$30,000 in 1965

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kkdanamatt

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$30,000 was the first prize in 1965 at the Stardust Open, won by Harold Worst.
That's almost $260,000 in today's money.
Is there a simple explanation why pool prize money hasn't even come close to keeping up with the times?
 
kkdanamatt said:
$30,000 was the first prize in 1965 at the Stardust Open, won by Harold Worst.
That's almost $260,000 in today's money.
Is there a simple explanation why pool prize money hasn't even come close to keeping up with the times?
Click to expand...
Answers? Yes. Simple? No.
 
I was born in 66, so I’m not qualified to answer the question. Sorry. :(

best
Fatboy

PS I heard big money is coming back into pool real soon……
 
I guess the start of the inquiry would be, where was the prize money coming from in 1965? Who was sponsoring it? I'm assuming it wasn't coming mainly from entry fees.
 
"Mommas, don't let your babies grow up to be poo' players....."

(sorry, Willie)

You've gotta ask yourself this question, "Why would a high school graduate choose pool over law school?"

Or, perhaps, "Why would a functioning illiterate choose pool over tattoos and drugs?"
 
Stardust was the world's largest hotel when it opened. In 1964 an addition was added. In 1965 the Stardust added a raceway. In 1965 the population of Las Vegas was 140,000. In 2021 the population of Las Vegas is 3,300,000.

I'm guessing the reason they paid so much in 1965 is they were trying to lure people to their hotel/casino and pool was a much bigger sport in 1965. They undoubtedly figured the money they paid to the pool players would be re-invested at the casino and hotel.
 
kkdanamatt said:
$30,000 was the first prize in 1965 at the Stardust Open, won by Harold Worst.
That's almost $260,000 in today's money.
Is there a simple explanation why pool prize money hasn't even come close to keeping up with the times?
Click to expand...
The Stardust was modeled after Johnston city. It was three tournaments over several weeks if I remember right. The $30,000 was the total prize fund for everything. I'm am sure the casino kicked in a little.

Over the tournaments with most players entering all three events, there was at least a couple hundred entry fees paid of around $100.00. that alone is over $20,000.

In 1983 I played at Reds. It was $33,000 for one 5 day 9 ball tournament. Pretty good for almost 40 years ago. Although, the entry fee was $300 and I forget how many players were there but there was a bunch. The Calcutta was bigger than the tournament price fund.
 
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kkdanamatt said:
$30,000 was the first prize in 1965 at the Stardust Open, won by Harold Worst.
That's almost $260,000 in today's money.
Is there a simple explanation why pool prize money hasn't even come close to keeping up with the times?
Click to expand...
I hate to burst your bubble Karl but that $30,000 was the total prize money for the tournament. Back then the first place in each division was $2,500 and another $3,000 to the All Around champion. Of course, there were five figure scores being made in the back room. In 1968 at the Stardust I saw Puggy Pearson, along with Nicky Vacchiano (they needed his backing) and Jack Perkins take off St. Louis Suts (a big time building contractor) for over 100K in the back room playing One Pocket. They were playing single games for as much as 10K! In fact they covered whatever Suts had in each wad he pulled out of pocket. One game might be for $8,800 and the next game $9,200. It went on like that until he finally pulled up.
 
jay helfert said:
I hate to burst your bubble Karl but that $30,000 was the total prize money for the tournament. Back then the first place in each division was $2,500 and another $3,000 to the All Around champion. Of course, there were five figure scores being made in the back room. In 1968 at the Stardust I saw Puggy Pearson, along with Nicky Vacchiano (they needed his backing) and Jack Perkins take off St. Louis Suts (a big time building contractor) for over 100K in the back room playing One Pocket. They were playing single games for as much as 10K! In fact they covered whatever Suts had in each wad he pulled out of pocket. One game might be for $8,800 and the next game $9,200. It went on like that until he finally pulled up.
Click to expand...
Nicky Vacchiano I was trying to remember his name the other day. Tell me if this sounds true. Mosconi told me he gave him the 7 ball for like $100.00 a game. In the same conversation he said he also gave Richie Florence weight and beat him as well. Does any of this sound reasonable.
 
I just found this: Harold's ex...

Dyer wrote it?

Untold Stories: Harold Worst

This is one of a series of pool history blogs hosted by author R.A. Dyer. Check back regularly for the newest interview excerpts, documents and other archival material related to pocket billiards history. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.poolhistory.com">www.poolhistory.com</a> or...
untoldstoriesharoldworst.blogspot.com untoldstoriesharoldworst.blogspot.com



Jeff Livingston
 
alstl said:
Stardust was the world's largest hotel when it opened. In 1964 an addition was added. In 1965 the Stardust added a raceway. In 1965 the population of Las Vegas was 140,000. In 2021 the population of Las Vegas is 3,300,000.

I'm guessing the reason they paid so much in 1965 is they were trying to lure people to their hotel/casino and pool was a much bigger sport in 1965. They undoubtedly figured the money they paid to the pool players would be re-invested at the casino and hotel.
Click to expand...
The population of Vegas has zero to do with prize money in pool.

What is related is the mob ran Vegas back then and did biz differently than Corp America which HAS ruined Vegas.

best
Fatboy 😀
 
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Fatboy said:
The population of Vegas has zero to do with prize money in pool.

What is related is the mob ran Vegas back then and did biz differently than Corp America which as ruined Vegas.

best
Fatboy 😀
Click to expand...

I used to play in the Sahara blackjack tournies in the late 70's and early 80's. The mob ran them well; the bean counters ruined the whole show, imho.

Haven't been there since August, 2001.


Jeff Livingston
 
jay helfert said:
I hate to burst your bubble Karl but that $30,000 was the total prize money for the tournament. Back then the first place in each division was $2,500 and another $3,000 to the All Around champion. Of course, there were five figure scores being made in the back room. In 1968 at the Stardust I saw Puggy Pearson, along with Nicky Vacchiano (they needed his backing) and Jack Perkins take off St. Louis Suts (a big time building contractor) for over 100K in the back room playing One Pocket. They were playing single games for as much as 10K! In fact they covered whatever Suts had in each wad he pulled out of pocket. One game might be for $8,800 and the next game $9,200. It went on like that until he finally pulled up.
Click to expand...
So when we take the exchange into consideration, that would be $21,563 for each division winner and $25,875 for the all round. A decent take home, but not out of step with current trends. It seems that instead prize money has remained more or less the same.
 
chefjeff said:
I used to play in the Sahara blackjack tournies in the late 70's and early 80's. The mob ran them well; the bean counters ruined the whole show, imho.

Haven't been there since August, 2001.


Jeff Livingston
Click to expand...
Well. I remember Vegas in the late 80s - it was shot- everything was run down. The mob had taken everything they could out of it- just like everything else they "managed" - ( see Atlantic City) - Without corporate influence, Vegas would have never recovered.
I can guarantee you one thing for ANY business that you owned where "the mob" either muscled in or was "invited " in due to loans procured from the mob- I'm talking where "the mob" became a "business partner" - not just a normal mob shakedown - once the mob became a partner; your business was officially on life support with the end in clear sight.
 
No way that's right. Back then, $30,000 bought you a fairly nice house. In the mid 60s, even the World 14.1 Champion only made a few thousand as a first prize, but that was enough to buy a luxury car.

If one is inclined to include the side action as if it were the prize money available to the players, we're way ahead of those days. These days, it seems that every time two players of modest financial means match up, there is about a billion dollars in the middle and those who produce these matches want us to believe that this is the stake for which the players are matching up. This increasingly popular, and somewhat deceptive, practice is making it near impossible to figure out who is earning what these days.
 
sjm said:
No way that's right. Back then, $30,000 bought you a fairly nice house. In the mid 60s, even the World 14.1 Champion only made a few thousand as a first prize, but that was enough to buy a luxury car.

If one is inclined to include the side action as if it were the prize money available to the players, we're way ahead of those days. These days, it seems that every time two players of modest financial means match up, there is about a billion dollars in the middle and those who produce these matches want us to believe that this is the stake for which the players are matching up. This increasingly popular, and somewhat deceptive, practice is making it near impossible to figure out who is earning what these days.
Click to expand...
The thing with pool even in its Hay Day and pick the era, only a very small handful of players would ever make any money and it's still the same now.

I really hate the idea of having to refer to golf but it's the best example. You can be a player who nobody has ever heard of finishing out of the top 10 all the time and still make a very very good living.

The rookie ball player who gets picked up will start out at half a million a year and if he has a good year that'll multiply.

It's very difficult to even begin to define pool as a professional sport. When you can't make any money I don't think you're a professional. It's an amateur sport that a few make a living at.

I have a friend who's an anesthesiologist but his hobby is bass fishing. He has had years he made more money Bass Fishing then at his real job.
Pool compaired to almost anything is unrealistic. It is not a real professional sport. Just a pass time.

I came back to add something. Pool is an industry. You can make a living in pool as a room owner, billiard supply, equipment manufacturer, teacher, exibition player, table mechanic, working in a room and I'm sure a few things I have left out. It is possible to be around the game and make a living. Everything but a competitive player, that does not exist in the game.
 
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Cameron Smith said:
So when we take the exchange into consideration, that would be $21,563 for each division winner and $25,875 for the all round. A decent take home, but not out of step with current trends. It seems that instead prize money has remained more or less the same.
Click to expand...
It was a different time...cash was king And it was far less accounted for.

Too many controls on cash now to play it like the wild west...some controls are good and some bad, depending on which end of the deal you're on.
 
kkdanamatt said:
$30,000 was the first prize in 1965 at the Stardust Open, won by Harold Worst.
That's almost $260,000 in today's money.
Is there a simple explanation why pool prize money hasn't even come close to keeping up with the times?
Click to expand...
Disorganization.
 
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