Great Pool Room Stories

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brunswick1901

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
I would like to hear your story but I will start with mine.

***********************

This happened at Stan's Family Billiards on Washington Boulevard near Western Avenue not far from Downtown Los Angeles in the early 1970s.

I didn't see it happen but I heard a serious accident in front of the pool room.

One of the guys, I do not remember his name, in the room was a off duty paramedic.

When he heard the accident he ran out the front door then his car which was in one of the parking spaces in front of the pool room.

He pulled out a bag which I would later learn was a medical kit paramedics carried to help people that needed medical help.

He started to help the guy that was on his motorcycle when he was hit.

When the LA Fire Department paramedics arrived they did not rush in to help

I was told they waited because they could see he knew what he was doing and waited until the paramedic got to a logical point where they could take over.

I also do not remember how much time passed but a van with a bunch of motorcycles pulled into the small parking lot and the street in front of the room.

One of the motorcycle riders came in and said he was looking for the guy that helped his friend.

When they went outside, the guy who was in the accident was lowered out of the van in a wheelchair said, "I understand you saved my life".

The paramedic shook his head and said, "I was just doing my job".

The guy in the wheelchair said, "Do you know who I am?".

The paramedic shook his head again and while he was shaking his head the guy in the wheel chair said, "I'm the president of these guys".

"If you ever need anything, call me".

The guys on the motorcycles were Mongols, a infamous motorcycle gang in Los Angeles.

I wonder if the paramedic ever called him for a favor.

*************************

A bit of trivia, Tad Kohara owned the pool room before Stan and where Tad started making cues in the workshop in back of the pool room.
 
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brunswick1901 said:
I would like to hear yours but I will start with mine.

***********************

This happened at Stan's Family Billiards on Washington Boulevard near Western Avenue not far from Downtown Los Angeles in the early 1970s.

I didn't see it happen but I heard a serious accident in front of the pool room.

One of the guys, I do not remember his name, in the room was a off duty paramedic.

When he heard the accident he ran to the front door then his car which was in one of the parking spaces in front of the pool room.

He pulled out a bag which I would later learn was a medical kit paramedics carried to help people that needed medical help.

He started to help the guy that was on his motorcycle when he was hit.

When the LA Fire Department paramedics arrived they did not rush it to help

I was told they waited because they could see he knew what he was doing and waited until the paramedic got to a logical point where they could take over.

I also do not remember how much time passed but a van with a bunch of motorcycles pulled into the small parking lot and the street in front of the room.

One of the motorcycle riders came in and said he was looking for the guy that helped his friend.

When the guy who was in the accident was lowered out of the van in a wheel chair he said, "I understand you saved my life".

The paramedic shook his head and said I was just doing my job.

The guy in the wheel chair said, "Do you know who I am?".

The paramedic shook his head again and while he was shaking his head the guy in the wheel chair said, "I'm the president of these guys".

"If you ever need anything, call me".

The guys on the motorcycles were Mongols, a infamous motorcycle gang in Los Angeles.

I do not know if the paramedic ever made the call.

*************************

A bit of trivia, Tad Kohara owned the pool room before Stan and where Tad started making cues in the workshop in back of the pool room.
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Wow, that's nuts.
 
A guy was sitting at the bar playing kissy face with the woman sitting next to him. His cell phone rings and I could hear him telling his wife, I found out later, that he was on his way home but he got called back into work so he’d be home in a few hours. As he was talking a woman approached from across the room talking on her cell phone with an angry look on her face. It was his wife that he’d been talking to, then all hell broke loose! LMAO
 
This is a proof read story I wrote in 2024.

In the late 1960s the biggest pool tournament in Los Angeles was the straight pool or 14.1 tournament at the Elks Lodge on South Parkview Street which borders the Eastside of McAuthur Park which is now fenced off because of the homeless drug problems.

The tournament was sponsored by Fred Whalen who put up his own money because he loved the game

Fred always lost money because he would invite the best players in the country who would promise to pay their entry fee when they arrived. This was told to me by Nat Cuspert who set up the Gandy tables.

Fred let them play because their names were on the posters that were placed in most of the pool rooms in Los Angeles. Did I mention that some of the players did not pay their entry fee as promised?

I think the cost to see the tournament was $4 or $5 dollars and only $1 to watch the players in the practice room. An easy choice for me because I was going to school and making $1.80 an hour bagging groceries at a local market.

The practice room was packed and most of the people were watching a 10-Ball Ring Game.

Because I'm short and I was able to work my way to the front where I saw a really old looking guy smoking while waiting for the being racked.

After the balls were racked he set his cigarette down, broke the balls then picked up his cigarette.

While smoking he slowly walked around the table, set his cigarette down and ran out.

While I was watching I heard a voice in back of me say, "Why aren't you in the game?".

Another voice said, "I just told them I want in".

To prevent an incoming player from choosing who he will follow, the new player has to tell the table he wants to play in the next game.

This prevents the incomming player choosing to follow a player that keeps missing.

The older gentleman broke and ran out the four rack and did not make a ball on his fifth break which means he won five games in a row.

I learn later the gentleman who ran the five racks was Don Willis and the player who never shot was Lou Butera.

The only other name I remember is Ed Kelly because his picture was at the entrance of the tournament room and Ed won the straight pool tournament.
 
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I just listened to the Billy Incardona interview on Legends of the Cue.

If you like pool and would like to hear what pool stories from the 1960s to the late 1990s it will be well worth your time.

This is the link to Part 1.

www.legendsofthecue.com

Billy Incardona - Part 1 (The Early Hustle — From Pittsburgh Streets to Poolroom Legends)

In this first installment of our six-part conversation with the great Billy Incardona — known to pool fans everywhere as “Nine-Ball Billy” and later the unmistakabl…
www.legendsofthecue.com www.legendsofthecue.com
 
brunswick1901 said:
I would like to hear your story but I will start with mine.

***********************

This happened at Stan's Family Billiards on Washington Boulevard near Western Avenue not far from Downtown Los Angeles in the early 1970s.

I didn't see it happen but I heard a serious accident in front of the pool room.

One of the guys, I do not remember his name, in the room was a off duty paramedic.

When he heard the accident he ran out the front door then his car which was in one of the parking spaces in front of the pool room.

He pulled out a bag which I would later learn was a medical kit paramedics carried to help people that needed medical help.

He started to help the guy that was on his motorcycle when he was hit.

When the LA Fire Department paramedics arrived they did not rush in to help

I was told they waited because they could see he knew what he was doing and waited until the paramedic got to a logical point where they could take over.

I also do not remember how much time passed but a van with a bunch of motorcycles pulled into the small parking lot and the street in front of the room.

One of the motorcycle riders came in and said he was looking for the guy that helped his friend.

When they went outside, the guy who was in the accident was lowered out of the van in a wheelchair said, "I understand you saved my life".

The paramedic shook his head and said, "I was just doing my job".

The guy in the wheelchair said, "Do you know who I am?".

The paramedic shook his head again and while he was shaking his head the guy in the wheel chair said, "I'm the president of these guys".

"If you ever need anything, call me".

The guys on the motorcycles were Mongols, a infamous motorcycle gang in Los Angeles.

I wonder if the paramedic ever called him for a favor.

*************************

A bit of trivia, Tad Kohara owned the pool room before Stan and where Tad started making cues in the workshop in back of the pool room.
Click to expand...
We had a guy who would park his car on the lot across the street behind the building so his wife wouldn't see his car when she went looking for him.
 
Years ago when I started playing pool, I was at my buddy's pool hall for league night. There were these twins there, real mouthy guys who could barely speak English, but just wouldn't shut up. Anyways, one night, one of them must have had a few too many, and he had a shot to win his match. There must have been 30 people watching him, as he was yelling nonsense, as usual. He the pulled down his pants, showing everyone his(very small) bird. Naturally, everyone laughed, but nobody really cared. The next day, I made a joke about it to him, something like "don't worry, no one could see that thing, anyway". He then tried to say it was his identical twin brother, not him. Like it makes a difference.
 
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Back during the Miller World Series of Pool , I made it to the divisional held in Billings , I arrived with plenty of time go spare and sat at a table close to the pool tables a friend of mine walked in and sat across from me with a empty 3rd chair after a few minutes a young gal walked up and asked if she could sit with us , I said certainly as the bar was filled to capacity .,

She was nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs and as she was messing with her cue case I asked who she was playing first and low and behold it was me ! I kept a straight face when she said that I was probably a pool hustler and I agreed and my friend was about ready to have a accident doing his best to not bust a gut !

The starting time arrived and they called out her name and mine so I opened my cue case and she got a strange look on her face when it dawned on her who i was she felt awful and needless to say she didn't do very well and I beat her in and she gave me a hug after it was all said and done , Mason made it a bit further than I it was a lot of fun just the same !
 
Tulsa legend Fat Randy Wallace used to sell re-built Kirby vacs around town. One day Fatboy came in Leroy's poolhall pimpin Kirby's on ROLLERSKATES. You just had to be there to see this big mofo skating around the room like Fred Astaire. While he's there he gets a game with a pretty decent local named Richard. Randy gave up the 8b and tortured the guy. From then on Richard was the guy who got 'the eight and the skates' from Fat Randy. Some funny shit.
 
garczar said:
Tulsa legend Fat Randy Wallace used to sell re-built Kirby vacs around town. One day Fatboy came in Leroy's poolhall pimpin Kirby's on ROLLERSKATES. You just had to be there to see this big mofo skating around the room like Fred Astaire. While he's there he gets a game with a pretty decent local named Richard. Randy gave up the 8b and tortured the guy. From then on Richard was the guy who got 'the eight and the skates' from Fat Randy. Some funny shit.
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Nothing short of a great story!

Hu
 
i sometimes would go in a room and line up along the middle of the table 100 dollar bills ( takes around 20 of them), and say i will bet i can shoot the cueball up and down the table without it rolling off the money. and they can bet up to whatever is out there with at least a 100.

of course no one in their right mind will bet on someones else's trick.
so why do it in the first place.


simple, after that every gambler wanted to make a game with me as they saw all the money i was willing to bet on silly things.

a very few times someone took the bait and i won. then they said well lets play then or id say lets play one game of 6 ball double or nothing.
that works and then when stuck you got a through ticket

it worked every time to get good action.
 
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This is out of sequence but garczar story is so good I have to mention the time me and Kenny's friend Mike went to Hard Times in Bellflower, California.

When we got to the front desk I asked for , "Fat Kenny".

The House Man stood a little straighter said, "We call him Kenny".

Mike was Kenny's best friend and we had always called Kenny, "Fat Kenny".

Another bit of trivia, Kenny's father owned the Frosty Freeze a couple of blocks from Marina Billiards where one of the house men was Lou Butera and the house pro was 9 ball champion, Hippie Jinny Marino!

Two things that I think influenced Kenny when he was growing up.
 

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brunswick1901 said:
I would like to hear your story but I will start with mine.

***********************

This happened at Stan's Family Billiards on Washington Boulevard near Western Avenue not far from Downtown Los Angeles in the early 1970s.

I didn't see it happen but I heard a serious accident in front of the pool room.

One of the guys, I do not remember his name, in the room was a off duty paramedic.

When he heard the accident he ran out the front door then his car which was in one of the parking spaces in front of the pool room.

He pulled out a bag which I would later learn was a medical kit paramedics carried to help people that needed medical help.

He started to help the guy that was on his motorcycle when he was hit.

When the LA Fire Department paramedics arrived they did not rush in to help

I was told they waited because they could see he knew what he was doing and waited until the paramedic got to a logical point where they could take over.

I also do not remember how much time passed but a van with a bunch of motorcycles pulled into the small parking lot and the street in front of the room.

One of the motorcycle riders came in and said he was looking for the guy that helped his friend.

When they went outside, the guy who was in the accident was lowered out of the van in a wheelchair said, "I understand you saved my life".

The paramedic shook his head and said, "I was just doing my job".

The guy in the wheelchair said, "Do you know who I am?".

The paramedic shook his head again and while he was shaking his head the guy in the wheel chair said, "I'm the president of these guys".

"If you ever need anything, call me".

The guys on the motorcycles were Mongols, a infamous motorcycle gang in Los Angeles.

I wonder if the paramedic ever called him for a favor.

*************************

A bit of trivia, Tad Kohara owned the pool room before Stan and where Tad started making cues in the workshop in back of the pool room.
Click to expand...
That's kind of ironic for me, not a pool story but it fits with the OP's story. I was called to do some fabrication work on a street rod for a guy that I knew was an Outlaws club member. It was some pretty minor stuff and he had a welder so I did the work in his garage. Turns out he was the president of the club. Luckily for me I guess is that he was happy with the work.
 
Cowboy Jimmy Moore was hired by George Frank to go around and play some exhibition matches in Montana and in the Dakota's I had the honor to play a few racks of 8 ball on one of the 9 foot tables and it was amazing what Jimmy could do with a pool cue in his capable hands .
For me this wax a dream come true even if I didn't win a game .

When Jimmy was at a Corner Pocket in S Dakota a local hustler played a few warm up racks with him and he tells him,that he played pretty good for a old man ! As I'm sure you can imagine Jimmy's reaction to this they settled on a race to 11 , playing 9 ball winner breaks for $ 1.000.00

Needless to say the hustler only got to the table to rack ! He then offered to pay Jimmy the cash and Jimmy told him to go get some pool lessons !

Frank McGowan told me this story shortly after it had happened I wish I could've been there to watch it first hand !
 
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yea some good shit happened around there with george and frank. frank was still in his best shape then and unbeatable. few would really go for him as he was too slow. and too good.
i wish i would have met you back then. and maybe i did, but no memory. i came in the pool room when in town but had bigger fish to fry at the empire bar.
 
I understand that . At the Empire was where Lance Saunders , Jerry and Paul Schmito hung out and played quite often .
There could have been another fella named Norm also ? Another fella named George who had a foo man chew that reached down to his belt .

Then there was Lance's big brother Billy who was always either writing a book on pool playing or making a video on the same .
He talked me into shooting some shots so he could film them as he thought I had a reasonable stroke .
 
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