Gamblers....Old Bite/Copy Past

I saw Nick Varner at DWF airport while changing planes for the last leg to Baton Rouge. Nick is easy to recognize and when I walked over to say hello I am sure Nick knew I played pool because I was carrying a Whitten cue case. I could see right away that Nick is a nice guy and before I left to catch my plane Nick said,

"A guy just showed me three bank shotsI didn't know and I couldn't make two of them". I am sure most pool players will know who Nick was talking about.
 
Last edited:
You may have noticed I am writing about the players I saw play and or talked to. Before I understood anything about the game I saw Jose Parica play nine ball and he made the game look easy. If he didn't have a shot he would shoot an off angle combination or bank a ball and get out. The most amazing thing he said was that he was not the best player in the Philippines.

I saw Jose in Baton Rouge just after he lost a session. I do not know what over came me, I asked what he would charge for a lesson. He said $100 and he didn't teach me anything I didn't already know, and couldn't execute, but I thought the money was well spent.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: bbb
Island Drive said:
There was allot of action on the W. Coast, 76-81.
Played Ether in Costa Mesa/Hard Times during that period.
Every city in the La area had pool rooms and lots of gamble.
I used to make around 15K every winter gambling when I was laid off (motorcycle sales) till spring.
Then summer time came worked 6 days a week.
Also, got unemployment for 6 mths during the fall/winter for 5 yrs in a row.
That was during the gas crisis, and motos were flying out the door, sold a ton of Honda 750's.
One day in total, I sold 11 bikes. We also sold Husqvarna's, that's when the 390 came out, and the CBX 1000.
Click to expand...
Smart elick... Guy, your right on...
 
brunswick1901 said:
I saw Nick Varner at DWF airport while changing planes for the last leg to Baton Rouge. Nick is easy to recognize and when I walked over to say hello I am sure Nick knew I played pool because I was carrying a Whitten cue case. I could see right away he is a nice guy and before I left to catch my plane Nick said,

"A guy just showed me three bank shotsI didn't know and I couldn't make two of them". I am sure most pool players will know who Nick was talking about.
Click to expand...
When was this? I have been unsuccessful trying to carry on a cue/case.
 
You really missed a great player. Probably the best US born player of all time, IMO. He has won championships in college, and professional events in multiple disciplines. Yes, he is in the HOF. I like his one pocket game better than anyone except Efren. Nick Varner guys best all round player that the US ever produced.

Wow, and you guys missed it.

Keep trying.
 
Three of names from the list are mentioned in this story.

In the late 1960s Freddie Whalen sponsored the World 14.1 Straight Pool Tournament at what used to be the Elks Lodge on what used to be Parkview Terrace just West of MacArthur Park near Downtown Los Angeles. Even though most of the top players were playing in the tournament Freddie lost money promoting the tournament. Some of the players promised to pay the entry fee when they arrived and because their names were on the posters in most of the pool rooms listed their names Friddie let them play with the plan that if they placed in the money Freddie would deduct their entry fee.

The other problem that hurt the chance to make a profit was they charged $1.00 to watch the players in the practice room and I seem to remember it cost $3.50 or $4.50 to watch the straight pool tournament. I was making $1.65 an hour and the practice room was an easy choice.

Most of the spectators In the practice room were watching a Ten Ball Ring game. An older gentleman was smoking a cigarette while he was waiting for the balls to be racked. When the player finished racking the older gentleman set his cigarette down and broke the balls. He then picked up his cigarette and smoked as he walked around the table. I assumed he was deciding how he was going to run the balls because without taking any extra steps or hesitating on any of the shots he ran out. The gentleman went back to the head of the table and lit another cigarette as he waited for the balls to be racked.

While I was watching I heard a voice ask, “Why aren't you in the game?”. A different voice said my backer just told them I wanted in. When you want to play in a ring game you have to wait one game before you can play. This is to prevent the incoming player from choosing who he would follow. The advantage the incoming player would have if he was allowed in as soon as he asked was he could wait until he could follow a player who had a tendency to leave an easy shot.

The older gentleman broke and ran out three more racks of Ten Ball exactly the same way. After he made a ball on the break, he would pick up his cigarette, walk around the table, look at all the shots and run out. Again I heard the first voice ask, “I thought you were going to get into the game?”. The second voice said, “I did and I am sure my backer is not happy having to pay off without me getting to the table.

On the fifth rack the older gentleman did not make a ball and the crowd groaned. The older gentleman was Don Willis and the voice that was waiting to get into the ring game was Lou Butera. The only other player I remember in the ring game is Ed Kelly because he won the straight pool tournament.
 
Last edited:
I just remembered what are two great nick names, oddly enough both guys were named, Harry.

The first was, "Whispering Harry". He got this name because when you saw him taking to someone you had to be right next to him to hear what he was saying.

The other guy's nickname was, "Beat the Price Harry". If you bought something, no mater what it was, Harry would have beat the price!
 
Ken_4fun said:
You really missed a great player. Probably the best US born player of all time, IMO. He has won championships in college, and professional events in multiple disciplines. Yes, he is in the HOF. I like his one pocket game better than anyone except Efren. Nick Varner guys best all round player that the US ever produced.

Wow, and you guys missed it.

Keep trying.
Click to expand...
Nicky beat me in the Midwest collegiate finals at IU bowling alley 150-148. We went to the pool room and I lightened his pocket quite nicely in 9 ball. Then later during the Jansco years, Another Great Gambler from Indiana, Hubert Cokes/Daddy Warbucks took nicky under wing and educated him to the next level. Hubert and Fats would go at it back in the earlier dayzzzzzz, the bet didn't matter, they loved to lock horns.
 
brunswick1901 said:
Keith had the best backer ever named Charlie the Ape. Charlie was a decent player and recognized that Keith was good enough to out run the nuts when he was taking the worst of the game.

I didn't see it but Keith gave Little Al the seven and beat him, then gave Al the six and beat him and while Al was thinking about the spot, Al said "I'm not taking the five", and Al unscrewed his cue and left.

The excellent house man named Bill said Keith didn't miss any balls during the sets.
Click to expand...
The Costa Mesa Hard times, was..... the first pool room I ever went to that had a nice couch next to the fireplace. WTF :). Being from Brunswick territory WI/IL in my Tommy Spencer Days, most every bowling alley had an attached pool room, and pretty much EVERY town had a pool room with 9' Gold crowns, And most of the Billiard/Bowling setups had the earlier 6 legged 9' footers, not the GC's.
 
Ken_4fun said:
You really missed a great player. Probably the best US born player of all time, IMO. He has won championships in college, and professional events in multiple disciplines. Yes, he is in the HOF. I like his one pocket game better than anyone except Efren. Nick Varner guys best all round player that the US ever produced.

Wow, and you guys missed it.

Keep trying.
Click to expand...
He is also the man who played Efren in the Philippines and got the cash. Hung around a couple extra days and didn’t get a rematch.
 
Yeah, I think they played three sets over a few days.
The humidity in the Philippine's, can't be much worse than areas of the Midwest that's for sure.
The ecosystem probably had little effect on Nick.
Jewett probably has the particulars.
I think it was races to 15?
 
Island Drive said:
Yeah, I think they played three sets over a few days.
The humidity in the Philippine's, can't be much worse than areas of the Midwest that's for sure.
The ecosystem probably had little effect on Nick.
Jewett probably has the particulars.
I think it was races to 15?
Click to expand...
I think it was one race to 50 or 60….been a long time….definitely recall Nicky telling me about him hanging around for the rematch.
 
Island Drive said:
Nicky beat me in the Midwest collegiate finals at IU bowling alley 150-148. We went to the pool room and I lightened his pocket quite nicely in 9 ball. Then later during the Jansco years, Another Great Gambler from Indiana, Hubert Cokes/Daddy Warbucks took nicky under wing and educated him to the next level. Hubert and Fats would go at it back in the earlier dayzzzzzz, the bet didn't matter, they loved to lock horns.
Click to expand...
Yep. Nick was a Purdue player and I know a couple guys that played for IU, shortstops, at the same time. One of them, Bob Dickerson, a really great player from my home town. Years ago Bob was taking about Nick Varner and said, "He was really a special talent". I took note as most pool players never say anything good about another player. To see a great player like Bob to be in awe tells me he was probably right.

Ken
 
"Players" in Van Nuys California was set up for pool players. I do not remember the year but it had to be the early 2000s. A large crowd had gathered because Efren was scheduled to play a match. I do not remember the opponent but Efren and his translator arrived and his opponent was not there yet.

I got tired of waiting and walked over to the translator and said, "I will play Efren even One Pocket while he is waiting". After the translator spoke to Efren the translator said, "Okay be Efren will give you a spot". I didn't ask what the spot would be because it wouldn't matter and we started playing for $50 a game. Efren played great and I will always remember the safety he played where he lagged the cue ball, rail first the length of the table and hit the correct side of the object ball for a perfect safety.

When I lost the second game the translator walked over and said, "His game is here". I gave the translator $100 and after a few minutes the translator gave me back the $100 and said, "Efren said you don't pay".
 
Last edited:
Ken_4fun said:
Yep. Nick was a Purdue player and I know a couple guys that played for IU, shortstops, at the same time. One of them, Bob Dickerson, a really great player from my home town. Years ago Bob was taking about Nick Varner and said, "He was really a special talent". I took note as most pool players never say anything good about another player. To see a great player like Bob to be in awe tells me he was probably right.

Ken
Click to expand...
Yep, it was down to one of us will then play Mike Carella for the National Title.
Nick beat em. Then, the following year he did it again.
We both knew at that time, Mike was not better than either us in 14.1.
I think that southern boy Carella didn't have the patience, character needed to run a hundred balls then duck.
But a very good nine baller.
College days, Midwest players.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bbb
I posted this answering a guy who wanted know about guys that were barred from a pool room. Is sounds like the guy is writing a movie. It's not about any of the names on the list but it happen at the Bellflower Billiard Palace

In 1969 when I was 19 I started to go to the Billiard Palace on the second floor in a building on Bellflower Boulevard every chance I could. At the time it had to be the best place for pool action in Southern California. The room was owned by Butch and his father, I do not think I ever heard their last name and Butch was a tough, no non-sense owner.

Cuban Joe was a decent pool player but his thing was to make prop bets and or badger guys into a bad game. If you had enough of Joe's antics and threatened him he would show you he was carrying a gun. Trying to badger people into a bet and showing a gun amazingly was not enough to get Joe barred.

I didn’t see how it started but the gun didn’t stop Butch from tackling Joe, and while sitting on Joe's chest Butch was trying to re-arrange Joe's face. In spite of being disliked by almost everyone the players pulled Butch off. I think the guys were more concerned about Butch than Joe.

If I had to guess Cuban Joe was barred for life.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top