hello Mr. English,
I am not getting into that one!!! I am laughing though. How are you today?
Many Regards,
Lock N Load.
 

AtLarge

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Yes, this is before I released what my system was. I told him it was a "clock system," I was never willing to give up the the touch of inside system until this last six months. Do you have a problem what that?

Be at choice, CJ.
 

ironman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I may use some slang terms that are used by road players at times in my writing. Here's a list of the majority of these terms that I've prepared to use in a future book. We Road Players had a "secret language" of slang terms and even used a variety of signals that were only recognized by others in our group. Here's my current list:

SLANG WORDS COMMONLY USED BY ROAD PLAYERS

George- Word that means something is good. “the movie was george” or “the game is george” We also use double george to mean really good. This can be signaled to another Road-Player by putting their hand over their chest.
Tom- The opposite of george and simply means something is bad. If the game is a tom game then you shouldn't play. This can be signaled by brushing your nose with your finger. Double tom for emphasis.
Stalling or laying down- playing “under your speed” , missing balls on purpose or anything to make yourself appear to play less than you really do.
Lemon or lemonade- losing on purpose with the intention of coming back at a later time to beat either the person you played or someone else. Enables you to bet higher because someone already saw you lose and underrates your game. Lemons require you to stall.
Jar- means to put something in someones drink to make them play bad and lose. Even if a drink hasn't been opened it can be jarred by shooting the substance in the bottle or can with an insulin needle or syringe.
Spot-book- the book that you keep the names and personal information about someone that tells how to beat them out of the most money, how much they will bet, how much they can be spotted, what they look like, where they play, what game they like and don’t like, and anything else that will help win the maximum money off of them.
Spot-sheet- a piece of paper with all the information you need for a certain location that has information on everyone in the room that has to do with gambling.
Mark- someone that has been targeted to be hustled or conned
Chip- used in reference to drugs that keep you up (amphetamines)
Shortstop- someone that thinks they play well but are not capable of beating any real players.
Steer-man- someone that tells Road-Players where they can go to win money and gives them the information that goes in their spot-book. A good steer-man will make 20% of the winnings for giving a good “steer”.
Stake-horse or backer- someone that puts up the money for a player and usually will split the winnings with the player 50-50 or 60-40 depending on the status of the player and how desperate he is for action.
Bankroll- refers to the money that you have to gamble with. Most gamblers will keep a “roll” of money in their front pocket for show.
Flash- to show a potential mark a roll of money seemingly unintentionally.
Nit- someone that is tight with their money and “won’t bet fat meat is greasy.” “no gambling nit”
Nose open- refers to when a sucker is beyond the point of no return and is chasing his money trying to win it back, but is in a trap and will probably lose all he has and all he can borrow.
Sucker- a loser or someone that always finds a way to lose his money.
Scuffler- someone that hangs around bars or pool rooms looking for suckers that can’t possibly win. They usually make most of their living doing this.
Road-player- the premier pool hustlers. They may go years without losing because they play really well and always know who they are playing before they play. They always have spot-books and access to the best steer-men.
Going off- means losing most if not all of your money gambling
Sharking- to intentionally try to distract your opponent by either saying something or doing something while they are shooting a shot.
Double steer- to give someone a steer to play a certain game, but actually being in with the other person. This is common among hustlers and stake-horses, especially in the big city pool rooms.
Double steer lemon- Pretending to set up a double steer, but actually being in with the first guy for the purpose of getting someone else into a game. Because of the double steer format the winning player would have to split the money with the person setting it up and if it is really a lemon then you are appearing to lose twice as much as you really are and you have the player thinking that he has really won and will tell people that are in with him so that they might get caught up in a future game. This is only done by experienced Road-Players and hustlers.
Dump- to lose a stake-horses money on purpose and splitting it with the player later at a secret meeting place.
Knockers - People that tell others the level of players game so they won't play. Knockers do this to feel important and useful, but as a result keep the action in a pool room to a bare minimum. Knockers are hated by road players.
Detectives - They are like knockers, but sometimes use all the information they come up with to gamble themselves. They know how everyone in town plays and are useful to hustlers because they give them information...sometimes for free, but usually want a "piece of the action" in return.

George and tom used to really crack me up and used a lot by the older.
in Johnson City, Ed Kelly and Ronnie were playing and Ed hit some shot that was really strong when Ronnie said," That was really sweet".
A nice looking young lady walked by and Eddie looked up and said,"yeah, but that is really George", motioning toward the Gal.
Ronnie stuck out his hand to her and said,"Hello there, George"!
She stopped and looked at him like he had just fallen off a turnip truck!
At that time I was fresh off the farm and had no clue what Tom or George meant and was confused why everyone was laughing so hard. When I got back to Denver it was explained to me and i finally caught on only 2 weeks afterwards. I was a quick un!
 
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