Cole Dickson Story
- Thread starter rackmsuckr
- Start date
Hemicudas, you asked for one about Dan Louie. 1976, Danny was already the US Collegiate champion. Mike doesn't know/remember the details, he said Jay would know it better.
Basically, Dan beat Mike Sigel in the Finals of the Bend, OR tournament. All the best players in the US were there, gambling all night.
First day, Mike Z. beat Leo Newberry 35 or 40 games at $30/game. Louie Roberts was unbeatable and Larry Hubbert advised Sigel to wait until the third day to play Roberts.
During the finals, all the east coast players were there, rooting for their man, Sigel. Danny Louie was behind 4-3 in the Finals, racing to 7, when Danny ran a 4 on him to win the tournament.
Sorry I don't have more info, but I bet Jay could fill in the details.
Basically, Dan beat Mike Sigel in the Finals of the Bend, OR tournament. All the best players in the US were there, gambling all night.
First day, Mike Z. beat Leo Newberry 35 or 40 games at $30/game. Louie Roberts was unbeatable and Larry Hubbert advised Sigel to wait until the third day to play Roberts.
During the finals, all the east coast players were there, rooting for their man, Sigel. Danny Louie was behind 4-3 in the Finals, racing to 7, when Danny ran a 4 on him to win the tournament.
Sorry I don't have more info, but I bet Jay could fill in the details.
Nostroke said:
I remember Sammy from the Atlantic City tournaments in the 80's. He shot as fast as Lou Butera and played great 9-Ball. I heard he got shot during a robbery outside a poolroom.
rackmsuckr said:Hemicudas, you asked for one about Dan Louie. 1976, Danny was already the US Collegiate champion. Mike doesn't know/remember the details, he said Jay would know it better.
Basically, Dan beat Mike Sigel in the Finals of the Bend, OR tournament. All the best players in the US were there, gambling all night.
First day, Mike Z. beat Leo Newberry 35 or 40 games at $30/game. Louie Roberts was unbeatable and Larry Hubbert advised Sigel to wait until the third day to play Roberts.
During the finals, all the east coast players were there, rooting for their man, Sigel. Danny Louie was behind 4-3 in the Finals, racing to 7, when Danny ran a 4 on him to win the tournament.
Sorry I don't have more info, but I bet Jay could fill in the details.
That was the World Open Eight and Nine Ball Championships staged by Ronnie Allen at the Inn Of The Seventh Mountain in Bend, Oregon. He got a couple of rich businessmen from the area to guarantee a $33,000 purse, and players came from all over the US. It was the nicest setting for a pool tournament ever. A plush ski resort at the foot of Mt. Hood.
Sigel won the 9-Ball division and Dan Louie won the 8-Ball. Now they had a playoff for an extra three thou and one player had to win both matches. The first go round they played a Race to Nine in 9-Ball and a Race to Eight in 8-Ball. Surprisingly Sigel won the 8-Ball and Danny won the 9-Ball.
As an aside, the entire finals was broadcast live on a local radio station. Yes, radio! I know because I did the commentary with a local sports announcer. People actually listened for hours to that show. Sigel was at the beginning of his illustrious tournament career and Dan Louie was already the best player in the Northwest, a title he would keep for another 20 odd years.
I'll say this for Danny. When he screwed his head down over the cue and got lined up on the shot, you KNEW he wasn't going to miss, and he didn't either. I have never seen anyone, before or since, get down with his whole body in such a straight line over his cue, with his chin resting right on the cue. He had the best aiming technique I ever saw. And by the way, a classier guy you will never meet. And he won't duck a money game either. So don't woof at Danny unless you mean it.
Now they play the second match, with shorter races. I think they went to Seven in 9-Ball and Five in 8-Ball. They split again. Finally, in the third go round, Danny took it off. Something like a Race to Five 9-Ball and a Race to Three 8-Ball. Linda may be right. He may have won the last couple of games of 9-Ball and then swept the 8-Ball. He wore Mike out. This final match lasted for like four or five hours.
One last image that I'll never forget. On the last day of the tournament, who shows up but Denny Searcy. He stands just inside the door to the tournament room, and is watching Sigel put the finishing touches on Rempe to win the 9-Ball. I can still see him standing there with his hands on his hips, one hand holding the top of his cue case. He sends a message that he wants to play anyone in the room, including Sigel, for whatever amount they want. And this in a room full of great players.
Only one person dares to take on this challenge. St. Louie Louie answers the call, more heart than brains, as always. He is quickly demolished for 5K and no one else wants anything to do with Mr. Searcy. Please go away and leave us mortal pool players alone seems to be the message.
To get an idea of how good Denny played. Think Efren caliber position, with a finesse stroke that has never been equaled, and the pure ball making ability of a John Schmidt. A little hard to fade that action and Hubbart would not let Sigel get near him. At his peak in the 70's, Denny Searcy would have destroyed Mike Sigel for the cash. And you can tell Mike I said so.
At that time, the only 9-Ball player in the same dimension as Denny may have been Buddy, and he didn't come to Bend because he wouldn't fly back then, and it was too far to drive. He may have been the only top player not there (possibly Jim Mataya also was a no show). All the other champions were there, and Dan Louie finished on top and won over $8,000. A big score back then.
That's about it. The backroom action is another entire story, which I won't get into now. My personal hi-lites of the two months I spent up there, were putting together a great souvenir program that I'm still proud of, and going partners with Beenie in the Blackjack game. He asked me how much I had, and I told him about $1,200. He said to give it to him, so reluctantly I did. He added his own $1,200 and we banked the game and Beenie dealt, with a $100 limit. We won 12K the first night and I was on cloud nine. I loved that man ever since.
Last edited:
John Abruzzo
Island Drive said:
Cannon said:
Things all looked bigger when we were smaller
Linda, this is just a great thread! Thank you so much for getting it started. I can't wait to read the next installment. Thanks, too, to Jay and Freddie for their fascinating additions and insights.
Keep the old road dawg stories coming. I live for this kind of thing. I'd love to hear you guys tell some tales about folks playing in and around the central Texas area, particularly Austin. As a kid I went to the big tourney held at the Villa Capri one year and I went over to the Austin Cue Club aka Moyer's to watch a few of the Texas Opens held there
Thanks to Freddy and Jay and everyone else contributing. Mike said you knew everything about that tournament, and he was right!
I do promise at least one more Cole story today, after Mike returns from the casino and before we hit a tournament. And then maybe we will move on to Harry Platis stories, lol. 
I do promise at least one more Cole story today, after Mike returns from the casino and before we hit a tournament.
And then maybe we will move on to Harry Platis stories, lol. 
rackmsuckr said:Thanks to Freddy and Jay and everyone else contributing. Mike said you knew everything about that tournament, and he was right!
I do promise at least one more Cole story today, after Mike returns from the casino and before we hit a tournament.
Just to slip a funny one in from the old days at Johnston City. Jimmy Marino was at the top of his game in 9-ball and Rempe too at the same time. Eddie Bellamore I think that the correct spelling, anyway he was Marinos backer during those earlier years. A friend of mine stocked his hard case with no cue, just bags of you know what. Anyway, Eddie had about 1/2 dozen bets down, bought a bag came back in the room and said he forgot every bet he had placed, got us a good laugh. Eddie dressed like a white man James Brown as did Cecil (buddy hall) from time to time. Eddie was a neat outgoing guy that I heard passed on way before his time.
bsmutz said:
Thanks, I plead Alzheimers. I was unsure, but I figured one mountain was as good as the next. I do know my poolplayers a little better tho.
Island Drive said:
Eddie Bellmore got shot in a robbery in LA in the 1970's. He was hit in the spine and paralyzed from the waist down. He lived on for many more years, and may still be alive today for all I know.
Eddie Bellmore
I'm almost positive Eddie died years ago. He was originally from around Chicago. He was a super-tough guy, and loved to fight for money. He was also a champion Liars Poker player. In the early '70s his most outstanding accomplishment (as far as I was concerned) was to be a part-owner of a Wife-Swapping Club at a mansion in the Hollywood Hills. Up to 100 couples would meet twice a week at this converted mansion to dilly and dally. It was converted in the sense that the many rooms only contained mattresses. Being an old Chicago pal of Eddie's, I was allowed guest privileges. It turned out to not be as much fun as you might think, and I wound up only attendeding twice. Keep in mind that this was Hollywood in the early '70s, where there were thousands of young available, beautiful unmarried women running around.
Were you ever an attendee of Eddie's Club, Jay?
the Beard
jay helfert said:
I'm almost positive Eddie died years ago. He was originally from around Chicago. He was a super-tough guy, and loved to fight for money. He was also a champion Liars Poker player. In the early '70s his most outstanding accomplishment (as far as I was concerned) was to be a part-owner of a Wife-Swapping Club at a mansion in the Hollywood Hills. Up to 100 couples would meet twice a week at this converted mansion to dilly and dally. It was converted in the sense that the many rooms only contained mattresses. Being an old Chicago pal of Eddie's, I was allowed guest privileges. It turned out to not be as much fun as you might think, and I wound up only attendeding twice. Keep in mind that this was Hollywood in the early '70s, where there were thousands of young available, beautiful unmarried women running around.
Were you ever an attendee of Eddie's Club, Jay?
the Beard
freddy the beard said:
It was such a shame to see him walking around on two canes. But I never heard him complain. I liked the guy. And we hung out a little in Hollywood. He took me to a couple of bars to play and we made some money at the Factory one night (I played Jimmy Caan and Jack Ackerman). He had these two beauties with him and one was such a little doll, I was afraid to talk to her. He asked me if I wanted her. I almost couldn't talk. I knew she was a high priced call girl.
So I stutter, "yeah, sure". And he tells her to take me out to his car, and winks at her. She says sure, so I follow her out to the car. All I can say was, it was better than any drive-in movie I had ever been to. I couldn't believe this girl. When we were done, she gives me a little smile and we head back inside like nothing had happened. I dreamed about her for weeks afterward but never saw her again. I asked Eddie about her once and he said she moved in with some record producer. C'est la vie.
Well, sorry for the broken promise...I don't like doing that. By the time Mike got home, I was settled in and we ended up not going to the tournament either. So I will post a Cole story AND the Bobby Fisher story.
Mike is always throwing out little tidbits here and there...sometimes it has nothing to do with pool, but just things that happened to them while they were on the road. It always amazes me how life for the pool gambler was back then...either flat busted or rolling in it. And the unsavory characters he associated with and the things he did... I sure am glad he is reformed!
One of the things he told me was that they knew guys in a tri-state auto ring and were fixing to go get the keys to a car on their way from Mobile to Pensacola. But luckily, they won $2500 playing pool and didn't need to use their friend's 'services' and bought a car themselves.
Mike is always throwing out little tidbits here and there...sometimes it has nothing to do with pool, but just things that happened to them while they were on the road. It always amazes me how life for the pool gambler was back then...either flat busted or rolling in it. And the unsavory characters he associated with and the things he did... I sure am glad he is reformed!
One of the things he told me was that they knew guys in a tri-state auto ring and were fixing to go get the keys to a car on their way from Mobile to Pensacola. But luckily, they won $2500 playing pool and didn't need to use their friend's 'services' and bought a car themselves.