that's close enough
A quick visit to One Side
- Thread starter jay helfert
- Start date
that's close enough
That's what I thought too, but the way it is worded people might believe that Manny also puts them into tournaments, and as far as I know Alcano is playing for Bugsy Promotions. That's why I wanted him to explain if it is money matches only.
Some random pics from One Side, the most famous pool hall in the Philippines.
Name-tags for the "regular" gamblers at One Side. They place the name-tag on the scoreboard, so people can see who is in the lead. If you look carefully to the top right, you can see Roy D'Fish. That's what they named me
View attachment 118221]
I see Bong.
Any updates?????
Went back to One Side last night but I was too early for any action. So I strolled around the corner to the LA Cafe. It's a bar FULL of filipina girls and foreign guys, who often like to play pool. Like all bars in the PI, the two tables are nine footers. No bar tables here.
I go straight to the tables after winding my way past a flock of girls caroling, "Hello sir", "How are you sir" and other sweet salutations. I already have one child here, I don't need another. :smile:
On the table a couple of English guys are banging around a game of Eight Ball. There is a long list of names waiting to play. The second table has a short list so I move over there. I get on the table quickly. It is my first game of pool after being here over two weeks. I feel rusty and awkward and the cues suck. I at least find one with a good tip. I win that game and proceed to win about five more games in a row. Enough to get the groups around the table buzzing.
There is one group of older Chinese men, two who have their own cues. It had been "their" table until I showed up. And they wanted it back. I could sense that from their conversation. Funny how you don't need a translator to always tell the score. Now it was their turn and the guy says in his best english, "We make bet, 100?", meaning he wants to play for 100p this game. Hell, it's only about $2.25, why not. We play, I win. Now he is on a mission to beat me. We continue to play uninterrupted, 100p a game. I win the next 15 or 20 games in a row. Frankly I lost count. Priobably closer to 20.
I did start getting into a little stroke after a while and was able to move the cue ball around and break out balls. Some very routine shots but the crowd oohed and aahed. I did make one sweet shot where I banked a ball cross side and broke out balls by going three rails around the table. Kind of a natural but it looked good!
It took a couple of hours before he finally won a game. Then he quit! He just wanted to beat me once. It cost me 125p, 100 to the guy and 25 to the house. He had been paying 25p for every game up till then. I won about 2,000p, maybe only $45, but it felt good to be in action testing myself. I ain't dead yet.
I was so tired that I missed Mika's victory party. I went to the hotel and crashed. Didn't even go back to One Side. No endurance anymore but somehow winning always feels good, even after all these years. It is a personal kind of verification that only another pool player understands.
I go straight to the tables after winding my way past a flock of girls caroling, "Hello sir", "How are you sir" and other sweet salutations. I already have one child here, I don't need another. :smile:
On the table a couple of English guys are banging around a game of Eight Ball. There is a long list of names waiting to play. The second table has a short list so I move over there. I get on the table quickly. It is my first game of pool after being here over two weeks. I feel rusty and awkward and the cues suck. I at least find one with a good tip. I win that game and proceed to win about five more games in a row. Enough to get the groups around the table buzzing.
There is one group of older Chinese men, two who have their own cues. It had been "their" table until I showed up. And they wanted it back. I could sense that from their conversation. Funny how you don't need a translator to always tell the score. Now it was their turn and the guy says in his best english, "We make bet, 100?", meaning he wants to play for 100p this game. Hell, it's only about $2.25, why not. We play, I win. Now he is on a mission to beat me. We continue to play uninterrupted, 100p a game. I win the next 15 or 20 games in a row. Frankly I lost count. Priobably closer to 20.
I did start getting into a little stroke after a while and was able to move the cue ball around and break out balls. Some very routine shots but the crowd oohed and aahed. I did make one sweet shot where I banked a ball cross side and broke out balls by going three rails around the table. Kind of a natural but it looked good!
It took a couple of hours before he finally won a game. Then he quit! He just wanted to beat me once. It cost me 125p, 100 to the guy and 25 to the house. He had been paying 25p for every game up till then. I won about 2,000p, maybe only $45, but it felt good to be in action testing myself. I ain't dead yet.
I was so tired that I missed Mika's victory party. I went to the hotel and crashed. Didn't even go back to One Side. No endurance anymore but somehow winning always feels good, even after all these years. It is a personal kind of verification that only another pool player understands.
Last edited:
Went back to One Side last night but I was too early for any action. So I strolled around the corner to the LA Cafe. It's a bar FULL of filipina girls and foreign guys, who often like to play pool. Like all bars in the PI, the two tables are nine footers. No bar tables here.
I go straight to the tables after winding my way past a flock of girls caroling, "Hello sir", "How are you sir" and other sweet salutations. I already have one child here, I don't need another. :smile:
On the table a couple of English guys are banging around a game of Eight Ball. There is a long list of names waiting to play. The second table has a short list so I move over there. I get on the table quickly. It is my first game of pool after being here over two weeks. I feel rusty and awkward and the cues suck. I at least find one with a good tip. I win that game and proceed to win about five more games in a row. Enough to get the groups around the table buzzing.
There is one group of older Chinese men, two who have their own cues. It had been "their" table until I showed up. And they wanted it back. I could sense that from their conversation. Funny how you don't need a translator to always tell the score. Now it was their turn and the guy says in his best english, "We make bet, 100?", meaning he wants to play for 100p this game. Hell, it's only about $2.25, why not. We play, I win. Now he is on a mission to beat me. We continue to play uninterrupted, 100p a game. I win the next 15 or 20 games in a row. Frankly I lost count. Priobably closer to 20.
I did start getting into a little stroke after a while and was able to move the cue ball around and break out balls. Some very routine shots but the crowd oohed and aahed. I did make one sweet shot where I banked a ball cross side and broke out balls by going three rails around the table. Kind of a natural but it looked good!
It took a couple of hours before he finally won a game. Then he quit! He just wanted to beat me once. It cost me 125p, 100 to the guy and 25 to the house. He had been paying 25p for every game up till then. I won about 2,000p, maybe only $45, but it felt good to be in action testing myself. I ain't dead yet.
I was so tired that I missed Mika's victory party. I went to the hotel and crashed. Didn't even go back to One Side. No endurance anymore but somehow winning always feels good, even after all these years. It is a personal kind of verification that only another pool player understands.
Jay,
Thanks for the great story. I couldn't help but envision you being the "Paul Newman" Character in the Color of Money ( before he gets hustled by Forrest Whitaker).......anyway thanks for the great post.
Dave
Heading home in two days, one day off and then flying over to Vegas for the Mosconi Cup. How things have changed! The Europeans have to be overwhelming favorites this year. But sometimes it's good to be the underdogs. 