Bobby "Cotton" Leblanc - what a life
- Thread starter JB Cases
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Does anyone think any bio,s or auto bio,s are all truthful ? They all fluff them up to make them more interesting, every single one. How many books have you read about someone where they made themselves look bad ? It dont happen.
Enjoy the story for what it is and thats that.
Enjoy the story for what it is and thats that.
Speaks of ignorance........
yeoldedebi
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Back in the day playing in those bucket of blood joints, real biker bars, bars known to be drug dealer and pimps hangouts was were the easy money was on the table. Getting out with the money was sometimes not so easy. All though Bobby was a top shelf road player, playing for big stakes compared to the $10-$20 a game hustlers like myself and a lot of others I knew, you really could make a good living in those type bars back then. Most that did it were in it more for the thrill than the money. It's one thing not knowing if you'll eat today than not knowing if your going to die today. I went out many bathroom windows and back doors when I got that feeling that in the next few minutes all hell was going to break loose and you were going to be the rabbit.
Bobby's book is the real deal. If you wanted to make money hustling that's the way it was. Johnnyt
Bobby's book is the real deal. If you wanted to make money hustling that's the way it was. Johnnyt
I heard some of the stories years ago from Robert while I was traveling with him. He hasn't changed them any or added any "fluff". Although, it's true he's a gifted rapper...he's not a BSer.
I can vouch for the action spots around Chicago. He even left out some "stories", for sure. We backed out of several dives and had a few close calls. Cuz, when you're with Robert, it's all good times.
Best,
Mike
I can vouch for the action spots around Chicago. He even left out some "stories", for sure. We backed out of several dives and had a few close calls. Cuz, when you're with Robert, it's all good times.
Best,
Mike
This is why I laugh at most of the players today that have to have complete silence before they shoot the ball. I've played for money in strange bars where the juke or band was so loud the whole place shook. People dancing around the table bumping you or your stick. Fights with guys rolling around the floor at your feet. Things thrown, knifes and guns drawn. Those were the good old days to me. Johnnyt
Nowadays I'm not too sure those were the good ole days. I went through all that Bobby went through and He tells it like it was. We're lucky to still be around.
P.S. Cotton and I were on a team that won a National title a few years ago and he still plays a mean game.
After i had read the book, i had to call my good friend Pittsburgh Mike Kasaris (nutzy), because there was a few stories about Kasaris.
I had to ask MIKE how close to the truth the book was and he told me the only thing that mite not be 100% is the numbers (money amounts) that they had won ( you know like 100 here and 200 there).
And there was a couple of losses that Cotton didnt mention, but what the hell its his book.
At first when i was done the book, i couldnt remember Cotton admitting to losing 1 match, so i knew that had to be far fetched, so thats why i called Kasaris and later i talked to Cotton on here and i asked him, you say you beat everybody you played that cant be true, Then Cotton says you must of missed the 2 0r3 that beat me, shit that was good enough for me!
I met Cotton in Galveston at that world tourny.
We had crossed paths a long time ago. I remembered him and he remembered me. I knew nothing except the pool though.
Over the years I was on the road and had allot of friends that were in prison. Kind of funny but when they were with me they didn't do anything out of the ordinary. They had been in prison and had learned they didn't want to go back there.
Overall pretty nice guys. Bobby came across that way to me in Galveston.
Pretty cool that he shares the good the bad and the ugly in these books.
Most is probably true for sure. Allot of things happen out there that a person wouldn't even imagine.
it's a tough world out there. Especially in the 70's and the 80's.
To make the money back then you had to go where the hookers, drugs and just about another other kind of trouble was. .
But that's where the big scores were made........
We had crossed paths a long time ago. I remembered him and he remembered me. I knew nothing except the pool though.
Over the years I was on the road and had allot of friends that were in prison. Kind of funny but when they were with me they didn't do anything out of the ordinary. They had been in prison and had learned they didn't want to go back there.
Overall pretty nice guys. Bobby came across that way to me in Galveston.
Pretty cool that he shares the good the bad and the ugly in these books.
Most is probably true for sure. Allot of things happen out there that a person wouldn't even imagine.
it's a tough world out there. Especially in the 70's and the 80's.
To make the money back then you had to go where the hookers, drugs and just about another other kind of trouble was. .
But that's where the big scores were made........
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the golden age of pool hustling and everyone had a hustle of one kind or another.
Yes, I could relate to many of Robert's stories because I actually knew many of the people and places. The first time I played Robert was in a bar in Illinois, I was about18 years old and we were playing cheap...maybe $20 a game. A guy on the side was betting and after I beat Robert 4 in a row he pulled out a gun and set in (facing us) on his bar table. I don't remember exactly what happened after that, I'm sure Robert could tell "The Rest of the Story".
BTW - Alfie Taylor's book is excellent as well, just a different style. I also knew his brother, Jack, and many of the hustlers and con men written about in his book. Those were the golden age of pool hustling and everyone had a hustle of one kind or another.
Sometimes I miss those days and other times I'm glad they're safely behind me. 'The Road was the Teacher'
Yes, I could relate to many of Robert's stories because I actually knew many of the people and places. The first time I played Robert was in a bar in Illinois, I was about18 years old and we were playing cheap...maybe $20 a game. A guy on the side was betting and after I beat Robert 4 in a row he pulled out a gun and set in (facing us) on his bar table. I don't remember exactly what happened after that, I'm sure Robert could tell "The Rest of the Story".
BTW - Alfie Taylor's book is excellent as well, just a different style. I also knew his brother, Jack, and many of the hustlers and con men written about in his book. Those were the golden age of pool hustling and everyone had a hustle of one kind or another.
Sometimes I miss those days and other times I'm glad they're safely behind me. 'The Road was the Teacher'
Exactly. I got out of the "life" before I got too far into it. When I was 19 I wanted to go on the road and gamble. I was already moving up and down from Hollywood to Boca hitting pool rooms, bottle clubs, honky tonks, and sports bars.
But two things turned me off.
I was at a little rinky dink tournament near my house, Family Billiards, and two of the best players around showed up to snap off a $5 tournament. I could barely run a rack myself back then but I knew what it meant when players of that caliber were coming to win $45 in a tournament.
And the second thing that turned me off was the bite. I had jsut taken down a little score, couple hundred and one of the better players caught me to ask for a handout since he saw me get paid.
On the way home I thought about these great players, at least to me they were great, who were living in their cars, asking for "loans" every time you made a little score and generally scuffling to make a living and I thought this is not the life I want.
That said, when I read these books I know I could have easily slipped into that life. I read here what I missed and am glad I missed. But on the flip side these road players lived some experiences and had the sort of freedom that many people wish they could have. And of course it came at a price sometimes.
Robert has a line in the book about how maybe the working guy wasn't the sucker after all. This is when he worked at the magazine and had a steady and decent income with no hassles.
I found that this book was very honest. Raw. Who cares about the actual scores and amounts? This was a book about the subset of road player who isn't out trying to win all the tournaments and get in the magazines. He isn't taking up residence in a pool room taking on all comers. Instead he is constantly hunting action always on the prowl always chasing the scores and suckers.
The fact that this is a world that few of us on this forum ever really lived in. Some of dipped our toe in it, some of us went for a longer swim and a few us did really live it but most of the folks here can barely imagine that life. Luckily we have players like Cotton, Alf Taylor, Jay Helfert, Cornbread Red, Grady Matthews and others who have written about it. We have enough corroboration to know it's all true, even the lies.
It's about on par with the Cornbread Book. More of a running narrative than actual prose.
Running the Table and Hustler Days are literature. Confessions is a memoir with wild stories in it.
FWIW I went to play some last night after finishing it. Jumped on one of the better players and started him off slow at 20 a rack, he get bored after six racks or so and starts asking when we can quit, I pulled out my roll, 900 and said you can win this how we go to 100 a game? He agreed and I jumped out 4-5 games up and then ended up being up 12 and then back to 8 and we jumped it to 200 and I ran out of gas and he got even. Point being I was pumped up to play and feel the energy and adrenaline of trying to make a little score.
If you like to gamble on pool at all then you probably understand this. Most of us who grew up in the poolrooms in the 70s and 80s do. That's what Cotton's book is about, running down every bit of action there is and trying hard to snap it off.
FWIW, I just received Jay's Pool Wars in the mail yesterday and am thoroughly enjoying it. :thumbup:
JB -
I agree and I am glad you wrote that because you did a better job than I would have.
Pool players are a lot like school teachers to me (I have two daughters that are school teachers so I am okay to say this) . Teachers make hardly any money, they have it made as far as hours, holidays, etc., but the pay is terrible. My daughter started out after college at like $35K. But they knew it going into it, so me, they don't have a ***** about how much they make.
Pool players are the same, the number of well to do pool players are less than 5, and they did well not because of pool but because of endorsements and such. Without a doubt the top of the list is Jeanette Lee. Most pool players including the HOF players die broke or near broke.
I'm not saying that as a knock, I am saying that if you are going into it and then find you never get ahead, well, it shouldn't be a surprise. Like teachers, pool players have a life different than us lowly workers everyday of the year (mostly).
What makes a book about pool players is that they tell about their struggles and loses as well as their scores. Most old road dogs, love to tell about the victories, but fail to mention the misses.
Wouldn't you like to know how much money Keith McCready has won and loss over the years? Ronnie Allen? Jack Cooney?
I did hear a story about Buddy Hall because he was a local when I lived in Paducah. Buddy had won a tournament or a gambling match or something, so he had some bucks. Buddy then goes and buys a bunch of cars for his family. It wasn't long after that, everything was back to normal, but it was fun while it lasted!
Ken
I agree and I am glad you wrote that because you did a better job than I would have.
Pool players are a lot like school teachers to me (I have two daughters that are school teachers so I am okay to say this) . Teachers make hardly any money, they have it made as far as hours, holidays, etc., but the pay is terrible. My daughter started out after college at like $35K. But they knew it going into it, so me, they don't have a ***** about how much they make.
Pool players are the same, the number of well to do pool players are less than 5, and they did well not because of pool but because of endorsements and such. Without a doubt the top of the list is Jeanette Lee. Most pool players including the HOF players die broke or near broke.
I'm not saying that as a knock, I am saying that if you are going into it and then find you never get ahead, well, it shouldn't be a surprise. Like teachers, pool players have a life different than us lowly workers everyday of the year (mostly).
What makes a book about pool players is that they tell about their struggles and loses as well as their scores. Most old road dogs, love to tell about the victories, but fail to mention the misses.
Wouldn't you like to know how much money Keith McCready has won and loss over the years? Ronnie Allen? Jack Cooney?
I did hear a story about Buddy Hall because he was a local when I lived in Paducah. Buddy had won a tournament or a gambling match or something, so he had some bucks. Buddy then goes and buys a bunch of cars for his family. It wasn't long after that, everything was back to normal, but it was fun while it lasted!
Ken
Hey pool players, I'm glad that most of y'all liked my book, thanks ! Every thing that I wrote about is 100% true, no fluff as somebody put it lol ! There are still a few people around that are in my book that were with me in those crazy stories, they would tell you the same thing that I wrote about ! I have no need to make stuff up. Thanks, your friend Bobby Cotton
When i travelled all those years I played just about every pool player in the country. I got beat by several, Wade Crane beat me like a drum twice, Jerry Brock beat me twice, I beat him once ! "Boston Joey" gave me one shot in 14 games ouch ! "Big Sergio" put a 16 pack on me. Jerry Bento beat me in
arkansas.
"Omaha John" beat me in Missouri ouch, he played perfect !!!! And I also have lost to some lesser name players cause I played bad or whatever. I also have played good against quite a few, In one year I beat Grady, Ronnie, Cole, "lil AL", "New York Blackie" Larry hubbart, Matlock and quite a few others ! Ive played housands of players too many to mention. The reason I posted this was because that one dude said in my book I never got beat, NOT true although I wish it was hahaha !
arkansas.
"Omaha John" beat me in Missouri ouch, he played perfect !!!! And I also have lost to some lesser name players cause I played bad or whatever. I also have played good against quite a few, In one year I beat Grady, Ronnie, Cole, "lil AL", "New York Blackie" Larry hubbart, Matlock and quite a few others ! Ive played housands of players too many to mention. The reason I posted this was because that one dude said in my book I never got beat, NOT true although I wish it was hahaha !
Bobby-
If it was in your book, I don't recall it-
Have you played 'the Lizard'...from Texas?,, Steve.....?
Saw him about 10 years ago...played strong. He showed us a nice rail first shot....
Enjoyed the book, just can't remember it all. The orange county, ca references made it especially interesting, by having local coloring.
btw...enjoy your TAR commentating.
If it was in your book, I don't recall it-
Have you played 'the Lizard'...from Texas?,, Steve.....?
Saw him about 10 years ago...played strong. He showed us a nice rail first shot....
Enjoyed the book, just can't remember it all. The orange county, ca references made it especially interesting, by having local coloring.
btw...enjoy your TAR commentating.