Congress Billiards................??

[garczar]

An old war-horse at the 'hall was telling me about this room in Miami,Fl. Said it was a favorite winter-time escape for all sorts of top players. Anybody know where in Miami it was or have any tales of this place? When did it close?

 

[Island Drive]

An old war-horse at the 'hall was telling me about this room in Miami,Fl. Said it was a favorite winter-time escape for all sorts of top players. Anybody know where in Miami it was or have any tales of this place? When did it close?

Congress was close to Opalaka the college was near our hotel. I was there in 68, with a college friend traveling....then New Orleans, Texas and back to Carbondale IL/school, we drove my first car, 63 white 4 door Chevy Belair 283 v8 sucked gas, gas was 17cents a gallon then BUT this car had, bench seats front and rear (great for sleeping)....we did our young gun pool hustling thru the south, it was WARM in Dec , born in Chicago only heard stories about Warm in the winter, had to experience it.
Diliberto hung out in this room. Never knew... till I walked into this room, there were 6x12 pool tables....as a 19 yr old kid, the rakes laying against the wall almost touching the ceiling caught my attention. Made a nice score there, but went elsewhere, as the big fish ate us little fish, when we hung around too long. I tell ya one thing, going down to the first key, in Key west during our youth. Me and JC got all the Gulf shrimp we could eat in about 30 minutes with my net (I grew up ON a lake front, always kept a net and fishing gear and snorkel/mask/fins in the trunk), Gulf shrimp were everywhere at night, little red beadie eyes glowing under a flash light on the water. Pretty cool coming from WI, to the Gulf. We ate good and went back the next day and I caught/free diving a filling rock crab meal. Those pinchers were allot more intimidating than Large fresh water crabs, but crab bites are never good.

 

[diamondave13]

My friend Brad, Reed Pierce's backer, went on vacation with Reed. They went to Miami and visited Congress Billiards, where they heard there was a good player who was staked by big drug dealers. The guy wasn't there so Reed asked if anyone wanted to play. A guy got up and they started playing a set for $500, 5 ahead. The guy won. They played another set. The guy won. Another and lost again. Reed asked Brad how much cash he had on him. He said I did have $3000. Reed asked the gut to raise the bet to $1500, raise to 8 Sure, he answered, thinking he'd hit the lotto. Then he won the first four games. Reed tells Brad he's got to bare down. We're 2000 miles from home and about to go tap. The guy broke and scratched and Reed, adjusted to the table now, put on a shooting display, running racks. The player comes in with his stakehorse and watches. Reed wins the set, gets even, and the stakehorse and player he was gunning for shakes their heads and walks out. No action.