CJ's Road Adventures - Hustling the KingPin of Miami

[jay helfert]

.like a Chef that knows just the right amount of spice and seasoning to make the dish



We had some great times at all the tournaments in the 90s didn't we?

The ones you put on were amazing, the one at The Burbank Hilton was especially memorable, it was my first time on ESPN against Earl Strickland and I had to beat Francisco Bustemante for that opportunity.

You must have, Jay, had 700+ people that night they were hanging off the rafters {it seemed like anyway}, the match between Fransisco and I went down to 12/12 with me receiving the winning opportunity.

One thing about your tournaments they were promoted, marketed and advertised well, the results were impressive! We also had great tournaments at the Bicycle Club that attracted Hollywood celebrities and professional athletes for our Charity Events (that's another thing that Jay organized is charity events that were great public relation vehicles and beneficial for everyone involved).

One of the reasons I don't enjoy tournaments these days is there is a lack of electricity in the air, suspense, anticipation.....the game has lost the extra something promoters like Jay Helfert put into the tournaments.....like a Chef that knows just the right amount of spice and seasoning to make the dish special....something that leaves the impression "that was delicious, I want more the first chance I get!" The Pool fans in LA were in a great spot!

That ESPN World Open tournament Jay mentioned was incredible for me as well, not only was the money lucrative, ESPN filmed ALL matches like they were the finals. .

The grand finale was the winner of the women's played the winner of the men's world title for $60,000 first and $40,000 runner up - they reported an audience of 2,800,000+ which is probably more people seeing us play than our entire career combined. ....ESPN played those matches over and over, Gary Morganstein, the producer for ESPN told me I had over 600 International Hours of exposure internationally.

I literally couldn't walk though an airport without 20-30 people saying hi and making remarks about pool and the tournaments. We were averaging 1,000,000 viewers per show, it was unprecedented exposure for pocket billiards on TV....the Women and Men were Teamed Together, which made the events synergistic with standing room only crowds.

I appreciate all you've done, Jay, we shared a lot of memories. another historic event we shared, when you were our Tournament Director - Earl ran 11 racks in a row for the $1,000,000 - if anyone didn't know, Jay racked the last racks of that historic run of 9-Ball at CJ's Billiard Palace in Dallas. Talk about ELECTRICITY in the air, Max Eberle was there, in an interview {from our documentary} he said there was more excitement during those last racks than he'd seen in any one tournament combined {up to that day in his life}. *Yes, Earl did get paid, we had a 2 year lawsuit and won- it's all in the documentary on my web site MPB.

Great memories, my friend, hopefully there will be many more, hope you are always well!

The Game is Our Teacher

Thanks CJ. My secret was how much I loved pool and loved watching the best players get after it. I wanted the world to see it too and appreciate it just like I did. I used to say great pool is performance art, since you had to be there to see it. That International Open that you won (90k?) and the big one at the Burbank Hilton in 1992 (Earl won it for $21,000) got more TV air time than any other pool tournament I'm aware of. Only Fats vs. Mosconi drew a larger audience.

You're right about one other thing. We packed 'em in at those events and at the Bicycle Club tourneys. Standing room only crowds and the fire marshalls telling me not to let any more people in!

 

[jay helfert]

It opened up an awareness of things I would have had no clue about without training.



The only seminars I went to were in Orlando with Richard Bandler. He taught
Ericksonian Hypnosis named after Milton Erickson who was one of the greatest of all time. I was 23 years old and all the others in the seminar were much older clinical therapists.

I always had a fascination for linguistics, and how words were used to program the mind.
It opened up an awareness of things I would have had no clue about without training.

Richard Bandler was one of the founders of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) which was made popular by one of his students Tony Robbins....last I heard Tony was worth well over 100 million, with books like 'Unlimited Power' and 'Awaken the Giant Within' -

This knowledge is useful in this day and age, powerful brainwashing techniques are being unleashed on the unsuspecting general population. If everyone had NLP knowledge TV Programming would not have such powerful influence, unfortunately, most people are extremely vulnerable because they don't recognize how it's done to them.

The Game is the Teacher

Let's just say some people are more highly evolved than others. Louisiana should be a wealthy state with all the rich farmland, but instead it's our country's poorest state, and I know why. It all goes back to slavery and the culture that created. Won't be telling it on here.

 

[jay helfert]

he had a limp, but the rumors of his death were drastically exaggerated.



The "Goose" Benny Conway was an incredible bar table player and hustler. I remember he was in Columbia playing at a spot they didn't know him. He had a "cane cue," with a bell on the back - When he stroked the shot it was disturbing.... ding a ding a ding...ding a ding a ding......DING!

Between the bell, the cigar and the waddle, had it been a comedy show they could have charged admission.

When he was in Kansas City he played Omaha John several times back when Larry Mayo was there betting High! Larry was capable of blowing a big number, I think Swanee beat him for $80,000 {approximately}, definitely a big score.

Benny ran 10 racks in a row on John one night, John ended up coming back and busting him. John was at another level, he may play for 3 days and not make a mistake on the "bar rag" back then. The next year he won the World Series of Tavern Pool for 25k.

Larry Mayo liked to play with the Big Cue Ball on the bar table and would take the 6 Ball from most road players. I gave it to him one night and it seemed like a bad game for a few hours, then something came over me and I beat him 20 ahead in about 90 minutes....that's bar pool, first one to get in the zone dominates!

Larry ended up getting blown up by a car bomb, I saw him a couple years later, he had a limp, but the rumors of his death were drastically exaggerated. :dance:

Swanee was one of the all time greats for high stakes. He could play just as good for $1,000 a game 9-Ball as if it was 20 a game. I remember when he would get the call to play someone halfway across the country. He would hop a plane and fly down there (wherever it was). He might be gone a couple of days and come back with his pockets stuffed with cash (his end). It was party time in San Diego for the next month! Did you ever play him CJ?

 

[garczar]

Swanee was one of the all time greats for high stakes. He could play just as good for $1,000 a game 9-Ball as if it was 20 a game. I remember when he would get the call to play someone halfway across the country. He would hop a plane and fly down there (wherever it was). He might be gone a couple of days and come back with his pockets stuffed with cash (his end). It was party time in San Diego for the next month! Did you ever play him CJ?

Back in the mid-late 80's they had a couple big bb events at the CowboyCasino in Hutchinson,Ks. I went one year with Matlock and FatRandy and every decent-to-good bb player in the country showed up. Including none other than Swanee. Helluva tourn. I can't remember who won. Dave dogged an easy 8b playin Swanee and then went out a couple matches later. FatRandy played bad. He was in love with the owner's Excalibur car and tried all weekend to drive it. He finally got to. Hi-lite of his year i think. The ride:https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1985-excalibur-phaeton-series-iv/

 

[SpiderWebComm]

Back in the mid-late 80's they had a couple big bb events at the CowboyCasino in Hutchinson,Ks. I went one year with Matlock and FatRandy and every decent-to-good bb player in the country showed up. Including none other than Swanee. Helluva tourn. I can't remember who won. Dave dogged an easy 8b playin Swanee and then went out a couple matches later. FatRandy played bad. He was in love with the owner's Excalibur car and tried all weekend to drive it. He finally got to. Hi-lite of his year i think. The ride:https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1985-excalibur-phaeton-series-iv/

GOOD GOD!!! What a magnificent car!!!