Clem Metz

steveinflorida

senior member
Silver Member
Anyone have some stories about Clem Metz. I have heard that he passed away. He spent a lot of time around the Cincinnati area. Played jam up one pocket.
 
steveinflorida said:
Anyone have some stories about Clem Metz. I have heard that he passed away. He spent a lot of time around the Cincinnati area. Played jam up one pocket.


I think Freddy had some Cincy Clem stories, BTW anyone whose name is Clem is cool in my book. Having that name makes you sound like a grizzled prospector or roustabout :D
 
Eugene "Clem" Metz and the late Gary Spaeth's father Joe were best buddies (and both were top players, especially 1-P). Clem enjoyed touring with an entourage of backers and women, and at one point did time for "white slavery". I hadn't heard that he died. GF
 
George Fels said:
Eugene "Clem" Metz and the late Gary Spaeth's father Joe were best buddies (and both were top players, especially 1-P). Clem enjoyed touring with an entourage of backers and women, and at one point did time for "white slavery". I hadn't heard that he died. GF

I have not heard it either, I would expect too - maybe the OP
is thinking of Tim Russert:)

Local legend is that the 'white slavery' bust was a pure set-up
by some nit in prison in Indiana who lured Clem into bringing the
guy's wife to visit. Of course they drove over the Indy-Ohio line.
Wish I knew.

I know of a great story concerning the Feds picking up Clem in the
middle of a session at the poolroom.

I'll share it just as soon as you teach me to write as well as you do:)

Dale<is this a great time or what?>
 
Clem

pdcue said:
.........Local legend is that the 'white slavery' bust was a pure set-up
by some nit in prison in Indiana who lured Clem into bringing the
guy's wife to visit. Of course they drove over the Indy-Ohio line.
Wish I knew..........

>

I was probably one of the last guys to play Clem before he got busted. He was playing on the lemon in the bars in Chicago. I was playing him 8ball in a bar on Rush St. called Nicky's. We broke even but I smelled a rat and quit. I was just a shortstop then so I tried to call in some heavy artillery to "take him off." I steered him to an all night poolroom but unfortunately for him our backer recognized him and chastised me for being so dumb. In the words of my South Carolina backer, "Gawddamn man, that's Jesus Christ himself, Cincinnati Clem, you idjit." He was traveling with a woman who I heard was a prostitute. He got busted on the way back to Ohio under the Mann Act. They must have wanted him because that is a seldom used law.

the Beard

I have a few stories on Clem but I am probably going to post them in my War Stories blog later in the week. www.warstoriesnonebyolivernorth.blogspot.com/
 
steveinflorida said:
Anyone have some stories about Clem Metz. I have heard that he passed away. He spent a lot of time around the Cincinnati area. Played jam up one pocket.

Clem is a true hustler and I hate to speak ill of anyone. One Cincy Clem story was he was playing out of a pool room in NY in the early or mid-fifties for a while, and my grandfather was under the radar in another pool room when Clem came in the pool room with a mask and a pistol and robbed the joint. Seems he was attempting to get a stake togather to play another fellow in the other poolroom. My grandfather reconized him but kept it to himself, but another player in the room while they were getting stuck up said Clem is that you? (just like out of white men can't jump) Clem got away with the money but since he was reconized he left NY never to return as far as I know. He is cut from a diffrent cloth, never worked just hustled (squeeze onepocket maestro) and still played cards up until a few years ago as far as I know.
 
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huckster said:
Clem is a true hustler and I hate to speak ill of anyone. One Cincy Clem story was he was playing out of a pool room in NY in the early or mid-fifties for a while, and my grandfather was under the radar in another pool room when Clem came in the pool room with a mask and a pistol and robbed the joint. Seems he was attempting to get a stake togather to play another fellow in the other poolroom. My grandfather reconized him but kept it to himself, but another player in the room while they were getting stuck up said Clem is that you? (just like out of white men can't jump) Clem got away with the money but since he was reconized he left NY never to return as far as I know. He is cut from a diffrent cloth, never worked just hustled (squeeze onepocket maestro) and still played cards up until a few years ago as far as I know.

And people wonder why Pool is not in the Olympics:)

BTW the story is BS

Dale
 
bigskyjake said:
BTW anyone whose name is Clem is cool in my book.

I'm kinda partial to his last name, which is the same as mine. No relationship though, at least that I know of.

Maniac
 
pdcue said:
And people wonder why Pool is not in the Olympics:)

BTW the story is BS

Dale

As far as the story being BS, what happened exactley then? That was the way it was retold to me and I have no reason to doubt the source, but I am curious as to what went down. Enlighten me please
 
??????????

I saw Clem in winter of 1967. He had just gotten out of the pen. He was talking to Pete Glenn an practicing straight pool. He ran a ton of balls an was as smooth as silk. A well known genius at the art of short cards (gin).
He was the Cincinatti Kid or in my humble opinion or their never was one.
Pinocchio
 
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Pinocchio said:
I saw Clem in winter of 1967. He had just gotten out of the pen. He was talking to Pete Glenn an practicing straight pool. He ran a ton of balls an was as smooth as silk. A well known genius at the art of short cards (gin).
He was the Cincinatti Kid or in my humble opinion their never was one.
Pinocchio


Ever heard of Stu Ungar ?

He played gin a little.
 
punter said:
Ever heard of Stu Ungar ?

He played gin a little.

yup just a little, on that note Efren plays good Gin, not like Unger but he might play the best gin of any pool player. If Stu was alive he would be the man to beat playing poker, its a shame we lost him before the poker "Boom" that would have been something to sweat.,
 
You know what's funny. I've played poker with Clem in Vegas and I knew I knew him from somewhere but couldn't figure out where. He looked so much different than when I was around him in Cincinnati in the 60's. This thread made me stop and think about this one guy, and it had to be him. He looked much older and smaller. We played 10-20 Hold'em I think at the Horseshoe. He was always hanging around the World Series back in the 90's too. I don't think I've seen him for a few years now. Damn I wish I would have said something to him then.
 
jay helfert said:
You know what's funny. I've played poker with Clem in Vegas and I knew I knew him from somewhere but couldn't figure out where. He looked so much different than when I was around him in Cincinnati in the 60's. This thread made me stop and think about this one guy, and it had to be him. He looked much older and smaller. We played 10-20 Hold'em I think at the Horseshoe. He was always hanging around the World Series back in the 90's too. I don't think I've seen him for a few years now. Damn I wish I would have said something to him then.
Jay i doubt that was Clem because he has been on "vacation" for quite a long time!!!!!!!
 
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