cuban joe valdez

desi2960

desi2960

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm setting in a small taveren on california blvd in la about 30 - 40 years ago, i'm about 30 at the time and a hot dog on a loose bar box. Two guys walk in and see the bar cue leaning up against where i'm having a cold one, they ask if i want to play a couple games. oh yeah
We flip and he racks, just as i get ready to break, he ask if i want to play for $5.
yeah, i answer, break and make the 8, he racks, i break make 2 - 3 balls and make a easy run out, he racks, i break and make the 8.
He walks over and hands me $15, tells his buddy they are leaving. I never think about it.

Couple weels later i see him at the billiard pallace in bellflower, still don't know who he is, finally someone tells me he's cuban joe valdez. I never did let him see me play on a real pool table, I was too embarresed to admit that i got kinda lucky on those 3 games, i was never his speed.

Any of you old guys remember seeing him?
 
I saw a little too much of him in my lifetime. He was about as larcenous and treacherous as they come. And maybe a little dangerous too. You got off easy in your short visit with him.
 
jay helfert said:
I saw a little too much of him in my lifetime. He was about as larcenous and treacherous as they come. And maybe a little dangerous too. You got off easy in your short visit with him.
Click to expand...

Jay, elaborate please. Im bored at work, and good use a couple of good stories.
 
Charlie Hustle said:
Jay, elaborate please. Im bored at work, and good use a couple of good stories.
Click to expand...

When I was in my early 20's, a friend of mine, Jerry Chapel, was playing pretty good. We had won some money in bars and Jerry liked to gamble, so we went over the hill into Hollywood. I knew who Cuban Joe was and we asked him to play some 9 ball sets. Jerry wins two sets for $100 each. As Joe is paying, he pulls a small snub nose revolver and makes sure Jerry and I saw it, of course with a big smile on his face.

I ran into Joe all over the place after that and played him cheap. I don't know what his speed was but I always considered him a shortstop. I always thought Joe was more bark than bite. He had quite a personality and was likeable, but definitely would hustle his own mother given the chance.

By the way, I saw him take thousands hustling some South Americans - laying way down playing about D speed and putting on a show. What a score. Joe always seemed to be looking for easy action.
 
Say hello to my little friend...

Joe was as slick as they come-you might out play him for the cash but you could never hustle him.:cool:
 
yes I was lucky

I was never close to this guys speed. While we are talking about that time frame. Any of you old guys ever play in the golf game at gauge bowl? My buddy ken fitzgerald played in that game a lot. I remember well cause he would have to borrow money often.
 
I played Joe in the sixties. He was not much of a nine ball player but did have a decent game of one pocket. I seem to remember that he liked to wear a lot of gold jewelry.
 
he played really well. but was always either stalling or dumping. he almost never would play his full speed as he quit before he had to.
him and toby sweet went on a road trip in the late 60's and made a good bunch of scores. joey mostly hung around miami in the earlier days. but managed to hit every spot in the country after that.
i believe he went to jail for bank robbery for awhile and i know he would do what it took to get the money in some spots.
i beat him a few times in different states and quit winner as soon as he started to play harder or want to change the game. he never got mad over that. after a couple times he finally remembered me and congratulated me for getting the best of him.
most times he came to a room it was to beat a certain player who he was steered into. once i got him good by bringing in a ringer he didnt know about to the room and get a big spot and took him off before he had to pull up because he didnt want to kill his action with the fish who wasnt there yet. thats the danger of road player that doesnt know the local players who is stalling.
 
desi2960 said:
I was never close to this guys speed. While we are talking about that time frame. Any of you old guys ever play in the golf game at gauge bowl? My buddy ken fitzgerald played in that game a lot. I remember well cause he would have to borrow money often.
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In the early sixties I was a route salesman for a saw company and hit the bowling alleys that had golf games in the pool rooms and there were quite a few.

I beat a guy at Friendly Hills Bowl in La Habra and he said " you play good, but don't go to Gage Bowl and play Chico. I was there at 4pm and he was right. Chico ( Who was not Hispanic) drilled me every time I tried him there.

I got even many years later on the 6 x 12 at Hard Times Bellflower.
 
desi2960 said:
I was never close to this guys speed. While we are talking about that time frame. Any of you old guys ever play in the golf game at gauge bowl? My buddy ken fitzgerald played in that game a lot. I remember well cause he would have to borrow money often.
Click to expand...

Double post. Senior moment
 
that chico

Was the guy to beat, but there was a guy called tweedy, and there was ' heart attack jack '
 
desi2960 said:
Was the guy to beat, but there was a guy called tweedy, and there was ' heart attack jack '
Click to expand...

There was another good 9-Ball player in there, I forget his name now (a clean cut young guy). I went round and round with him one day. We finally quit even.

More about Joe's history. He came over as a Cuban refugee in the 60's escaping Castro's Cuba. He was a pretty good player in Cuba who liked to gamble. He showed up at Johnston City in the mid 60's and got fleeced by the real hustlers. They robbed him every way possible. I don't think he ever got over that and spent the rest of his life trying to get even by robbing every one he met. I played him several times, One Pocket and Banks, usually 20 a game. I had trouble at One Hole but could beat him at Banks. He snuck Billy Johnson in on me at my poolroom in Bakersfield, telling me he was a rich backer. I lost 300 for 50 a game.

I got even with Joe years later sneaking Gary Serville in on him. We beat him out of a few hundred and he threatened to shoot me. He said he was going out to his car to get his gun. I told him I would walk out with him. That was the end of that. I admit I wasn't unhappy when I heard he was sick and dying. He was a no good MF'er!
 
jay helfert said:
There was another good 9-Ball player in there, I forget his name now (a clean cut young guy). I went round and round with him one day. We finally quit even.

More about Joe's history. He came over as a Cuban refugee in the 60's escaping Castro's Cuba. He was a pretty good player in Cuba who liked to gamble. He showed up at Johnston City in the mid 60's and got fleeced by the real hustlers. They robbed him every way possible. I don't think he ever got over that and spent the rest of his life trying to get even by robbing every one he met. I played him several times, One Pocket and Banks, usually 20 a game. I had trouble at One Hole but could beat him at Banks. He snuck Billy Johnson in on me at my poolroom in Bakersfield, telling me he was a rich backer. I lost 300 for 50 a game.

I got even with Joe years later sneaking Gary Serville in on him. We beat him out of a few hundred and he threatened to shoot me. He said he was going out to his car to get his gun. I told him I would walk out with him. That was the end of that. I admit I wasn't unhappy when I heard he was sick and dying. He was a no good MF'er!
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Gary lives in the greater Kansas City area, has for a lot of years. I've played him tons of times, he is a good player who moves the ball well and is a gentleman to play with. He told me a story years ago that sounded like this one that involved you. I didn't know it was Cuban Joe.

As a side note, I have a cd of Gary playing Louie Roberts at Cue and Cushion in St. Louis in the late 1970s or early 1980s. They played quite a bit together. Gary doesn't like it because Louie thumps him on this particular day giving him weight.

Winter before last, Gary brought his Dad in to Shooters Olathe several times and they played quite a bit of billiards. His dad was almost 93 at the time. Gary came over by me one day and said he thought his dad's game would be better if he had an LD shaft. The next day I gave him an old Predator shaft I had at home, and damned if his dad's game didn't step up!

Kudo's for spelling Gary's name correctly. Most of the locals even misspell his name!

Will Prout
 
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desi2960 said:
I was never close to this guys speed. While we are talking about that time frame. Any of you old guys ever play in the golf game at gauge bowl? My buddy ken fitzgerald played in that game a lot. I remember well cause he would have to borrow money often.
Click to expand...

I used to stop in at Gage Bowl during the mid 60's thru the 70's and there was always a Golf game going on on the table in the rear. Bunch of good players. One of the regulars, Morgan, until the last few years could be found at Hard Times still playing Golf. You could always tell he was there even before you walked in because of his Pug dog sitting by the door. Most bowling alleys had good pool going on especially the Tropicana on Prairie. Much better & exciting years than now.
 
that chico

desi2960 said:
Was the guy to beat, but there was a guy called tweedy, and there was ' heart attack jack '
Click to expand...
I knew a "Heart Attack Jack" that played snooker in Auburn, California back in the early 70's. He had a mechanical hook prosthesis for his stroking arm. Played pretty damn good snooker too. I wonder if this is the same guy.
 
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jay helfert said:
I saw a little too much of him in my lifetime. He was about as larcenous and treacherous as they come. And maybe a little dangerous too. You got off easy in your short visit with him.
Click to expand...

Our mutual friend, Alan, the Straight Pool player told me much the same thing.
 
both hands

The guy I know as h a jack had both hands.

I played real golf with gary, larry mayo, and a steak horse , phil collens at kansas city many times. Always ended up at my house larry and gary playing $2000 9 ball sets. Gary loved it I had a 8 ft table with tight pockets.

I had forgot about morgan, he won his share of games at gage
 
ibuycues said:
Gary lives in the greater Kansas City area, has for a lot of years. I've played him tons of times, he is a good player who moves the ball well and is a gentleman to play with. He told me a story years ago that sounded like this one that involved you. I didn't know it was Cuban Joe.

As a side note, I have a cd of Gary playing Louie Roberts at Cue and Cushion in St. Louis in the late 1970s or early 1980s. They played quite a bit together. Gary doesn't like it because Louie thumps him on this particular day giving him weight.

Winter before last, Gary brought his Dad in to Shooters Olathe several times and they played quite a bit of billiards. His dad was almost 93 at the time. Gary came over by me one day and said he thought his dad's game would be better if he had an LD shaft. The next day I gave him an old Predator shaft I had at home, and damned if his dad's game didn't step up!

Kudo's for spelling Gary's name correctly. Most of the locals even misspell his name!

Will Prout
Click to expand...

Ask Gary about the time we beat Charlie The Ape out of thousands and had to make a run for it. We won his car too, but he grabbed the title from the bartender before he could hand it to me. :thumbup:
 
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