Buddy Hall vs Sammy Soto Race100

pt109 said:
I don't remember the score, I just remember Sammy saying he came out ahead.
I don't really know how well Sammy played, he was sent to me by a mutual friend for
another reason....all I saw of his game was underplaying while giving us a win.
He honed his skill while doing time ....sorta like Homan did in the German army.
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Would you mind asking him? I sure would like to know how close it was. And yes he underplayed all the time. It's funny, he beat everyone down here and to this day they all think they can beat him.
I did see him play top speed and it was crazy speed.
 
usakr said:
Would you mind asking him? I sure would like to know how close it was. And yes he underplayed all the time. It's funny, he beat everyone down here and to this day they all think they can beat him.
I did see him play top speed and it was crazy speed.
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I haven't seen him for a long time.
He kept quizzing me about one-pocket on a 9 footer....
...but I never heard of him becoming a player at it.

I'm not a close acquaintance, but he treated very well.
 
pt109 said:
I haven't seen him for a long time.
He kept quizzing me about one-pocket on a 9 footer....
...but I never heard of him becoming a player at it.

I'm not a close acquaintance, but he treated very well.
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Are you primarily a one-pocket player?
 
speaking of sneaking around tell the story about pittsburgh paul sneaking up on you at your pool room..thanks in advance

genomachino said:
At that time in my life I was sneaking around playing everyone.

I went down to Peducah trying to catch buddy off guard and maybe make some cash. I went there 3 times and he was always gone. It would have been tough anyways. I never played anyone at the poolhall because I didn't want to show anything.

I had busted that whole area around Benton. There was the Mousetrap in a town close by and I made a pretty good score giving a guy named Rudy the 8 ball at bar called Dans Bar in a country bar.

There was also a good poolhall in Centralia back then that had some good action.

Mike Dunklin was around during that time. he would know for sure. I don't know If he comes on the site much.

They brought in this Sammy guy and I didn't know him from Adam but I played everyone I could back then on the bar table. I played pretty strong so they had to show me everything they had from the git or they were losers right away.

I played him at the 105 bar in Benton on that Irving Kay table with the big rock.

I think they thought that big cue ball would give this guy the nutz. It was about the size of a basketball, I swear.

He had trouble with it instead. the table was real tight with deep shelves on the pockets.

I beat him 2 races to 9, can't remember the scores. There was no more money left in that town. I got it all.

When I first got there I played a guy that couldn't make 3 balls in a row for $100 a rack. Beat him out of $900 and worked my way up from there. And there was allot of up from him for sure. he might have been one of the worst players in Illinois. But that's how it was back then. it was pure hustling at it's finest. it was a pure art for sure.

back then I didn't know what an epic event this was. I was just trying to make some money and survive on the road.

A young man named David ore steered me around down there. David told me I shouldn't probably play this Sammy guy.

I stay in that area for about a month or 2.

Joe shields had the pool hall in Mount Vernon. I went in there to find a game. He said his friend nick would be back in a few days. I said Nick who? He said Varner.

I didn't bat an eye and acted like I didn't know who Nick was. Back then you could get away with this. No internet and lots of players had no clue who anyone was.

Especially me. Nobody knew me and I kept it like that for the most part.

Joe tried to keep me there until Monday or Tuesday but he ran out of money. I think it cost him around $5000 trying to keep me there until Nick got back.

He got me in a trap playing 9 ball on what I think was a 9 foot snooker table with oversized pockets.

Nick was over in North Carolina winning one of those 9 foot championships back then.

I never did tell joe that I knew who nick was.

I wouldn't have played him back then anyway.

There was no sense back then to bump heads with someone when you knew they were in dead stroke from some big tournament.

I liked sneaking up on guys like Buddy. they would be sitting in their home town with their thumb up their butt with no action. here comes this kid from who knows where and starts running out from everywhere for $100 a rack.

I played about 10 champions back in the day when I was on the road and to this day they still don't know who I was.

Bosten Joey used to call me up and sneak me in on some players. Billy gains and ron mayes would also get me action.

I once won a tournament in Oshkosh after being on the road for 6 months. Part of the Benton trip. After the tournament Billy Gaines tried to get me a game. he came back and said no luck. I told him to give up the 7 ball. He came back about 10 minutes later and had no game for me.

I just steamrolled that tournament. Billy just sat there and laughed, he couldn't believe there were no takers with the 7 ball. Wild at that.

I also had a guy in Florida that would fly me down there sometimes but that was usually real soft action but for lots of dough.

I was at a tournament that buddy hall was at, I think it was a place called BJ's somewhere around Atlanta. jean balukas was there and I think Buddy had something to do with her action. Nobody knew me. I didn't come there to really play in the tournament but lose quick and get some action. Then I could go to the home towns and make some money. kind of like cutting them off from the herd.

I offered her the wild 7 on the bar table and I think it was Buddy that told her not to play. Not sure but maybe he was staking her action, I don't know or just a friend.

I left there and never played anyone except jerry Watson from Canada. I donated $150 for $10 a game trying to do a little trolling before the tourney. But it did make me look stupid and that's the image I wanted to portray.

I usually liked to stay away from these big tournys because it would really screw up my action. I was really really unknown at the time. You could leave one town and travel 200 miles and it was like you were in a different country back then. Nobody had even heard what you had done in the last area you were at. They had to play you to figure anything out. But play in one of those big tournaments and your picture would get in the magazine. That was a big NO NO.

Those were the days for sure.

it's still fun now but there are no road players like there were then.

I teach and travel and play. That's about as close as it gets except for a few like Chip comton and Joey gray. But as soon as you book a loser the backroll can get in trouble.

Expenses just eat you up. they just keep coming and coming and coming.

Mike Dunklin would know for sure what happened back then with Buddy and Sammy.

Sorry about the rant here but that was a good time in my pool life.

I don't think I booked a loser for 5 years on the road and never got robbed.

I worked during the summer and stayed on the road for 8 months of the year.

Those were the days......and I went everywhere.
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Could you tell what you know.........

rivercitysledge said:
speaking of sneaking around tell the story about pittsburgh paul sneaking up on you at your pool room..thanks in advance
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He must not have called himself pittsburg paul.

Did win, lose. I don't know?

Usually when I had my room I was one of these guys sitting with my thumb up my butt. Now I was on the other end of the stick.

But just like buddy when I went down there to scope things out, he was usually gone. Either playing in a tournament or in action. These were dangerous guys to try and play when you were out on the road. It was a good way to get busted real fast.

When I had my room and a road player came through I would usually only bet $100 or $200 a set if I hadn't been playing much. The road player could still get anywhere from $300 to $1000 bet on the rail.

The second or 3rd day if I was getting in stroke and the player let me shoot some I would bring a pile of cash and bet it up but only if I was starting to get there.

I didn't book too many losers up there because I usually stayed in pretty good stroke so I could go pick off a tournament here and there.

Did that Paul bring a guy named Ricky gracek up there to get my?

I think one of Rickys backers was named Paul.Just guessing........

Tell what you know. I'm all ears...............Then I'll try to tell the rest of the story if I can remember enough........
 
I'm lost on this one...........

rivercitysledge said:
pittsburgh mike and reggie
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There were so many players that came after me up there in Chippewa Falls.

The most common thing that was said after I busted them was where in the hell did you come from?

Funny but true.

And I did have a steady diet of road players coming through from 1986 to 1999.

Give us a hint. Did I win? And how much?
 
genomachino said:
There were so many players that came after me up there in Chippewa Falls.

The most common thing that was said after I busted them was where in the hell did you come from?

Funny but true.

And I did have a steady diet of road players coming through from 1986 to 1999.

Give us a hint. Did I win? And how much?
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you spotted reggie a game on the wire to six thinking he was the player...then mike got up and you spotted him 2 to 6 ring any bells?
 
Mike Dunklin

Gene -

I grew up in Terre Haute, but didn't get interested in pool until I was in my twenties.

There were some strong bar box players there, but even these guys said they didn't want to mess with Mike Dunklin before his cancer.

When I saw him for the first time it was post all of this cancer, and he was freakin impressive. I was told he was just a shell of his former playing self.

Just how strong was Dunklin? It makes me sick, as he seemed like a good guy.

Why does it seem like the good guys get sick?

Thanks Gene for your input. Never mind the critizisms.

There was another pretty strong player from Terre Haute, that I always wanted to see you match up with. You know who I mean, and I think it would be a great match. Especially in one - pocket.

Ken
 
i met Mike after his cancer............

Ken_4fun said:
Gene -

I grew up in Terre Haute, but didn't get interested in pool until I was in my twenties.

There were some strong bar box players there, but even these guys said they didn't want to mess with Mike Dunklin before his cancer.

When I saw him for the first time it was post all of this cancer, and he was freakin impressive. I was told he was just a shell of his former playing self.

Just how strong was Dunklin? It makes me sick, as he seemed like a good guy.

Why does it seem like the good guys get sick?

Thanks Gene for your input. Never mind the critizisms.

There was another pretty strong player from Terre Haute, that I always wanted to see you match up with. You know who I mean, and I think it would be a great match. Especially in one - pocket.

Ken
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If he played much better before the cancer he could have been world champion material.

I know he had to lose allot of strength from that cancer. I just had a cyst removed about the size of a tennis ball from my thyroid

and I'm still weak as a kitten. no cancer but I can't even imagine cemo and all the other stuff after being cut up like this.

Mike is one nice guy also.

I met Mike on my Benton Ill trip. He knew all the players down there. He was living in Carbondale I think back then. They had a nice poolhall there.

As far as Terre haute, I think your referring to Bobby.

I met Bobby at a tourney in Bloomington,Ill at Ride the Nine.

I walked in the door and there was a ring game. There were 5 or 6 players in it. The only person that knew me in the game was Willie Munson from Wisconsin.

Bobby Dickerson was there and so was Marco Markus for Mexico. Can't remember the others but they could all play.

Remember now that I said in my previous posts that I tried to stay under the radar. Playing in this tourney was way out of line for me. I ruined so much action.

I walked up to the ring game and asked if I could get in. I think I kind of asked everyone at the same time. One of them told me that it was for $30 per man or it might have been $40. Not sure. But most of them thought I wouldn't play because of the money.

This was on the nine foot gold crown. Not really my cup of tea back then.

I finally got a shot and put either a 5 pack or a 6 pack on the game. The tournament was just about ready to get going after that so the ring game kind of ended right there.

The next night I walked up to Whitey Walker, Gary lutman and Joe Wolford and asked all of them to play. They each looked at one another and said you play him, or you play him. I knew I would get the best one of the bunch. It turned out being Joe. He had won about 5 of these big tournys back then in a row.

We played 5 ahead 9 ball on the bar box for $500. The guys from Minneapolis that knew me bet $2000 or so on the side.

I beat Joe 2 sets and it was all over. Didn't last long.

3 years ago I went through terre haute and met Bobby Dickerson Jr. He told me this story about how his dad was at this tourney years ago and saw me play for the first time. I had pretty much forgotten.

Then in came Bobby Sr and he told me the story just like he remembered it.

But the funniest thing he said was; Here he was at this tourney and this guy steps up that he never knew and starts running racks. he said he couldn't believe he had never heard of me.

This is what we did back then. it's called under the radar. Can't do it today with the internet. kind of spoiled things.

It was so much fun to rekindle an old friendship that we had started so many years before.

What great memories.

Sammy Soto just got beat when we played. I don't know if he was out of stroke or whatever , it didn't matter. I played the best pool of my life back then. I just tried to find someone to play other than go pick on a known world champion. Not much sense in that. I was out there to make money. not be famous.

Famous back in the day just kept you broke.

I can tell these stories now and most of the time i'm the only one that knows them. I was there and many of the players didn't even know me.

I won another tourney in St loius and another one in Mattoon also. I also won a big one in Kenosha, Wi.

I won almost all of them I played in at that time.

But I think I only got second in the one at the Ride the Nine. I think. Not sure.

I was on the road for about 15 years. This was just a small part of my road life.

I never used a fake name. I just never told them. I used dealer plates on my car all the time so they couldn't even figure out what state I was from.

Now you can understand why a player of Bobby Sr's caliber had never heard of me.

Kind of funny but that is how it was back then. Be quiet, get the cash and don't make any waves.

But there was a whole bunch of players at the Ride the Nine that weekend that knew who gene Albrecht.

Most of them were trying to figure out where I came from also. it was their first meeting of the kid from Wisconsin.
 
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